After a primary season of mudslinging, will Dem voters still be able to unite around a nominee?

[marmar]

from The American Prospect:



Campaigns Preparing for Nasty, Not Nice

After a primary season full of mudslinging, will Democratic voters still be able to unite around a nominee?

Terence Samuel | December 21, 2007 | web only



The conventional wisdom going into this campaign season was that Democratic voters were, overall, much more enthusiastic about their presidential choices than Republicans were about theirs. In general, most Democrats felt they could live with any of the top three candidates seeking the nomination. There were the conspicuous Hillary-haters, but not enough of them to keep her from looking like the prohibitive favorite most of the time.

The Republicans, on the other hand, somehow assumed the usual Democratic mantle of the party of disappointment and dismay -- disappointed in their candidates and dismayed at their chances. The Democrats were unified; Republicans were in discord.

As was predictable, the conventional wisdom has begun to collapse, and one question facing Democrats is whether they will have anything to unify around after the fire season that the next month will represent.

Already, we have seen congressional Democrats' unity evaporate in the face of effective pushback from the White House, and as the primaries draw closer and the tempers get shorter, we've seen previews of how ugly the presidential campaign will get. Bill Shaheen's deep concern about what the Republicans would do to Barack Obama over his drug use in college was only the beginning.

In Iowa, the polls are close; the stakes are high and the process is wholly unpredictable. Which means the next phase is bound to be really nasty. The most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Obama building on a small lead over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, with 33 percent of the vote, over Clinton's 29 percent and Edwards' 20 percent. But the polls also show that Hillary's voters are more sure of who they are going to vote for, while Edwards leads among veteran caucus-goers who have a demonstrated history of turning out. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=campaigns_preparing_for_nasty_not_nice

[tekisui]

1. HELL YES!!!

Not only Democrats, but Independents and a few pukes!!!

[Lasher]

2. Sure we will.

Look at the alternative.

[NightWatcher]

3. I worry about two things after the nomination. "electability" & "apathy"

I live in Georgia, a shamefully red state, but I am scared that many in "middle amurika" will not be able to close that curtain on election day and pull the lever for an African American man, nor a white female.

I also fear apathy on the part of dems who will just drop out of the voting process after assuming that the repukes will lose this next election.

I see a perfect storm brewing for a repuke quiet win in 2008. I hope not, but I am scared nonetheless.

[cali]

4. Consider that your perceptions are colored by where you live

just as mine are. I see things diametrically opposed to how you view them. I think the repukes are up shit creek without a paddle. Oh, I live in Vermont. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

[marmar]

6. Agreed. In the Kerry 2004 states, those factors likely won't make a difference....

.... and using that logic, all Dems need to do is pick up one more state...and in any one of many of them Nevada/Colorado/N Mexico, the gender/race issue probably won't make that big of difference either.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

5. I'm really glad that it hasn't been worse. Most people are pretty much where they were before the

insanely early beginning of the campaign season.

Still lots of undecided Democratic voters who are still looking at the others besides the top three. Our candidates are all smarter and more grounded than any of the R candidates. With the exception of Ron Paul, whom the R machine can't stand, which is the one and only time I agree with GOP.


I'm not discouraged at all, I'm excited, because the Democratic candidates are pushing each other to be more open, more willing to discuss those issues that really mean something to the citizens of this country. I love how Kucinich and Biden and Dodd and Richardson make sure that the top three don't forget they're there.

And, where this article seems to express unhappiness about the unpredictability, I find it exhilarating.

MKJ

on edit, why, oh why, do I ever believe I don't need spell check?

[VarnettaTuckpocket]

7. As far as DU, I'm under the impression that we have to unite behind the nominee

I'm a newbie so I've never been here during an election season, but I thought DU rules prohibited slamming the Democratic nominee here. What would be the point? If you don't like the Dem presidential nominee, get lost quite frankly, this place is called DEMOCRATIC underground. It exists to promote Democratic candidates. I know DU rules prohibit the promotion of non-Democratic candidates here, and I'd hope it'd prohibit people from trying to discourage others not to vote for the Dem nominee. I do hope the obsessive Hillary haters will be told to knock it off if she gets the nomination. I'm not crazy about Obama, and would be happy to leave DU during the general election if he receives the nod.

[marmar]

8. Agreed, but it's not just the "Hillary Haters" who are obsessive....

.... N'est-ce pas?

[depakid]

9. Depends on who it is....

and whether a third party candidate like Bloomberg enters the race.

It's not just Democrats that certain candidates need to worry about... but independents, Greens and lazy, sometime voters who very likely feel let down by the current Congress.