Perusing The Front Page Of The D U General Discussion Forum

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Six anti-Clark threads....


Two pro-Clark threads


Two neutral threads...


While the Republicans practice Leninist like party discipline and democratic centralism we cannibalize each other and our candidates...

The Republicans are screwing us and eating our lunches too....

Sad....


on edit-They're laughing at us too...

[Forkboy]

1. Seems pretty democratic to me

would you prefer we all just nod our heads in agreement like good little robots?

and on my edit--OH NO...freepers are laughing at us...the horror!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Of Course Not

but can't we disagree without being disagreeable...

[Richardo]

3. THAT I can get behind...

...just a little decorum, por favor.

Some of us are still weighing the candidates' positions and the vitriol, as Rumsferatu might say, is "not helpful" ;-)

[TacticalPeek]

4. Lenin, Schmenin,

this is more reminescient of Maoist 'correct line' tangles that end with blood on the floor.

[LeftCoast]

5. It's a Goddamned Circular Firing Squad!

There is a difference between criticism and spin and I really expect folks on DU to be intelligent enough to tell the difference. It's ironic that after all the bitching and moaning about the 'unfair spin' that the media and the Republicans pull on Dem's we turn around and do it to ourselves. It's fucking pitiful.

I've given up trying to change the tone of the discourse here. I only hope that Bush continues to do himself more damage than we're doing to ourselves.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. If It Was Just This Board It Would Be Comical

but it is coming from the far right and the far left press and I don't mean to use the term far left pejoratively...

Wouldn't folks who read, say The Nation or The Progressive be better served by a center left Dem than * or

are they so alienated that they want to see * reelected and whatever scintilla left of civil rights and international respect America has disappear...


That is the question.....

Every other question is subsidiary....

If Churchill and FDR can break bread, cooperate with Stalin and call him Uncle Joe we can rally around an "ideologically imperfect" candidate to beat *....

[LeftCoast]

8. That's pretty much my philosophy!

I'm ABB. I just hope that when the nominee is chosen, the rest of the country is as well!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

[damnraddem]

16. Hey, if I was just out to support my perspectives, ...

there wouldn't be a Dem in the race far enough left for me. Were I to support the closest to me, that would be Kucinich or Mosley-Braun. Instead, I'm supporting the Dem I think has the best chance of being elected, while at the same time having decent Democratic positions: Dean. And there is only one Dem in the race who might actually be nominated who I could not support: LIEberman -- a Democratic Dubya would be even more demoralizing than the one we have. As to Clark, I have questions; but I recognize that he would bring some votes to a ticket.

[Brian Sweat]

6. I bet that if you did an inventory, you would find that most of the

anti-Clark posts come from the same dozen or so posters. The same with the Anti-Dean posts and the anti-any-other candidate posts (except Leiberman). Each candidate has a handful of supporters who are more interested in tearing down other candidates than supporting their own.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

9. No surprise "Republicans practice Leninist like party discipline"

Neo-cons are just old commies with a new name.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. That's Both Literally And Figuratively True....

neos like Irving Kristol and David Horowitz are "reformed lefties"; one old school, one new school...

[damnraddem]

17. Well, new school lefties were not known for their discipline.

But I suppose the neocons all learned from the old school. ;-)

[reachout]

11. As someone...

who has been lurking a long time and only recently started posting, it seems to me to be not atypical.

Clark has finally raised his head above the parapet, and now he's taking some shots. A few months back when Dean surged up out of relative obscurity, the same thing happened with the same level of vitrol and defensiveness. Then things calmed down with only a periodic pro-anti flare up. I'm sure the same thing will happen here. If Edwards suddenly stormed the polls, he'd get the same treatment.

I actually think a lot of the informational pieces posted have not been ad hominem attacks, but rather critical examinations of each candidate. It is the reaction to those posts that gets out of hand.

I guess I've never quite understood the "my candidate" mindset, where one chooses to support a particular candidate and then throw up a defensive wall around him. Critisism of that candidate is often taken personally. Okay, maybe someone around here is Dean's brother or Clark aunt, but I doubt it.

For me I think of this as one big job interview. Each of these ten people has chosen to give me their resume and asked to be my highest ranking public servant. Just as when I interview someone to work in an important position at my place of business, I want all the cards on the table. I want to know about their experience, their ideas and what they can do for me. I want the good and the bad.

I guess maybe I don't think in terms of "electing a leader." I don't need any leaders...or kings...or masters. I need a public servant who will do the things I want done. I think of it as though I'm selecting who will be the next town dog catcher...just with more responsiblities. God knows our current dog catcher doesn't seem to be able to outsmart the dogs.

[BigMcLargehuge]

12. so that's where my lunch went...

Good point though... the more we lob doo-doo at one another the less cohesive we appear.


And dang it, Mrs. McLargehuge packed me a Twkinkie today that I was looking forward to eating.

[legin]

13. you forgot about the Cicero flamefest

I didn't even know he was a candidate. :evilgrin:

[kodi]

14. well, he was a proconsul once

.

[damnraddem]

15. Personally, I don't want to be like the GOP.

Clark has thrown his hat into the ring -- he needs to be thoroughly discussed. And whether the lead-in to the thread is positive, negative, or neutral, the discussion tends to hit up all sides, including some vicious posts. That's just par for the course.

What we need is a good ticket and then to all get out there and support it.