I am not going to post anymore about Dean here at DU.

[madfloridian]

It is becoming a contest of intimidation, and I refuse to take part. I had it verified in a recent post that my posts would not get many hits. I had already heard that, but my suspicions were verified.

If I have something of interest about Dean, I will either PM one of you or post it here in the DFA forum. I will post on other topics only.

Insulting is not my thing. I have been a Dean advocate.

I kept posting here when a lot of you left, and it was not easy. You want peace, you got it. And unless you guys post, Dean will not have an advocate here.

I respect Howard Dean's candidacy, and I respect myself, way too much to take part in childish games.

[Pirate Smile]

1. I always look forward to your posts keeping me updated on what Dean

is doing.

That is too bad that some people are reacting that way.

It surprises me also because I never thought your posts were provocative like some advocates of certain people tend to be.

I must have missed the thread where this occurred but I wish you wouldn't let them run you off.

:-)

[madfloridian]

2. I will post on other topics, just not Dean.

I never thought I was being ugly either, but as I say,....when it turns into a oneupsmanship game, I don't play.

I have too much dignity for that. They can have it, and I will post about other topics.

[Pirate Smile]

3. That is a bummer. The thing I love about DU is that you have

people from a wide variety of places, organizations, POV, etc. all posting news that you just don't find other places (unless you know where to look or can spend a lot of time searching).

You are never nasty. I always thought you were an excellent representative of Dean.

Some people spend too much time attacking other Democrats instead of just promoting who you support.

I grew to love almost all of our Democratic candidates from last year. I supported Dean in the Iowa Caucus, was depressed afterward and still love the guy. I think the party needs him very badly right now.

I eventually jumped on the Kerry bandwagon and I love him too.

I think Clark is great and a wonderful spokesman for the Democrats, especially on military and foreign policy issues.

Give it a little time and maybe you need to put that IGNORE function to good use here because it would be a loss to the site for you to stop posting Dean information.

[hippiechick]

4. With all due respect, this is not the first time you've said that.

I hope you do stay and continue here in the DFA forum, but perhaps avoiding the GD/Politics and Elections/Results forums - which are all still pretty much over run w/ mob mentality - is wise for awhile.

Just a thought.

[madfloridian]

5. With all due respect, that IS the first time I said that.

I took breaks, but I never said that. Did you come into our forum here to ADVISE me? That is a direct question. Was that a warning?

On Edit, I will explain. That is the kind of PM I have been getting from my fellow DFAers.

I am NOT the one who insults. I have posted here for over two years, almost 3. I am a target,and as a target I will hurt the group.

No one backs me up. So I leave it to you.

[hippiechick]

9. This wasn't you, then ?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=244&topic_id=422

I am not 'advising' or 'threatening' - I am a DFA'er myself.
I'm just questioning the wisdom of continually trying to fight a losing battle with those folks.

[madfloridian]

10. Why you don't you drag up everything people have said to me.

I told you I was backing off. Do you want it in blood?

I would never ever go back and find a months old post by someone and throw it in their faces. So I will quote it for you. I never threatened to not post at all. I just said let them have it.

I am doing what you guys want. Ok? Here is what you dragged up. In fact I am going to highlight it. That was an ugly night.


ME:.."I can not post anything anymore without being attacked. I did not like that Obama on Randi said to get over the vote, Randi did not like it either.

I have been attacked viciously, one right after the other. I just said not to say get over it to Floridians. I am now the official destroyer of the Democratic Party. It is unreal how viciously I have been attacked.

We met with one of the DEC people today, she visited a while. I was stunned at the right wing talking points she spewed. She is nice, but she is falling for it all. I have to deal with it here locally, and I can't take it here anymore.

They win. No one does anything, even when I was called a maniac. Let them have it......." (NO, I did not say I would not post)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I got several PMs last night (from someone in the thread you dragged up) for posting about Dean's Burlington party and what he said....which was funny and wonderful. I was told to watch my sources. I provided more sources...I got no response.

Now go find more stuff I posted. I told you I would be good and not post about Dean here, and I won't. If you guys don't want to, then don't.

Now,if you want to be the winner, then I declare you the winner, if there are any winners here at all. I have as much right to post in the other forums as they do. I just choose not to post about Dean there anymore....why? Because I hurt others. I do try to be kind. Or I did.

[hippiechick]

13. I am simply reminding you of what you said ...

People have done it to me many, many times in the last 4 years here as well.

