General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDear Skinner...
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by SYFROYH (a host of the General Discussion forum).
I know you get backlogs of epic proportions in ATA.
I imagine that you get personal e-mails up the wahzoo...
And this is your site... it is your site...
Yet some of us have been here so long... we may have forgotten that fact.
And you've been normally in the background through most of this site's history.
And we were ok with that... yet when you did comment/recommend...
We were excited. We got approval.
Sounds juvenile... I realize... yet there it is when you have multiples of thousands of posts on-board...
So when I got a Rec from Skinner, it was kind of nice... kind of special. I'm still human.
This is hard... But I want to ask a question without being zapped.
And if I'm zapped, zapped I am...
But with the Hillary Clinton roll-out you posted several things, all good articles, yet...
It has been so rare from you... that many here, might have wondered if you were making a statement.
Not a statement of support for Hillary, but a statement of the operation of DU, or both...
And although I don't think that's what you were doing, and I do applaud you joining the everyday tussle...
I think it may have shocked some people... because it was so rare to engage.
Please engage again, and let's have the fun of the argument.
Sincerely,
WillyT
marym625
(17,997 posts)I have wondered the same thing. The absence of any other posts is what made me wonder. I have no problem whatsoever with anyone supporting their candidate. But when one of the site owners posts about nothing else, even the horror that is happening with the police killing civilians for no reason, one has to wonder...
Again, WILLY, very nice post. Polite and to the point
WillyT
(72,631 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)That postings have diminished and people are staying out of GD. People that we align with politically. And a reason is exactly what you just posted about.
I am always with you Willy!
WillyT
(72,631 posts)Not just slowed it down, but made it uncomfortable, and at least as far as I know...
Made one disappionted enough to leave....
With a good amount of pushing from those that shall remain nameless... for now.
marym625
(17,997 posts)At least a few I know about. One that will be a huge loss.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)We need all of our voices if only to preserve our sanity.
marym625
(17,997 posts)CTyankee
(63,768 posts)something but I don't see any attempt to extinguish dissenting voices in having him post his preference for one Dem candidate over another. I am in the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party and my view is that she and other brave progressives are pulling HRC to the left and I applaud that. Also, HRC is our candidate, I'm going to vote for her in the General. That doesn't mean anybody has to sit down and shut up. I intend to be a voice for progressivism and very active in my party here in CT. And I also will continue on DU. I see no reason not to...
marym625
(17,997 posts)I agreed with the OP but I didn't write it.
It is not that Skinner is posting in favor of HC. More power to him. I am very glad to see him post at all. It's the fact, with so very many, majorly important issues of late, that this is the only thing he has posted about. That and the fact that if you don't support HC, you are sure to be berated by someone.
I know that there has been adversity and animosity on both sides. No question. But number of and the anger behind post in reply to posts that may just be for someone else instead of HC are definitely more than the other way around.
I think that the "you support Hillary or you are a right winger" which has been said multiple times to multiple people, only diminishes the process, the party and ultimately, the country. We are at the beginning of the primary season. If nothing else, debate is needed within the party and should not be shut down for any reason or any person
KMOD
(7,906 posts)both overthinking this.
But he spoke what many have been thinking. Including real old timers here.
Love you too K
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)The only OP's I can recall Skinner creating in the past are posts supportive of Obama when he was running for election and reelection.
It's because he's a Dem and this site is called 'Democratic Underground'.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Because I have seen him post only once prior to Hillary. So that is truly good to know
dreamnightwind
(4,775 posts)It certainly hits home here.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Skinner can post about whatever he chooses, as we all do.
marym625
(17,997 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)BainsBane
(53,001 posts)There has been so much vitriol about Clinton on this site, it had become difficult to say anything positive about her. IMO, his endorsement of Clinton made clear that this site is not just for the anti-Clinton crowd, that it remains a Democratic site in support of the Democratic party. I think EarlG's tombstoning a couple of people yesterday reaffirmed that statement.
