Wow! I just got back from Freerepublic

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

and it was less hateful than here!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=309345&mesg_id=309345

[Terwilliger]

1. ...

nevermind

I wish I'd stayed where the sun shines on the glen

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. since when is criticism "hateful" anyway?

I say Mr. John Forbes Kerry is yet another elitist aristocrat, and that's hateful. Defending yourself in the class war is now considered hate, while attacking working class people with right-wing economic policies is just playing to the center.

And this is the Democratic party of FDR? Come on, Mr. John Forbes Kerry, are you a "traitor to your class" as FDR proudly was? Or are you yet another NAFTA lover?

[JVS]

32. good post

[poskonig]

2. Welcome to the circular firing squad!

Lock'n'load.

[goobergunch]

3. Freeper link?

And I just avoid those threads.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. It's a "Discussion" forum.

The truth will win out. (I hope.)

[Maddy McCall]

9. But what is going on in GDF lately ISN'T discussion...

just like wife-beating isn't "talking things over."

It's fucking disgusting and a turn-off to anyone who may be considering voting Dem for the first time.

Sabotage maybe, but not "discussion."

[KoKo]

5. NSMA: You need to talk to the Admins about this here on DU.....

If FR is more friendly than here...we have a BIG problem.......:-(

[disgruntella]

6. omg!

I put a bunch of people on ignore today - so I had no idea how enormous that thread got! Sweet sassy molassey...

[Maddy McCall]

8. I saw your comments...

they resembled mine from a couple of days ago. God did the Dean fans come out to rip me apart.

I don't understand this current "eating one's own" behavior. The more they can dig up and display in their Kerry exposes, the happier they are.

I said it before and I'll say it now: I haven't decided which candidate to support, but I hope it doesn't have to be Dean, because the virulent, hostile attitude of many of his supporting cult here at DU has left a terrible taste in my mouth.

One DUer summed it up by saying that the Dean camp can be equated to a "cult of personality." I thought that was a little extreme, but as more time passes and as more of their ugly opinions and "facts" are posted, I am coming to agree with him.

I am staying out of the dogfights. If that is what they want to do, that's fine--they will feel foolish if their man isn't tapped.


So, in a tiny nutshell, NSMA, I completely concur.

[JNelson6563]

10. Agreed on the viciousness

but let's be fair, I have seen some rotten things from Kerry supporters too. I myself have been subjected to it and I don't bash. Ever.

I cringe when I see it from anyone.

Let's not eat our own. If we're smart we'll support the nominee.

Julie

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

16. Oh I agree

[PurityOfEssence]

19. I hate that

Hating hatred is hateful; how dare you bash bashing.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. ROFLMAOPIMP!!!

You are SOOO my saviour this week

[Woodstock]

24. Be fair & don't paint all Dean supporters with a broad brush

The worst I've ever said about Kerry is that he doesn't have enough fire. And that was in the middle of a general thread.

I've yet to start a thread bashing another candidate, and I'm here a fair amount. And I know there are lots of reasonable Dean supporters like me around who answer that description.

Don't forget that Dean is bashed an incredible amount by Kerry and Clark supporters here. It always kills me how they post entire new threads on stuff like, "Gee, I woke up today and thought, Dean is a mean guy!" like anyone gave a good darn what that they woke up, much less what they thought.

And the passive agressive ones are really enjoyable - first they pander ("Dean supporters are so full of enthusiasm!) then they slam (insert mindless observation without a grain of truth here) and when someone points out how baseless their statement was, they say, "Gee, and I was so sweet, how dare you challenge me!!!"

Oh, yeah, it gets old.

But you know what? Not once did I think, "All Kerry supporters are like that" or "All Clark supporters are like that."

[sendero]

35. Yes...

... there are plenty of malingerers here, and there will be until the primaries are over.

I like to think I can spot pointless progaganda pretty quickly, and there has been a lot of it lately.

It's coming from all sides, some people think it is their civic duty to "boost" their candidate by trashing others. Like that crap is going to change *anyone's* mind.

[w4rma]

11. The poster who started that thread needs to tone down this S&B stuff, IMHO

It's gotten to be shrill, ridiculous and pointless.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. Please edit your header

we are only allowed to lie and assassinate the character of Dem candidates

[Kathy in Cambridge]

18. He is just one of a handful

of 'conspiratards'. Skull & Bones is a glorified fraternity. Then there's the constant bashing of anyone that's rich, even if they're a decent Democrat. It's getting REAL old.

