When it comes to the Democratic Primaries, I believe

[MineralMan]

we should all post our opinions about candidates and issues on DU in this forum that is set aside for Democratic Primary threads. Whichever candidate we support, we should feel free to discuss that support and our intentions about whom we will vote. If we have opinions about the likelihood of a candidate winning the nomination, we should feel free to say so, and describe why we feel that way. By the same token, anyone else should feel free to dispute those opinions, using facts or opinions as to why an opinion is misguided or incorrect.

I think we should all be very careful not to suggest that some opinions about the Democratic primaries should not be posted or that the poster of opinions with which we disagree is somehow not sincere or should be silent. That's not what this forum is about. We have supporters of all of the three major Democratic candidates posting here. All should feel welcome to post about their support, without it being implied that they are somehow pariahs for not agreeing with the majority opinion here.

If individuals post similarly on a regular basis, that's fine, too, whatever opinion they hold. It's a political campaign and repetition is part of campaigning. It's fine to think that one's favorite candidate is the only one who will do the right thing, whoever that candidate is. It's fine to think that a particular candidate is the most likely to win the general election, too, and to explain why you think that is the case.

It is not fine, I believe, to call people names or insinuate that people are not proper Democrats because of whom they support. That's not fine at all. I encourage everyone not to do that. If you don't like the opinions of some DUer in general, it's easy to skip that DUer's posts. You can simply not click on them. If you're really annoyed at someone, or if someone angers you just for existing, you can also Ignore that person and never see posts from that individual.

DU members should feel free to post their opinions here. All DU members. They shouldn't be reviled for doing so, I believe.

That's what I believe about discussing candidates on DU. You might believe something else. We needn't always agree to be part of the DU community.

[brush]

1. What about the umteenth million post in the last couple of days going on about loyalty oaths . . .

and stating he/she will not support the Dem nominee if not his/her preferred candidate?

Just curious how others feel about the repeated posting of that OP.

[MineralMan]

2. I don't know. IT's OK these days, but won't be

once the primaries are over, I think.

I've actually never seen a thread asking for loyalty oaths, though. I've seen many thread with people saying they will vote for the Democratic nominee, though, whoever that turns out to be.

I've said that myself several times. That's not a demand for a loyalty oath though. It's just a personal statement about voting intentions.

[brush]

3. I will also vote for the Dem nominee, whoever he/she is

I've seen quite a few post though stating they abhor loyalty oaths and won't vote for the nominee unless it's their preferred candidate.

Let's hope these go away after the primaries so we can get a Democrat elected.

[MineralMan]

4. Most DUers will vote for the Democratic nominee.

That's why they are Democrats. Since this is Democratic Underground, with the stated purpose of promoting the election of Democrats, people who declare that they will not vote for the Democratic nominee are, by definition, not Democrats. They may be progressives. They may be liberals. They may be almost anything. But Democrats vote for the Democratic nominee. This website supports the election of Democrats to office as its primary goal.

It's all in the About page for the site and more closely defined in the Terms of Service. Both documents are available at links at the bottom of every page on DU.