If you have a favorite candidate, are you OBLIGATED to hate all the other ones?

[renie408]

I have a favorite. I actually think it is a bit of a sentimental favorite, but he is a good man who will do a good job if he becomes the nominee. Last time around, before '04, I fought passionately for my candidate and dug up as much dirt on the others as I could. It got pretty ugly around here. It seems to me like we are already off and running towards the same thing.

This time around, I am thinking that isn't such a good idea. This time around, I like many of the candidates. I still have my favorite, but I will not work passionately AGAINST any of the others before the primaries and I will work passionately FOR whoever wins the nomination...no matter who it is. It is one thing to enter into a balanced discussion about the pros and cons of different candidates. But infighting is something else. Name calling and snide, baseless nastiness is not helping ANY of the men who are running for our vote. Hearing one of their supporters act like a jerk in their defense doesn't make me view a candidate with favor.

I don't have a single deal breaking issue with any candidate that would lead me to either not voting or tossing my vote in the GE off on someone who doesn't stand a chance. Even with my favorite candidate, there are things that I wish he had done differently. But there is NOTHING he has done which offends me as much as nearly EVERYTHING the GOP currently stands for. I don't think we can fix the horror of what BushCo has managed to create if we have a Democratic congress and a Republican President. We NEED to win every election we can; every Senate race, every House seat and the Presidency, to have an effective opportunity to put this country on the road to recovery.

So, I was going to change my avatar to an image of my favorite candidate. But instead, I think I will either leave it as it is or change it to reflect my general support for a Democratic President in '08. I am not going to take shots at any of the candidates. I am not going argue with someone as to why their choice is BAD. If I disagree with someone about a Democratic candidate, I am going to do my damnedest to try and voice my opinion rationally. To each his own.

[sallyseven]

1. A Democrat is a Democrat and thats all I

need to know. I will support him or her. Repukes not so much.

[Beelzebud]

23. Zell Miller still calls himself a Democrat...

Not all Democrats are Democrats.

Don't blindly follow. That same type of thinking go us in the mess we're in now, because many Americans blindly followed the Republicans.

[AndreaCG]

2. There are ones I dislike more than others.

Obama for instance. But any Democrat is better than any Republican, including Bloomberg, even if he runs as an independent.

[seabeyond]

3. i dont need to bash the others to support mine. IF i dont get mine

i will be able to find the good in the others, appreciate, value and support enthusiastically. no, i do not think if i support one i have to bash another. that has never made sense to me

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. I won't be happy when all three branches are under Dem control

I feel most safe when the oposing party has one. They all tend to behave themselves better.

However, in light of current circumstances, for 2008 I'm going for as Blue as we can get.

[renie408]

8. In general, I agree with you. I would hope for more balance in, say, '12

But like you said, the way things are now, I am also going as Blue in '08 as possible.

[rhiannon55]

5. Umm, no.

That would be stupid. Democrats are Democrats, and I like what they stand for. That's why I'M a Democrat.

[renie408]

12. You're right. It is stupid. But look around.

There are examples of it already happening in every thread that gets started about a potential candidate. And it's not even '07 yet, for chrissakes.

[madokie]

6. No way

no single issue guy here never was ain't gonna be. I like each of them and will support the winner.

[Lex]

7. I'm not going to take shots at the candidates who aren't my choice. It's childish.

I'm going to support my pick but not by trashing the other candidates.

Besides, my pick may not win in which case I'm supporting the Dem nominee over the Repub anyway.

I think DU'ers will look real silly bashing the other candidate who they may pull the lever for eventually.

[xchrom]

9. slavishly religious i think.

one should dedicate themselves to their candidate to the point of frenzy.

one should think about and proselytize their candidate 24/7.

ideas and ideals don't matter -- cult of personality does.

[renie408]

13. ok. n/t

[SCDem]

10. I want Gore to run but am excited that Edwards has announced

My favorite is Gore and if and when he does announce I will support him with all of my energy.

That being said I am really excited about Edwards anouncing and how he's doing it and what his message is. I wasn't a big Edwards fan in '04 but that was just because in the primaries I was for Dean and after I just supported whomever the lead was.

He has a great populist message and whether Gore runs or not I think it will be advantagous to America to bring back populism.

However, my love and feelings of goodwill does not extend to all candidates. I am disappointed that Kucinich has decided to run. I was a delegate in 2004 in Boston and they wanted a united vote for Kerry and even though everyone had their favorites before Kerry, Dean and Edwards and just about everyone had told their supporters please vote for Kerry. Except of course Kucinich and their were about 20 or so delegates in Boston that didn't vote for Kerry and instead voted for Kucinich.... I think that was selfish and nothing really to gain from it. Will I bad mouth Kucinich? No but I will not give him any thought or any consideration.