I think it was much needed.
marym625
(17,997 posts)But from this side it feels like just the opposite. I don't know who was tombstoned or what happened, but hearing that people that support others besides Hillary were kind of proves the point of the concerns
BainsBane
(53,001 posts)That's pretty clear grounds for PPRing. This is a site for Democrats. It's never pretended to be all inclusive, regardless of political views. That is clear from TOS. Another poster made a sexist OP, and it turned out he was a zombie.
marym625
(17,997 posts)I thought from what you said it was just anti Hillary.
daredtowork
(3,732 posts)And the tactics that have been used to maginalize opponents have been discourteous to say the least. And they have been allowed to get away with things listed against the site rules like define people who are not pro-Hillary as Republicans.
As for Skinner's own appearance: sine this web site costs money to run, and the Clinton campaign has loads of cash, I just assumed that is something along the lines of an endorsement that ran on Primary Announcement day on one of THE Democrat enclaves. I don't see why Clinton's staff or Skinner *wouldnt*do that. Even if it wasn't a paid endorsement now, there could be some hope for support of the web site in the future - that just makes sense.
I hope people aren't getting dinged just for expressing opposition during primary season, though. I don't think that would be tbe case from what I've seen before. This thread might get dinged as "disruptive meta", though. :p
marym625
(17,997 posts)It addresses something many are thinking. It has already shown that this was the case in 2008. I only lurked at that time and only knew the names of the most prolific posters.
And I agree about the posts that aren't supporting Hillary. Someone asked if we don't support her, to just post for our candidate. So I posted about O'Malley. Gee. Guess what happened.
mylye2222
(2,992 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)Now guess why!
mylye2222
(2,992 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)Now... are their Clinton folk that would like this place go "all in"...
You bet your ass.
If they could DU it through money... maybe/probably...
But maintaining the announcement high for the next 18 or so months is ridiculous.
Keep your eyes and ears open.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)doing when using these terms.
again.... not a clinton supporter, but i am tired when addressing democrats, we slap the supporter upside the head with fan or cheerleader or other descriptive.
argue the point. allow someone to be bright enough to have their own reasoning for support, without dismissing htem as empty headed zombie behavior. it is an insult, and not meant for conversation but insult.
daredtowork
(3,732 posts)I'd use the neutral term "supporter" if someone were just promoting their own candidate or listing pros of their candidate's ideas vs. ideas of another candidate's. I'm using the term "cheerleaders" here to refer to people who are more extreme than a mere supporter:
"You support Hillary or you are a purity troll."
"You support Hillary or you are implying you will be voting for a Republican in the Presidential election."
"You support Hillary or you are Socialist Wingnut/Freeper."
"You support Hillary or you are the GOP..." (This really burns me up from the Third Way leaners who start calling GOP after giving their talking points AGAINST Social Security! WTF!!!!)
"You support Hillary or you suffer from Hillary Derangement Syndrome."
I'm sorry if you find "cheerleader" an uncivil, loaded term, but it's accurately descriptive of all the above behavior which goes on unchecked here - and then 5 minutes later you see the exact same people that wield these kind of tactics post OPs that try to position Team Hillary to be the victim of what they themselves are doing!
When people express themselves with reasoned argument, I do give them credit for that. But when they are the ones launching the first insult, they don't get a free pass. The description "cheerleader" seems to me to be a very mild term to give back to people who call you "deranged".
WillyT
(72,631 posts)JI7
(89,172 posts)better believe it and other obvious trolls aren't able to last as long as they have .
boston bean
(36,186 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)if Skinner was just doing what everyone else is doing, supporting his candidate, or making a statement. Because if people who do not support Hillary, people who would like to see more candidates, who have Democrats in mind they would like to see in the race, are not welcome here, I think it would be only fair to say so.
Anyhow, thank you for asking, and if you ARE zapped, or locked or whatever, I guess that will be the answer.
I have appreciated Skinner starting this forum, dealing with all the garbage he must have had to deal with all these years, and letting us be here, especially during the awful Bush years. We probably don't tell him often enough how much we appreciate the site.
Well said Sabrina.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)Paled in comparison to Barack Obama v. Hillary Clinton 2007/2008.
