Are you a bad person if you support Hillary or Obama or Biden or Edwards or Kucinich?

[ruggerson]

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon, seeing as this is the second primary season DU has experienced, and that there are some previous allies from '04 who suddenly find themselves on different sides of the fence.

There is a tendency here to attribute negative personality characteristics to those whom have selected a candidate different than yours. It is too easy to fall into the trap of generalizing that someone is a "Hillaryite" or and an "Obamabot" and in one flippant label, dismiss the diversity and depth of that individual's viewpoint and reduce them to an inflammatory symbol.

The person you liked and respected four years ago when you both supported Clark is now an evil monster, because she thinks Hillary would make a good President.

The poster you thought intelligent and well meaning when you were both Deaniacs has suddenly morphed into this stranger you don't know anymore - an irrational Obama partisan.

Maybe, just maybe, this linear, black and white labelling doesn't serve any constructive purpose.

Perhaps the grey reality is that we are all still the same people, with our good and bad qualities, and we just happen to support different candidates, for a whole host of reasons.

Obama partisans are not necessarily bad people - some are good, well intentioned and articulate. Some aren't. The same holds true for Clinton adherents, Edwards fans and Biden's acolytes.

If you don't like the candidate who your fellow DU'er is supporting, give your fellow poster the benefit of the doubt and try to hear them out, instead of immediately sticking them in a box. They may be a fairly insightful and rational individual who simply holds a different point of view from yours about what this election means and the best way to go about winning it.

And you never know, you might learn something from them.

[snowbear]

1. Name one person who thinks any less of General Clark

I hope you have a list of names - - because I haven't heard ONE non-Clinton supporter diss him.

They may not agree with his endorsement, but who is calling him an evil monster?

[ruggerson]

3. Larissa

take a deep breath and read the sentence again, carefully this time. There was nothing in there about Clark being an evil monster.

[snowbear]

5. You're right....

Still...

I loved you more when you were just a Mark Warner supporter.

[tammywammy]

2. Good Post

And of course you're evil if you don't support Obama. :)

I hate these nicknames that are out there Hillbot, ObamaNation, Obamabots, etc. That's just juvenile to me.

[ruggerson]

4. Yep

and they psychologically destroy any chance of a fruitful, interesting debate. It all just gets reduced to surface sand throwing.

[BootinUp]

6. I agree

excellent post.

[Mz Pip]

7. I still like Wes

Clinton is not my first choice. I wish he hadn't endorced her. Just like I wish Gore hadn't endorced Dean so early on.

But I still liked Gore and I still like Wes.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[sjdnb]

8. From what I've researched on VoteSmart, Opensecrets, etc.

as well as my personal experiences, I am hard-pressed to find a candidate I can actually fully, wholeheartedly, support and throw my energies into.

None of them, for me, come close to the quality of 2000/2004 sans the whole Liebermann/VP thing. Although, had Gore not had the Presidency stolen from him, I doubt Leibermann would have morphed into the RW shill he has.

[NMMNG]

9. No, you aren't

But I'm a racist religion hater who just can't understand HOPE and CHANGE because I don't support Obama.

And I'm a misogynist because I don't support Hillary.

I don't know yet what I am because I don't support Edwards or Biden. Maybe someone can tell me so I can have a few more labels. :shrug:

[BootinUp]

11. I just hope

you are not a republican, lol. (its just a joke, I assume you support one of our candidates)

[NMMNG]

12. Yes, the "unelectable" one

Dennis Kucinich

I'm no Republican. (Ugh! :puke:)

[Mojambo]

10. I'm a bad person no matter who I support. n/t