I am neutral [View All]

[Two Americas]

I think I am actually neutral - it is an odd thing that I have never experienced before during primary season going back 40 years. Always I had a horse in the race and strong feelings about the outcome, or else the race had been decided so I got to work and did the best I could with whatever candidate had been nominated. I didn't decide to be neutral, and I don't have any long explanation or rationalization for being neutral, I just am.

I thought that you guys might appreciate a reality check. I know that if I had a strong preference for a candidate it would be hard for me to trust my objectivity. In the feuds between the supporters of the two candidates, the hatred and smearing and destruction is running one way by a factor of 100-1. I don't think I am exaggerating.

I don't have any particular complaints about Obama nor about his candidacy or campaign - no more than usual with Dem candidates - but his supporters are the creepiest bunch of people I have seen in politics since George Wallace supporters in '68. They are far worse than the Bush supporters in the last two cycles, in my opinion.

The Obama supporters bear absolutely no resemblance to the RFK supporters in '68, by the way. I was there.

The Edwards support forum has been a safe refuge for many of us. Almost everyone will vote for the eventual Dem nominee come November, I am confident of that, but for right now people are grieving, bitching, commiserating, and talking about the issues that Edwards brought to the race and about the future of the party and the country. But even there we now have a plague of zombie-like Obama promoters stalking and harassing us, telling us that if we don't get on the Obama bandwagon we are betraying Edwards or are not being loyal to the party. They use these syrupy, sleazy sales pitches that remind me of Amway salespeople or recruiters for cults, and will not take the hint to go away and instead persist and persist and persist, desperately trying any tactic to get the sort of crap that is happening in GD-P going in our forum.

I know we have Clinton supporters in the Edwards forum, but they are respectful, sane and considerate.

I have never been a supporter of Senator Clinton - not a hater either, I think she is admirable in many ways - and have had political disagreements with many of the Clinton supporters here, but by God I stand with you folks now. There is something deeply disturbing about this Obama phenomenon, and Clinton supporters are taking the worst abuse I have ever seen Democrats take at the hands of fellow Democrats.