As an Obama supporter who is passionate enough about his candidacy to spend my Friday night last night making calls until 12 AM EST instead of hitting the bars like the rest of my friends, I have been disturbed by what I perceive to be counter-productive behavior on the part of fellow Obama supporters on this blog and elsewhere in cyberspace. Instead of getting into catfights with Clinton supporters and posting comments that make our candidate look bad, let's channel that energy into making more phone calls (I'm writing this while taking a break from calling Louisiana, which they really need help with) or encouraging people to donate.
I have seen several commenters, particularly former Edwards supporters, say that they were considering or leaning towards Obama but decided to go with Clinton because of the way Obama supporters on this blog have acted. I am not saying that there are not obnoxious Clinton supporters as well, but since Obama supporters are the overwhelming majority here now that Edwards is out, what we do and say probably has a greater impact. Theoretically, comments and posts from supporters who are not affiliated with the campaign shouldn't be factors in deciding how other Kossacks vote, but the bottom line is, sometimes they are, and we need to be mindful of that. Our candidate is better than the disparaging comments made here by some of his supporters, and we are only making him look bad when we act obnoxious or arrogant.
A few examples of the kind of behavior that I have seen that reflect badly on Senator Obama or are detrimental to our cause include:
- Use of the word "Billary" or other disparaging names for Senator Clinton. Do we really want to sound like Freepers?
- Comments that are in any way sexist or demeaning towards women. This includes comments such as "how can a real feminist support her, when she stayed with Bill after he cheated on her?" That was a personal choice that's none of our business, and it's up to feminists, just like other voters, to decide whether or not she's the best candidate for them.
- Posting obnoxious comments in Clinton fundraising threads. This only makes them more motivated. Instead, go to Obama's website, set up a new fundraising page, and encourage people to help you reach your goal.
- Posts gloating about Obama's chances in any particular state or in the contest as a whole. You are just raising expectations and making Clinton supporters more determined.
- Harassing Edwards supporters to switch to Obama, or attacking those who choose to cast a vote for Edwards despite his having suspended his campaign. As a Deaniac in 2004, I can tell you that it is PAINFUL watching your candidate drop out, and if I had voted in a later state in 2004, I probably would have voted for Dean anyway. I know that some Edwards supporters on this forum have been turned off by overly aggressive Obama supporters and decided to vote for Clinton. If they have questions, try to answer them or point them in the right direction. We can make a strong case for Obama without having to put Clinton down.
- Threatening not to vote for Clinton if she becomes the nominee. Who you vote for in November is a very personal choice, and I am certainly not telling you that you have to vote for whoever gets the nomination. But I have seen people on both sides say that they won't vote for the other in the general, and at this point in the race, it just seems like a threat: "you better vote for my candidate in the primary because I won't vote for the other candidate in the general, and therefore we'll lose".
- Posts or comments that in any way disparage groups that have made up part of Hillary's coalitions of support. For example, I saw an Obama supporter today classify his supporters as the "productive class". I don't know exactly what they meant by it, but no matter who it was meant to describe, it implies that those supporting Hillary are less productive.
These types of behavior do nothing to help our candidate, and have the potential to turn people off. Senator Obama is better than this, and if we really believe in his candidacy, let's channel that energy into making calls to Louisiana or Maine or using this forum to answer questions from undecided voters, raise money for Obama, or make well-reasoned arguments why he is the best candidate (or even why she isn't, if they are well-reasoned and free of flames). I know things get heated here sometimes, and I am probably guilty of a couple of the offenses mentioned above. But if we really want to help Obama win the nomination, then we need to put our best foot forward and be positive representatives for him here in cyberspace.