Looking over the recommended list today, I can't see anything except frothing "intra" partisan bickering. Whose votes didn't get counted where, or which superdelegate is saying "fuck you" to who, or why Bill Clinton is an enemy of democracy. Gees guys, aren't we just a little better than this? At the very least, aren't we just a little smarter than this?
I've been on this site a long time, and have allowed myself to be influenced on a couple of points. First and foremost, this is a democratic site for democratic candidates. I didn't like it at first, because I thought that the Clintons and Gore (2000 version) did not represent the "democratic wing of the democratic party" sufficiently enough, and I supported Ralph Nader. No, I was told in no uncertain terms, with the threat of being shouted off this community, this site is about supporting democrats. I reformed myself - I allowed my peers to influence my thinking - I knocked on doors in 2004 for John Kerry, even though I thought he was more of the same for the dems who couldn't get someone in there who had a backbone for their platform - for MY platform as a lifelong democrat.
And then there was the recent comment by one of my colleagues before my state's caucuses, who is as conservative as nearly anyone I know. He's considering retirement and I asked in jest if he was going to go work for McCain, and he said:
I don't know. I think I might vote for (name of one of the two dem candidates redacted because does it really matter?!?)
Surprised, I said, "what brought you to that conclusion?", and he replied:
I just can't wait to see the democrats self destruct again!
So, there you have it. He is clearly participating in open primaries to do his part to try to engineer what he feels is the predictable implosion of democrats when election time comes around. I wouldn't have written this diary, but it was about the third time that week I had heard exactly the same thing from a republican.
I would like to ask of those of you here are willing to consider it, to please remember the same message that has always come up on this site: This blog is completely and 100% about electing democrats, even if they are democrats who voted for a war, or took PAC money, or don't have enough experience, or aren't strong enough on women's rights, or gay rights, or gun rights, or whatever. The litmus test, as I found out during my previous Nader support on this site, is that they are reasonably a democrat.
Both Clinton and Obama clearly are democrats, and both are very capable and well-qualified improvements over Bush, or McCain. So, no matter what happens, can we make a truce? Can we agree that, no matter which candidate represents the dems in November, wil will support them?
Isn't that why we're all here?