Infighting: The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[MSchreader]

As someone who is not a Democrat, and has no candidate in 2004, let me say this:

Give me a break!

You people need to give it a rest! You act as if this is the first time, in the over 200-year history of the Democratic Party, that there has been division over presidential candidates, or division of this magnitude. This is not the first time there has been infighting over a candidate, and it won't be the last.

Also, I'll let you all in on a little secret:

Every political party has its own circular firing squad.

The political party I belong to, the Socialist Party, has its own wonderfully miniscule version of the circular firing squad. Do you know what the difference is between our circular firing squad and yours? Our guns are collectively owned. That's it.

When it comes to dripping vitriol, personalistic backbiting and angular factional posturing, ALL POLITICAL PARTIES ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME.

You need to really think about and understand this. I mean it. And, while you're thinking about this, let me add one more little secret I know:

On Election Day, just about every single one of you will dutifully march into that voting booth and vote Democratic -- without exception, without fail.

Why? Because you are Democrats. That's what you do: vote Democratic. Otherwise, you wouldn't be Democrats; you'd be independents or Republicans ... and you wouldn't be here.

(Also, let's keep some perspective here. DU, at best, represents 0.025 percent of the electorate. I don't think the rantings of a few people, who in all likelihood will march into the voting booth in November and vote exactly the same as you, can be seen as a major crisis.)

So, as you're perusing all the mean, evil, nasty and downright ugly candidate-bashing threads, just remember these few words of advice offered by an outsider.

Deep breath.... Inhale.... Exhale.... ... Inhale.... Exhale....

Martin

This public service announcement brought to you by Independents and Youth against Inane Yammering on the Internet! -- I-YI-YI!

[w13rd0]

1. There's also the perception...

...foisted on us by the corporate media and the Bush WH (intentionally or not), that this election, due to 2000, is different than any other. It's "post-S11", it's "post-2000 coup"...I don't really buy that theory, but i do think this is a dangerous time...

[brainshrub]

2. I agree

I don't see what the big deal about infighting is. If the canidates can't take it from us, then they have no business running against the Republicans.

We must ask each other tough questions: Is Clark a consistant? Is Dean to off-the-wall? Is Kucinich electable? Is Lieberman a Democrat?

They may be painful questions, but they must be answered. People who back a person without asking tough questions are called "Republicans."

[DemBones DemBones]

3. Thanks, Martin. I don't know where people get the idea that

we must not criticize our candidates. That is, as brainshrub said, how Republicans operate. They all just fell in behind an arrogant little rich boy in 2000, few questions asked at all.

[IrateCitizen]

4. I seem to recall something quite different in 2000...

Dubya and his crew did quite a hatchet job on John McCain in the primaries -- and there were several Republicans in Congress who supported McCain's bid. I also seem to remember that it was about all McCain could do to stand on the same stage as * when he "endorsed" him.

[MSchreader]

5. I was going to say the same thing

The McCain-Bush race in 2000 was ugly.

However, remember the 1988 and 1996 GOP races? Yikes! Compared to those, the Dem 2004 infighting looks like a tea party!

Martin

[buddhamama]

6. true.

i'm sure remember this IC, Fratboy attempting to keep McCain off the ballot in NY.

[onecitizen]

7. Not only that..........

but it's pretty easy to pick out those types of posts right away. Just don't read them!! Simple as that. Go on to the ones that suit you better. Problem solved.

[jpgray]

8. It's not that infighting shouldn't happen

It's that in its current form it is a terrible waste of energy--there are congresspeople to be called, letters to be written, etc.

Instead we have people doing intensive research on other candidates to bash them--I would rather that energy go somewhere else, personally. The bashing is not shocking, but I would rather DUers spend their time more productively.

[Moderator]

9. locking

this is clearly inflamatory. Please review the rules for posting a new thread in GD before posting a new thread in GD.

Thanks