Christ. I was just trying to make the point that repeatedly going into that den, then coming back to DFA and saying 'I'm not going there anymore' sort of reduces one's credibility.

You know, perhaps if your tone wasn't so argumentative and you weren't so defensive and always ready to fight, people wouldn't ATTACK you.

I AM NOT THE ENEMY.
CHILL.

[madfloridian]

14. I have NOT done that to you. It was cruel.

I highlighted what I said that November night, and you can interpret it any way you damn well please.

You are my enemy when you accuse me of being ugly, and when you drag up old posts.

I am stopping which is what you guys want.

[madfloridian]

15. Hell, hippiechick, I have no credibility now? OMG

Thanks so much, thanks so much.

[madfloridian]

11. AND I am not going to fight anymore...that is what I said.

.

[madfloridian]

12. Do you want me to help you?

I can probably find old posts of mine faster. I will be glad to do so, let me know.

What is so sad, is that I posted nicely here so if anyone wanted to take up the job they could. I would never have said to someone "that is not the first time you have said that." I just would not.

[madfloridian]

6. I post at many other forums, BTW.

I only posted here because other Dean people were either banned or left from fatigue. I can see now that advocating for Dean here is going to be someone else's job.

I post at a site than still can not be named, I post at Kos, Bartcop, and several others. I will post here on other topics unless I am banned. Which I well might be yet.

I do agree with you on the mob mentality bit. I have problems with that. But I don't like having anyone say I should not post there, as I have as much right as anyone else.

But, I won't post there about Dean. We have his back other ways. Boots on the ground and all that good stuff.

[madfloridian]

7. He made some interesting comments in CA today.

Sounds like he knows it will be very very hard. Did not hold back.
Posted it elsewhere, can't link.

I think the fight will be hard, and I think it will be no holds barred.

But I am effectively silenced by those who have no horse in the race. Guess them's politics? Whoopee!

[realFedUp]

8. I hope you keep posting about Dean and DFA madfloridian

You always have the best information
about what's going on and we are very
interested. I can understand the constant
defending is getting old and tiresome also
for you.

Maybe just post the facts and don't feel
like you have to put yourself on the line
all the time. I really appreciate everything
you've posted and your time spent doing it.

Thank you.

[madfloridian]

16. No, but thanks. I got the message given here.

I really did.

[madfloridian]

17. To clarify, I posted this not for understanding but so others would.....

take up posting the events of the chair race. If it sounded like wanted to be praised or vindicated, I am sorry. It was just meant that I was not going to post stuff about him. In a few days I might post Jeb stuff again, etc.

I am no better or worse than anyone here, but I was just able to post things pretty quickly.

Now if someone could take a look at the thread about Dean's remark about having heard that song before and tell me why my sources were questioned....I would feel better.

It really worried me, a whole lot. I never post things that are not reliable. I gave the questioner more sources, but I have not heard back. A couple of folks wrote me to ask if it were true because someone questioned my sources. It has bothered me, so if I could get an answer, it would help me feel better on a very bad day.

Here is the link for the post that I know I used good sources on. I will feel better inside if I find out what was meant.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1518271

[janx]

19. MF, in my PMs to you, something got misunderstood or garbled.

Some bad communication happened. I was trying to figure out which song that was, but I may not have explained myself very well.

When I looked at my inbox later, it was clear that we weren't talking about the same thing--there was some kind of disconnect. I hope that I didn't have anything to do with your decision.

:hug:

[janx]

18. I wish you would reconsider.

You keep everyone up-to-date about what is happening with Dean. It's your decision, of course, but I will miss your posts should you not change your mind.

[mdmc]

20. I stopped posting about Dean a while back

But I sure would like to see him chair the DNC,

[madfloridian]

21. Hippie chick, this has been a terrible day.

I was stunned the other day to get an email at my Yahoo account that there was a real plan going on to not post to any threads about Dean, especially mine. I really did not believe it, but I read more at a couple of places. I think it is true. I have the posts saved which directly refer to this.

The saddest part of that has nothing to do with me. It has do with our party's future. One group of supporters is willing to attempt to mute voices of others.

Aside from standing up for myself, and letting a few know that I know what they are doing....which accounts for my getting angry with some.......I really was shocked when you said that to me today about how confrontational I was and how I caused it to happen to me. In other words, you said it was my fault.

I have been searching back on my posts. Most of them, even in the GD forums, are as I thought the result of my standing up for myself.
The few times the last few days when I got confrontational was when I found out about the targeting.

