So, have I missed anything while I was away?

AWD

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Oct-03-03 09:06 AM
Original message

So, have I missed anything while I was away?

As you may have heard, I took a sabbatical from DU starting Monday. I don't suppose I missed any exciting news while I was away, did I?

Kidding. I'm fully aware of what has transpired over the past few days. I'll get to all that shortly.

I'm returning to DU because I feel 100 times better than I felt the day I left. Sure, we ALL feel fabulous after watching Rush implode on ESPN, watching Arnold apologize for incidents he claimed never happened, watching the CIA send all the cockroaches running for cover, watching Arnold try to disavow his goosestepping "hero" from Nazi Germany, and watching Rush go cold turkey on OxyContin because his black market supply dried up (by the way, the black market is overrated. The media has been trying very hard to boost the image of the black market, when we all know that the white market is far superior....right Rush?).

To briefly discuss why I left temporarily, a certain DUer decided that attacking candidates in the Presidential primaries was no longer good enough, and decided to attack me personally. They said I wouldn't get any votes, that I wasn't a serious candidate and that I probably wouldn't even make the ballot. To that person, and to any other person who wishes to go personal on me, I say this....when you have the courage to put it all on the line and try to run for office and make real progressive change, THEN you can come talk to me about being serious. However, I won't hear you. You'll be on my ignore list.

As a candidate, it will be necessary to listen to ALL my constituents' concerns. Some have said that putting DUers on ignore shows that I am not serious, because I'm not willing to listen to another angle, and that I'll have to listen to the people in my district. I respond with this....DUers, with a few exceptions, you are NOT my constituents and I am not your congressperson. You are my FRIENDS, and I am your friend. When you attack me personally, you are no longer my friend, and I choose to not listen to you. I expect to get abuse from constituents (especially the Republican ones). I will be able to handle that. I do not have to accept personal abuse from people I thought were my friends, so I won't accept it. That's why the ignore feature is there.

Attack Howard Dean all you want. I'll defend him. Attack Ohio State all you want. I'll defend them. Attack me, and I'll ignore you.

The responses I have read to my Monday thread, and the responses I read to my wife's thread...well, they were heartwarming. Thank you so very, very much. I needed to see that.

Let me tell you a little story. I am a HUGE fan of Ohio State. Went to college there. Grew up going to Buckeye games. My blood is not red...it's scarlet.

A fellow DUer named Gratuitous dislikes Ohio State. VERY much. I would say "hates" Ohio State, but I cannot put those words in anybody's mouth. Gratuitous bashes Ohio State all the time, and I bash back. We have little battles all the time over college football. You would think we wanted to kill each other by reading the threads.

Gratuitous sent my campaign 100 dollars.

THAT, my friends, is the epitome of a true member of the Democratic Underground. I would only hope that I am as big-hearted of a person as Gratuitous is.

It is people like that, and like everyone who sent me their love over the past 4 days, that bring about my return to DU. I will not let the overwhelming love and respect that I find in here be overshadowed by the miniscule amount of negative personalities.

Later today, I'll post an update on what I've though about the events of this week. I've wanted to say a LOT, so I will.

Thank you very much. It's good to be back.