I've never met her, though been in the same room with her. Same goes with Markos. And quite a few (but not all) of the front pagers.
And yet, I wish each of them peace and good wishes for the New Year.
I think it may be time to stop obsessing about personality in the wake of a raw debate on health care, don't you think? Perhaps time to take a deep breath?
The holiday season is upon us, and regardless of your religious beliefs -- or lack thereof -- the approaching new year is always a universal time for reflection and commitment to making the coming year better than the last one.
Ms. Hamsher has a lot of passion about the health care debate, and has said and done some things that have apparently upset a lot of people in the netroots. But she's entitled to do so. Just like any of us is. Sure, her soapbox might be a tad bigger than the average activists, but that's not reason to pull the knives out. Or make it the daily obsession of the netroots.
Funny thing is, I actually used to worry about how the "netroots" was "represented" by spokespersons and the like. Not so much anymore. The craziness I see now appears to be more dysfunctional family at the Christmas dinner table than actual substance of the debate.
So again, I wish peace to all this week. There is no need to make this personal. No need to create scapegoats. And we can continue to debate this bill -- and the coming year and the promise it may bring, what legislation it may bring, what political tactics we will see, warts and all -- without tearing ourselves apart in the process.
Like Jane? Great. Keep on liking her. Don't like Jane? That's fine, too. Don't read her, or tell us about how she's an awful person and what not.
Me? I'm just going to keep on keepin' on. Because that's what I and millions of Americans do.
Again, peace to all of you.