They just don't get it. They view everything from the prism of their own experience and have nothing but contempt for those who do not see it the way they do. They complain that Clinton is practicing a scorched earth policy, and I have never seen supporters of any candidates act more like the wingnuts than the Obama supporters on this board. Even in the face of all evidence to the contrary they'd rather stick to their own version of events. They can't imagine that anyone else in this country can vote for another candidate because they like her policies, or believe she'd be a better candidate or even admire her. When Obama criticizes Clinton he's taking the high road, when Clinton criticizes Obama she's using "Rovian tactics".

Obama has released one tax return from one year but Clinton is hiding her tax return, they want to see it, and if you ask them why, they can't answer you - because they don't know why, they just parrot whatever they hear. Any wealth the Clintons have accrued just had, HAD to come from some payoff or something. If Clinton won in the last primary races, it was because republicans voted for her, never mind the biggest democratic turnout in years, no, it had to be Rush Limbaugh's "endorsement" of Clinton. Even when they're still winning they can't stop themselves.
They accuse her of doctoring photos, of racism, if she stands up for herself she's whining, if she doesn't she's playing the victim card. They really do believe that this is the worst campaign they've ever seen - they don't have a clue.

The liberal political blogosphere has spun itself dizzy much worse than the political media ever did in my lifetime. The Hillary/Obama polarization you have convinced yourself of does not exist anywhere near as strongly in the majority population.

Hillary has old high negatives that she carries with her, beyond that, people are open to her. McCain has new negatives being painted as a "liberal" by conservatives, those negatives aren't such bad negatives as far as a general race is concerned. Obama is a question mark, has a high ceiling but also a low floor, lots of room for people to develop negatives or positives.

I think the blogsophere has spun itself that the rest of the population sees a big difference between these three candidates and will have the same passions they do. Many will be changing their minds in the future.

Reading over the long thread on Clinton's win on the front page, I was reminded of the anecdotals from my own Democratic family back in Wisconsin right before their open primary. None were strongly decided between Clinton or Obama, were going to go with their feelings in the voting booth the next day, could see benefits in either. My Gen X brother was even considering McCain as well until I pressed him about how hawkish his core values were. My father, with lingering racist feelings from his youth, was leaning strongly towards Obama, I think out of guilt.

I look at polls and I see how soft Obama's support has been to date jump out at me, simply because people have been giving him a "he's new" break, looking to see how he's going to turn out.

A lot of you are really spinning yourself silly. Go somewhere else besides the blogosphere for a slice of reality, things are not as polarized as you think, especially not divided between Hillary supporters and Obama supporters. People are simply happy to have two strong Dem choices.

One of the few reality-based blog posts here in weeks:

What to do when you have a soft corner for all three - Sen. McCain, Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/what-to-do-when-you-have-a-sof.php

Good example of a pro-Obama blogger playing the divisive game, Feb. 26:

Breaking: Mondale Insider, Old White Lady Carries Water for DLC Insider, Old White Lady
by Veronica Corningstone

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/02/breaking-mondale-insider-old-w.php

I can't imagine Obama would have condoned that, it sort of the anti-thesis of what he sells. That's that point, though. I think that many pro-Obama bloggers are the ones taking bait from the Hillary campaign, bait that's really standard stuff, and doing damage to Obama with it. Spinning not only themselves silly but causing damage in the process. Spinning has to be done by pros with message discipline. All these "volunteers" are just doing nothing by causing confusion and damage. I always hoped that the blogosphere could be used to deconstruct spin, instead I see it being used to create incompetent amateur examples in mass quantities that are not only doing damage to candidates they are purporting to support, but to the party itself.

I ain't that old but I've been around long enough to have voted in every election since 1980 (just missed '76). This race is just like, in so many ways, the Hart/Mondale race in '84. Folks like me were thrilled with Senator Hart and his call for change and new ideas, and I remember starting to loathe good ole' Fritz Mondale and his, get this, red telephone commercials.

I can tell you that, come October of 1984, I stood with tens of thousands in the cold autumn winds of Wisconsin to await the arrival of Fritz. He was my guy and I loved him like I never loved Gary Hart.

Point is things change and so too do attitudes. Haters of BHO and haters of HRC might keep their hate when it's all over. But when that right-wing attack machine gets going, I think for most real progressives, and I do I mean the real kind, things start to change, and they change quickly.