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As a disclaimer, let me just say for the umpteenth time that I am currently undecided. I usually end up defending whichever candidate I feel is being unfairly maligned simply because I feel all of our candidates are highly interesting and supportable in their own way. This is not my way of trying to be steadfastly neutral--I simply feel like, especially compared to the GOP duds, we have an embarrassment of riches on our hands for 2008.
Now then, I think suggesting Ron Paul as a Vice President, even in private, was a stupid thing to do--strategically, intellectually, you name it. And yes, I don't think he really meant it--after all, Ron Paul shows no signs of wanting to be anyone's running mate, much less a Democrat--but it was still inexcusably stupid. Ron Paul hates corporations and hates the War, but other than that, he's no friend of Progressives. BUT, to be fair to Kucinich, this comment alone would NOT be a deal-breaker. I mean, if I had to write off a candidate for every time they said something stupid into a microphone, they'd all be off my list by now. And that's what I think needs to be said and underlined--our candidates are all fallible. They say dumb things due to lack of sleep or momentary lapse of awareness or the simple fact that there are microphones everywhere they go. And then they DO dumb things simply because they're trying to appeal to as many Americans on one hand without alienating other, completely dissimilar Americans on the other--not an easy tightrope to walk.
And you Kucinich-supporters have been some of the best at pointing out the flaws of other candidates up until this point. I mean this with all due respect. After all, Dennis Kucinich is an indisputably a hero to American Progressives. If the country (or even our party) was as liberal as DU is, he'd have an easy road to the nomination. And I think it is because it isn't, and he doesn't, that we often see misguided posts that say something like "How can you even THINK of voting for anyone other than Dennis?" And frankly, there's been way worse--with the other candidates, it's gotten rather personal. And I think many people whose candidates whose blunders and slips are (for whatever reason) covered more closely by the media were waiting for a moment like this. Not for vindictive purposes (well, OK, maybe a little), but in the end I think it's a case of people getting tired of having their motives and progressive credentials questioned by some of the more pugnacious Kucinich supporters. They perhaps were waiting for their moment to sneer, like Edward G. Robinson in the Ten Commandments, "Where's your Messsiah now? Nyaaaaah, see?"
And now they have it--a legitamitely bad sound bite by Dennis Kucinich. A levelling of sorts has occured, and it's to Dennis's credit that it hadn't happened sooner, but never mind. I see this as an opportunity, actually, for us all to calm down a bit, and maybe tone down the attacks on our candidates and each other. We can all be a little more cynical, now, knowing that all our candidates are all partly nice people, partly cold-blooded scheming politicans, and partly boneheads who say and do dumb things that we don't like. I myself am a cynical bastard-- a starry-eyed liberal in policy but very conservative when it comes to strident rhetoric--and I think the hyperbole and blatant smearing on all sides needs to be toned down.
Let's put away the sharpened knives, agree to disagree, and start criticizing each other's candidates based on policy and political history, not on the latest gossip. Who CARES about what is or isn't good campaign strategy--let the pundits iron that garbage out. If we all try to be a little more respectful, a little kinder, a little quieter...who knows, Peace in the GD might come to pass in our lifetime. Or, failing that, almost.
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