I think the attacks on Biden and Harris (and other Dem candidates) are actually a good thing

[Jersey Devil]

Hell, anyone chosen as the Dem nominee is going to have the kitchen sink thrown at them by Trump in the general in a much more vicious manner than anything being tossed about now. One of the things we have to assess about our candidates is how they hold up under fire and how effectively they can go for the jugular if given the opportunity. So go for it.

[hlthe2b]

1. All bets are off. We could once assume that thorough airing of the issues would immunize them

from being used again in the General by R's. We used to believe that those R candidates who are far more susceptible to accusations related, similar or far to the extreme of anything already aired in the primaries, would never dare bring them up.

All disproved with Trump. When one has no morals, no conscience, no self-awareness and has used lies, projection, and self-denial to gain the upper hand throughout one's life, there are no lines they will not cross.

[Jersey Devil]

2. That's right, and a rough and tumble primary will get them ready for it

I want our nominee to be battle hardened.

[IronLionZion]

3. Indeed, this is the best time to hash all this out

not 2020 when we need to come together to bury some toxic waste

[Indygram]

4. One advantage of Beto O'Rourke is that he's already been fully vetted from his 2018 race

Even though that was a state of Texas race it gained national attention and the same nasty right wing propaganda PACs that will go after the nominee already went after Beto with all they had and the slime was pretty minimal. Rather than get all defensive and let a stupid blurb turn into days and weeks of a distraction he just put his head down and kept campaigning after addressing things correctly the first time.

[True Dough]

5. The DU is a discussion forum

Why shouldn't we be having frank discussions about which candidate would be best to represent us? That means extolling the virtues of some candidates but also pointing out the perceived shortcomings of others.

Perhaps those who see another candidate as "deficient" can be made to see the error of their way. Perhaps some candidates' supporters will reconsider based on the posts they see here from fellow DUers.

We have a great MIRT team on the lookout for trolls. Anyone freshly registered here who devotes all their time to bashing Dem candidates should be shown the door. But longstanding DUers expressing their opinions bluntly should be welcomed -- or, at the very least, tolerated.