This diary has been brewing in me for awhile, but I finally have to get it out there.
The level of acidity to Kerry and Edwards apparent in the rapidly scrolling journals here is nothing short of astounding. I'm finding a few bad apples setting the tone for the discourse here in a not very attractive fashion. I fear that the rapidity at which these oh-so-thoughtful diatribes appear is starting to drown out any type of even quasi-rational discourse. It's muck that frankly, I'm sick of having to wade through.
There's a way to criticize candidates that doesn't involve scorched earth tactics, and most on this site are eschewing venom for substantive discussion. It's one thing to be give pointed criticism of a candidate--it's quite another to wage a systematic, rancorous, and (most importantly) mindless campaign to obliterate other Democratic candidates.
I fear that it's been sucking the air out of Kos, setting an under-the-surface tone that is very unsettling. It's remarkable how few diaries lately actually deal with this president's policies. I know that the campaign season is exciting and all, but the constant barrage of venomous pseudo-diaries here are mind-numbing--and it's only served to distract from the larger issue at hand. I think we all know what that is.
Meanwhile--if this Internet space is a microcosm of the entire political sphere--the Republicans must just be laughing their asses off, since Democrats are doing their dirty work for them. That's what makes me angriest about this--that it only follows the predetermined script about "divisive" Democrats. That we are doomed to self-destruct with petty in-fighting and vitriol. (Remind me how in-fighting is supposed to empower us again?) I say screw the script, prove them wrong, and let's start policing our own jackanapes, simps, knuckleheads, and ne'er-do-wells.
I've come to this site--and I'm sure a lot of others here will agree with me--to recharge, to find solidarity with like-minded folks and to discuss strategies and tactics to take back the White House, and I'm supremely grateful for what the community here represents. When things seemed particularly dour politically in certain stretches of 2003, this site was the first place I went to recharge, with all sorts of Democrats. But particularly in the last few weeks, I've come to the site, gone through diaries and comments and just get...exhausted.
It has to stop. We need to find ways to make it stop. One of the basic rules of any civilization is "don't shit where you eat." There is a place to shit in public, but it's not here. Don't defecate all over the kitchen when people are trying to feed themselves.
