It's become clear that the Deaniacs have achieved majority status (or at least the strongest plurality) on this blog. I'm not complaining, certainly- I'm one of them- but I'm not entirely sure that we as Dean supporters are completely aware of the responsibilities that are conferred upon us as the majority.
As the majority, it's our duty to ensure that minority opinions may be freely expressed without fear of violent retaliation from the majority and to ensure that every view, no matter how distasteful, get a fair and balanced hearing.
Disagreement is fine, if not healthy. Honest disagreement is the bedrock for a strong and open debate and to ensure that the best ideas emerge. That was, I believe, the primary means for the construction of this blog.
But as of late, I have noticed fewer and fewer supporters of other candidates post either comments or diary entries. This may be for many reasons:
- The polls and fundraising numbers clearly show this to be evolving into a Dean-Clark race, so these supporters may have simply switched over.
- These supporters may have felt oppressed by the growing number of Dean supporters and found similar blogs elsewhere.
- The sheer increase in Dean netsurfers has increased to such a degree as to dwarf any other population.
Whatever the reason, there appear to be fewer rational discussions about other candidates. By 'rational' I mean that there appear to be fewer diary entries discussing possible avenues of victory for other candidates (besides Clark) or even media articles about said candidates.
As their relative size and power has diminished, it appears that the supporters of other, non-Dean and Clark candidates have become more shrill. I humbly implore those to rationally argue, both in increased comments and diary entries, to positively state their case for their candidate, so that we may all weigh and critique (if necessary) these arguments.
Now I turn to my fellow Dean supporters. Of course I am not asking that you do not critique others' arguments; far from it. However, it is simply not enough to say that one candidate or another is hopeless or cannot win: remember, the very same things were being said about Dr. Dean months ago.
We must offer a positive, inclusive, reasonable position with regard to our fellow bloggers. Every campaign needs it's partisans: Especially against an army of right-wing fanatics like those defending the Bush administration. But is it too much to ask to hold off on these attacks and train them on Bush?
I know the arguments for using the primaries as training for the eventual slog up until November: in fact, I've made that argument this very day. However, attacking another blogger who we will need as an ally (or their candidate) is not a viable way to give them any reason to help us (or for us to help them, should their candidate emerge victorious) in the general election.
This election will be fought on many battles: radio and TV ads are simply one medium. Print media, radio media, television media...and last, but certainly not least of all, the internet.
The internet will be a bigger factor in this election than any election before it. We, as proud Democrats, will need every blogger to fight for our candidate, whoever that may be, at every avenue, on every blog, on every political site, for it is almost assured that the $200 million of the Bush CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President) and countless millions of special interest groups will have a partisan, waiting like a snake in the grass, to pounce.
We must become an army of bloggers, and to defeat this blight upon the venerable institution that is the Presidency of the United States, we must stand as one and be united.
To accomplish this, I humbly ask that when someone makes a comment you don't like or disagree with, ask without rancor for them to explain their reasoning and critique it with calm, thoughtful, reasoning.
I know that the vast majority of bloggers here act in this fashion that I have outlined; I commend you for your good deeds, and ask you to keep up the good work.
Thank you.
