We were ABB in 1992, why can't we be ABB this year?

[mot78]

In the '92 election, we have five differant candidates, and yet we didn't have people declaring their votes non-transferable. A lot of liberals at the party base didn't agree with Clinton on every issue (Free Trade for one) but we all fell in line in November and voted for him, knocking out Bush I. Why should it be any differant this year?

[Terwilliger]

1. This whole "ABB" thing is absurd

If you were prepared to vote for Nader, the Libertarian candidate, or Joe Liebermna, then you'd be "Anybody But Bush"

That's one reason to throw that old meme on the junk pile.

[mot78]

4. ABB only implies any of the 10 (now 6) candidates

From Kucinich to Lieberman. People like Nader and LaRouche don't count.

[Terwilliger]

7. Then ABB is a lie

It should be "Any Democrat..." as I've said before

Every election year, the Democratic party is "Anybody But Republicans"

[onehandle]

5. History behind ABB implies a Democrat. nt

[Terwilliger]

8. Then why say "Anybody"?

It just shows Democrats to be demagogic partisans who don't actually think...they just pull the Dem lever.

[onehandle]

15. It's a catch phrase...

There was no big plan behind it..

Nice insult to the Democrats here at Democratic Underground.

[Tweed]

2. We didn't have wide use of the internet in 1992

I think it is easy for people to sit behind a computer and say "I'm not going to vote for anyone but my candidate" then for someone to come out and say this to someone else's face.

[JuniorPlankton]

3. Oh yes, we can!

[tedoll78]

6. Because..

there are some who don't care about a chorus line of Scalias. If Stevens were to die, Ginsburg exit cancer remission, and O'Connor retire, we'd be with a 6-3 conservative court. But that's not important.. nooooooo... because Candidate X doesn't fall in line on one or two particular issues...

:eyes:

[A J]

9. Look...

...The point of ABB is that you will vote for whatever gets bush out of office, which means his leading competion in Nov. You can say what you want about any candidate now, but ABB means voting for the opposing frontrunner on general election day.

[A J]

10. P.S.

I believe any alternative to bush is good enough for me, because any alternative is bound to be less Conservative. There is no chance that bush's main opposition is going to be more Conservative.

[David__77]

11. A Nader-type candidacy will get much less than 1% of the vote--period.

People--regular people, not people who are into this stuff on a daily basis--are not going to vote that way, they're going to vote Democratic. For the same reason rightists didn't vote for Buchanan in 2000--because they want to defeat their main enemy. Theirs was Gore--ours is Bush. Being in the opposition is somewhat beneficial in this regard.

The only independent candidacy that could gain traction would be something akin to the Perot phenemenon.

[MadHound]

12. Older, wiser, less tolerant of the BS

Realization that we are governed by the two party, one corporate master system, realization that we have to get big business out of the government. Have heard way too often the refrain of "Get X out of office and put a Dem in, then we can worry about reforming the party", then watching as nothing happens. Coming to the realization that neither the Dems nor 'Pugs really have the interests of the ordinary working person at heart, all they care about is money and power. Watching the Dems move constantly rightward at the behest of their corporate masters. Realization that we're living in the Second Gilded Age and it doesn't matter if the person in office has a D or R behind their name, they're all going to be shilling for big business(thank you Clinton). The knowledge that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil, and we desparetly need some good in this country.

Any other questions?

[LoZoccolo]

13. I knew a declared "nobody but Brown" voter in 1992.

I don't know if or how he eventually voted though. This was like...spring when he said this.

[JaneQPublic]

14. In 1992, "ABB" included H. Ross Perot (nt)

[einniv]

16. Personally for me I put it in my sig because of the following.

First, I am not "backing" any particular candidate in the primaries. I gave to Howard very very early and Dennis a little later but will not be able to do so again until after a winner is picked. I would just prefer that people know I am not shilling for any particular candidate when I post.

Also, I think it serves as a nice reminder that we will all need to come together once a nominee is determined. And that I for one plan on being a part of that and would never declare my vote non-transferable.

That is the spirit in which I personally use it.

As an electoral strategy to win the '04 election. Well that would be a different story. I don't think that would have any chance of working.

Just think of we "anybody bu bush"ers as a reminder of the danger this administration poses and a call to close ranks once a nominee is selected. If you were to argue that Democrats don't need reminded or that a very harmful "split" in the party isn't possible if we aren't "careful" then I would have to respectfully disagree.