THAT was an uncivil war.
KMOD
(7,906 posts)I'm sure it doesn't bring in much profit to make the aggravation that comes along with it, worth it.
So kudos to him.
I appreciate it.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)There were so few Dem sites back then, people were desperate to talk to other Democrats. The available forums were mostly dominated by Right Wingers. I got so used to fighting with them that when I finally found a Liberal site, I still expected to be attacked, threatened and reported to Homeland Security for saying anything negative, which I did, constantly, about Bush. Lol.
I was so programmed by then.
DU was an oasis. I just read for a while, there were some great people here. They were funny, intelligent and it was awesome to finally see people actually going after the Bushbots without them being able to do anything about it, at least here.
We definitely appreciated it you can be sure of that. But like I said, probably didn't say so often enough.
marym625
(17,997 posts)God I loved that station. I was more addicted to it than I am to DU. Started listening at 4am to hear Liz Winstead and Rachel Maddow and didn't turn it off until late in the night
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)spewing hatred for Liberals and minorities and praising Bush, cheering for war and well, you know.
I don't what happened but was so disappointed when they started having problems. Are there no Rich Dems to support a Left Wing Noise Machine?
marym625
(17,997 posts)Remember when they were knocked off the air? And here in Chicago, they weren't airing them. I remember calling and asking where they were. They weren't aware. Had to go to another station.
I was the one that told Randi Rhodes that rumsfeld said they shot down flight 93.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)I don't think it was a lie. I think we shot the plane down
appalachiablue
(41,047 posts)marym625
(17,997 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)Goblinmonger
(22,340 posts)But I'm going to bet it is worth any aggravation it causes.
zappaman
(20,605 posts)You accidentally posted your PM!
Accidents happen...
WillyT
(72,631 posts)zappaman
(20,605 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)zeemike
(18,998 posts)So post a picture of them and we will tell you what we think.
But as to your OP I was glad to engage with Skinner and I did so with the belief he would not be so petty to ban me for my disagreement with him, and I am still here...however there are others here that would if they could.
shireen
(8,333 posts)i think Skinner is just being a regular DU'er, posting about something he cares about. Many of us read comments and don't post much ... but every now and then, we just gotta say something.
Now we know, Skinner likes Hillary. And Chipotle.
So, I don't think this has any bearings on DU operations.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Yeah,...I'm sure it's recent crash was unrelated.
byronius
(7,369 posts)Awesome post, brother.
May Skinner and his crew live forever. Seriously.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Agree with all of it
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)It's not like he's banning people who post constructive debate who are against the Clinton candidacy.
boston bean
(36,186 posts)I think Skinner enjoyed his Chipotle!
randome
(34,845 posts)Everyone wants to parse what he says to the utmost degree, which is ridiculous. It doesn't matter what his inner motivations may be, or if he has some conscious or subconscious agenda.
The creator of a site should be careful about injecting him/herself into debates. Otherwise, the site loses its objectivity. I think the admins are well aware of that.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,704 posts)Skinner's recent actions only convince me that my initial observation that he is a most perspicacious young man was correct.
MineralMan
(146,189 posts)Ask the Administrators forum? Apparently Skinner supports Hillary Clinton for President. That seems pretty clear. A lot of people do. Others don't, or support some other potential candidate.
Was Skinner sending a message? Sure. The message was that he supports Hillary Clinton. If you think there is some subtext, that's a question for a DUMail or an Ask the Adminstrators forum.
If I were a forum host, I'd be in the discussion about whether this OP should be locked. I'm not sure how I'd vote, but others will probably be in favor of locking this as not being in keeping with the GD SOP.
DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)i swear you have some extra rule making gene that others don't possess. The thread was started here. It's getting good responses, good discussion. This thread requires absolutely no oversight on your part.
MineralMan
(146,189 posts)I'm participating in someone else's thread and offering a suggestion. It's not your thread. Like all DUers, I can freely participate in any thread I choose. You've posted nothing else in this thread, aside from your post to me. Why is that? Why would you care how I participate in a thread on DU? There's some irony in this that you may not be recognizing, regarding rule-making.
