Fellow Dean Supporters- A Plea for Restraint

[gardenista]

Fellow Dean supporters- This is a heartfelt message to all of us, including me. It looks like things are going to be much better than we ever expected for our guy tonight. If the exit polls are any indication, we have a really close finish with Kerry leading, Dean a very close second, and Edwards and Clark about evenly matched for 3rd.

This is more than I ever could have imagined just one week ago. I, like many others, was devastated by Iowa and the speech aftermath. It's been an emotional rollercoaster, but I would like to remind everyone of the support we got on these boards, especially from Clark supporters.

Yeah, there was some horrible gloating and gleeful fun at our expense, but I think we defended ourselves ok, and were able to have a sense of humor. For the most part, I think we conducted ourselves as well as could be expected, and we learned a lot.

This post is in gratitude to all of those on DU who were supportive of us when the chips were down. I hope, now that we have some good news, with a well-earned rebound for our candidate, that we can do the same in return.

I particularly reach out to Clark supporters when I say that the media has been doing your guy wrong, especially in the last week. I think you have much better days ahead, and that we may be looking at almost mirror-opposite results in SC. I know that many other Dean supporters are with me when I say that I hope our candidate, campaign, and supporters will celebrate this turnaround with grace, and in the context of what is to come.

We are all in this together.

[mzmolly]

1. Grace is good. I hope everyone here will be graceful...

:hi:

[bearfartinthewoods]

30. in that spirit, can i say thay Dean showed me something this week

he took a hit to the gut followed by a hard uppercut and he's still standing. the guy has moxie.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. Agreement here

It looks like Kerry will get the win but Dean didn't get blown out.

[Mass_Liberal]

2. I for one promise not to gloat

even if we win. But I will be happy as hell. :bounce:

[pacifictiger]

Amen.

as ben franklin said, we must stick together or we will surely hang together.

[Cassandra]

12. Actually, he said we must all hang together...

or we will, assuredly, all hang separately.

[Syn_Dem]

3. Great post!

:kick:

[montanacowboy]

4. Thank you and I wholeheartedly agree

nothing would be better in my dreams than a Dean/Clark ticket!

[kaitykaity]

5. If he does well I'm going to cry.

And cry and cry and cry. With happiness, mind you.
Jubilation.

(I don't know if I could handle another stunning downer.)

[youngred]

6. Very Classy

Hope all would abide by this rule in all things...

[displacedtexan]

7. Are you citing dailykos?

If not, what exit polls?

[gardenista]

14. Just the polls I've seen here in GD Primary. nt

.

[expatriot]

8. Restraint? This is just what I need to get my butt out the door....

Here in Yuma, AZ... Yuma for Dean (ALL volunteer) is beginning a week of non-stop work. Go ahead, look at the website. We are going to ROCK!!!!!

Wish us luck.

Ed

[not systems]

15. Nice site!

Good luck this coming week.

Go DEAN!!!

[gardenista]

19. Celebration, yeah, but not gloating. Just my own $.02 nt

.

[gardenista]

26. You GO YUMA! nt

.

[Selwynn]

9. Bleh.

It's an election year. We can all hold hands and sing kum ba ya next year. I'm not personally offended when people act competitive about their candidates and criticize those they don't support. In fact, I wouldn't expect anything less from involved democrats. :)

Besides - unless your guy wins, I don't see this post as necessary? "Dear Dean supporters, please try not to gloat about the fact that we didn't win a primary that we thought was a shoe in a month ago." Doesn't quite have the right ring to it...

[gardenista]

20. To each his own. nt

.

[Selwynn]

43. If you really believed that you wouldn't have made this post (n/t)

[OKNancy]

10. I said this before

but, heck everyone repeats themselves on DU.

I really am liking Dean people a lot more this week. It has to do with the tone, and also the support we Clarkies have been given because of the trashing of Clark. Keep it up. Dean is moving uyp on my list.

I hope he does well tonight. It will make the next month a lot of fun and five the Democrats a LOT of air time!

[slinkerwink]

25. I've also really liked Clark people this week because they now

understand how horribly biased the media can be when it comes to us having an "outsider" candidate that is against the Iraq War, NCLB, and so forth. I'd be happy to vote for Clark if he gets the nomination, and until then, I'm very happy that Dean's bounced back from that Iowa debacle.

[WI_DEM]

11. You'll have no trouble from me

It has been a hell of a rollercoaster ride and I know how it feels when someone you believe in doesn't meet expectations--from what happened in Iowa last week. We'll see what the actual votes show.

