Reply #5: hi, I come in peace

[OnTheOtherHand]

I don't think there is any candidate whom one cannot mention.

The detailed rules (http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules_detailed.html) do say in part:

You are not permitted to use this message board to work for the defeat of the Democratic Party nominee for any political office. If you wish to work for the defeat of any Democratic candidate in any General Election, then you are welcome to use someone else's bandwidth on some other website.

Democratic Underground may not be used for political, partisan, or advocacy activity by supporters of any political party or candidate other than the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates. Supporters of certain other political parties may use Democratic Underground for limited partisan activities in political races where there is no Democratic Party candidate.

Presumably that rule imposes some limits in how far one can go in favoring a Green Party candidate for Ohio governor, given that there is a Democratic candidate. I don't think the purpose of the rule is to keep angry Democrats -- even angry Dems for Fitrakis -- from posting. I have mixed feelings about the rule, but if I ran a board called Democratic Underground, I would probably have a similar rule. And anyway, it's not my board. Can we find a way to live together with the rule?

I want you to know that in my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, Bill Anthony -- the Franklin County Dem Party chair -- said very clearly that the Ohio election was not fair. Please see http://www.elitestv.com/pub/2004/Dec/EEN41c754d14d6d9.html: "'A lot of the problems and allegations could have been avoided if the Secretary of State hadn't made the rulings he did in the last few days leading up to the election.... People are blaming us at the local level, but the real blame should be placed on Blackwell, HAVA and the Republican state legislature.'" Whether or not one agrees, he wasn't saying that the election was fair. As I read it, his comment about conspiracy theorists was directed toward people who see him as part of an effort to disenfranchise Franklin County blacks; apparently he does not believe he was part of such an effort.