Who Else Thinks This Constant Infighting Is Juvenile?

[ruggerson]

I have no dog in this fight.

I don't take rightwing or leftwing blogs seriously as hard "news". I read them as advocacy pieces.

I don't think Raw Story or Capitol Hill Blue have any more or less credibility than, say, Newsmax or WorldNetDaily. Only difference is Newsmax pisses me off, while Capitol Hill Blue makes me laugh.

They are all interesting, amusing and provocative.

But hard news? Nope. Do they pass journalistic muster? Imho, nope.

I usually try to ignore the noise, but when it becomes all consuming, you end up watching the car wreck despite yourself. And when the noise becomes a mainstream news story, albeit a small one, which serves to yet again embarrass Democrats nationally, then it starts affecting all of us.

Wouldn't we all be better off if we were focuing laser-like on working to elect local candidates in '06, or sharing strategies for getting our candidates elected, instead of being subjected to these seemingly endless turf wars amongst a small group of chronic self promoters?

This entire thing is a diversion. It's like watching a spanish language soap opera where you don't understand why they're all yelling, but you're pretty sure the plot, in the end, is totally pointless.

So, flame me if you want, but I think these serial inside-the-leftwing-blogosphere conflagrations are ridiculous, stupid, self involved, self absorbed and most of all, self destructive.

Let's get Democrats elected! That will have far more concrete consequences for our lives than endlessly debating whether Rove gets indicted a week from this Tuesday or the third Wednesday in February, or whose ego or website "broke" what story.

I know, for myself, I don't do nearly enough due to work constraints, but I try to give at least half a day or more per week to candidates running locally. And I realize that is not nearly enough.

I know many give far more than I, and we will never read posts by them or about them, and they certainly won't be participitating in puerile, internecine infighting on DU, but I want them to know how deeply appreciated they are by so many of us.

In their largely unrecognized hard work lies our future.

[AX10]

1. I only hope that we are all united Come the Fall.

If we are not, we will not win, and we cannot afford to lose.

[stop the bleeding]

2. yep no matter what we are all on the same team

[ruggerson]

3. If we are

it will be a first :)

But there's no reason we can't all be pointing generally in the same direction.

[AX10]

4. Agreed.

[idgiehkt]

I just think there are alot of republicans laughing at this right now.

It's kind of sad. I am reading these threads and following the links trying to make sense of it all, and I'm pretty sure just about everyone involved is a good person. But people here are fighting as if there isn't really an opposing party..strange.

[seabeyond]

5. havent hardly been on the board last handful of days. silliness

i tell you. lol lol. i will just wait to see what pans out. it is all good.

[JeffR]

6. This post should be printed out

And taped - or tacked - to some people's foreheads.

[fooj]

7. I do.

We are living in hell. People are frightened. People are angry. People are anxious.

The last thing we need to focus our energies on is negativity. Really.

Like it or not, we, as Americans, are in this together. I honestly believe that there isn't ANYTHING that can stop the righteous patriotism of a true, authentic American. It's who we are. It's what stokes the fire within us. We can take our country back. I really believe that.

We can work together to achieve our COMMON goal...ridding ourselves of these criminals that have moved into OUR HOUSE! We can't do it fighting amonsgt ourselves. Unity is key. Please don't lose sight of the prize. It's our Country and the laws that it was founded upon.

I'm not willing to give up on America. I can't I won't.

:patriot:

[linazelle]

8. What you said.

:hi:

[Justice Is Comin]

16. I haven't seen that long

of a post from you ever. You rode the horse on this one.

[fooj]

29. Yep.

Check out my journal sometime. I get fired-up every now and then... :hi:

[porphyrian]

9. What's wrong with juvenile?

You trying to start a fight?

[Gabi Hayes]

11. yeah! suck it! suck it hard!

[porphyrian]

13. He was just expressing that dog's anal gland.

Thus the face.

[Gabi Hayes]

18. George Bush: canine proctologist....has a certain...ring to it

http://members.xoom.com/mango79/little_brown_ring.ram

[porphyrian]

21. Heh heh, ew. - n/t

[TankLV]

22. Did he smell it afterward?!

Ewwwwwwe!

[porphyrian]

24. He ate a barbecued pork sandwich afterward.

No one is sure whether or not he washed his hands, but it was messy and he did lick his fingers.

[Robbie Michaels]

10. On my blog I try to stay impartial

Notice I said "try" :evilgrin:

[Spazito]

12. I look at this kerfuffle as a walk in a rose garden in comparison

to the knock-out, drag-out fights during the 2004 primaries, lol. Keeping that in mind helps me balance my thinking, most of the time, lol.

[ruggerson]

14. At least those were about something substantial

:)

[Patsy Stone]

25. Well, this is too, to some extent

What we all want is Rove's indictment. Whether it's already sealed, or coming a week from Friday, that's the desired result. After the elections, it was about whether congress would act and would Kerry file lawsuits and whether they would, or whether they wouldn't; and why hasn't it happened yet? and, you see! I told you it wasn't gonna happen.

We do this all the time. It's like the Children of Israel waiting for Moses to come down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, and they get into some mischief while waiting. This time it's this, next time it will be something else. It happens. Lay low.

:hi:

[Patsy Stone]

15. And after as well

The "I Hate Kerry/Everyone sucks!" brigade after Ohio's results. Oy.

[Spazito]

17. LOL, yep, those were the days!

It is a lovefest here in comparison.

[TankLV]

19. It's called POLITICS. If we can't mix it up here, we might as well all go

home - or become repukes!

Naw - it's enjoyable.

Like a close family.

