The new movement afoot by Hillary supporters to abandon this forum altogether seems to be taking off. I can sympathize with that sentiment -- the vitriolic stupidity that hits the rec list day-after-day has made me wonder why I visit here. But I'm sticking around. In fact, the anti-Hillary tirades of late have caused me to post more than ever before. I've been trying to counter the baseless charges and give some of you much needed perspective.
There are fewer like me here every day, but you'll have at least one to keep this place within a shouting distance of credibilty when this primary ends.
The funny this is that I wasn't a firm Hillary supporter until February. I even went to an Obama rally on February 3rd. Yet I found myself sliding from a fence sitter to a strong Hillary supporter because I kept correcting the ridiculous attacks on Hillary (and Bill) Clinton that I read on this site (self-perception or cognitive dissonance theories in action I suppose).
I haven't changed many minds. I've been told repeatedly by other commenters in the last month to "go away" because I haven't towed the Obama-party-line, but that's only increased the resolve to stick around. When the primary is over I'll probably stop commenting (I spent about 5 years here as a pure lurker) but for now, your anti-Hillary tirades will continue to get corrected by at least one last Hillary supporter here.
I'm not here to say don't bash Hillary -- I think its worth debating whether a candidate has baggage that would hurt him/her in the general election. Think about it this way, if Elliot Spitzer were about to win the democratic nomination and a democrat knew about his indiscretions, I'd want that person to take him down now rather than experience a melt down in October.
What has bothered me is not that people bash Hillary, but that people repeatedly bash Hillary when they don't have the goods. And then there is no reasoning with them because it's all about the hate, not the facts. 99% of the attacks on Hillary are of the Free Republic circa 1999 variety.
So if you're gearing up for your umpteenth screed attacking Hillary, I'd suggest approaching it the way you would if you truly were an undecided voter and had real concerns about an issue. For example, even if I put myself in the shoes of an Obama supporter, I'd be concerned about the Wright issue. It's perfect fodder for the swiftboaters. In fact, before I had even decided on a candidate, back in December, I warned people here that Obama would have to prove he could take a punch in the primary because in the general election he would be tagged as belonging to a "Farrakhanesque-anti-white church." I saw it coming in right wing email trails months ago. I got troll rated into oblivion for that observation. At the same time, I think declarations that Obama is toast because of Wright are silly. This could be his undoing but it doesn't have to be. Its important to see how he handles it.
So have at it, but think before you write. And think really hard before calling someone here a racist. Unfortunately, Kos has set the tone at the top for making weak charges of racism, but that doesn't mean you should be a follower. The racism charge has been thrown at me a dozen times or more already without any justification other than that I've criticized Obama, or his wife, or his pastor. I'd HR you for that everytime, but since I support Hillary, I'm not a TU anymore.