[WoodrowFan]

33. 'conspiratards'??

OOHH, I LIKE that term! Nice one! Very appropriate! :toast:

[karlschneider]

12. I'm not so sure about "hateful"...in any case, isn't the fact that we

ostensibly on the "left" exercise our right to disagree is what distinguishes us from the sheeple on the "right" (wrong)? I mean, if you're gonna fall in lockstep with -any- position or agenda, why not be a wingnut? No thinking required.

And it is an ironic conundrum...if we all essentially agreed on most everything, we would have more power, obviously, but I don't think that would necessarily be a good thing.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. There is a difference between thinking and hallucinating

No one is asking for homogenous discourse

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Now you've done it!

Just when I was getting a grip on this reality stuff, you have to flounce by with your insidious nuances.

Feh.

[Sancho Panza]

15. I cringe when I think of Iowa coming up...

The first caucus is still 4 months away, and I fear the cannibalistic tendencies of some of us will cause even bigger disruptions and hatreds to be unleashed in the weeks ahead.

Got to keep our humor and sense of proportion intact however possible. I fall back on that because a call for unity right now would seem like screaming into the wilderness - emphasis on the "wild". :-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. No kidding..I try

Here in California..one needs a sense of humor right now but it a supply and demand situation ..ya know?

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[fishnfla]

23. Is it wrong to think it kinda...funny

If I read one more time how Kerry won "cheap" purple hearts, but left Vietnam "able bodied" even though the extent of his wounds are unknown. I mean that was repeated in some sort of record #. Its serious and all but i had to laugh....like I do about the time I cut my forehead fixing a muffler....

[Sancho Panza]

30. thanks!

I have an ample supply if this place has the demand!

[Clete]

22. I didn't need a comparison to the Freerepublic, but

I cringe as each candidate bashing thread pops up. I'll be happy when the primaries are over and skinner implements the no candidate bashing rule.

[Woodstock]

25. Here's what he says:

Negative attacks are an unavoidable part of any political campaign, and therefore they are permitted against any Democratic presidential candidate. However, once the Democratic party officially nominates its candidate for president, then the time for fighting is over and the negative attacks against candidates must stop. The administrators of this website do not wish for our message board to be used as a platform to attack and tear down the only progressive on the planet with any hope of defeating George W. Bush. Constructive criticism and even outright disappointment with the candidate may be expressed, but partisan negative attacks will not be welcome. If you wish to contribute to the defeat of the Democratic candidate for president, then you are welcome to use someone else's bandwidth on some other website. As the election season draws closer, we may expand this rule to include Democratic candidates for other political offices.

Democratic Underground may not be used for political organizing activity by supporters of any political party other than the Democratic party. Supporters of certain other political parties may use Democratic Underground for limited partisan activities in political races where there is no Democratic party candidate.

[Woodstock]

26. Let's break this apart:

Constructive criticism ---> that's kind of clear

and even

outright disappointment with the candidate ---> this sounds like anything goes, much like we are seeing now (Kerry wasn't so hot in Viet Nam, Dean is short and mean, and other such nonsense)

may be expressed, but

partisan negative attacks ---> since partisan means party lines, then this is just the same as the usual no Repbulicans rule

will not be welcome.

*****************************************

I'm not seeing how this will improve things around here???

[ElsewheresDaughter]

27. let me reiterate "ABB" and "ABBAJ"...any 8 of them will be BETTER

Kerry would get my vote if he gets the nod

[Must_B_Free]

28. that;s cause they're all here

establishing "Deep Cover"

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

29. You will know us by the sensation a bite of our hats

causes on your fillings

[TreasonousBastard]

31. Yeah, it's getting kinda rough over there...

but it seems like it's only a few people involved, and only few others rising to the bait. Like that all over the place here.

Too bad they screw up the signal/noise ratio. If there were this many fish in the ocean, I could afford codfish again.

Freepers follow the party line, and we don't. This is probably our real strength, although it sure doesn't seem like it at times, and causes us to lose a lot of battles.

Part of me is excited that there are candidates out there that bring out the passion in people. We've lost a lot of passion in this country. Another part of me wishes that more of the most passionate weren't assholes.

But, you can't have everything.

[sendero]

34. I thought....

.... nothing shocked you any more :)