What does it mean to "like" the candidate you don't support?

[Ron Green]

I've seen that a bunch here lately: "I like Bernie although I support Hillary." What's going on here? What does "like" mean in this context? He's a nice, avuncular fellow who's paid his public service dues? He respects Clinton and won't talk smack about her? He might serve to nudge her gently to the left?

The converse statement ("I like Hillary although I support Bernie&quot is not as common in my observation. This statement could mean that she's also paid her dues and has lots of respectable experience; or that she deserves props for being the first woman to get this far; and so on.

It seems to me that the prospect of either of these candidates prevailing over the other ought to strike terror into a supporter's heart. The very system that Bernie Sanders calls out is exemplified by Hillary Clinton, and her survival as a candidate is threatened by his presence.

So I can understand the former statement above resulting from Bernie's low polling and slim chance. He's easy to like as a harmless novelty, but if he grows big numbers? - Not so much.

And c'mon, Bernistas - if she's the final nail in the coffin of Spiraldown America, what's to like?

Does being a Democrat on a Democratic Underground site mean we have to play nice above all? Or is "likability" an important part of this process of trying to govern ourselves?

[TexasProgresive]

1. Well, like the 3 current nominees

I am not decided on anyone yet. If I had picked a candidate that I wanted to win the nomination would I have to hate the others? Sorry, not going to happen, I don't want to have to eat that hate pie when I vote in the general.

[MADem]

3. He'd be a fine second choice. That's what I mean when I say I like him.

He and SOS Clinton have been friends for nearly a quarter century. I like her, I like him. What's not to like?

[Kalidurga]

4. It means you might think they are a swell person.

Like your relatives that are just nuts on policy issues and though they are great to hang with a barbecue, there is no way you would want them anywhere near being president of the United States. At least that is how I feel about Hillary.

[DJ13]

5. I have always admired Hillary

....... but I will not vote for her in the primary.

But be careful, to many Hillary fans around here thats not enough, and the knives are out.

[daleanime]

6. What's the difference between losing a hand.....

or losing an arm?

[JonLP24]

7. That is why you don't see that statement from me

I like her on quite a few domestic issues but the others where she concerns me and others like the anti-Grand theft auto campaign shows she takes strong stances where she is mostly uninformed about (the irony is the game satirizes the conservatives heavily with the Weazel News "confirming your prejudices" as the slogan) -- the phony pandering. Foreign policy especially, I might as well vote for a Republican when considering those views.

From The Atlantic

During a discussion about the dangers of jihadism (a topic that has her “hepped-up," she told me moments after she greeted me at her office in New York) and of the sort of resurgent nationalism seen in Russia today, I noted that Americans are quite wary right now of international commitment-making. She responded by arguing that there is a happy medium between bellicose posturing (of the sort she associated with the George W. Bush administration) and its opposite, a focus on withdrawal.

“You know, when you’re down on yourself, and when you are hunkering down and pulling back, you’re not going to make any better decisions than when you were aggressively, belligerently putting yourself forward,” she said. “One issue is that we don’t even tell our own story very well these days.”

I responded by saying that I thought that “defeating fascism and communism is a pretty big deal.” In other words, that the U.S., on balance, has done a good job of advancing the cause of freedom.

Clinton responded to this idea with great enthusiasm: “That’s how I feel! Maybe this is old-fashioned.” And then she seemed to signal that, yes, indeed, she’s planning to run for president. “Okay, I feel that this might be an old-fashioned idea, but I’m about to find out, in more ways than one.”

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/hillary-clinton-failure-to-help-syrian-rebels-led-to-the-rise-of-isis/375832/

[beam me up scottie]

8. It's not that I "like" Hillary, I genuinely like and respect many of her supporters.

I won't slander any candidates or their supporters on DU. Legitimate criticism is fine, vilifying another group of people by misrepresenting their pov is not.

Sick of the "I like Bernie but his supporters suck" posts.

[Starry Messenger]

9. Why would it strike terror in someone's heart if you want a D to win?

Last edited Sat Jun 6, 2015, 06:57 PM - Edit history (1)

If Hillary stays high in the polls, wins the nom, and beats the R, that is good. If Bernie soars in the polls in some kind of Hail Mary due to Olympiad scale organizing by the Bernie people, goes on to win the nom, we all work for him. If he grows in those kinds of huge numbers, than what would be the point of hating him?

People personalize this stuff too much. Politics is like pieces on a chessboard. Getting a D into the White House is part of the goal, flipping Congress is another goal, getting progressive reform enacted, another goal. Hating people running for office is stupid, if they are part of the coalition you are trying to help get more power.

[Bobbie Jo]

10. Well said. nt

[Thinkingabout]

11. My preference is Hillary, if she isn't in the DNC nominee I will be behind the DNC nominee

In the general. So far we have three candidates who is in step on issues.

[upaloopa]

12. Your opinion of Hillary is like a lot of Bernie

supporters. To you she is the enemy. To me she is the best candidate. I don't fear Bernie. I have always like listening to him on radio and TV. I don't think he is the best candidate, not because of his ideals but because I think he will not make it to the general election. This is not a fight for most Hillary supporters. I think most Hillary supporters expect her to become the next President. I don't agree with your opinion of her.
I hope the civility of the past few days remains on this board.

[gwheezie]

13. I plan to vote for Hillary but like Bernie

And who knows I could change my mind. I wouldn't be mad if he got the nomination but I think Hillary has a broader record to run on.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. The system Bernie calls out is exemplified by Republicans, who are our opponents.

