I think I joined DU in September of 04. I missed most of the nastiness, but

[babylonsister]

I can see/hear/read it now. AND, do I have another year plus before it's over, or can we agree to disagree on whomever is elected?

Is this better, worse, or the same, and why-ha! :evilgrin:

[Bozita]

1. imho, it's a lot nastier today.

I'm not sure why, but the larger DU membership seems to include a lot of folks of the "my-guy-or-the-highway" genre.

[babylonsister]

3. I was so late to the party, I don't know. It is bad now, but is this

memorable from 2003 and beyond? It was worse, and if it's not, what's the difference?

[Bozita]

9. The diff? I dunno, perhaps trolls and ...

... youthful exhuberance?

This Iraq occupation has caught the attention of a lot more of the younger posts, especially since the word "draft" has been mentioned.

GDP is absolutely vicious most of the time now.

[hang a left]

11. It seems the same to me....

It was all about Dean. So many people left after he dropped out. And it was bloody. I don't click on the candidate threads. I know better.

[Rockholm]

48. I believe there are paid campaign staffers here.

Why the hell are there hundreds of posts DAILY started praising Obama, Hillary and Edwards and hundreds of opposing threads bashing the same candidates?

[Richard Steele]

2. I joined a month after you. I'll be tombstoned long before Nov '08. It was a privilege to know you.

It really was- you rock!

[babylonsister]

4. You will NOT be going ANYWHERE!

Thank you, my dear. And just stay here! Please!

[Richard Steele]

7. No. This isn't the DU I joined. Maybe it never was.

Some of our BEST DUers have been tombstoned without explanation,
and BLATANT TROLLS who wouldn't have lasted 50 posts back in '04
are currently being allowed to run amok without let or hindrance.

My days are numbered. And the number is not a large one.

What makes me the most SAD is the knowledge that I won't miss it much.
There was a time when I would have CRIED over being banned, but that
time is past.

I'll still miss some of you personally. But DU'07 as a whole? Pfft- Whatever.

[Swamp Rat]

14. See you in the concentration camp.

:D :hi:

[Richard Steele]

19. I'm not into group activities- just send me a postcard. nm

[uppityperson]

60. Yup. See you here and there also.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

43. Pleasure to read your posts as well...

a bastion of reasoned thought at all times. :toast:

[lonestarnot]

46. Dicksteele:

You better not!

[Lucinda]

5. It seems much uglier this time around

There is a huge steaming pile of frustration and anger driving things a bit right now.
I think we will still bicker after the primaries, as before, but the Reps will provide us with a nice target, and things will fall into back into a "get out the vote" perspective.

In the meantime I'm getting whiplash trying to keep up with some of these battles.

[tkmorris]

6. It's a bit worse this time

I have an opinion about why, but I don't think I'd better air it.

In any case it will get worse right up until the candidate is selected and for a couple weeks after. After that it will gradually tone down until we get back to the controlled chaos this place normally is.

[hang a left]

8. It is time to start the election 08 forum

keep all the polls and the trolls over there.

I even have a good name for it. "War Zone 08"

[Bozita]

12. Yes. ""War Zone 08""

[hang a left]

15. Start a thread about it Bozita

And get Skinner's attention. Ask him to please open up the forum.

[Bozita]

16. Let's see how this thread plays.

[rucky]

44. GD - Politics was created after the election forum.

that's the war room, now.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Richard Steele]

18. So you ADMIT you were here then? What name were you using, and when were you last tombstoned?

You've got 110 posts and are concealing your profile.
And READING your 110 posts makes your former tombstoning
very unsurprising.

[depakid]

23. delete

[Swamp Rat]

13. I have been coming here almost daily since the place started

but didn't register until around the time you did.

The nastiness is the same, but just more of it.

There are a LOT of fake Dem/trolls here now, some of whom have lasted a while because they know when to fake it.

