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Dear Commenters

May 27th, 2008 at 9:34 pm by Chris

Please chill a little. That is all.

Posted in General

13 Responses to “Dear Commenters”

on 27 May 2008 at 9:48 pm1coldH2Owi

Do you have the keys back? That is all.
on 27 May 2008 at 10:11 pm2Chris

For the week. Susie’s gone fishing. All stop.
on 27 May 2008 at 11:29 pm3Tim Harris

I am British, and have lived in Japan for 35 years. Having read Zuzu’s challenge to readers and some of the many comments, I want to say this: it is not only Americans who have to live with American presidents, and I am appalled at the frivolity of mind displayed both by Zuzu and by so many of the commenters. A Democratic president, whether it be Obama or Clinton, will be better for America and the world than a Republican one. Personally, I prefer Obama, because I have small liking for the self-righteous aggressiveness that marks American policy, but were I American I should certainly do the responsible thing and vote for Clinton were she the Democratic nominee. I suppose I really want to say ‘Grow up, and stop treating important political matters in this childish and frivolous way.’
on 27 May 2008 at 11:33 pm4Zuzu

I am appalled at the frivolity of mind displayed both by Zuzu and by so many of the commenters.

How is it frivolous to ask Obama supporters to argue in favor of their candidate?
on 27 May 2008 at 11:46 pm5coldH2Owi

It’s frivolous because you believe it’s just an exercise. Please, do us all a favor & give the keys back.
on 27 May 2008 at 11:59 pm6Chris

How is it frivolous to ask Obama supporters to argue in favor of their candidate?

It’s not, and I’m into it.

I was horrified at the prospect of a Kerry candidacy when it seemed impending back in the day. But then, my desire to get rid of Bush took hold. I’m embarrassed by the enthusiasm I developed for Kerry over the course of the general. I would eat the head straight off of a live horse to have had Kerry as President for the last three year, but I’m embarrassed that I lost my cynicism supporting him. I even posted pictures where he looked cool. Oy.

Shit happens. I’m glad to see people cynical. A proper liberal should always be cynical. I try to be really realistic in my support for Obama and to never believe the hype. I’m pretty pleased that my fellow Obama supporters on this site are of the same mind. I just wish they’d chill a bit.
on 28 May 2008 at 12:12 am7Chris

coldH2Owi,

Have a cold glass of water, maybe with some gin, and chill. That is all.
on 28 May 2008 at 7:22 am8coldH2Owi

No, no, gin & tonic, please, remember our British friend.
on 28 May 2008 at 9:21 am9Tim Harris

I confine myself to beer, unrefrigerated and without ice. It keeps the brain warmer and less liable to silly indulgences, particularly where politics is concerned.
on 28 May 2008 at 10:57 am10votermom

I’m trying to stay out of the campaign comment threads now since it is too heated for me. But I’m glad Chris & Zuzu are keeping the lights on, and I hope Susie’s recovering.
on 28 May 2008 at 7:24 pm11truth

I read the 100 comments to the post asking Obama supporters to say “Why” they support him, and was too exhausted and dispirited to respond. This is what I would have written, which will be unacceptable to all Clinton supporters as it is too light on substance. Too fucking bad.

After weighing all the candidates, good and bad, I settled on Obama because of his opposition to the war. This was the same reason that made me choose Howard Dean as my candidate in 2004. My feminist friends were outraged that I, a 51-year-old feminist, was not voting for Hillary Clinton. (Voting for Obama has now become the third rail of feminism. I’ve been voted off the island.)

To me, the top candidates (Obama, Clinton and Edwards) are all fairly similar, liberal-talking centrists. None of them blaze with the progressive fury I found so enchanting in Howard Dean. (For example: All three have sucky health care proposals, because they don’t thrown the insurance ghouls out of the system.) And then there are their track records.

Hillary Clinton not only voted for the war, but her husband a) never spent his political capital appointing truly liberal judges to the courts, and the meek centrists he appointed are now overtaken by the wingnuts of the Bushies; and b) he caved to the right on important issues like NAFTA, welfare reform, and banking deregulation. And I expect similar policies from her, as she is running on the Bill Clinton-Hillary Clinton two-for-one platform essentially. A second round of Clinton, doing good to lessen poverty, but selling out to powerful interests on other issues. And Hillary is Bill without the charisma. I’ve seen them both in person. She has worked herself into a creditable candidate, but Bill lived and breathed politics — the best I have ever seen in person. That was the pre-heart-surgery Bill. He’s not as sharp today.

Edwards I just never felt was electable, between his genteel southern manner (remember him being eviscerated by Dickhead Cheney in the Vice Presidential debate?) and his vote for the war.

So I settled on Obama. Number one because he opposed the war when I did, from the beginning, before the awful cave-in of the vote to authorize the war (my great warrior Senator, Kennedy, voted against, but Kerry, I never trusted that guy, voted for. I was right to support Howard Dean, I thought on that day.) Number two because he has the charisma that made me support Bill Clinton in 1992. I remember talking to all of my extremely liberal friends in 1992 telling them that Clinton was the guy, they had to vote for him, he was the best, the best speaker, immersed in the minutae, could talk in the kitchen with regular folks and in the boardroom with the suits, the ultimate persuader. He would win. My friends were all against him at first, he authorized the state murder/execution of that poor retarded murderer Ricky Ray Rector while he was running, to burnish his credentials with conservatives he did that, and I worked on my friends anyway, because we’d had 12 disastrous years of Republican rule and we needed to back a winner.

I digress. So anyway I voted for Obama. I am hoping that he will not cave to the Republicans when he gets into office. I am hoping that he is the “real deal” that Larry Tribe says he is. I am voting for hope, and against cynicism. I don’t think he is Jesus Incarnate, nor do I think Hillary Clinton is the devil Incarnate. He is a politician, ambitious, aren’t they all, but someone who has chosen the path of community organizing rather than the path of WalMart boarding. (And by saying that I am not saying that Hillary Clinton is a bad person. She’s not. She’s great! She did what she had to do to make it in 1970s Arkansas. I just think Obama will be better.)

And as a final word, if by some miracle Hillary Clinton is our nominee (as the pundits are so fond of saying, the math is against her), I will vote for her in a New York minute, in a Masshole Moment, with authority will I pull that lever, perhaps even with a yell of triumph, “Our Long National Nightmare Is Over! Dems all the way in 2008!” That will get them excited in the auditorium of Town Hall, where I vote.)

Yes, I voted for Obama. Go ahead, Clinton supporters, tell me what a fool I am.
on 28 May 2008 at 7:47 pm12votermom

*Attends irony’s funeral.*
on 28 May 2008 at 7:57 pm13joe

#11- Truth…

a perfectly and beautifully reasonable, coherent and logical essay. You make your case - compared the products, assessed value and made a selection. And at the end of the day the sole reason your one-time islanders are mad at you? because you are not voting for the woman.

now, someone explain to me how they can not be considered sexist?

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13 Responses to “Dear Commenters”

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