Does anyone avoid GD politics because of the endless Clinton supporters/Obama supporters bickering?

[marmar]

Gawd this shit is tiresome.

(on edit: and Edwards supporters too, if applicable)

[Phredicles]

1. I don't avoid GD, but the spitwad-fest IS tiresome.

[BeyondGeography]

2. The biggest offender is an Edwards supporter

you left that part out.

[marmar]

4. Sorry....I didn't know that.

n/t

[draft_mario_cuomo]

8. BG did not provide any evidence or names

You can't equate Obama supporters with anyone else's supporters, except some on the Republican side.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ChiciB1]

33. Whoa There... Edwards Has Been Attacked Over & Over & Over!

So much so that I try NOT to jump into the fray! Rather, I ignore them most of the time, however I had to come to the rescue right now!!

If truth be told, GD Politics has been attacking ALL OF OUR candidates on a regular basis, and something I find to be not only destructive, but unseemly!!

[ripple]

37. Did you respond to the wrong post?

I was referring to draft_mario_cuomo's rabid pursuit of Obama and even more specifically, to his post equating Obama supporters with republicans.

I recognize that Edwards gets his fair share of attacks- they all do. Lately, though, the aforementioned poster seems to have made it his life's work to toss out anything and everything that might discredit Obama, no matter how credible (or not) the source is, or how logical (or not) the accusation is. Quite frankly, it's bizarre.

[ChiciB1]

40. Maybe I Did... I Guess I Assumed He Was An Edwards Supporter!

Thanks for the info... I'm just not one who likes to bash all the time, even though the candidate might not be the one I'm supporting myself. I just think we have many others who will do it for us, so for me I try to stay above the vitriol for the most part.

I will add supportive comments when I feel a need, but I don't really like the infighting!

[draft_mario_cuomo]

46. Which if why I said his AIDS comment was not homophobic...

:eyes:

Another BO fan who can't discuss things without lame personal attacks on fellow DU'er to add to the ignore list. :boring:

[ChiciB1]

50. Puleeeze... Don't Add Me To Your List... I Think I'm On YOUR Side!! nt

[ripple]

52. And saying Obama supporters can be equated with republicans

isn't a personal attack?

I merely pointed out your repeated, over-the-top attacks on a particular candidate. If you don't like having your methods pointed out, perhaps you should reconsider your approach. Nothing personal in that.

Ignore away.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

47. The problem is some supporters want license to attack anyone but want a de facto ban on criticism...

...of their candidate. Some of the biggest whiners about attacks on their candidate turn around a few minutes later and attack another candidate. We could all agree on a set of rules governing such behavior--if they were applied consistently. The latter is the problem. You aren't going to get agreement for rules that will apply across the board.

[Bobbieo]

5. What are GD politics? God Damn! The answer is 'yup'.

[Faux pas]

3. I avoid any and all DU discussions that have to do with anyone

other than Kucinich. All the other candidates have been bought and paid for, screw 'em.

[madrchsod]

7. who is this kucinich fellow? i have never heard of him

so that must mean he has something to say...

[madrchsod]

6. nah it`s kind`a fun sometimes

i just called obama the anti-christ! well he is! really i know he is cause i read it somewhere a couple of days ago...

[monmouth]

9. I avoid all Gore discussions. Ain't gonna happen, why waste space??

[aquart]

10. Honey, this is just the warm-up.

Wait till we actually start voting.

That's when they cordon off the discussions in a special primary forum. And you put on body armor and hazmat suits to enter.

[marmar]

11. "And you put on body armor and hazmat suits to enter"

:)

[ClintonTyree]

12. Like the plague.....

the constant bickering, this far away from the primaries, is just too damned much to take.

[xxqqqzme]

13. GD Politics is one of my favorite forums

I just don't click on those threads. If a thread is hijacked, I stop reading.

[tammywammy]

14. It gets on me

I like this forum, but the endless bashing is annoying at best.

I like discussing, but I don't feel that any post of mine could be called bashing. And I do favor one candidate over the others, but really, if I started screaming at you it's not going to get you on my side.

I think a lot of posters need to realize a few things, 1. if they're stridently in someone's camp, you ain't gonna get them on your. 2. honey vs vinegar, pick honey. 3. we're too far out, who really knows what's gonna happen next February, no matter what the poll of today says.

But that's just my opinion. :)

[Totally Committed]

15. I am about to, I tell ya!

How's it looking over here in GD? Any room for actual discussion of actual issues?

And, as if that weren't bad enough... everyone is so angry and grumpy, too. It's a definite no-fun, no-discussion zone at the moment.

TC

[LWolf]

16. No, but

I "ignore" many threads. I only "hide" them when I'm feeling particularly irritable, but I can scan the screen and see that there's something, or nothing, worth clicking on easily enough.

[MiniMe]

17. I get tired of all the "what if" polls

What if they change election day to Thurday instead of Tuesday? Could you vote for Hilary then?

What if they change election day to Friday?

