A humble proposal concerning posting in the Democratic Primaries forum.

[TomSlick]

DUers:

We're essentially down to Biden and Sanders. One of these guys is going to be our candidate. Whichever ends up our nominee, he will need all our support.

At this point, the supporters on neither side will convince the other. There is nothing to be gained by pissing-off the other side than re-electing Trump.

Please - please - read your post before hitting "Post my Thread." If your post is going to piss-off supporters for the other guy, don't do it.

[rzemanfl]

1. We'll see what folks do. n/t

[TomSlick]

2. Hardly a ringing endorsement of my proposal.

[rzemanfl]

3. Just a realistic one. I won't start anything and will wait and see. n/t

[TomSlick]

5. It really doesn't matter if a supporter for the other guy starts something.

Neither will convince the other. Sniping at each other will only cause bad feelings when we really need to come together.

It's time to play nice.

[rzemanfl]

9. I won't tolerate lies for the sake of unity or any other reason. That is not playing nice.

Like I said, we'll see.

[PatrickforO]

4. I'm with you. For the issues I like Bernie. I was a big Warren supporter

this time around, but I have learned from 2016 and have not argued or tried to cut down the other candidates, with the exception of lamenting that this election will probably be a battle between old white men. Which is true regardless of whether it is Bernie or Joe.

It does look like it will be Joe, but there's lots of delegates yet, so we'll see.

Job 1 is getting rid of Trump, so I'm not going to attack Joe because I like Bernie's platform better. I'm going to support whoever we end up choosing.

Vote blue no matter who!

[TomSlick]

6. Thank you.

We're singing from the same hymnal.

[William769]

7. Sorry, I just misplaced my glasses & can't read your post. nt

[TomSlick]

11. Sorry. I've had a long day and don't understand your meaning.

[rzemanfl]

12. Touch typist. Cool beans. n/t

[LAS14]

8. Absolutely! nt

[hay rick]

10. Perhaps before posting people should ask themselves:

Will bots and trolls come rushing in to promote this discussion? That's my first thought every time I see threads about Bernie bros or Biden working with segregationists.

[TomSlick]

13. Good point, that.

That hadn't occurred to me. You are, of course, correct.

[mysteryowl]

14. Thank you!

I am afraid to post in the primaries forum. No matter what I say, someone does not like it and trashes the thread.

[TomSlick]

19. Yeah, me too.

I keep reading posts in the forum just to monitor how bad it gets.

[Rorey]

26. I kind of thought we should cut each other slack in this forum

We're all passionate about our choice, and it'd be nice if we could respect that passion in each other. I mean, it sure beats apathy.

[democrattotheend]

15. Good idea. May I add another suggestion?

Nobody should demand that a candidate drop out before all of the states had the chance to vote. That does nothing but piss off and insult the candidate's supporters and people who may not even support the candidate but haven't had the chance to vote yet and feel insulted at the insinuation that their vote doesn't matter. It accomplishes nothing. And FYI, I said pretty much exactly the same thing to Bernie supporters last week when they were overly confident.

[TomSlick]

21. Agreed.

It is foolish to make any predictions about the remainder of the primaries, Remember where we were before Super Tuesday? Predicting the result of future primaries ignores history.

The bottom line is that both sides need to not piss-off the other.

[Doremus]

16. You mean like the "dirtbag left" thread? Makes me angry and sick to my stomach. nt

[TomSlick]

22. I had to go find the thread. I wish I hadn't.

Yes, that is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about.

[TwilightZone]

27. The origins of the term.

It's a name a progressive podcast assigned to themselves, not a term others made up to refer to progressives. It's a small group of progressives who shit-stir, harass people, and give the rest a bad name. And they seem pretty proud of it.

They're not Russian operatives, contrary to your assertion in that other thread. It's actually very popular with Sanders supporters, and Sanders has both made appearances on the show and his staff has a close relationship with members of the podcast's staff. It's basically an unofficial campaign platform for Bernie.

You should read up on them. It might explain a lot. For one, why many of us think we should be distancing ourselves from people like this, not applauding them and giving them exposure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapo_Trap_House

[Turin_C3PO]

17. I agree.

It’s getting to be the time to unite. The primaries aren’t over yet but it’s increasingly looking like Biden will be the nominee. Everyone’s top priority should be the utter defeat of Donald Trump.

[NurseJackie]

18. I estimate that there are maybe 500 regular users here (probably less)...

... and as fun and entertaining as it is, this site really isn't one of the MAJOR websites out there. It's no Twitter, or Facebook, or DailyKos, etc. I think the number of people who choose TO or NOT-TO vote for someone based on the bickering and feuding and comments of anonymous posters on a discussion board in an isolated corner of the internet is much smaller than you may imagine.

No shade... just my impression of where we are. Be humble. We ain't all that.

But, having said that I take your meaning.

If your post is going to piss-off supporters for the other guy, don't do it.

With some supporters, it's unavoidable. Anything OTHER than complete agreement will piss them off. You're asking for the impossible.

Nice try though.

[TomSlick]

23. I have no idea who many folks are on DU.

However, I stumbled on DU just surfing the Internet. Others will do so also.

No matter how many folks we piss-off, we ought not piss-off our own.

