I’m sick of the nastiness too. I find it helps to avoid the cable channels. They seize on the stupidest things – it’s a feeding frenzy.

But we have a really close race and I think it’s really important that the voters be able to vote – all the voters in Florida & Michigan, and in PA and NC and MO and SD and PR and OR and all the upcoming states. That’s how we get to a legitimate result under the current rules.

Then maybe the Democrats will come up with rules for their primaries 4 years from now that will settle things sooner. (If the Democrats followed the same rules as the Republicans, Hillary Clinton would have been the nominee after Texas & Ohio.)

The problem is not that you or I avoid the feeding frenzy, but that a large swath of the population is glued to it. Or, if they do hate the constant deluge, they (many times) blame the candidates…rather than the messenger.

The Democratic Party’s self-imposed spanking of FLA and MI was a massive strategic blunder. A classic case of “cut off your nose to spite your face.” I can’t say why, but apparently Dean and the rest never took the time to imagine the possible end-game results of their move.

Pilt

I have to disagree here, Pilt. The charges both campaigns are hurling at each other are very mild, but at least each candidate will know the kinds of attack ads the GOP will launch at them in September and they can be prepared.

I’m not sure how much more the wingnuts can dig up on Hillary that isn’t already old news, but Obama has never been through the wringer he’ll be put through by the rightwingers. It’s good he’s getting tested now because you know the rw will “accidentally” refer to him as “osama” at some point and start scaring people with his religion/religious background. No matter how much he downplays it, he can expect the race card to be played to its dirtiest iteration. He better know how to respond with gusto because his opponets aren’t going to cut him a break and will use every dirty trick in the book against both him and his wife. The GOP has had its hands on the levers of power for a long time and they’ve used it to their maximum financial advantage. They aren’t going to let go until Obama or Clinton pry their cold, dead hands off. They are going to do everything possible to stay
in power.

Finally, remember the Specter-Toomey primary where the GOP was singing the same tune about party unity? The Dems had their nominee and were just waiting around for their opponent to shake out. We thought the GOP primary would fatally wound either man, but it didn’t turn out that way. Specter’s and Toomey’s names were in the news every day and Hoeffel got no press attention at all. When it came time for the general election, the GOP had all the momentum and Dems had none and lost.
Don’t ever underestimate that.

pd

America is only as good as her leaders! We need leaders of high ethics and morals, ones who want to build unity and not tear each other down for their own personal gain or tell outrageous lies to make themsselves appear better than what they are.