Obviously I'm making these up, but you get the idea

[wryter2000]

31. Personally, I think this OP should have been a poll

"Is Hillary a corporate whore or only a corporate call girl?"
"Obama was behind the impeachment of Bill Clinton."
"Hillary is buying nuclear bombs from the Russians to use on Iran."
"Obama is under the table, next to the table. Obama is an occasional table. Something to do with tables."
"I'm not voting for any of the dems."
"Impeach now!"

[welshTerrier2]

18. i left DU for 3 months

i returned when the Democrats caved in to bush on the Iraq funding bill. I post in this forum because threads don't disappear as quickly as they do in GD and because I have a huge amount of respect for some of the people who post here.

the endless candidate threads and lack of analysis of issues makes most of what I see posted here not worth reading.

and, should Hillary get the Dem nomination, god forbid, and I will not be voting for her under any circumstances, I will leave those who will vote for her to carry on whatever it is they think they're carrying in my absence. If the DU rules demand allegiance to the nominee under those circumstances, I will be happy to abide by the rules and find another place to post my thoughts and feelings. I come here to support progressive candidates who are hopefully Democrats. I do not come here to support Democratic candidates who are not progressives.

DU had its problems in the early days. 9/11 really made things crazy here and the conspiracy theories ran rampant. But DU has been inundated with mainstream Democrats and is barely if at all still an underground. To a great degree, I attribute that to the loss of many on the "far left" who could just no longer support Democrats and were either banned or just got fed up with the DU community. Sorry to say it but the old days were better on DU. Before, everyday was a learning experience; now, not so much.

[Totally Committed]

21. Ditto to this:

"and, should Hillary get the Dem nomination, god forbid, and I will not be voting for her under any circumstances, I will leave those who will vote for her to carry on whatever it is they think they're carrying in my absence. If the DU rules demand allegiance to the nominee under those circumstances, I will be happy to abide by the rules and find another place to post my thoughts and feelings. I come here to support progressive candidates who are hopefully Democrats. I do not come here to support Democratic candidates who are not progressives.

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

Thank you for your eloquence.

TC

[politicasista]

19. No, I only post when Dems do good and productive things n/t

[Forkboy]

20. Both sides have already been reduced to the "they did it too" defense for everything.

They barely even try to defend their candidate anymore,just say that the other one does it too,whatever "it" is this week.It's just the same few characters over and over,and they're just making themselves look like two children fighting over a toy and pointing fingers at the other one while crying to Mommy at the same time.

[BlueIris]

22. It's mostly the Hillary trolls that keep me away, but yeah.

[CarolNYC]

23. It is tiresome....

as is the endless listing of polls, I think. I mostly just ignore all of those threads.

What I find really annoying, though, is the endless number of threads...9, 10, 15, whatever the amount (it seems like about 30 but I can't imagine it's really that high) daily...jumping ugly on Obama and started by an Edwards supporter. Just really ugly. And I don't even support Obama.

[michaelwb]

25. It's annoying.

We need a candidate that everyone can get behind.

The American people have grown used to incompetence in its Presidents. Their expectations are low.

Frankly our country is a mess because of the leadership of a lazy, greedy, cowardly, none too bright but ever so boastful little man in the White House. And just like it takes a thief to catch a thief. Only someone of the same stripe can get us out of this mess.

That is why I hereby endorse..

Dr. Zachary Smith from Lost in Space for President!!!

[sampsonblk]

26. I laugh at them

[Adelante]

27. What makes it particularly useless

Is the one-liner shouts back. If supporters would defend their candidates on issues, discuss pros and cons and cite verifiable source material, the fight could be a genuine learning experience for all of us and ultimately serve the candidates and eventually the country better. I know it's difficult and over time it's tiring, but it is so much more valuable to the candidates and to the level of discussion on DU, surely it is worth it.

That's my thoughtful answer.

On a baser level, I am a bit tired of crybabies and whiners demanding that every word about their candidate be sunny and bright and every OP be a campaign press release. Fully discussing the bad with the good (AS LONG AS IT IS TRUE) of primary candidates is what will make us informed, strong advocates of the eventual nominee. A primary fight is a fight, not a tea dance.

The important thing for DU should be the truth, not whether other DUers are saying things you don't like hearing.

(I hope the OP understands I am addressing the thread at large :hi:)

[robcon]

28. I think the spats are entertainment.

The twisting of this poll, or that speech, or the other press release into apocalyptic pronouncements of the evil-doing of one of them is very amusing.

The spin is fun to watch, and easy to refute.

[Jack Rabbit]

29. I don't like coming down here for that reason.

[wryter2000]

30. Nope

I just don't open the threads.

[AtomicKitten]

32. it's hunting season on Democrats at DU

I think some folks took a wrong turn on the internets.

[quiet.american]

34. Not really. (I was "initiated" into DU during the Howard Dean / Wes Clark wars). n/t

[Lerkfish]

35. none of them actually help their candidates much by astroturfing threads

the pro-clinton supporters have actually pushed me even further away from her, which I didn't think was possible.
And the Obama supporters are getting close to that as well, though not as prolific.

