I declare the NGR (no "gotcha" rule)

[eileen from OH]

Anyone else as sick of this crap as I am? Take a sentence or phrase, out of context, and a candidate can be made to appear as an advocate of Nazi-Mother-Raping-Child-Molesting-Devil-Worshipping-Kitty-Strangling-Vampires.

It's bad enough when the bloody media does it, it totally SUCKS when the 'publicans do it,. But what really, really frosts my cupcakes is when the Dem candidates do it to each other AND THEIR SUPPORTERS PARROT IT.

At that point, I want to throw a shoe or boot or refrigerator or something. This is EXACTLY how Gore was turned into an "exaggerator" . .enough people repeated it, others talked about it, this talkiong about it became "news", and then it quickly became conventional wisdom - "everybody's saying it, so there MUST be some truth in it."

Let's take a pledge, DU-ers. We will engage in constructive criticisms about Dem candidates, we will support our guy or gal, we may even get down and dirty. But that "down and dirty" will NOT include using isolated phrases to play the same "gotcha" game. And, we will condemn any candidate/talking head that uses this tactic, EVEN IF "OUR" CANDIDATE IS THE ONE DOING IT.

Policy cannot be explained in a sound byte (unless you're * in which case it's explained in one sentence that includes "9/11")

But if you seize on an isolated statement, or a misstatement or a brain fart moment and USE it to denigrate one candidate in order to pump your own, I don't think you are any better than the ones you swear to defeat.

eileen from OH (signing pledge)

[Raven]

1. I'm right there with you. Signing the pledge now.

Thanks for this post!

[w4rma]

2. <signs name> (n/t)

[Evanstondem]

3. NO "Gotchas"

Agreed. Now if we can only get all of the Dem candidates to sign on too!

[Isome]

4. Signing the pledge... with a flourish

e o m