(cross posted at Kickin it with CG and Clintonistas for Obama)

Okay - you know things are bad when you stop yourself in the midst of writing 2 diaries, one on Darfur and Electric Cars to write about trolls, MyDD and the latest round of GBCW diaries.

Seriously guys the only reason trolling and flaming is happening is because - you are participating!  Many incredible diaries go unnoticed because they - shall we say - have no flavour....

Not only are there McBloggers taking over, but also the Purity Trolls are out in full force - policing everyone's motives.  Stop the insanity!

The site owners and administrators have promised site updates and clearly this is an acknowledgment that there is some work necessary here.  That said - I want to nip this in the bud by proposing a few things...

1.  No more flame wars.
If a diary is particularly enticing make a personal commitment to only respond to another user who commented to whom's opinion your respect.  That way - even though the diary may be a 'turd sandwich' (thanks thepurplestuff) you may participate in elevating the discussion.

2.  Stop complaining about MyDD in your comments.  
If you are aggravated with the situation - email the admins.  And I mean - every time you see something 'trollish'

3.  Be intellectually honest.
There tends to be a double-standard applied here by many whereby opinions they share deserve respect and general politeness - whereas opinion's they don't share - deserve snarky and rude receptions.

4. Kindness is a very underrated value in the Blogosphere.
Some people's hate-spewed speech is shocking.  I cannot imagine many speaking to others this way in real life.  But guess what folks - this is real life.  A good general rule of thumb is speak as you would hope to be spoken to.

5. Contribute.
Hunting trolls or adding smart-ass commentary is not contributing - sorry.  Write diaries, think about your 'progressive' ideals - and suggest ways to applying it to better the world.

I think that's a good starting off point for ways in which to make our little community better and hope that you guys can share with me your suggestions and enthusiasm for making MyDD a better place.

Please excuse any grammar and typos - this one was done on the fly!

(cross posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

About 2 months ago, give or take - I was approached by psychodrew and atdleft and asked if I wanted to join as a contributor for the blog Clintonistas for Obama.

I went to the site and saw the list of people that were involved.  Some of the names I didnt recognize, but others not only did I know - but were some of my favourite people at MyDD.  I didn't hesitate in accepting.  

Around the same time that I was working on a diary that was not particularly flattering to Obama.  I didn't know what to do - should I cross post it or not?  Since now it was not just little old canadian gal speaking - I was afraid that the C4O's may not want to be associated with it.  So I emailed psychodrew and atdleft asking what I should do.  They were split - on one hand we agreed that the C4O are explicitly not cheerleaders but on the other - this would be my first post - would this be a good introduction?  

In the end - they both encouraged me to cross post - I did.  But the fact that I considered censoring myself due to the political climate should be bothersome to those that share progressive values.  For the record C4O do not ask for consensus before posting - although I did this particular time.

Why am I sharing this, or better yet why should you care?

Well currently one of the C4O is being attacked for 'smearing' Obama.  We are not a monolithic voice.  Just like none of you are.  And speaking only for myself is I COULDN'T GIVE A DAMN WHETHER A PRAYER WAS LEAKED OR NOT. And I might add that not only am I Jewish but have been to the Wall.

But that's not the point of this diary really - rather that this hysteria of criticism of Obama - whether accurate, warranted or not needs to stop.  YOU ARE NOT A PURVEYOR OF DISCUSSION THAT IS ALLOWED.  Now that isn't to say that there are some blatant troll diaries around like this or this, but I think the disctinction is pretty clear to intellectually honest people.

We, as bloggers are not water carriers for a particular candidate but rather united in are desire to see liberal (or Democratic) values and agenda in governance (at least most of us are).  

I read a piece at Talk Left that summed this problem up rather nicely:

Consider how some on the Left react to any criticism of Barack Obama. Instead of thinking about the ramifications for the policies they claim to support (or oppose), their kneejerk reaction is to defend Obama at all costs and to lash out at anyone who criticizes Obama.

Do they care about the effect on the actual policies? Not so much. By attempting to create a political landscape where Obama can do no wrong - they lose the war on issues.

So really this has got to stop.  People have a right to gripe and complain about Obama and anyone else, you want to debate them - go for it.  That's why its called Democracy!  

I have been an Obama supporter from the beginning of the primaries.  I have donated, phone banked and canvassed in 3 states for him.  My support comes from a strong desire to see this country change it's image in the world, change the way we treat the poor, minorities, women, the LGBT community, each other and to secure a better future for my two sons.  I have spent money I really don't have, I have travelled to states with time I could have been working...and I do this because I truly believe our country is way off the track and I fear for our children's future.

Having said that, I was a violent Hillary Clinton opposer.  I would demean, degrade and disrespect the woman...I had convinced myself she was selfish, a dirty campaigner and a liar.  I believed she thought she was "entitled" to the nomination because she was a Clinton.

However, I finally saw the light.  I cannot pinpoint an exact time when this happened...it could have been when she kept on fighting when everyone said she was finished, it could have been when she exhibited what a policy wonk she is, it could have been seeing my sister getting involved in politics for the first time because of Hillary, it could have been the meaningful discussions I have had with Clinton supporters on mydd...but one thing is clear to me, Hillary wanted to make America better and had the plans to do so.  I would have been disappointed if Obama would have lost the primary but I would have been more than happy to work my tail off for HRC...but it would have taken time.