A Completely Benign Subject Line; An Opportunity for Polite Discourse

[RedShoesBlueState]

I'm interested in hearing from Obama supporters concerning a conclusion I've reached based on my observations of this board. Clinton supporters are welcome to respond also, if you care to comment.
My observation? That the "talk-to-the-hand" "I'm ignoring you" fingers-in-ears la la la attitude of so many Obama supporters on this board is very, very damaging to the party, and is going to cost us the next election. I find it obnoxious and childish, and I doubt that such people will be able to effectively convince an undecided voter with serious reservations about Obama to cast their vote for him in November. If you can't even respond with civility to a fellow Democrat, who just wants to raise concerns and discuss them intelligently, then how are you going to convince an on-the-fence Repub or independent of anything?

This board is so deeply polarized, and so overwhelmingly filled with Obama supporters, that it can be very intimidating to post here if you are a Clinton supporter. I have seen perfectly rational posts, stated in a non-threatening, non-critical way, greeted with jeers, profanities, and ugly characterizations of Senator Clinton which are absolutely hateful. Even the simplest query, an invitation to consider the other side, is usually rejected out of hand. (There are exceptions -- I have seen some reasonable and calm responses from Obama supporters also.) But overall -- overall -- I see in so many Obama supporters here a complete rejection of the idea of listening to what the other guy has to say. And that is a very dangerous thing in politics. Politics is all about compromise and understanding where the other person is coming from.

This has been particularly disturbing to me this past week, when some posters here have tried to express concerns about the Wright issue, and what we perceive as Obama's insufficient response. Why is this so disturbing? Because I think the difference between Obama supporters and Clinton supporters is that many Clinton supporters ARE listening to others. We're not getting all our information from other Obama supporters on a constant feedback loop - a loop that only seeks to reaffirm your own support of your candidate. I'm listening to independents, and to moderate Republicans, and to moderate Democrats, and what I hear in THEIR response to Obama alarms me. They didn't understand the subtleties of his speech on race. They're still disturbed that he was affiliated with Wright for 20 years. They don't like that he said something negative about his grandmother. Yes, that may seem dimwitted to you -- how could they NOT get it? Argue with me all you want, but that's what Middle America is saying -- they didn't get it, they didn't understand it, and they're increasingly leery of Obama. Those Wright speeches are going to be playing over and over, and they're not going to go away.

And by the way, if I hear one more supporter on either side posting polls in some effort to show that one or the other is WAAAAY ahead, I'm going to scream. The truth is here: http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08gen.htm
And the truth is that there is no discernible difference between either of them in a match-up against McCain, and McCain continues to mostly be ahead.

Sigh. So, let me have it. Or...prove me wrong. Show me that you can respond with civility. Or, at the very least, if your overwhelming reaction is to want to respond with vitriol, then hold that in check. Show some self-control, and pass my post by. That's what I do with so many of things I read here, and why I have less than 100 posts. (And by the way, posting to say "I'm not responding to you because you're full of crap" -- that counts as a negative response, and merely proves my point.)

All the best to you, no matter what happens. I'll be voting for the Democratic candidate in the Fall, no matter who that may be.