"Which would you rather, X or Bush?": the corporate response to criticism

[Mairead]

There seems to be a pattern here. If anyone expresses unhappiness with having another DLC candidate, or any reservation about voting for them, someone--I have to think of them collectively as The Claque--immediately asks some form of "Which do you want, X or Bush?" It's not really a question, I don't think, but a demand to fall into line and shut up. Schweig im Reihe da!

This might be an analogy that women will relate to better than men, but whenever I see that aggressive, dismissive question--X or Bush--I really want to scream 'Bush, of course, you fool! For the same reason that, if I'd been faced as a child with the choice of being raped by my father or beaten and raped by a stranger, I'd have chosen the beating and rape by the stranger. Even with the beating, it would have hurt less! It wouldn't have included the corrosive, alienating memory of betrayal by someone I should have been able to trust!'

Can anyone relate to that?

[poskonig]

1. No.

When the alternative to Bush stands for a clean environment, tax fairness, health care access, a cooperative foreign policy, a woman's right to choose, affirmative action, and opposes the death penalty, you're sliming the wrong target.

[snoochie]

2. Oh yeah

After learning that Kerry thinks Saddam brought military invasion on himself, and that imminent threat is not a requirement for pre-emptive war, I sure do.

[54anickel]

3. Yes. That's why I usually stay out of this forum on DU. We haven't had

our primary yet (WI). I would come in here to get a feel for what others thought of the candidates. After the 2nd primary it seemed like a done deal and everyone was telling who to vote for when my turn came along. I've gotten rather snappy answers to questions.

I pretty much stay out of this forum, lurk for primary results and that's it. I don't want to have the "bad taste in my mouth" on fellow DUers. It's not worth it. Seems it get's way, way to nasty in here.

As far as the primaries go, I pay no mind to the press, I pay no mind to the polls, I no longer pay any mind to fellow DUers on the matter. I will vote for my candidate in the primary. The GE is months away. I will do my homework and research as the season progresses. I will probably support whoever gets the nomination against Shrub, but geez back off on that crap already.

[Old and In the Way]

4. What don't you understand about the current political dynamics?

You got a choice from a two item list: 1 from Column A or 1 from Column B. No take-out.

Making this into a "corporate media forced this on us" defense of your candidate's inability to grab votes, is rather disingenuous. We've always had multiple party options which have never been successful. So why now is it some nebulous "Corporate" fault?

Really, if the stakes weren't so high this election, I'd probably not really care what you'd prefer to blame your candidate's shortcomings on.

[teach1st]

5. No, I can't relate personally

The choice you give is nothing like choosing between X and Bush. Bush is raping the environment, our treasury, our Constitution, and the image of the U.S. abroad, to name but a few of its victims. X can't be perfect, X may even be slimey in some areas, but X ain't a serial rapist like Bush.

Are you saying that it's possible that X can come anywhere near the evil that Bush manifests?

Give Bush four more years and democracy in our nation could become extinct. Not voting for X might give Bush the chance. I'm not risking it. You do what you think is best.

[lastknowngood]

6. I agree 100% the promoters of certain candidates do seam to be

unable to accept that we are not bound by their false argument. The odds are that if a preordained candidate is chosen that a preordained result will follow. It is my belief that some people in this party are more intent on holding on to their power of the corporate "CONtributions" than actually changing anything. It has become clear that freedom of speech or thought is not always welcome here. I will most likely be put on a 24 hour time out for saying it but if the election isn't close and I don't believe it will be I will vote for who ever I wish despite the ABB crap. I believe this election, with the negative tactics used, will reduce the DNC/DLC to third party status i.e. no real power or influence and losing ground nationwide. They are like a drunk who has to hit rock bottom before they can see their faults. Fram and Newt are friends as I saw on cspan Newt advises Fram, am I the only one who sees a problem with this? Anyway this election is almost over and I will soon be just another lurker as it will be imposable for me to control the keyboard when I see all of the best policies of democratic party ignored in favor of appeasing the so called middle. Until this party offers a real difference it stands no chance of real change. We need to stand for our principles and against the appeasement of the Reich wing. If we offer no clear choice then we are doomed.

[rhite5]

7. I can certainly relate.

Next November is time enough to unite around a single candidate against Bush.

The Primaries are the places where we communicate what we want the Democratic Party to stand for.

I do not want the DNC (or the media) to look at the results and say things like,
• Voters do not seem to care about NAFTA and jobs,
• Voters don't seem in any hurry to get the troops home from Iraq.
• Voters seem to be OK with Imperialistic goals.

etc. etc. etc.

Honestly, so long as we have reasonably clean election results, I am confident Bush will be defeated in November. Let's not run scared now toward the candidate that does not share our goals.

Let's demonstrate that there is a real difference between Democrats and Republicans.

[Iverson]

8. I understand you perfectly.

Then again, I'm one of those intransigent extremists that they call Green.

Now lie back and think of England, or whatever it is that the corporate wing wants you to do.

[kenny blankenship]

9. Yeah, I can't wait til they segue seamlessly

without pause, from screeching "Xerry or Bush !", "Xerry or Bush !!!" to screeching "What, you dare doubt the word of Xerry ??? Are you with the Terrorists???"

"What ? Are you with X or the terrorists??"