Proposal: A Three Day Moratorium on Dem Candidate Bashing

[smoogatz]

Can we do it? Can we post only positive messages about the Democratic candidates for president for three whole days (until 3:00 p.m. central time on the 28th, say)? Could we, maybe, redirect some of our seething negative energies toward ridiculing Giuliani as the serial exaggerator he is (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/040954.php)? Or further explore the rich territory of Romney's five chickenhawk sons? Or make up funny new names for Fred Thompson's Hollywood trophy wife? Doesn't that sound like fun?

Of course it'll never work. The campaigns and their staffers here on DU won't let it. Maybe I'll take a break, instead.

[katmondoo]

1. I am with you

Iam not reading any more negative posts about the Dem candidates. I decided that yesterday. Depresses me. They all have positives and negatives.That is true of all of us.

[emilyg]

2. I'm with you - why fight our own?

[smoogatz]

3. The worst thing you can say about the lot of them

is that they're not Al Gore. The good news is, any/all of them will bring significant change to the way the current crop of lunatics, idiots and criminals are running the executive branch. Barring a Gore campaing, that's good enough for me. I guess they current field (even including Biden, Richardson, et al) are pretty much all second choice material, from my perspective.

[Dr.Phool]

4. Not even Joe Biden?

[smoogatz]

6. Nope.

I know it's hard. Maybe there's a patch we could try. Or some kind of anti-bashing gum.

[H2O Man]

8. Senator Biden

has agreed not to bash any other candidate for three days.

[smoogatz]

9. Fuck Biden!

Hillary agreed first!

oops...

[WillyT]

5. We're Just Talking Presidential Candidates, Correct ???

:evilgrin:

[smoogatz]

7. Yes. Feel absolutely free to bash our inept and craven House/Senate

leadership at will.

[WillyT]

11. LOL !!! - Thanks !!!

:hi:

[Robbien]

10. Why? This is a primary. We are chosing AMONG Democratic candidates

Why waste time on the GOPer field at this point.

Comparing and contrasting Democratic candidates is what this period is all about.

Doodling about in the GOPer field during Democratic primary campaign is idiotic.

[smoogatz]

13. Compare and contrast to your heart's content.

But would it be possible to frame that comparing and contrasting as a choice between positives? A good, better, best sort of thing, rather than reverting (inevitably) to seventh-grade rhetoric, i.e., "my candidate rocks, your candidate sucks"?

[Robbien]

18. Yeah right like that is going to happen

If it bothers you, then stay out of GDP. And stop posting GDP threads in GD. By not following the rules and posting campaign threads in GD, all you are going to get is "your candidate sucks you sucker."

[smoogatz]

19. I don't have a preferred candidate, and I don't read GDP

unless it leaks onto the greatest page, which it seems to do with some frequency these days. And no, I don't like it. It seems petty and mindless, for the most part, and I think we're busily creating negative narratives about our own candidates so the Republicans won't have to. A little decorum would be a welcome change. But of course, this is DU we're talking about.

[mitchtv]

16. DUH!

does it have to be a circular firing squad? ever try promoting your candidate and not swiftboating the competition? Save the venom for the pukes (it is never too early)

recommended

[kenfrequed]

28. What a crappy way to put it.

Sure-thats great suggest that comparing various Democratic candidates is a automatically 'swift boating.'

I don't think I need (or intend to heed) your advice about venom.

I have now heard adn read the phrase 'circular firing squad' about a dozen times. Is there some kind of memo I'm not getting?

[rjones2818]

12. Be warned...it's a trick!

If we go the three days, then they'll try to extend it to a week, two weeks, even a month!

By that time, the big three will have shown their true colors, converted all the moderates to Repugs and switched parties! Then where will we be????

:sarcasm:

well, sorta.

[WillyT]

24. Yep... It's The Friedman Rule...

Just another six months... just another six months... just another six months...

[kenfrequed]

14. Great idea!

Why contrast any of the candidates records or policies at all. Three days of status quo and silence!!! a boorapalooza!!! Yippeee!!!!

Seriously though what are you seeking to accomplish here?

We already rip on the repugs quite frequently. And most of us do it in a more meaningful way than obsessing about Fred Thompsons trophy wife.

And this staffers on DU causing the trouble is a dismissive suggestion. I happen to be very supportive of one particular candidate and nominally supportive of two others. I am not a staffer, a paid representative, or even a volunteer (yet).