I did a search in this forum, because you said I ran here, griped, threatened, and then went back to the other forums. I am all for honesty, and did a search.

I found 5 pages of my posts, I found 2 posts that I think probably were a little much, and I found one instance when I got upset with someone who criticized the DFA staff...which is pretty skeletal, but very responsive.

In the spirit of trying to ease some of the pain here, could you do that search as well?

Two posts out of 5 pages, and even those two were true, just a little touchy, is not bad at all IMHO.

I think it is not good to back off from all confrontation. However, I often get notes in my inbox about appreciating my posts and thanking me. There are many people who lurk here who are Dean supporters. A couple of them told me they are often afraid to post here at all....now that is sad.

As I have said before, and got disagreed with.....the "I don't like Dean supporters" theme has done a lot of damage to our cause. Here is why, and here is why when Howard Dean used Stockholm Syndrome on Colmes show the other day hubby and I cheered.

It is not only our party that is intimidated right now. It is Dean supporters. It has been beautifully done, skillfully and artfully. Like how we need to be careful to project a good image for Dean's run, because we were so very bad during the primaries. It has been done so artfully, that I get notes from others who are afraid I might come off as too outspoken, too divisive.

I think Dean supporters need to be careful about that Stockholm Syndrome as well.

[Tom Rinaldo]

22. I understand your feeling a need for caution

I suppose I would feel the same in your shoes. However having said that I urge you to continue posting. Unless I (speaking as a Clark supporter) felt that you were being needlessly and recklessly provocative (which is not what I usually feel by any means) I will consciously defend you if you are unfairly attacked. You don't need to be pro Clark to deserve a right to express honest opinions openly, just like I don't need to be pro Dean to have a similar right. I think ill will toward you is far less pervasive than you suspect, but no matter. I will defend you if need be. I don't make this offer lightly. You can PM me at any time if you feel a need.

[madfloridian]

23. Thanks for the kind words, Tom.

Appreciated and noted.

[Maat]

24. I confess I do not understand what this is about, Mad Floridian.

I've always enjoyed your Dean- and DFA-related posts. 'Course, I'm studying for the California Bar Test, and have missed quite a bit lately.

Hope you stick around, at least here, in our DU DFA Group. I'm really getting involved in our local DFA; I just chaired a Separation of Church and State Mini-Group.

Look, I have a splitting headache right now, from studying, and no one is more tired (and crazy and impatient, and adverse to others' B.S.) that someone who is one month away from taking the Bar. So, I empathize.

Hope you stick around. I, for one, am going to go rest.

Dean is my chairman! Onward! Take care!

[AgadorSparticus]

26. MF, there is a real plan to ignore your posts? if so,it's out of control.

i hope that doesn't stop you from posting info on DEAN. atleast continue to post the info in this forum. i'll be sure to bookmark this forum then.

hang in there. 2004election, GD and GD Politics stinks right now. i don't know why it is so bad but i don't feel comfortable there anymore. people seem to have gotten more nasty and cliquish than ever. or i'm just now noticing it. IAE, it doesn't reverberate with me anymore. i'm looking for other boards.

:hi:

[Gold Metal Flake]

25. Where else do you post? I'll go there.

Change is hard for some folks. Poor things.

[Eloriel]

27. Well, okay, would you please PM me

You have such great sources of info, MF, and I've really missed your posts but didn't know what happened. (Have to get down here to this Group forum more often, don't I?)

So if you would, please PM me with your amazing and important info and I'll post them in GD (and if anyone else want to volunteer for this, please chime in!). I don't mind the rough and tumble and may have a thicker skin after a lot of years of online political forums. Afrer all, it's not nearly as bad as when so many of us fled. AND your info is way too good to be confined to this forum or not posted at all.

I don't want them to win, and I know you don't either.

[Kipepeo]

28. Take a break if need be but don't leave

I always love your Dean posts when I visit, because they are usually about speeches I didn't know about where he said something kickass that makes me feel like at least someone out there is saying it.

And I believe a lot of the mean posts you may be getting are from people with motives other than helping the Dem. party. Don't pay them any mind. And...the best advice of all: you don't have to respond to every post. :) If someone obviously wants to argue for no reason other than argue then you can leave it. Easier said than done, I know! I myself have that problem. :) But don't let people waste your time. You can try to find out what is motivating them and what they want to see from the Dem. party in order to find your common ground, but if it becomes obvious they *only* want to fight then say so long! It is advice I have been giving myself because I need it!

:grouphug: