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well, hallelujah
Jan. 14th, 2008 09:09 pmSenator Clinton and Senator Obama appear to have discovered that they have supporters who are behaving like prime assholes, and have released the following statements:
Senator Clinton
Senator Obama
Well, alrighty then. If you've been behaving swinishly because you believe that you're doing some service to either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama by behaving swinishly, they've let you know where you get off. Pretend people who don't agree with you have access to the news and the internets and stop acting like a barbarian, because most folks in America have had enough of barbarian rule.
That said (and I'd love to hear that Sen. Edwards' campaign has said something similar, but given the disgraceful lack of coverage his candidacy has gotten I doubt I'd ever run across it) he is still in the race, and he's worth taking a look at - his economic policies are far more progressive than his opponents'.*
Whoever you support, if you choose to behave like a flaming jackass in support of your candidate, whoever your candidate is, you're allowing the media to ignore the bloodletting going on among the Republicans.
Any one of the Democratic candidates beats the hell out of any of the Republican candidates, and all of them are treading water.
If you're sufficiently determined to watch your designated Democratic opponent lose that you're OK with watching their eventual Republican opponent win, keep in mind that Justices Alito and Roberts are expected to provide the majority for re-imposing the poll tax, and you folks are squabbling about meta.
Just stop it.
*that said, I would cheerfully spend the night outside my polling place with a lawn chair and a smile to vote for any Democrat over any Republican. You'd be ill-advised to count on the me vote, though. It's lost before.
Senator Clinton
Over this past week, there has been a lot of discussion and back and forth - much of which I know does not reflect what is in our hearts.
And at this moment, I believe we must seek common ground.
Our party and our nation is bigger than this. Our party has been on the front line of every civil rights movement, women's rights movement, workers' rights movement, and other movements for justice in America.
We differ on a lot of things. And it is critical to have the right kind of discussion on where we stand. But when it comes to civil rights and our commitment to diversity, when it comes to our heroes - President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King - Senator Obama and I are on the same side.
And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans."
Senator Obama
You have seen a tone on the Democrat[ic] side of the campaign that has been unfortunate. I want to stipulate a couple of things. I may disagree with Senator Clinton and Senator Edwards on how to get there, but we share the same goals. We all believe in civil rights. We all believe in equal rights. They are good people. They are patriots....
I don't want the campaign at this stage to degenerate to so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth, that we lose sight of why we are doing this.
Obama said he wants to send "a strong signal to my own supporters that let’s try to focus on the work that needs to get done. If I hear my own supporters engaging in talk that I think is ungenerous or misleading or unfair, I will speak out forcefully against it....
Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have historically been on the right side of civil rights issues. They care about the African American community.… That is something I am convinced of. I want Americans to know that is my assessment.
Well, alrighty then. If you've been behaving swinishly because you believe that you're doing some service to either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama by behaving swinishly, they've let you know where you get off. Pretend people who don't agree with you have access to the news and the internets and stop acting like a barbarian, because most folks in America have had enough of barbarian rule.
That said (and I'd love to hear that Sen. Edwards' campaign has said something similar, but given the disgraceful lack of coverage his candidacy has gotten I doubt I'd ever run across it) he is still in the race, and he's worth taking a look at - his economic policies are far more progressive than his opponents'.*
Whoever you support, if you choose to behave like a flaming jackass in support of your candidate, whoever your candidate is, you're allowing the media to ignore the bloodletting going on among the Republicans.
Any one of the Democratic candidates beats the hell out of any of the Republican candidates, and all of them are treading water.
If you're sufficiently determined to watch your designated Democratic opponent lose that you're OK with watching their eventual Republican opponent win, keep in mind that Justices Alito and Roberts are expected to provide the majority for re-imposing the poll tax, and you folks are squabbling about meta.
Just stop it.
*that said, I would cheerfully spend the night outside my polling place with a lawn chair and a smile to vote for any Democrat over any Republican. You'd be ill-advised to count on the me vote, though. It's lost before.