Learn a lot.

Let off steam.

WE NEED TO LET OFF STEAM!!

That's why I joined here in the first place - after the coup of 2000.

[Ladyhawk]

20. Yeah. I'm going to re-focus my attention on election fraud.

I am working with a friend to distribute the Solar Bus CD. I want to get one to the mayor, who is a Dem (or is she the ex-mayor)? Anyway, maybe some of the local bigwigs will listen. I crashed a Democratic Party meeting once before, armed with homemade election fraud CDs. I think most of the folks there thought I was a nutcase. Maybe they'll regard it more seriously if I distribute these more professional-looking CDs?

:shrug:

I'd like to get to know the local Dem Party, but in past meetings I really had the feeling they didn't like me and didn't want me to be part of the group. Most of the folks involved are ten to twenty years older than I am. I'm 40-ish, but look about ten years younger. Some have said I could pass for a college student if I tried. I got the feeling that they regarded me as somehow beneath them because I am young(er). That's sad because if real college-age kids want to get involved, they may feel frozen out, too. Maybe that's part of the reason why no young people are involved? Maybe I should tell them how I felt?

Maybe I should apologize for getting so far off-topic??? :silly: My bad.

[aaronbees]

23. Thank you ...

for an insight so sensibly written and, unfortunately, apparently lost the last few days here on DU. It's amazing so many egos are getting wrapped up in a playground fight about a news piece that will either be true or false ... how that plays out will take a bit of time to see. It's simple really: either the Truthout piece is wrong or it's right. End of story ... but really of minimal importance in the grand scheme of things. What's more important, I think, is whether or not Rove and his ilk see indictments handed their way ... indictments that seem so richly deserved based on info presented/discussed here at DU for years. I don't care what reporter gets that story first, but I sure hope it's written someday soon ... and accurately, if it hasn't alredy been done so.

Ultimately, what Democrats can't wait on, though, is exactly what you said: organizing for the next elections and getting good Dem candidates in office to change our lives for the better. That's the real way to win and help people in this country, especially outside of a message board and for years to come. That's the point of being here, I suppose.

[Mr_Spock]

26. Infighting is juvenile, by definition

It can't be avoided at times, but it can be excessive at times - like now.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

27. I Would Respect The Sentiment Expressed In The OP, If Only

it weren't every bit as conducive to the infighting as anyone else's sentiment. :rofl:

Yes, things get carried away here sometimes. But it is more due irrational passion of some at the time of posting than any actual content itself. Doesn't much matter what the topic is, it's all in the ability to reason, be rational and not take shit so seriously that ya carry it outside of an individual thread.

[brazil]

28. It's OK to let off steam...

...and disagree about things around the dinner table, as long as we realize we're all in the same family.

The Republican coalition is a marriage of convenience, while we're like a big, loud, crazy, Italian family, everyone saying what they think at once. Yeah, it looks like chaos to the outside, but we all basically agree on where we're going... it's just a matter of how we get there. We disagree about trivial things, but the Republican family is destined for failure because they disagree on the very fundamentals of life.

So go ahead, disagree I say. It's healthy, especially if you get a good meal out of it...

[NoSheep]

30. Agreed completely. I can't believe the outpouring of hatred and bile.

Dean, for example. He's using his head, but folks a screaming at his every word. We have to be realistic. But I would imagine the anger has gone on so long against the outrageous state of things...some are turning inward. depression follows, surely. I've been there.

[many a good man]

31. Don't be a SMEARO = SMEAR + HERO

OP leads the thread with an outrageous smear against left wing web sites and then goes into a lengthy, righteous self-evident homily.

Raw Story is the same as Capitol Hill Blue? Truthout by implication is our version of Newsmax? Are you serious?! CHB?

Get a clue. The right wing noise machine makes things up out of whole cloth. Liberal sites seek to bring to light uncomfortable truths that are normally hidden. Critical analysis must be applied when reading any journalist. That goes from Sy Hersh to Judy Miller.

Investigative reporters are constrained by the reliability of their sources. Unnamed sources are always a problem. If we waited for everyone to go on the record we'd miss 75% of what's going on. Reputations are earned only after many long years in the business.


Most of us are shell-shocked over what's been happening to our country in the past five and a half years. The mainstream media has been on bent knee and underreported shocking violations of Constitutional and international law. We thirst for justice and sometimes get a little carried away. I agree, the Leopold story should serve to sober us up and teach us not to let our emotions carry us away.

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[Breeze54]

32. "infighting" -- ?

"I don't think Raw Story or Capitol Hill Blue have any more or less credibility than,
say, Newsmax or WorldNetDaily.
Only difference is Newsmax pisses me off, while Capitol Hill Blue makes me laugh."

I don't consider Newsmax or World Nuts Douchbags-- "one of us"...
they're asshat repig neocon BS spouting dis-information crap!
I'm more willing to 'believe', notice RawStory.

I don't EVER read those pig sites nor faux suxs!!
I NEVER use faux or those two liars as sources or post a link to them either.
NEVER!

I can read and discuss what they say though AND work on elections!
I can even walk and chew gum at the same time...but I don't like gum!
;)

[Inland]

33. No, I actually think there's a there there.

Not with the Leopold article in itself, which is either right or wrong but not so important, but with some of the "defenses" that put accuracy and materiality of the article on a level of importance below unity and team spirit in uniting behind or standing with Leopold and Will Pitt.

Frankly, I see the beginnings of a departure from the value of truth, in what should be a reality based community simply because it is liberal and democratic, that is intentional and much more important than a single journalist who thought he had a scoop but didn't.