Other Democrats are not opponents but rivals. I support Bernie but I sure as fuck don't see other Democrats as the final nail in the coffin of hyperbole. I look at a menu I say I prefer the chicken, I have no need to rail against the steak.
How does Bernie do politics? Not the way you are suggesting. Which is one of the things I like about Bernie, he has the skills to avoid the gutter and navigate the discussion to the heart of the matter.
But on the other hand, I strongly support Hillary's suggestions for automatic voter registration and extended early voting and I'm happy to hear those messages being delivered. It compliments Bernie's call for more and better debates, it's taking on the election itself from the first, as a Party.
As you know, the Oregon primary is a year away. Personally, I want attentive voters attracted by a vigorous race between excellent candidates. Oregon added many Democrats to the rolls in 2008 cycle primaries. I'd like to see that again.
Also, for what it's worth, 259,000 Oregonians voted for Hillary Clinton. This indicates that a large number of Democrats might not agree with your characterizations and some might take them personally, even ascribing them to Senator Sanders who does no such thing. That means it's stupid politics if the goal is to elect Sanders.
Then there are issues of message dynamics. Even if a person might eventually have to shout and call names, starting out at that level leaves a person with no way to return to the issues and no way to pipe down the intensity. A year of bellowing against your rival will make many people dislike a candidate. You can't start with the shouting too early. It's a freaking year.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. "Likeable and unlikeable" are not traits I care about when voting.

[etherealtruth]

16. It means that I would have no problem voting for them in the general election

I haven't thrown my support behind any of them yet ... or support them all, at this point.

My goal is that one of the sociopathic right wing nut jobs NOT occupy the presidency

[hootinholler]

17. Cutesy names aside

I respect Hillary's achievements, but not how she got there. I don't think I can trust her campaign positions will remain steady. I also doubt she can win the general election. I don't see the disaffected coming out to vote for her.

That said she will be better than any R running.

Bernie on the other hand, is energizing all ages and is building an actual grass roots organization. He is speaking to overflow crowds everywhere he goes. He is the only candidate who has said this isn't about me, it's about you. We can fix this shit if we all pull together. He will not pull away from that organization when he achieves the Oval Office, he will keep it mobilized.

Everyone sees it differently and I'm not going to call Hillary supporters names.

[bettyellen]

18. Lol. I don't do the "terror in the heart" over politics anymore...

I vaguely remember that feeling from my youth though.
now I just do what I can (mostly local) and know the world won't end because of X winning.

[struggle4progress]

19. I'd like to win in 2016. Our current candidates all have their own distinct advantages

and disadvantages. I have my opinion but no provably-correct idea about who will win the nomination. And I'll work for whoever comes out on top in the primaries, since the folks riding in the Republican clown car scare me. So what point would there be to a big knock-down drag-out fight?

[LWolf]

20. It means that

preferring another candidate is not equivalent to the "hate" that some would like to assign.

It means that one can appreciate individual strengths and weaknesses, and make a thoughtful choice for one candidate over another without losing the ability to appreciate the others.

It means one can base support on issues and record rather than personality. Or, as often happens, on popularity, name recognition, height, or hair style rather than record on issues.

I've never liked HRC. Ever. She hit some of my hot buttons early on. Then she followed a path going a different direction I was traveling on most issues. I've always respected her, though, and actually voted for her in my '08 primary, even though I didn't really want to see her be president. She, though, did a better job on one issue than the other choice, who really didn't do well on any of them from my pov, and he proved that pov once in office.

I don't want Hillary Clinton to be president. She's still not going the direction I'd like to see the nation travel. It's not personal. It's political. I'm backing the candidate who gets the most issues the most correct the most often.

[okasha]

21. It means "I think X is good, but Y is better."

Why is that a problem?

[Exilednight]

22. I'd drink a beer with Hillary, in fact

I've had dinner with her and her husband and about 33 other people. It's fun listening to the stories, and she's pleasent enough in small groups, but it's like having that friend that tells outlandish stories. Sure, they're entertaining, but you're not sure which ones are real and which ones are made up.

[ananda]

23. I have always liked Hillary Clinton.

And I will vote for her if Sanders doesn't get the nomination.

[hifiguy]

24. Usually it's not hard.

I liked Jimmy Carter during the '76 primaries but I supported Mo Udall and then Jerry Brown.

[pennylane100]

25. Your post is a little confusing.

This site is to support democrats and the reality is that only one of them will be chosen as the party's nomination. While we can use the time before the primary vote to state why we support our candidate or we can state of objection to some of the positions help by the candidates we are not supporting, without using personal attacks.

However, only one candidate will win and we must then unite to support that candidate. Using the time to promote our candidate in a civilized manner and pointing out the reasons the other candidates should not get the nomination can be done in a civilized manner and we must not leave the air so toxic that it will only benefit our opponents. Ultimately, this is a fight for the survival of the democratic party and the only not playing nice should be directed at the other party. They are the real enemy.

[Ron Green]

27. What you're saying is that people "like" the one they don't support

to show civility. That makes sense, and I suppose that's where most of the "likers" are coming from.
My point is that our two main Democratic candidates (we don't yet see much about O'Malley) are representative of such different worlds of politics that simply ranking them, liking everybody, and pledging to support the eventual nominee seems a less-rigorous process than we ought to have.

[DonCoquixote]

26. speaking for myself

It usually means that even though I would not make this person my first pick, I like them enough to where they can make my second or third place.