The time has come for all of us to take a deep breath and admit that enough is enough. There are few words sufficient to describe what has happened, or how it has happened to our movement, and analyzing it will only lead to further anger and finger pointing, which serves none of us.
I have been reading dailykos religiously for a very long time, but I only recently joined. I had hoped to contribute a blog or two every now and again. And I hoped that in doing so that I might push an envelope or two--generally supporting the progressive movement, of which I have been a proud and active member for over twenty years--but playing Devil's advocate when it seemed that we were becoming too complacent, too arrogant. What I never envisioned was feeling alienated, damned, reviled, or, well, less than. But such has been the state of things these past many months. And now it is time to go, ironically before I have even contributed a proper piece (save this) to the site.
I am joining my fellow HRC supporters and moving on. Obviously, this will leave room for kos to become a more consistent site overall and will contribute to a more positive conversation for it's remaining members. Being the minority is never enjoyable, but being a minority within a minority is even more painful. I truly never thought that I would be made to feel like I was evil for supporting Hillary Clinton, but I have been made to feel such and I have decided that it is best now for me to leave. Perhaps someone will start another site more amenable to my political personality, hell, perhaps I will. Until such time, however, I will have to be content with whatever perspectives are offered on Salon or Slate, et al. I will miss some of the insight I gained here, but I will not miss the bigotry or blatant misogyny so lately spewed.
I will not dwell on the negative here, however. This is a positive step for both movements. No good has come of the dialogs that have taken place here recently, and the splinters threaten to become full crevasses. I have come to believe that there will be no healing for the Democratic Party now. I am not sure who I will vote for in November, or if I will even vote. Maybe by then, if my bitterness has subsided, and Barack Obama is the nominee, then I will be able to vote for him. If not him, then perhaps Nader. And if not him then perhaps I will choose to write in HRC...I honestly do not know.
So farewell kos. Not that any of you will notice or care--and perhaps most will rejoice. I cannot help but feel a sense of loss, of what could have been. I doubt either side can win in November without the support of the other, and so maybe it is simply not our time. Maybe it will take one more horrible Republican administration before we are able to truly come together and move this country forward.
Until such time I wish all of you luck, love, and peace.
May God bless us all.
Cheers,
Robert Sandy