Reply #2: Just having a general "Soapbox" forum seems too big and scattered

[frazzled]

I think that people are used to posting all kinds of stories in GD. Right now I see "A Christmas Movie Recommendation for You All," "Skinner and Administrators appreciation thread," "Soda's Evil Twin: The Dangers of Fruit Drinks," (is that last one "policy"? And where else would it go ... to the lounge?) along with some policy and political issues, and a lot of threads complaining about the new DU site. T

hen we have General Discussion: Presidential, which has never been about presidential issues alone, but Congress, State issues, Supreme Court, as well as WH issues, plus a smattering of other stuff.

Put these already mixed-up forums together in one big kettle and it's going to get really diluted and mixed up.

As for the Obama Forum, I've never gone there, even though I am a fairly strong Obama supporter. There's really not a need to, because there are threads that discuss his speeches and policies in GDP. Otherwise, it's just like a fan club. I think a lot of people from there have mostly left, because of the general hostility towards the president here.

My main question is at what point (if ever) will the ability to bash the Democratic candidate (it's already clear that we have a candidate because there are no serious challengers) be curtailed? It's a delicate question now that the candidate is also the current president. But I hope we don't have to wait until after the Democratic convention in August or September to instate some sort of rules--at least one that says you cannot advocate for the defeat of the Democratic candidate. If this continues, I think the Democratic Party would be well advised to make this site change its name. I know that's a rule when I lived in Massachusetts: organizations and groups that contain the name "Democratic" in their title can't, for example, endorse a non-Democratic (say Green, or Independent) in an election. It became an issue for my group, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, when our local chapter toyed with endorsing a Green candidate for governor who happened to live in our town. It was simply not possible.