[EXE619K]

13. nice to see.

It's good to see other Dean folks make wonderful inputs like these.

Since, I've strated posting here, I've been seeing some real jerks from my fellow Dean campsters.

Although "distruptors" can be seen in other camps as well, I'll second that motion!

[AntiCoup2K4]

16. I promise to reserve my gloating for another board where the Busheep dwell

and where Dean bashing threads have been prospering lately :(

[gardenista]

24. LOL!

And I didn't say there wouldn't be some hoopin' & hollerin' at our house tonight.

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[Demeter]

17. My "Faith" Never Wavered

And a lot of others were equally staunch, as shown by the money that rolled in after Iowa. There is no other way to have a revolution, and that's what is needed now to turn around this country. None of the other candidates has it in him to go back to the basic principles that formed this nation; the others are too much in the get along-go along mode, which was appropriate before the vast right-wing conspiracy, but never after.

[progressivebydesign]

18. I'm not a gloater by nature.. and we still have 48 states to go!!

I'm not the type to gloat. I'm just grateful that the media drubbing he has taken for the past few weeks has only make him more focused. I'm also enormously grateful that we have a great pool of talent this primary season... I'd be happy with any of the candidates as our President. ABB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And DU United!! :grouphug:

[patricia92243]

21. Me and a lot of other Dean supports acted rather obnoxious when our guy...

was way ahead. I know I acted rather grandiose in my postings. When our guy didn't do so well in Iowa - the chickens came home to roost. I now understand how other's had been feeling when Dean was on top and their choice was not doing too
well.

Well, here is a big apology from me; and if Gov. Dean gets ahead again, I promise to be a LOT nicer to my fellow DUers.

[gardenista]

28. Hear, hear! I think Iowa taught us many lessons.

I hope we keep them in mind as we move forward.

[mopinko]

22. here, here

:toast:
great post.

[w13rd0]

23. There will be no gloating, nor weeping...

...from me, regardless the outcome.

I said months ago, and I'll say again. No one needs a blowout. If someone ran away with the nomination today, or last month, it would mean one target for the Bushbots and the GOP. We're better off keeping their attention distracted and divided as long as possible. And we also, I will note, do better when all of the candidates go after Bush and elaborate on how their policies are better.

[mandyky]

27. The way I felt last Monday night

I will be vary careful and restrained.

[Rowdyboy]

29. Yeah, well, I may have gloated just a little when Clark

was hitting 25% in ARG's NH poll. How long ago that seems, yet it was little more than a week.

[gardenista]

34. (I don't remember that!) Anyway, I think we're all susceptible

especially if we're supporting an underdog, and have been getting beaten down by the press.

[BlondieK143]

31. Thank you from a Clark supporter.

Really appreciate it.

I can honestly say that Dean (and his supporters) have impressed me this week.

[Cuban_Liberal]

33. Last Monday night was sobering.

I couldn't enjoy Sen. Edwards' win because of the absolute vitriol being heaped upon the Dean campaign. I think many here felt the same way. Win, lose or draw, none of us should ever do that to a fellow Democrat.

[ulysses]

35. agreed, although

I reserve the right to engage any "oh my god we're all doomed" posts from DU's conservatives in the event of a strong Dean showing.

[gardenista]

38. I think that's quite alright!

I didn't say we shouldn't respond to baseless attacks.

Just give 'em a little sugah with that vinegah!

[TLM]

36. As a Dean supporter I know what it is like to be on the business end

of the Kerry dirty tricks machine.


We know how the Clark and Edwards folks are going to be feeling tonight.

[Piperay]

37. As a Clark supporter

THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS on your guys recovery in the race.

[gardenista]

39. Thanks, I expect to be saying the same to you next week! nt

.

[janx]

40. The Dean campaign has urged its workers and supporters

not to engage in any kind of activity like that in any positive situation. This was a message that was announced very clearly at a house party I attended a couple of months ago by a political colleague and a friend of Dean's.

So it's not only good manners to be gracious; it's what the campaign expects of us.

[Spirochete]

41. The only gloating I'll be doing

is over on Free Republic (where I've never posted) the day the Crawford Cretin is defeated in November.

[Padraig18]

42. I remember how awful I felt last Monday night.

There will be no gloating and no rubbing salt into wounds from me tonight.:grouphug::pals:

[Woodstock]

44. Nice message!

I'm ABB. I hope that people will show each other why we should back their candidates. If our choices did not win, we will need that more than ever.

[Ramsey]

45. Many of us have always been restrained

Not to mention humble, respectful and hard working.