If you're not gonna vote for the Democratic Nominee, why are you on Democratic Underground?

[paul ofnoclique]

Okay, I'm new here, and maybe I'm suffering from the zealotry of the just-converted. (Actually, I'm not a new convert, as I've voted straight-ticket-Dem since 1992, but I think you catch my drift.)

For the record, I plan to vote for Sanders in the primary round. But if Hillary ends up with the nomination, I will unhesitatingly vote for her a year from now. The stakes are simply too high, and the risks far too great, for anyone to do anything that might end with a batshit-crazy Republican (is there any other kind these days?) in the White House.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Welcome to DU

I can't and won't speak for others since I plan to vote for the Democratic nominee. I just hope you get some honest answers.

[paul ofnoclique]

3. Thank you, YMBL

I expect some flak, especially because I'm new, but I do think it's a valid question.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. Welcome to DU, Paul! We're all here to work to elect another Democrat

to the White House and to win back the Senate.

The discussion can get heated sometimes, but I'm convinced that in the end, whoever wins the primary, that's the candidate we'll all get behind and work to get elected even if that candidate wasn't our preferred choice during the primaries.

I support Hillary Clinton, but I will vote for any Democratic candidate who wins the primary.

[paul ofnoclique]

6. Agreed

A wingnut GOP POTUS would be an unmitigated disaster for our country and, in fact, the world.

[BlueCaliDem]

20. Great minds think alike!

[vt_native]

4. Because I vote for who I want to vote for based on my liberal beliefs

And I believe the DLC has just about killed the Democratic Party.

Hillary's history disqualifies her from earning my vote.

People Say, "WHAT ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT?" I say when did one of these corporate Dems ever go to the mat to stop a nut from being appointed to the court (Think Joe Biden and Clarence Thomas).

You can make your own judgments about whether her recent Progressive lean is genuine or if it will last. I've made my decision.

Enjoying the show!



On edit; Welcome to DU!

[NuclearDem]

7. Remind me: who appointed RBG and Breyer to the Supreme Court?

[NuclearDem]

23. A man who isn't running for president.

And matters to this discussion about as much as a turkey sandwich.

[upaloopa]

8. The question was why are you here if you are not going to vote for the Dem nominee (assuming it is

Hillary) I read posts about the TOS for DU today and if you say you won't support the nominee after the primary or you encourage others not not vote for the nominee you shouldn't be here.

[sheshe2]

13. You may wish to read what Skinner posted.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251767012

While you are free to vote for who you wish, this site is for Democrats. You don't support them, maybe you should consider another site.

[flamingdem]

24. +1

United we stand

[sheshe2]

26. flamingdem

[luvspeas]

27. really not necessary to read-they will not do anything...

because they believe that most people don't really mean it when they bash a democrat and say they will never vote for the nominee unless it is their nominee.

[SunSeeker]

45. Indeed.

[JDPriestly]

66. The presidential candidate is not the only person running as a Democrat.

I will support all Democrats except Hillary. She is too far to the right for me.

And my vote in the presidential campaign won't make any difference since I am in a very blue state, California.

If the DNC wants my vote in the presidential GE, they need to nominate Bernie.

[Bluenorthwest]

71. I am a CA native, lived there most of my life. I would like to say that when Prop 8 was on the

ballot several friends who I asked to actively oppose it said 'Oh, come on! CA is deep blue and pro gay, this is the most gay friendly State, we'd never vote to deny your rights, it offends me that you think we would!!!'

[still_one]

56. Why do some feel the need to state that? Who anyone votes for in the general election is

between themselves and their conscience. It s a secret ballot.

If folks on DU would stick to supporting their specific candidate in the primaries, and discussing and arguing the issues, rather than who they are voting for in the general election this would be a moot issue.

[dem in texas]

5. Yes! Vote for the Democrat

You have to go for the Democrat even if you are not happy with who it is. I always vote a straight Democratic ticket, even if I don't like the person I am voting for. The only time I won't is when the person is under indictment or has committed a serious crime, then I just don't cast a vote for that office.

Doesn't seem to bother the Texas Republicans, they elected the Texas state Attorney general is under indictment right now.

[liberal_at_heart]

9. I am an ex Democrat, now Independent who enjoys discussing left of center issues with other

liberals and discussing left of center liberal candidates with other liberals.