Your opinion of me is irrelevant and pretty insulting, to boot. As a DUer, though, you can freely post what you want, just as I can.
DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)I'm suggesting that you (2nd person sing) stop it. You, on the other hand, make a regular habit of telling anyone and everyone ("you"--2nd person plural) how they should act and post on Democratic Underground. And then we go through the normal ritual of you reminding me that this is a discussion board and that we're all able to post what we want to post, and that I can't compel you to act in some certain way or another. I think we've done that. I'm now bidding you a good day (not compelling you). Thanks, MM.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)and I'm using the term "trolling" in the sense he might just be yanking your chain.
Renew Deal
(81,801 posts)I'm pretty sure he admitted in 2008 to supporting Hillary.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Many of us had the same feeling of excitement you would have if Warren were to enter the race tomorrow. I know some aren't able to understand that over Clinton but it is the case. I am pretty sure that is what saw. I think more is being looked for than is actually there. Not slighting your op in any way.
Bobbie Jo
(14,341 posts)the OP strikes me as a tad whiny. Perhaps a little preemptive victim posturing at work here.
I have no doubt that folks will be able to continue to scour the web for dirt and take pot shots at their Democrat of choice. Skinner has even provided a corner of the site that appears dedicated to working toward Hillary's ultimate defeat.
Seems the OP is looking for some kind of confirmation that this is still okay.
Skinner is far more magnanimous than many of us would be in his position. You should know that by now.
FSogol
(45,355 posts)MineralMan
(146,189 posts)Autumn
(44,743 posts)sometimes I like it better too the trolls are really open over there.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)poor reviews. But there it is. Anti gay, anti choice, supporter of Hobby Lobby and March For Life, and you thought it great fun to suggest him as leadership for this Party full of LGBT and Pro Choice people. Now you complain that Skinner supports a Democratic pro choice candidate who just opened her campaign in the most LGBT friendly fashion of any Democrat in history? It's pretty ironic.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025095005#post41
WillyT
(72,631 posts)And BTW... that was sort of toungue-in-cheek. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't run, couldn't run... he wasn't born here.
But hey... thanks for saving that post and holding that grudge...
Renew Deal
(81,801 posts)He couldn't do that in the past. I still don't think the jury system serves DU well. But Skinner can't be accused of favoritism.
nolabear
(41,915 posts)Supporting a candidate while providing a democratic space for all and not demeaning, diminishing or disrespecting anyone who might see things differently. I have huge respect for that.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,704 posts)He is an exemplar to all...
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)and the we are supports to support Democrats on this site. If Skinner was sending a message, I think it's that one.
Clinton is, thus far, the only Democratic nominee and per TOS here on DU, we're to support that candidate. From the TOS:
Winning elections is important therefore, advocating in favor of Republican nominees or in favor of third-party spoiler candidates that could split the vote and throw an election to our conservative opponents is never permitted on Democratic Underground. But that does not mean that DU members are required to always be completely supportive of Democrats. During the ups-and-downs of politics and policy-making, it is perfectly normal to have mixed feelings about the Democratic officials we worked hard to help elect. When we are not in the heat of election season, members are permitted to post strong criticism or disappointment with our Democratic elected officials, or to express ambivalence about voting for them. In Democratic primaries, members may support whomever they choose. But when general election season begins, DU members must support Democratic nominees (EXCEPT in rare cases where a non-Democrat is most likely to defeat the conservative alternative, or where there is no possibility of splitting the liberal vote and inadvertently throwing the election to the conservative alternative). For presidential contests, election season begins when both major-party nominees become clear. For non-presidential contests, election season begins on Labor Day. Everyone here on DU needs to work together to elect more Democrats and fewer Republicans to all levels of American government. If you are bashing, trashing, undermining, or depressing turnout for our candidates during election season, we'll assume you are rooting for the other side.
Emphasis mine.
The rules are clear on this and have been for some time.
underpants
(182,270 posts)-Grovelbot
aikoaiko
(34,127 posts)this belongs in AtA