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Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You...
What to do if you can't say anything nice?
No? Well then, the answer is: don't say anything at all. I'm sick to death of all the knee jerk anti Hillary commetns that people keep leaving at the bottom of any post that mentions her.
I'm sorry to put it so bluntly but could you all just shut up? What is the POINT of carrying on with these sustained anti-Hillary diatribes? I mean seriously?
I voted for Obama in the primary, I worked my tail off for Obama in the primary, I called Hillary on it whenever I felt she went over the line in the primary, I defended Obama whenever I felt like she was attacking him unfairly in the primary, I don't think I need to prove my commitment to Obama's cause.
But for heaven's sakes, people! IT'S OVER.WE WON. Stop with the bitter, already! The continued attacks on Hillary Clinton are only doing three things right now, all of which ultimately HURT Obama in the general election.
1) They piss of Clinton supporters, millions of whom supported her, need I remind you, because they were every bit as inspired by her as we have been by Obama. How does it make you feel when you read Obama bashing? I don't know about you but it makes my blood boil. Why should Hillary supporters feel any differently? Is there anything constructive to be gained by making potential Obama voters hate and resent his supporters?
2) They take the focus off of John McCain. If you have any residual resentment or anger left over, why not spend it on the person who we actually disagree with and need to beat? And by the way, the person who - unlike Senator Clinton - opposes a woman's right to choose, wants permanent war in Iraq an dhas no interest in solving the health care crisis. It just makes no sense to let him off the hook while we continue to bash a woman in our own party who agrees with us about all the main issues. Get over it already.
3) It could drive a wedge between Barack and Hillary. Neither of these two people has shown any trace of the bitterness that their supporters seem to feel towards each other - and for a simple reason. They need each other. When Obama becomes President he has an aggressive legislative agenda to deliver - and Hillary Clinton as one of the nation's most powerful Senators will have a huge role to play in helping him to do that. Does it really make sense to foster animosity between two people who can should must be partners?
Can't we just agree that we disagreed about our preferred candidate but now that it is over there is nothing more to be gained from either side attacking the other?
In other words - MOVE ON PEOPLE! THERE'S NOTHING TO BE GAINED HERE.
Comments (9)
Any comments that are still dissing Hillary aren't from true Obama supporters and should be dismissed out of hand. More trickery from the Rovian playbook.
June 20, 2008 8:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed, the McCain people are spending their time pretending to be Obama Supporters. Am I the onlyone confused- McCain talks to hispanic leaders in chicago tells them something that they want to hear-and doesn't realize his conservative base is listening? They have children running his campaign-insane
June 20, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Respectfully, I disagree with the premise of this post.
If this is an "open forum," are dissenting opinions not allowed?
Trolls aside (and I am one who advocates a passive-agressive diet of loons and recipes for them, knowing full well that turnabout is also fair play and that one person's sage is another's troll), is there not space for conversations which cover the gamut of emotions and attitudes regarding the conduct so far of this election season?
Are we all required to goosestep along now? What I find interesting is this new batch of "don't say anything bad about Hillary" posts come from "loyal Obama supporters."
I think we can and should express our opinions on the race so far. When everyone has exhausted their emotions, the chatter will die down.
So respectfully, Karin, I disagree.
June 20, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obviously you were raised by wolves. :-)
June 20, 2008 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, among the seven hills of Rome with my brothers Romulus and Remus... the cave was cool in the summer and a bit drafty in winter.
And to some of the downthread comments:
I guess my point is that there are raw feelings on both sides. And Obama supporters are entitles to express their views as much as the pro-Clinton team. Among Democrats, we get it that having secured the nomination, the next goal is the White House.
To Karin's Point One: Obama supporters are rightly worried that remarks made by the former candidate about our presumptive nominee are now chapter and verse in the GOP playbook. To suggest that Obama's supporters were no less hurt by the hurtful things said and spread about him by the opposition is, well, disingenuous. To suggest that Team Obama is the only side who needs to do the reaching out and feather-smoothing is lop-sided.
To Karin's Point Two: Obama supporters had been fighting on two fronts, and McCain was always in our sights. But "transference of emotion" from one target to another is not really all that healthy. To suggest that Obama supporters have let McCain off the hook is again disingenuous. Obama has had to fight a two front war with his former Democratic opponent siding with the other team.
To Karin's Point Three: A divide has existed between Obama and his former rival for quite some time. The collegial nature of Senate hides the real feelings of its membership towards one another. Sometimes foes on the floor are best friends off and sometimes those who appear chummy are anything but. They do not need each other, but the Democratic party (the machine) needs to start moving in one direction -- Obama's direction -- so that a party win in the fall is assured. While the junior Senator from New York is prominent, she still ranks 39th among Democrats in the Senate. There is difference between being powerful and prominent.
So enough with the etiquette lectures, okay?
Better to brainstorm on how to undo the talking points gifted to the McCain campaign by the former candidate and her surrogates. That would go a long way to healing the wounds and mending the rift between the two camps.
June 20, 2008 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course participants should feel free to express their emotions/opinions in an open forum, but asking why some people still feel the need to pig-pile on Hillary is a fair question.
She lost. She dropped out. And now she's making good on her promise to do what she can to help Obama win in November - and now some of the same people who ran on about how she darned well better back the man once she dropped out are pissing and moaning that she IS publicly supporting him, rather than crawling off into a corner somewhere. (I'll bet my shoes they'd be complaining just as loud if she DID disappear)
Makes you wonder if they ever really liked Obama, or if they just hated Clinton.
June 20, 2008 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
bingo.
June 20, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well now that the primary is over, and the rational reality-based-people who were against Hillary for president see no need to comment negatively about her ad nauseum, it makes it easier to see the small number of members of a self-reinforcing clique of people who suffer from that old malady (or practice the hobby of, depending upon your p.o.v.,) of Clinton derangement syndrome. Some examples in comments on this thread.
Open forums on the internet like this one are unfortunately tailor made for such colonization. We used to have a few 9/11 conspiracy theorists posting blog entries here, but they were ridiculed or ignored and eventually stopped, never managed to get a colony going. Since the Clintons are still important members of the Democratic party, and will be involved in campaigning for Obama, Greg Sargent is going to be posting news regarding that, and rational people that understand that Hillary is no longer a candidate will probably not comment much. That leaves those with Clinton derangement syndrome a playground. So the ignore and it will go away option won't work. That leaves ridicule, unless management steps in.
I dunno, telling them to "move on" may not register, as this is their life: watching the Clintons for evil doing. Normally I don't like the gangs ganging up on gangs option. Perhaps refer such people to this link? :-)
June 20, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm... thanks. Insightful post.
I'm fed up of Democrats who seem to enjoy bashing each other more than winning against Republicans. In fact, that's one of the things that drew me to Obama in the first place - he's focussed and disciplined and puts his energy where it's most useful.
June 20, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
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