My name is Andre Walker, I'm 24 years old, and I got my start in politics working as a Fulton County, Georgia elections official in 2000 when I was 16. Over the past eight years, I've seen campaigns and candidates come and go. I've volunteered for many of them myself and as such, I've come to expect the enthusiastic campaign volunteer/supporter. However, with the 2008 presidential election, I've seen some things that are totally unexpected and completely disturbing.
What I'm talking about, of course, is the manner in which supporters of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama promote their candidate and tear down anyone who opposes him.
We all know that, on the internet, many Obama supporters travel around like a pack of rabid wolves waiting to pounce on anyone who even dares to question their candidate; the name calling and the tasteless comments are what many have come to expect on sites such as Daily Kos and even MyDD. But now, it's gotten to the point where the mainstream media is starting to take notice, and quite frankly, it is freaking them out.
Over the weekend, Ben Smith of Politico.com wrote the following:
I fought to have an unmoderated, open comments section when this blog launched because I really like the free flow of information, and I think moderation and registration sometimes push away the occasional poster who has some specific piece of knowledge to add on a given thread.Now I'm not going to start calling out names, but some of the caustic rhetoric that I see from many Obama supporters both here on MyDD and over at Daily Kos is reminiscent of the "don't you dare say anything against President Bush" rhetoric spewed forth by the Republicans right after September 11th.But I'm also starting to get a lot of complaints, and requests for moderation, because over the last few weeks, the conversation has sometimes degenerated a bit.
Obama's online enthusiasm is a marvel, and has gotten him a lot of justifiably good press; the venom from his supporters across the blogosphere has the opposite effect. As with Dean in 2004, it freaks out people in the middle.
Anyway, for now, I'd just like to ask some commenters to treat this more like a conversation, less like the wall in a public bathroom.
Source: Politico.com/Ben Smith blog "Commenting comment"
Keep on reading, because the worse is on the way...
Now tearing people down on the internet is one thing. Everyone loves to be a net thug, because they can hide behind their computer screen and say things that they normally wouldn't say in person. But that same poisonous venom that's flowing throughout the blogosphere is now starting to seep into the real world.
Robert Holeman came to Timken High School here today with a message to deliver to Bill Clinton. He did -- and he said the former president wasn't happy about it.When I read the "after March 4" line, I thought to myself, "boy, that sounds like one of the many comments you can read on the internet any day of the week." Now I ask you; what sane American wants to be associated with a candidate that attracts individuals who will disrespect a former President of the United States.Throughout the event, as Clinton made his case for his wife, Holeman's dissenting voice could be heard. At times he simply shouted Obama's name. When Clinton would set up a sure applause line, Holeman could be heard heckling. As soon as Clinton finished speaking, the Canton native made a beeline to the ropeline to give Clinton a piece of his mind.
"This is the last hurrah. After March 4, Hillary Clinton will be out of the race for good, and Obama will take the commanding lead," he said. "She should back him with her delegates immediately. That's what I'm asking them to do."
Source: 2/17/2008 MSNBC/First Read article "Bill Spars With Obama Supporter"
I mean come on, how do you disrespect a former President of the United States like that? I voted against President Bush; I campaigned against him; but I would never disrespect him because I have a little bit too much respect for the office that he holds.
You can disagree without being disagreeable, and up to this point, Obama supporters have been doing both; disagreeing and being disagreeable.
The insults hurled at Tavis Smiley are just another example of how inappropriate, rude, and disrespectful Obama supporters have become.
Tavis Smiley, the bestselling author of the "Covenant With Black America," is in a world turned upside down. He said he's being "hammered," "barbecued," and is "catching hell" from black Americans for suggesting that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made a major mistake by declining to speak at the State of the Black Union event that Smiley plans to host next week in New Orleans.Death threats? Harassing the man's mother? And some of you wonder how people can say if Obama becomes the nominee, they'll sit at home or even vote for McCain. The biggest reason why people are saying that is because they don't want to deal with another 9 months of the Obamaniacs' feeding frenzy; let alone 4 years if he gets in the White House."There's all this talk of hater, sellout and traitor," Smiley said to me in a telephone interview. Smiley even mentioned getting death threats, but wouldn't elaborate. He said his office has been flooded with angry e-mails. "I have family in Indianapolis. They are harassing my momma, harassing my brother. It's getting to be crazy," Smiley said.
Source: 2/16/2008 Washington Post/The Trail blog "Black Commenter, Criticizing Obama, Causes Firestorm"
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is the Obama supporters need to tone down the rhetoric. Support your candidate, but don't belittle the supporters of other candidates.
Show a little respect, a little class, and a little tact because right now, your behavior is freaking a whole lot of people out.
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