All of DU: What to say when supporters won't back our nominee

[usregimechange]

I have recieved multiple comments from various supporters of Democratic candidates that suggest somthing to the effect that if their candidate doesn't win they will not support the nominee. I think the passion that these supporters have for their candidate is highly commendable but respectfully offer the following comments on this topic:

Passionate supporter: "I wonder if ________ for me to be able to fall in line behind someone other than _______."

It seems to me that the values your candidate pledges allegiance to are less important than him being President. I am leaning toward_____but what I know without ambiguity is that I will support the nominee because those values take supremecy over the victory of one adherent over another.

Keep this kicked!!! :kick:

[lcordero]

1. Have you ever read the "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene?

One of the laws in the book is to get the sucker to play the cards that they are dealt from a deck that is already stacked against them.
I will walk away from this kind of situation even if it means that my brains will get blown out and all over the sidewalk.

Again I say, no thank you.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Support and voting for a candidate are not the same thing

I am fairly certain that the vast majority of DUers will vote for the Democratic nominee if it is John Kerry, not just because Bush is so bad, but more importantly to position themselves to attack the Democratic establishment after Bush creams Kerry in the Fall.

I don't expect those that opposed the war and the war vote to do much in the form of support beyond casting a vote for Kerry in November.

Passion is not influenced by ABB loyalty oaths.

[lcordero]

3. I see it differently

All the Democratic Establishment will do is ignore us again. After November 2004 it will be time to vote with our feet.

[regnaD kciN]

8. You've got that right...

I don't expect those that opposed the war and the war vote to do much in the form of support beyond casting a vote for Kerry in November.

Passion is not influenced by ABB loyalty oaths.

If Kerry, or someone else I find loathsome, gets the nomination, I'll still take my absentee ballot and vote for the nominee -- not as a pro-Kerry (or whoever) vote, but as an anti-Bush vote.

But I'm sure not going to do much beyond filling out that circle on the ballot. And I'm not really going to care much about the outcome, or get excited should "our" candidate win.

I am fairly certain that the vast majority of DUers will vote for the Democratic nominee if it is John Kerry, not just because Bush is so bad, but more importantly to position themselves to attack the Democratic establishment after Bush creams Kerry in the Fall.

The problem with Kerry is that the "pre-positioning" has already been done by the DLC. Should "Bush cream Kerry," they and the mainstream media talking heads will spin it as "Kerry turned off the average American because of his liberalism," and the only thing you'll see is yet another series of moves to make the Democratic Party more "mainstream" (i.e. more Republican).

Of course, that would be the DLC line on any of the candidates except Lieberman -- and, if Joe had gotten the nomination and lost, you can bet that the DLC would have blamed it on "petulant liberals refusing to support their Party's nominee," with the solution being to purge liberals from the party once and for all.

:-(

[tedoll78]

4. I could translate the ballot for everyone.

__ Democratic Candidate
__ Republican Candidate
__ Green Candidate
__ Libertarian Candidate
__ Ralph Nader

-->

__ a 20-year Ruth Bader Ginsburg court
__ a 20-year Antonin Scalia court
__ a 20-year Antonin Scalia court
__ a 20-year Antonin Scalia court
__ a 20-year Antonin Scalia court

It's that simple. If that doesn't convince someone, something's wrong upstairs.

[lcordero]

5. It doesn't because it won't be like that

It's a matter of picking in between:

1. a corporatist judge that has no regard for civil rights.
2. a corporatist judge that has no regard for civil rights and is a bible thumper.

[tedoll78]

10. Wow..

such exaggeration. I suppose that the sodomy and the affirmative actions were a demonstration of a lack of regard for civil rights, correct?

BTW.. can you give me some examples of "corporatist" votes from the liberals on the high court? I'm curious.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Democrats have been voting to put conservative jurists on the courts

at the district and appellate level. Only the most extreme rightwingers have failed to win Senate confirmation, the rest have flown under the radar. Since the Supreme Court can pick and choose which cases to hear, liberals are already losing big time without even getting a hearing at the highest court in the land.

[tedoll78]

9. Democrats in Congress.. yes..

but a Democrat in the White House nominating a right-winger? Not gonna happen.

[oasis]

7. That's it. Bush will load up the Supreme court with right wing whackos.

Falwell and Pat Robertson will be calling the shots from the sidelines.

[John_H]

11. Even if 5 percent of DUers pull the "write in" or "Nader" crap

you can bet that no more than half of a percent of voters accross the board will do the same. Remember, we at DU are not a cross section of America--we're a cross section of the five percent or so who are highly politically active.

The majority of Dean voters do not invest their sense of self worth upon Howard Dean. Most are adults, and as such will not throw temper tantrums and enable the Chimp by denying his opponent a vote.

Don't sweat it.

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. If Dean gets the nomination I'll work like hell for him

Anyone who wouldn't do the same for Kerry is so selfish it makes you want to scream.

[Monte Carlo]

13. We must live together as brothers and sisters, or die alone as fools.

(as said in a previous thread...)

If we don't unite against Bush in November, then let us not act suprised or upset if he were to then win.

[midem]

14. "Get over it."

In 2002 I was hired to run the campaign for governor in one of Michigan's largest counties. Having been active for a long time and fired up about my candidate, I could not wait to end 12 years of Republican control in the Executive branch.

However, the Primary was a killer between Granholm (my candidate), a congressman, and a former governor. She won with about 45% of the vote in a three way primary and I thought this would settle the issue. But it did not. Everyone who had previously supported a different candidate was OUTSPOKEN AND DIFFICULT.

So rather than argue or defend my candidate to other Democrats, I simply asked "Are you a Democrat?" and if they said "Yes." I simply said "Get over it then."

It worked. Most never said another word and worked very well for the rest of the election cycle. Some never returned, but they did not want to work anyway, they just wanted to rehash an old primary.