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In reply to the discussion: I posed a question to 10 trusted DUers ... [View all]Generic Other
(28,979 posts)I opened your post because I always want to hear what you have to say because I think you are an intelligent person. As for these mystery PMs, I didn't get 'em and I half-kiddingly posted about feeling left out. Do you really think all DUers whose views you don't agree with are involved in a collective effort via talking points in PM's to discredit what you say? <Sigh> Now I really feel left out.
Admittedly, I didn't read the whole thread, just yours and a few others when I responded earlier up thread to your piece. After I read through the thread more carefully, I could better see where you were coming from. I didn't really know what other OP's, thread/s, poster/s set you off, but I felt I probably contributed because I have criticized certain of the president's policies and I have defended or agreed with other DUers who did so as well.
But I object to being accused of being part of a hoard who exchanges talking points before posting here. I have my own opinions. Who else would want them? Seriously! I kill threads by posting on them. And I forcefully share my opinions on DU. You do too. I absolutely support every DUers' right to speak their minds on this board whether I agree or not. I hate 9/10ths of the alerts. Absolutely hate them as revisionism. I try to listen to opposing views, and engage those voices whose views I find interesting. Admittedly, I probably rant more than I listen, but I can also be swayed by reasonable arguments. I hope I can always be honest, and that I can't be bought. While I may disagree with another DUer in the heat of an argument, I rarely hold long lasting grudges except against the BFEE -- and only because they should be brought to justice. And I do not want to be thought a racist anymore than I would want to be thought of as any other kind of bully. Please accept my apology if in thought or action, I acted in such a fashion.
When I first came to DU, we were all united in our marginalization. Every one of us was viewed as a "sore loser," "conspiracy theorist," "moonbat..." We spent eight years getting beat up. We came out of it bloody and bruised, hardened by the experience. I think I have had PTSD through half of Obama's term. It is what it is. My political transformation parallels that of a lot of DUers. We share general ideals and goals, but we have never fully agreed on much else. We have all been like Sisyphus pushing that boulder uphill, then having it roll back down over us. And every time it rolled backward, we lost ground. That's not all on Obama or Democrats by any means, and it shouldn't be about race, but I understand why it is inevitably about race because this is not something one can separate from this president, especially given the way many of his detractors (most notably the tea party and Fox News) have acted toward him. But on DU, it should not be about race. It should be about policy, the struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tide of crazy we are holding back on the other side of the divide and how we fight back. That's the real horde. Out there trying to break down the door. The right wing invaders that threaten us all. If our troops are in disarray, with some of us accused of undermining the cause, we need to recognize what we are doing wrong and find a solution. The midterm elections are a good chance for us to win some hearts and minds. Maybe we need to focus our energy on that rather than reducing DU to ashes for some pyrrhic victory.
I dread what's heading our way as it is.