I am a Democrat and very interested in who gets the nomination and I really don't see the point in this kind of exercise unless you are one of the front running "Top Tier" candidates. (and even some of those supporters would be wasting their time abiding by it)

[smoogatz]

17. Do you really think posting negative stuff about Obama or Hillary

is going to win votes for hind-tit candidates like Kucinich, etc.? Doubtful. My guess is that DU opinion on the candidates is already pretty hard, and that a lot of the negative posts coming from supporters of second-tier candidates are more the result of bitterness and frustration than any honest attempt to swing support your way. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Blast away if it makes you feel better.

[WillyT]

20. Now, Now, Smoo... You Just Bashed A Candidate In That There Post !!!

*tsk, tsk*

:spank:

[smoogatz]

21. I was talking about Kucinich's standing in the polls.

Not his appearance.

:hide:

[WillyT]

22. So What Does That Make Hillary ??? - A Front-Tit Candidate ???

Please... not another cleavage thread!!!

:banghead:

[smoogatz]

23. See? It's an epidemic.

We can't stop ourselves.

[kenfrequed]

25. No

I think posting honest information about a candidates statements and stances on the issues is important and creating artifical silence on these concerns does nothing but sacrifice intelligent debate for maintenance of the status quo.

I don't care if I was supporting the front runner or dead last in place, a bad idea is still a bad idea.

[smoogatz]

26. So you're saying that continually bashing your non-favorite candidates

is SO important to the "debate" and and and the veryfutureofthecountry (and the WORLD, even) that if you personally stop for three days the sky will fall and kill everyone? Is that about right?

Nobody's trying to "create artificial silence"; I'm just suggesting that this might be a good time to take a deep breath, pause, crack our knuckles, and beat up on some Republicans instead.

[kenfrequed]

27. Amazingly deft spin

Rather than putting so many interesting and selective bits in quotes and using bizarre contractions (is that the way you normally write?) you should ask why I might think this to be a waste of time?

Or maybe answer me this question:

Why shouldn't we talk more about our candidates (plural) and try to understand the differences and similiarities?

I can and have ranted about republicans a lot. We all come here knowing we don't like the repub-policies (I hope). As far as singling out individual repug candidates I really don't think that adds much to the debate that we need to go through as a party.

If I see a message about something teh repugs are trying to do I write or call my congressman. I'm sorry that I don't need to take a break from talking about important issues like the war and free-universal-healthcare-for-all, to talk about Thompsons Trophy wife.

[smoogatz]

30. 1.It's not spin--I was just restating my original point

in terms I thought you could understand.

2.I used quotes around "debate" because I don't think what we're having here is as much a debate as a foodfight. I used quotes around "create an artificial silence" because it was your phrase. Sorry if my (entirely correct) use of quotes confused you.

3.It wasn't a contraction, it was a made-up compound to indicate over-earnestness. Contractions leave parts out. Did you really not know that?

4.I write all kinds of different ways, if that's okay with you.

5.You ask your questions and I'll ask mine.

6.Suit yourself, although what you're saying is that your sole purpose in coming to DU is to snark at Dem candidates you don't like. To each his/her own, I guess, but if that's really your deal, then I'm not very interested in talking to you.

[kenfrequed]

31. oh thank you

I'm sorry I just felt the manner of your citations alongside the odd compound (thank you for the correction) painted a strange picture. What or who was being represented by the compound? I mean if it was directed in a particular direction than perhaps your concerns about attacks might better be directed at a mirror.

I ask relevant questions about the issues. Most of the posts that point to a position a candidates take or a speech also ask good questions.

You make amusing points about Kucinich's relative position in the polls and I will make mention of what I think of Hillary's position on the war.

[smoogatz]

32. Make whatever point you want.

Maybe you'll persuade someone. As I've said, I have no particular dog in this fight. Any of the current field of candidates would be fine with me, and all would be a vast improvement over the current idiots, criminals and lunatics currently farting into the White House desk chairs. I'm willing to settle for that, at this point.

I'm pretty sure I didn't attack you. I made fun of your apparent sense of self-importance a little bit, but I didn't mean it maliciously. Sorry if you were offended.

[onewholaughsatfools]

15. sure i wont respond to any clinton

biden, dole, or edwards post for 3 days, now that is positive

[L. Coyote]

29. How about three decades? So as to start repairing the damage!!