[sandnsea]

17. Some ways better, some worse

I think the people who think it's worse were probably not supporting a candidate who was constantly targeted. It was very ugly in 2003, for some candidates. Not so ugly for others. I don't see the same intensity this time, except for one group of posters.

On the other side, every candidate had a few people posting for them and there was plenty of positive posts every day. I don't think there's as much of that this time around. It's unfortunate.

And no, the hard feelings don't go away and the losers don't fully support the candidate who wins.

[Awsi Dooger]

25. Good summary, sandnsea

My sense is the same as yours, that there is less intensity this time. That's the residue of not having GW as a known target, and no one who has as much support as Dean had in '03. I remember counting threads on page one and it wasn't uncommon for 2/3 to 3/4 of them to reference Dean.

This time it's primarily Hillary bashing. Negativism doesn't attract so it's the same tired themes and same posters, in slightly different form. When it was a pro-Dean movement, the topics were much more varied and interesting.

And you're right, the other candidates had small numbers of posters who posted positive threads. I miss that stuff myself. I was an Edwards supporter from late 2002 through the primaries. Posters like AP would start pro-Edwards threads which I had great fun participating in. There's nothing like that this time.

The only problem was Clark supporters who would monopolize and often ruin the pro-Edwards threads. Along with others. They'll deny it, but that's bullshit. I've never been so livid on DU than I was at the Clarkies throughout late 2003 and into 2004. This time with their guy not running they are more behaved, which I appreciate, and I think they'll be rewarded with Clark in the VP slot.

[Solly Mack]

20. It's already shaping up to be worse than 2004

I stayed out of it then and I'm staying out of it now

In fact, I'll add my 2004 disclaimer to this post

Contain that reflexive knee-jerking. My post and nothing in my post is a reflection on your choice of candidate.

[garybeck]

21. I still have managed to avoid the nastiness

I hear "about" it but manage to steer clear.

[TreasonousBastard]

22. Not better or worse, just a little different...

but still pretty bad.

The last primary war was a lot shorter, of course, but incredibly nasty. One group was using the PM system to plot something, maybe an attempted DU takeover. Anyway, most of them took off to another site they started, which I believe has since fallen off the earth,

Some of the candidate fans were absolutely insufferable, with Deaniacs blaming the world for his falling, while the Clarkies and Kerryites blamed the Deaniacs for anything and everything.

You might remember it didn't get much better after the conventions-- there were loud contingents continually slamming Kerry as the wrong candidate and others slamming him for being the right candidate, but running a lousy campaign. Even managed to drive a Kerry campaign staffer off the board-- he was roundly criticized as not knowing anything about campaigns by the keyboard warrior contingent.

Aside from the backroom plotting, it's going pretty much the same as last time, with bullhorn contingents refusing to give any quarter. I'm curious whether this ridiculously long primary season will make 'em nastier, or they'll run out of steam before the candidates do.

I do suspect that this time around there are more sophisticated, possibly professional, trolls than last time, but I can't prove it or identify any. Just a hunch about that.

[depakid]

24. 2004 was nothing

You should have seen the Green/Dem wars of 2001-2002!

[Solly Mack]

26. I try not to think about those days

shudder

[KittyWampus]

47. Indeed, Al Gore was not the universal panacea for DU'ers then they way he is now.

:D

[depakid]

56. To say the least....

I think some of that was due to Clinton fatigue (on the policy level) and some of us weren't fooled for one second by Joe Lieberman. Also, to his credit Gore has come a very long way and proven to be a far more insightful man than many of us imagined.

On another note- more than a few of those posters (on both sides) ended up with tombstones!

[golddigger]

27. I have been...

a member since 2002. I know I have a low post count, but that was due to my having had a stroke and being afraid that I would sound like a doofus. I finally got the courage to post. I spend at least 8 hrs. a day here.

Anyway, what I was going to say was DU always gets like this around election time. I think it's with the primary season getting started early that it seems worst.

I hope I made sense.

:hi:

[DemBones DemBones]

28. Makes sense to me, and I wouldn't

worry about sounding like a doofus, most of us do sometimes.