Its not so much their candidate, as their surly disposition to everyone else that's a real turnoff.

[zulchzulu]

36. I've decided to just stick to why I like my candidate...

...with a slight caveat that if someone trashes him sloppily, I may have to point to links and commentary to supplement my position.

I am not going to bring up any issues I have with what I feel the Republicans will bring up on Senator Clinton. The people who don't want to hear about it will never change their minds.

I've decided also to only comment on any national polls with a simple statement about the MoE and who sponsored the poll if it's not included in the post.

I'd rather focus on working on grassroots efforts for my candidate than trashing others from now on.

[AtomicKitten]

38. self-delete

[AZBlue]

49. BRAVO!!!!

You get it!! That's wonderful! And, thank you!

Let me tell you, from an undecided's personal point of view: the bickering, childish name-calling and nasty remarks do not help anyone's candidate. I come here to try to find out info to help me in my 2008 decision - and those who spew negative rhetoric about another candidate are only hurting their own.

(I'm in no way implying that you took part in any of these actions - I'm just commenting on what I see often on this site)

[Scriptor Ignotus]

39. i've jumped in the mix the last few days

and almost wish I hand't. I support Obama and it's hard to just ignore what I view as baseless and factless attacks on my candidate. I guess it's part of the process though...

[roguevalley]

41. I decided a couple of days ago to avoid these kinds of threads, the

endless ass kicking is so tiresome. I agree.

[quinnox]

42. yes

I was into it briefly but then realized it just wasn't fun like it was in 2004. I mean, Obama isn't really all that bad to be honest, even though I am supposed to hate him as a Clinton supporter. I think Edwards is great also, so all the top candidates seem like good ones to me, so why bother.

And it isn't just ridiculous threads attacking Hillary that are a turn off, (they are so silly they don't deserve response IMHO) but there are some Clinton supporters who post polls constantly showing her out front and it gets on my nerves even though I am behind her.

so basically I'm avoiding getting into the primary wars this time, I am confident Hillary will most likely win, and am pleased with the race so far, but guess what, if Obama or Edwards win that would be fine too.

[ReadTomPaine]

43. If you recall, GD:P was expressly designed for primary bickering prior to the 04' election..

to keep it from overrunning the regular GD forum. So it's not a surprise to see all the invective there, tho I agree with your points nevertheless.

Some of the material posted there is pretty toxic stuff.

[MsRedacted]

44. POSTS FROM THE PSYCHE WARD.

That's why we've been avoiding DU.

People have been posting really crazy crap. Attacking over nothing.

Makes me wonder if the only people left here are in psyche wards -- or should be.

Example: CIA announced that they were releasing the family jewels. Majority of posts on a thread in GH about whether or not they would release Area 51 info and how that would be the greatest service the CIA could ever offer.

Reality check -- even if it were real, would it really be THE be all end all?

Then my husband was fiercely attacked for suggesting that cumulative sun exposure can lead to skin cancer. This is a medical fact.

I just give up.

[Jed Dilligan]

45. I've never been one to avoid bickering,

but I have no skin in that game, so I don't usually post in those threads. By which I mean I really don't care who gets the nomination, I would prefer if it wasn't Clinton simply because we need a new Presidential surname after 20 years of the same two.

[TSIAS]

48. It doesn't bother me

For the most part, candidates' supporters are good-natured and I support this type of dialogue during the primary season.

However, there are always a few bad eggs and their identity is known by those who participate in this forum. I've learned that if someone comes here and is unnecessarily combative or obnoxious, they end up getting banned for disruptive behavior. I've seen my share of "one-trick ponies" over the years at DU. I suspect most of the people in this forum are legitimate. However, right-wing trolls do come in and try to stir up trouble.

[BenDavid]

51. I do not bicker with anyone when all they

can write is hate and give no positive for their candidate but run down another.....I read the comments and I will post what I believe is why I and others should support HRC....Sometimes it is so funny to read the comments and we wonder how bushit was elected....
I do thank you
Ben David

[bling bling]

53. I spend a lot less time here lately, yes.

I started to realize there are more significant things to do than read the same drivel over and over by the same handful of people who seem hellbent on stinking up our party. I don't mind spirited debate but it seems less that and more a deliberate mission by some to malign the character of people I respect and I'm just over it.

I finally gave up and put a couple of the worst offenders on ignore and I have to say it's definitely helped raise the intellectual level of GDP for me. Yesterday confirmed that it was a good idea because the system wouldn't let me ignore and I got another opportunity to see what I've been missing (or not missing, I should say).

[goodgd_yall]

54. If it ceases to be entertaining I go to GD (no Politics) or log off

I'm fine with the bickering. I've long ago learned there's a lot of BS on this forum. But then one person's BS is another's useful discussion.

[Jim Lane]

55. I don't have time to read all the interesting threads anyway....

so I have to screen out even some worth reading, let alone the garbagey bickering.

I do my selection by thread, not by forum.