[onecaliberal]

10. Candidates who are owned by corporations are NOT democrats even if they call themselves one.

[kath]

18. Thank you for this. Agree whole-heartedly.

Fuck all the DLCers, ThirdWayers, Trojan Horses, DINOs and all their ilk.

[840high]

19. Exactly +100

[luvspeas]

28. so does this mean you will not vote for them?

because it sounds to me like you mean it.

[Divernan]

48. Who IS a real Democrat? Depends on what the meaning of "is" is!

[Lil Missy]

68. and just because YOU say so doesn't make it so.

[Yurovsky]

11. So anyone with a D behind their name...

should automatically get my vote?

Believe it or not, the GOP is not the only alternative. And if the Democratic Party nominates someone who is funded by the very same forces that are crushing the poor and working class, I'll be damned if I'm going to go along to get along.

HRC is not a progressive. I judge her by her deeds, not her words.

And I am here to support progressive policies - not GOP-lite masquerading as Democratic policy. Anyone who thinks I should roll over and play dead for the corporate interests that own Hillary should look elsewhere for agreement.

The better question is why anyone who calls them self a Democrat and a profpgressive ISN'T supporting Bernie.

[luvspeas]

29. you don't really mean that do you? n/t

[jtuck004]

31. I will second it. n/t

[sheshe2]

55. Bernie, Lol~

We vote for Democrats. As for this.....

The better question is why anyone who calls them self a Democrat and a profpgressive ISN'T supporting Bernie.

Well for one, he is an Independent and really does not like the Democratic Party. Lol...he said he would be a hypocrite to run as a Dem.

******************************

Sat Aug 15, 2015 at 06:50 AM PDT.

Introducing Bernie Sanders the Hypocrite



Just 9 years ago Bernie won the Vermont Democratic primary for the 2006 Senate race as a write-in candidate — there was no serious opposition — but he declined to accept the nomination. Why? Because he's always insisted he is NOT a Democrat. In fact, he has said that it would be hypocritical of him to run as a Democrat:

"It would be hypocritical of me to run as a Democrat because of the things I have said about the party."

- Socialist Scholars Conference in New York City, April 1990.
Well, we're all free to change our minds, maybe Bernie doesn't think being a hypocrite isn't so bad any more. Or maybe he's just decided the Democratic Party isn't quite as disgusting as he used to think it was. But what exactly has Bernie said about the Democratic Party? Let Bernie tell you in his own words:


?1439594626


Read More http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/15/1409803/-Introducing-Bernie-Sanders-the-Hypocrite

[Travis_0004]

12. It just doesnt matter in some states

Do you think a write in will change anything in California. No, the democrat will win. I also never vote a straight ticlet. I have voted for independents and even a republican or two in local races.

[Not Sure]

34. Exactly

My vote in Texas for the presidential election means nothing because if I vote Republican or Democrat or independent or even if I write in Mickey Mouse, the deck is so stacked, the electorate is so polarized that it is a certainty that a Republican gets all the electoral votes for Texas. This is nothing new. Watch election night coverage sometime. They call Texas for the Republican immediately every time. Sure, every vote counts, every state is in play.... right. Not here.

So, if my vote for Hillary or Bernie won't matter anyway, why wouldn't I vote my conscience?

[jeff47]

14. Many of us did not start out where we currently are.

I used to be willing to vote for the lesser of two evils. That's worked out poorly for me over the last couple decades.

We actually need to fight Republicans. Instead, we spend half our time appeasing them, and half our time saying "oh, we can't do anything". That's not going to get done what needs to be done, and voting for the lesser of two evils keeps us on that course.

The particularly brazen rewriting of history in order to boost one candidate was the final straw for me.

Now, my state will be voting for the Republican so this isn't a particularly powerful statement in this election.

[Sheepshank]

15. I appreciate the question

It's the same question I've asked several times in the last few weeks.

[mindwalker_i]

16. The difference between people

... seems to be that some support The Democrat, while other support democratic ideals. There are good reasons for both, as well as bad reasons. My problem with blindly supporting anyone with a (D) after their name is that it's like religion, in that one can easily be mislead by someone if they support a party without question. It's kind of like when people support their religion unreservedly, and the priest turns out to be diddling the kids in the back.

[flamingdem]

22. It's not conformitiy, we're up against a nightmare and every vote counts.

Bernie would never advocate not voting for the Democrat. He's no Nader.