I'm very sorry about your stroke, that's a bad thing to have happen. You are much better now, I take it?

[golddigger]

33. Thank you...

Yes, I am DemBones. DU keeps my brain active. I love it here, even though it can get nasty around election time.

DU has some very intelligent people here. I got 5 of my family and friends to join DU, and they got their friends to join.

So, don't think that DU is just a handful of people, the word is out and you might be surprised how many people read DU. The information here is light years ahead of the M$M.

I just want to say thanks to all of you at DU for making me a better person.

Virtual hugs to everyone.

John

:grouphug:

[DemBones DemBones]

34. Wow, you've really spread the word!

:thumbsup:

Check your inbox in a few minutes 'cause I'm sending you a PM. :-)

[Lucinda]

30. I'm glad you're posting and hope all is well.

I lost my last id because I was away for about 2 years, unable to post because of my health.
Guess we show that not everyone with low post count is a newbie. :)
Hopefully we both have healthier days in front of us.

Luc

[Ecumenist]

32. Golddigger- "Welcome" to DU and I want you to know

that as the only daughter of a stroke patient, I know what you must have undergone and I, for one, am right proud to have you here. Don't worry about not being the most eloquent- there are many here who sound like blithering idiots including me. So post on as I look forward to reading what you have to say!!:hi:

[blondie58]

29. Good post, Babylon Sister

In the wise words of Rodney King "why can't we all just get along?". This amount of discord seems too numerous for that year plus that we have to go. How bad is it going to get?

[DemBones DemBones]

31. So far, I don't think it is as bad.

I attribute it to learned helplessness.

[Eurobabe]

35. It's nastier, but in a personal way

People are outright judgmental and RUDE this year, attacking each other. Snarking others on threads for no reason at all, just because they feel like being pissy and they can hide behind the anonymity of the internet. Honestly, I hate this place at times, and stay in my personal interest groups.

Last primary I was pretty emotionally invested in my candidate, so primary season was especially bitter for me. This time, I am not in love with anyone, but I see the same pettiness, and it's sad that people can't remember who the real enemy is: the CONS.

So my ignore list keeps growing.

:shrug:

[Beausoir]

40. My list ignore list doubled last night. From 1 to 2.

I also learned a lesson. I will stay completely out of the primary season dog-fights. It's not worth it to my blood pressure.

[Eurobabe]

49. Totally...

it's not worth getting yanked about. Life's too short. I am trying to limit my exposure to nasty people as well During the primaries, the hide thread option/ignore user is your best friend!!

Take care :hi:

[Arkansas Granny]

41. I wasn't here during 2004, but the rudeness I've seen here lately has

been surprising, mainly because of it's personal nature. The anonymity of the internet may explain some of it, but I think it goes deeper than that. Some of it is probably due to trolls and people who just like to disrupt because they can and some of it may be due to the impatience and idealism of youth.

That being said, I have seen some long time posters "say" things that I would have considered to be totally out of character for them after reading their posts for over two years. I think that many posters are feeling really frustrated with the way things have been going for the last 7 years and realize just how important this election will be and it's showing in the vehemence of their posts. Hopefully, after the nomination we can all get behind that candidate, even if it isn't our favorite, and make sure we get a Democrat in the White House again. Our country desperately needs that to happen.

[Eurobabe]

50. They permanently shut down the Yahoo boards

so half the trolls landed here, no doubt. :eyes:

Seems many people forget who the real enemy is...the Republican Party. :shrug:

[RavensChick]