[zackymilly]

20. Don't forget Tulsi! n/t

[TomSlick]

29. Well, Tulsi tries my ability to comply with my proposal.

Nevertheless, I will allow you are probably correct.

[NYMinute]

24. Biden supporters have been downright gracious

but won't stand smearing and besmirching of our candidate.

If Bernie supporters want to post how wonderful Bernie is or that he is better than Biden, fine, that goes with the territory.

But saying Biden is corrupt, mentally deficient, senile, a gaffe factory, nepotistic and parading a myriad of insults coming from the right wing and Russians, the record has to be set straight.

[TomSlick]

30. It won't help.

The Sanders supporters will not be moved, any more than Biden supporters will be moved by anything the Sanders supporters say.

There is no setting the record straight. All that can be done is to trade barbs and piss-off each other.

[NYMinute]

33. You forget that there are undecided lurkers that read DU posts

and they read derogatory comments posted against Biden.

It is not just the DU members who read these forums.

[TomSlick]

34. If you think the hope of persuading the real undecided lurkers - both of them -

is worth pissing-off the other guy's supporters that we know to be here, go for it.

[FreeState]

25. I wish we could implement the Rules of The Road

(From Petes campaign)

RESPECT
In our thoughts, words, and actions we cultivate a sense of respect. ​We respect one another on this team, we respect the office of the Presidency, and we respect every individual we encounter on the campaign trail, including our competitors. ​The better we hold up this value among ourselves, the better it will reflect outside. It will represent a quiet antidote to the idea that this project is too audacious to be taken seriously.

BELONGING
We seek to serve and unify a diverse nation. Let us build a campaign team and a coalition of supporters that kindly embraces and reflects the increasingly diverse party and country to which we belong. We will honor this value not just in our makeup but in our practices, as we proactively work to include people of different backgrounds and viewpoints in every major decision, and cultivate a sense of welcome to all.

TRUTH
Honesty is in our nature, and it is one of our greatest means of restoring faith in our democracy among everyday Americans and building a national movement rooted in trust and faith in our country and our beliefs. Internally and externally, our effort will be characterized by fidelity to the truth.

TEAMWORK
We are all working in service of our country and to elect a President who will represent our values and make American lives better. In moments of disagreement, the temptations of pride and ego will arise. Rooted in our mission, let our common purpose be a touchstone as we foster a climate of trust and mutual respect.

BOLDNESS
We will not hesitate to take bold stances and to accept risk in the defense of our values. Our respect is reserved for people, not for conventions. We accept no truisms without questioning. The spirit of originality will create the pressure and permission for us to do things not done before, to stand out from the crowd not by waving our arms for attention but by the fact of being different.

RESPONSIBILITY
The conduct of a campaign can be as influential as its outcome. Everyone on this team has a responsibility to live up to our values, and every participant, from a first-time volunteer to the candidate and top staff, must model this. When there is a mistake, we take ownership, learn, adjust, and move on. Missteps are inevitable, but they should never be repeated. We own our choices and our work.

SUBSTANCE
There is no point mounting an unorthodox, underdog campaign unless it is one of substance. We have the opportunity to bring meaningful ideas forward for debate. We will take questions seriously and answer them directly. We will lay aside the superficial in favor of the meaningful. We embrace complicated challenges, and will work to improve the overall dialogue in how campaigns talk about policy.

DISCIPLINE
A project like ours will require enormous discipline. Through energy and determination, we will handle our resources with the stewardship they deserve, mindful that this campaign is fueled by the gift of other people’s time, money, relationships, and reputations.

EXCELLENCE
A functioning presidential campaign is such a marvel that we may at times be amazed simply by the fact of what we are doing. But the standard we should hold ourselves to in every part of our work is not whether it is at the level of a presidential campaign, but whether it is at the level we would expect of the best presidential campaign of this time.

JOY
Amid the great challenge we have accepted, let us be joyful. We are privileged to be in the very center of the most important conversation in the world. We are assembling a team of wonderful human beings. Along the way we will all get many opportunities to lift one another up and lift up those we encounter. The American presidential election is the world’s greatest civic and democratic ritual. It will shape us but we can shape it too. Let us shape it, partly, by spreading the joy of working for our beliefs.

[TomSlick]

31. Works for me.

When a really smart person says something, we all ought to listen.

[TwilightZone]

28. While I agree with that in theory...

If nothing is going to change minds, that would include the negativity. If people are just pissing and moaning, it basically means nothing to anyone. This happens every election cycle and increases significantly when one candidate or another is fighting for his or her political life. We are at such a point. This is the norm around here and there's really nothing anyone can do about it other than ignore the worst of it.

One thing it helps to realize is that not everyone on DU is who they appear to be. There has been a flood of new posters of late, and many of them are here simply to disrupt. Not all of the disruptors are new, however. Some have been here for years. Some are pretty obvious. Some are more subtle.

Much, but not all, of the animosity comes from that source. My advice is that if you see someone being particularly egregious, Ignore is your friend. Many have said it proves to be a much more pleasant experience. Or just avoid the Primaries forum altogether.

[TomSlick]

32. I practice law for a living. I'm really good at ignoring what obnoxious people say.

Others are less thick-skinned.

The truly obnoxious people will not be deterred. I'm just asking that the rest of us be considerate of our Democratic family members.