Obama is now the representative of our entire party

[paperbag_ princess]

There seems to be this grand movement here on DU to get Hillary supporters in line under Obama's leadership
(through encouragement, threat, argument and other means fair and foul)

I would like to contend that it is not the responsibility of the democratic party as a whole to get behind the movement and ideas of our nominee. It is the responsibility of the nominee to act as a representative of the democratic party as a whole.

There is no such thing as "fall in line" in a democracy. We are a representative government and as such it is Obama's duty to represent all democrats (not just those who voted for him in the primary)

[Renew Deal]

1. Your second paragraph makes no sense.

And your third one misses the point. There is such a thing is falling in line in a party system. It's your duty and responsibility to the party to fall in line.

[paperbag_ princess]

3. I owe Obama and this party nothing.

Obama is now my representative as a member of this party. He owes me his loyalty as a servant of this nation and our party.

[kennetha]

10. You sound like a Stalinist apparatchik

[Renew Deal]

11. Welcome to party politics

Comrade :evilgrin:

[NJmaverick]

2. For you

[Kokonoe]

4. I agree,

It is not the responsibility of the democratic party as a whole to get behind the movement and ideas of our nominee.

But, all democrats who voted for him represent the party a whole.
Now get in line.

[predfan]

5. Time to get to work and save our country.

There's a Supreme Court to salvage, energy policy to formulate that gets us out of the grip of the Middle East; we've got to reconfigure our domestic economy to create jobs that can't be outsourced and pay a decent wage.......like, for example, renovating our infrastructure to utilize wind and solar and make mass transit more available.

The greed exhibited in the run up of gas prices just may prove to be the best thing to happen to us in the long run; pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered; and when the Civic outsells the F-150 last month somethings underway that's wasn't planned for. Watch the scramble when the oil bubble bursts. Hopefully, by then, it'll be too late for fossil fuels to continue their stranglehold on us. There are too many options that are being ignored.

We can do this, but we've got to have leadership in the White House that will not come with John McCain.

Time to get to work and elect our Democratic nominee.

[Fredda Weinberg]

6. Sorry, but this is the Democratic Party ... we've never been unified.

And your candidate does not represent me. He might grow to the role ...

[paperbag_ princess]

8. I supported Hillary

Obama was not my choice....but he is now the representative of this party as a whole. So I guess as long as I see myself as a democrat, he is my representative. My point is that he owes his loyalty to us the party as a whole...all of us. We as Hillary supporters should not have to get in line march step under his movement.

He instead should broaden his agenda to represent all of us.

[DontTreadOnMe]

13. Can you name ONE thing!

Name one thing Obama needs to "broaden" to represent you.

[paperbag_ princess]

17. okay

I would like to see him include more women's issues. I would like to see him and his supporters from the primary recognize that we have a lot of work to do on this front.

...But more than broadening of a specific agenda I would like to see a recognition that there was a reason that half of the party chose someone else and that he feels a responsibility to win them over. I would like to see some humility from him and his supporters that recognizes that we are not crazy, racist, lunatics. That we obviously have some real concerns.

I feel right now that his campaign and supporters just expect loyalty without giving respect. Hillary supporters just want to be shown that they are valued in this party. That they are not considered "losers" who have to get in line. I don't think that it is an unreasonable expectation. It is a basic human right and need to be respected and valued. We should be able to expect that even more from an organization that we are members of who will want our time and money.

[FlaGranny]

14. All along, he has broadened his agenda.

In every single one of his speeches he explains how this is about you and me. He has been all-inclusive. Did you miss that? That's what's so great about him. He has never pandered to any specific group. He says we are all in this together. He says this presidency of his will need US - you and me, to accomplish our goals.

What more do you want him to do? Hillary supporters now need to accept what has happened. Listen to the man - he has not excluded anyone - EVER.

[MaineDem]

15. If you're a Democrat he does represent you

He is our nominee. Simple as that. :shrug:

[Adelante]

7. That's true, he is and he will, I have no doubt,

represent all Americans, as president, and all Democrats as party leader, as far as it goes. However, there is also an obligation on the part of individual Democrats to get behind the nominee of the party in order to elect a Democratic president. It was Bill Clinton who said that in the primaries you fall in love and in the GE you fall in line. It's what's expected of party members and if the outcome had been other than it was, you would be expecting it, too. The Democratic Party has its factions and sub-sets of political philosophies, and there is always a dynamic of press and pull going on in terms of ideas of the various segments. But one or another takes the leadership position once there is a Democratic nominee. You don't have to like it, just as many did not like it in previous Democratic administrations, but the party leader determines the overall policy direction. I'm not sure what it is specifically you don't agree with in Obama's ideas, since they are not significantly different than any classic Democrat's, but he will lead with his ideas. That's just how it works. He's not under obligation to lead with anybody else's.

[kennetha]

12. No such "obligation" exists

I mean I'm free to not vote for Obama, even if I am a democrat. One could think that the party is making a tragic mistake. It is not one's obligation to provide blind loyalty to the party when it's shooting itself in the foot. I don't think that in this case. But the point in general is that this is not a stalinist top down party.

[Adelante]

18. I don't know of any other reason to belong to a party

If not to support its overall goals and its candidates. Once there is a presidential nominee, differences should be put aside for the sake of the party and the country. I think it is important to exert grassroots pressure steadily on party leadership where ideas differ and to do so on an ongoing basis, so yes, it's not a Stalinist top down party in that sense. But the leadership stems, very practically, from the faction in power and the party leader. Yes, you are free not to vote, but why wouldn't you vote for your party's candidate in a General Election? Why belong to a party you feel no responsibility to even to that minimal extent?

[Benhurst]

9. Thank you. And what you said goes for the rest of our "leadership"

as well, including Senator Reid, Nancy "Impeachment's Off the Table" Pelosi and all those Democrats who have gone along with the renewal of the so-called "Patriot" Act, the shredding of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and the continued funding of the illegal and immoral occupation of Iraq.

[truthisfreedom]

16. If we want to win, all we have to do is vote for the man.

Pretty simple stuff.