59. Great point

I've been here at DU a few weeks and I've seen both sides to every issue, argument, etc., and I'm fine with it cause it's good to have dialogue, no matter where you stand. Besides, it's the repugs I can't stand, and I'm a truly dedicated Democrat (which is primarily why I'm glad I came across this great web site). I may not agree with how the Dems are running Congress right now, but as we inch closer to the primaries I think it's very important to encourage them to do the right thing in going against Dubya ON EVERY ISSUE! I want the war to end and the troops to come home now more than ever 'cause this latest crop of issues, not to mention more of our soldiers getting killed is WAY out of hand. There are many, many more pressing issues to address between now and the election; chief among them: housing, health care (esp. for children and the uninsured), crime reduction, maintaining the economy among many others. Yes, I'm glad the repugs are getting their comeuppance but bear in mind that there are many people who won't be able to eat, find a decent place to live, or have the financial means to care for themselves or their families tonight, unless something's done about it to help them get back on their feet. Since we (the Dems) are gonna take back the WH next year, at this point whoever wins the primary has my full 110% support, but for right now we're in the infancy stage for what's gonna be a hell of a primary season. So, brothers and sisters, load up on the popcorn and watch the fireworks we're gonna dole out to those RW cretins and send them back under the rocks from whence they came!!!!

:dem:

[0007]

36. I think its about the same. It was definitely nasty at times in the early

days. And it gets nasty from time to time now ... As time moves forward we learn who the trolls are and the programs they push. We all have our own ways of coming across.

bablonsister is the bright light of DU. Perhaps one day while in Houston we'll get a chance for a cup of tea.

[sniffa]

37. 2004 was much worse

this is a picnic compared to that.

[lateo]

38. If you think it is bad now.

Just wait until next year. This is the warm up.

[raccoon]

39. It's worse, I think. I joined in 05 as I recall.

It seems there's a lot more snarkiness than there used to be.

Sometimes I wonder if I should take a break from DU. I have lately spent less time on GD or GDP and more on special interests/issues forums.

[blondeatlast]

42. I think it's about the same and will get worse (as did 04) as we move closer.

But I also remember that after the initial shock wore off, the true blue DUs hung together in the hope that we'd see some real change. Even amidst the resentment many felt, we were overwhelmingly in support of getting the bastards out of DC.

And lordamighty, I remember the letdown after Kerry conceded--even on a message board, it was palpable.

We're like a contentedly dysfunctional family, like the Osbornes, perhaps. We'll be fine--but oh yes, it will be trying at times.

[rucky]

45. Things were the same until we started pulling the gender card.

The race card remains in the deck, from what I've seen.

That's when things get personal.

[havocmom]

51. It's worse this time around. Those who have control of media have learned internet

and they have million$ for minions.

[annabanana]

55. I think you're right havocmom.. WE weren't as influential

the last time around. A lot more people know we're here and DU as a whole has become a target.

[redqueen]

52. I think it's about the same...

Last time we pretty much all agreed, but not quite.

[redqueen]

57. Let me take that back. It is worse.

Sorry, hadn't been to GD:P in too long... just refreshed my memory.

Yes, it's much worse.

[Lilith Velkor]

53. I actually kind of miss the open personal attacks of yore

Now it's all underhanded and whiny.

Beh.

[NOLALady]

54. I have a low count, but I've been here for about 5 years.

I registered a few times before. Lost the Password due to 'Puter Crash/Format Drive. I contented myself with reading rather than re registering.
Actually, it was DU that alerted me to Katrina. I got up very early that Saturday morning to check on the happenings at Crawford. (I like my coffee when the household is asleep) There was supposed to be a counter group in Crawford that weekend and I was worried about them causing trouble.

The first thing that caught my eye was an invitation from a DUer to Louisianians. He mentioned hotels and friends who could take us in. When I went to bed Friday, they said the Hurricane wasn't much of a threat. After checking the weather online, that was the end of my quiet coffee time. I had to get everyone up and we went into survival mode.
I shared that story with Cindy Sheehan when she came here for the Veterans/Katrina march in March 2006. I never did find out what happened in Crawford that weekend.

Anyway, I've learned not to read the candidate threads. It's better that way for me.

[AlCzervik]

58. Imho it's worse, way worse. GDP used to contain most of the nasty with

not a lot of spill over into GD, this time round it's spread all over the place.