[Mabus]

20. I concur

I would also love it if Gore ran. I welcome Edwards into the race for 2008 and I think he has a lot to offer. I would not hesitate to support him if he becomes the nominee (despite some of the best efforts of some of his supporters to trash Gore). We're all in this together and we need to build intel on the GOP candidates with the same energy that many use to knock Democratic potentials.


fwiw, I supported both Dean and Kucinich before the 2004 primary. I was elected a Dean delegate to the DNC by the Kucinich, Dean, Edwards and Sharpton delegates at the regional caucus. I participated in several caucuses at the convention and ran into a number of Kucinich delegates. They were upset about a number of things. Since we weren't Kerry delegates, we were treated like dirt by a lot of others in attendance. No one contacted us or talked to us about voting for Kerry until the afternoon of his nomination. I got a message that we wanted to make the Democratic party look unified and so I should vote for Kerry on the first ballot. I, personally, could not do that. My nephew was originally sent to Afghanistan but had been relocated to Baghdad after we invaded that country. I hadn't heard from him in almost three months from that point. I didn't know if he was dead or alive. I didn't support going into Iraq and I really didn't feel like I could pledge my unwavering support to a platform that wouldn't talk about what a mistake it was going into Iraq. Rather than vote for Dean, as I intended to do because that's what who I was elected to represent, I gave my floor credentials to my alternate and took off with some others to watch the convention among those similarly situated.

[Eurobabe]

11. I have a favorite too...

And I worked hard for my candidate of choice in 2004. However, I never really actively dug up dirt on opponents. This election cycle I will go all out for my candidate of choice, but will not participate in any circular firing squads. It serves no good. there is nothing wrong with raising questions about something you don't understand or want more info about -- but the candidate bashing has to stop. We do nothing but hand the opposition fresh bombs.

[Mabus]

14. I agree

I have a favorite but in the event he does not become the nominee I don't want to have to feel bad about what I have said about other possible nominees. I'd rather look at the positives of each person, what are they bringing to the table and where do they think we need to go?

I get turned off by some supporters of possible nominees who will repeat innuendos or RW talking points just to score short term points (mostly in their own minds) for their choice at the expense of others. I've even ran into someone who took comments personally on behalf of their choice. I asked an honest question (and I quoted from several sources over a period of time) but instead of saying, I don't agree with that or I think he meant this, I was accused of both personally insulting the possible nominee and the poster. If I didn't agree with her about her choice, I was a freeper, a troll or worse. It was like talking to someone with their fingers permanently implanted in their ears and saying "la-la-la-la" over and over again. :eyes: Even worse, in my opinion, was the fact that the other poster glomped onto a thread about about another possible nominee with the agenda of bad-mouthing them. I guess what pisses me off most is when someone gets on to a thread supporting one person with the intent to bash the subject of that thread. It happens both covertly and overtly. All I know is that each potential nominee is an honorable person. They have each been elected to an office by people of various jurisdictions and they all have something to offer. I realize that not a single one of them is perfect. They each have warts. We all do. It's called being human.

[InvisibleTouch]

15. I must be weird. I love them all.

Yes, even Hillary. I have a favorite, of course (Gore!!), but I'm happy to see the others in the race, because each one adds something to the picture and puts the spotlight on important issues. We're really in a win-win situation this time around - no matter who eventually gets the nomination, we'll have a great candidate and a great President. Let's not drag each other into the dirt by bashing our less-favorites. That doesn't reflect honorably on any of us, and weakens us as a whole.

[renie408]

17. Me too!

I like some more than others, but I wouldn't be crying in my beer if ANY of the people currently mentioned in connection with the nomination won.

[mnhtnbb]

16. I hope all the Dem candidates will take a pledge this time to not

bash their fellow candidates. Yeah, yeah, it's politics and it's dirty business. That said, I was very put off by Pelosi, Gephardt, and Kerry last time pulling the crap they did on Dean. Kucinich and Edwards joined in the bashing--all while modifying their messages to reflect what was gaining Dean supporters. I really never heard Clark or Mosley Braun join in the bashing--and I thought better of both of them for it.

I hope ALL the Dem candidates will take the high road this time.

PS- I do not recall whether Sharpton went after Dean the way the others did. I think I remember during one of the debates that Sharpton actually defended Dean--but I don't recall the details.

[renie408]

19. You know what's weird to me?

I remember the Dean bashing to be especially vicious. But he has turned out to be the best thing that has happened to the Democratic party as a whole in a long time, if you ask me. If we were destined to lose, I am almost glad he didn't win the nomination because I think it would have made it impossible for him to be who he is today.

[mnhtnbb]

25. What's even more weird is how the bashing continued after Dems

took Congress, in no small part due to Dean's leadership at the DNC.
Some people can't stand a winner--no matter in what role.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

18. Oh Of Course Not. I Laugh At How Passionately Hateful Some Get Towards Their Non Choices.

It's really really silly.

I'll stand behind whoever gets the nomination.

[dave_p]

21. Let the policy do the fighting

Certainly not. I've my #1, but I like a couple of the others. I expect poorer results from the rest policy-wise, but they're still an improvement on the opposition.

Good point re the bashing: it was sickening to see Democrats doing the GOP's work for it. If people can't show they offer something better without flinging mud at their own colleagues, they're not up to much.

Things will get heated as the deciding primary approaches, but a fair, clean, positive win on policy's best for all concerned.

[Sapphire Blue]

22. I have two favorite candidates at this time, and I also appreciate the others.

There is one possible exception, but he is no longer a Democrat ;) .

[chaska]

24. Unfortunately, people seem to have lost the ability to argue without acrimony....

We're not wingers here. We should be able to talk up our candidate without tearing down another's.

Let's work on it, ya'll.

[KamaAina]

26. Hell no! You are, however, obligated to hate all the repuke candidates.

That does sort of go without saying...

[renie408]

28. No problem, I have that covered. n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

27. K&R

[k_jerome]

29. yeah. nt.

[Lex]

30. kick

:kick: