Thread to try to reduce toxicity between the Dem presidential campaigns on DU

[Ken Burch]

My idea here is that supporters of each candidate(Bernie, HRC, O'Malley, Biden, the others)could list, say, three things they'd like supporters of other campaigns might stop saying about their campaign and offer three things they would be willing to make sure not to say about the other candidates and campaigns

For example, as a Bernie Sanders supporter, here are three things I'd ask the other candidates supporters to stop saying pr doing:

1) That Bernie shouldn't be running because he's not "officially" a Democrat.
2) That Bernie is worse on race issues than any other Dem candidate-clearly, he's put that to rest by now.
3) That Bernie's supporters are not "grown-ups" and not part of "the reality-based community".

In return, here are three things that myself and other Bernie supporters should never say:

1) That the supporters of other candidates are not progressive. They are, it's just that they prefer someone else (the issue is with the candidates they prefer, not with the supporters themselves).
2) That HRC's gender should play any role in the decision about whether or not she should be president(generally, we DON'T say that, but none of us ever should. Ever).
3) That those who raise the police racism issue are doing so in service of other Democratic candidates. Most of them don't support ANY other candidate.

Add your list in the thread below, whoever you support.

This is meant to be a thread for people to have a real discussion about how not to carve each other to ribbons between now and Philadelphia. We will all need to unite behind whoever gets nominated and if our candidate is the one who gets nominated(whoever it is that does get that nod)whichever group of us has prevailed will need to be able to heal any verbal and emotional wounds inflicted in the natural heat of the campaign...

Please try to stick to the format I suggested above and please, if at all possible, do not use this thread to campaign for your candidate.

Here goes...

[liberal_at_heart]

1. I try not to criticize voters. I don't have a problem with voters. I think voting is a very

intimate, personal, and sacred right and no one has the right to tell anyone else who to vote for. My problem is with the corrupt system, and it is corrupt. Approval ratings for Congress are dismal(less than 20%), and half the country doesn't vote. That says something right there. I am especially angry at the dark money coming from super PACs and the fact that the parties get to dictate when we get to hear from our candidates in a debate. This is not democracy.

[Scred loves Lily]

2. I will hold my nose.

Let's just hope it does not come to that.

Bernie is just asking that we all take charge again.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. I welcome their hatred.

(Well, no, but it was too perfect an opportunity to pass up that quote

Really, I don't care what people say. This is politics, not a kindergarten class where we're all supposed to get along. I EXPECT every rhetorical jab, every demagoguish trick in the book to sway whatever few undecided people might stumble across these OP's, to irritate the opposition into doing and saying stupid things. Cause let's face it, there are actually people out there who are so lacking in logic that they base their votes on what supporters do or say, not what the candidate does and says.

The site gives you a wonderful option for dealing with folks who 'want to carve you to pieces'. The ignore function. You don't have to see stupid things that get said to/about you, and the rest of the world DOES get to see that stupidity on display. It's win/win, and leaves the 'carver' with their butt hanging out.

[jeff47]

4. Not gonna happen.

HRC supporters claim quoting their candidate is bashing. For example: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251603049

You are not going to get a non-toxic environment when accurately quoting their candidate is considered an attack.

[restorefreedom]

8. this is an important point

I agree that personal attacks have no place in this or any political campaign. Well, there is trump.....

but this is important. what the candidates say or don't say about the issues, and what their positions are about the issues is absolutely what we should be talking about and criticizing if that's our position. For example, all of the "Bernie is a socialist" stuff is actually fair game. Bernie has described himself as a democratic socialist for many years. personally, I don't think it's gonna play anymore because the socialist bogeyman has to a large extent been put to bed. But if supporters of other candidates want to keep banging away at that they're free to do it even though I think it's a waste of time. Just as Hillary's waffling on the pipeline is a very valid point of discussion and criticism. for a major presidential candidate not to take a position on an issue that's important to so many and hide under the cover of "well I used to work for the president" isn't going to cut it in this election, and people have every right to criticize her for not yet taking a position without being called attackers by her supporters.

I agree that the conversations have gotten rough, but we have to be able to discuss the candidates positions on the issues or lack of their positions and be able to quote things they actually said without being called bashers. And that applies to all sides.

[CTyankee]

5. Yesterday, a good DUer was attacked for just quoting another source to point out

what is going on, not to support the idea quoted. She is supporting another Dem candidate, not any republican.

It is discouraging and disappointing. Let's just have the debate over whose ideas are better.

[RiverLover]

6. That made me sad for her. She IS a good DUer.

It was like Lord of the Flies.

[CTyankee]

7. I know her personally and there is no way she is fronting for anyone. She supports another

Dem candidate. When did that get to be bad?

[Kang Colby]

9. Supporting Dems isn't bad....

You can't however cart over vile, misogynistic, Republican smears aimed at the party's front runner to prove a point. Citing the fact her candidate has a history of racial oppression and regressive policies, I myself wouldn't expect any less though. Fortunately her opinion is in the tiny minority, since her candidate polls lower than "no opinion".

[CTyankee]

11. My point is that she didn't post with that intention. I know that is how it got interpreted

but I disagree that it was her intent. It was unfortunate.

What I take from this is that anything you post can be interpreted differently from what you meant.

I like to think we can all get along. I mean, come election time stuff can get hot and heady. We're going to have to save our fire for the real enemy: Republicans. We can debate the merit of ideas and stick with that...

BTW, I don't support her candidate. I love and support Bernie.

[One of the 99]

10. Someone like Bernie needs to be in this race

and bring up the issues he's addressing. I intend to vote for Bernie in my state's primary.

However, I will vote for the Democratic nominee in the election, whomever that is, even Hillary Clinton.

[CTyankee]

12. My position entirely. I'm sure not going to sit home and let the Republicans steal the

White House from us. That would be a huge disaster...