[NuclearDem]

17. Because a certain contingent of people here just fucking hate millenials like me.

That's the only thing I can think of, seeing as how fucking school playground giddy some of them are to fuck up the Supreme Court and the economy for my entire generation's lifespan.

[JDPriestly]

37. Bernie has promised that he will only appoint to the Supreme Court people who will

overturn Citizens' United. There are lots of reasons and lots of arguments for overturning that horrible decision.

Hillary has made no such promise. I'm only willing to vote for a candidate who promises absolutely to appoint to the Supreme Court only people who will overturn Citizens' United.

Millenials have no hope as long as Citizens' United allows corporations and foreign interests to buy our politicians.

[msanthrope]

57. Um, yeah...except Bernie isn't appointing anyone to SCOTUS. nt

[JDPriestly]

65. The primaries are not yet over.

[tularetom]

25. With all due respect, who I vote for is none of your business

Nor is it any of the DU administrators, my friends, my kids, grand kids, or even my wife.

Why should I give up the privacy of my franchise when I don't have to. Now I do have my preferences, but once the party has made its choice, I will not criticize the candidate here, regardless of who it may be.

But my vote is between me and the people who count votes. It's one of the few vestiges of privacy left in the US.

[Live and Learn]

39. +1 nt

[RobertEarl]

30. Another meta. Are there no hosts awake?

[paul ofnoclique]

38. Meta?

Not familiar with the term. Please explain.

[Fumesucker]

63. Posts discussing DU and/or DUers are considered "meta" and are usually forbidden

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meta

meta: A term, especially in art, used to characterize something that is characteristically self-referential.


Meta posts are forbidden because they often create even more conflict than the already high levels here...

[daleanime]

32. So you prefer Bernie.....

why?

[Fuddnik]

33. None of your business.

[JDPriestly]

35. I live in California. I will vote for all Democratic candidates except Hillary.

I'm a strong Democrat. I won't vote for Hillary. But I will support and vote for every other Democratic candidate on the ballot.

1) California is a true blue state. My vote will not make a difference.

2) By the time the votes are counted in California, the presidential candidate has either won or lost in the rest of the country.

My vote makes a difference to me, to my integrity and my conscience, but not to the rest of the country. My Congressman, Xavier Becerra, is one of the truest, bluest, best members of Congress in the country. I look forward to voting for him.

I'm sick of the fact that the rich and the corporations and who knows who from foreign countries spend so much money in our election cycles that really brilliant, wonderful candidates are not elected or even paid much attention.

I will not vote for Hillary for a number of reasons. One of them is that she has taken so much corporate money. Who knows where it really comes from?

[True Blue American]

36. Welcome

I have not decided who I will vote for in the Primary but one thing is sure my vote will be for the Democrat in November.

With the Republicans we have today the middle class is dead if they win.

[MattSh]

40. Damn, this shit again? n/t

[artislife]

50. Really!

Lots of wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth.

It is one big yawn.

[Catherina]

41. Click. Trash thread.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

42. If Bernie beats Hillary in the primary I personally know two people who will vote Republican....

They're obsessed with the idea that it's her turn and they HATE Bernie who they say is getting in her way.

We're talking "throwing things" angry hate.

[Lil Missy]

60. their loss.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

64. They are the types who want to punish America for it's stupidity....

By voting stupid.

[Lil Missy]

43. Thank you! ! Indeed, if you're not going to support the Democratic nominee,

Then why are you here?? This is DEMOCRATIC underground.

No one is suggesting you must vote for the nominee; you can suit yourself. Hell, vote for the Republican nominee if that would make you feel better.

The question is, if you can't stand the Democratic nominee, or the Democratic Party, then why are you here, on a DEMOCRATIC message board?? .

That's my 2 cents. Reading the constant hate and vitriol against HRC and Obama, and the Democratic party, on a DEMOCRATIC message board, gets pretty tiresome. And it doesn't belong here.

Go to a non democratic website and join there. It makes better sense, and you can whine to your hearts content somewhere else.

[Rebkeh]

61. Small d, the words 'democracy'

and 'party' are not necessarily interchangeable. Not always.

[Depaysement]

44. If you're gonna vote . . .

. . . for the mainstream candidate no matter what, why are you on Democratic Underground?

Nouns have rights too.

Just sayin.

[Rebkeh]

46. When I joined I thought the D in DU was

small 'd' democratic. I didn't thoroughly read the tos, I'll be honest. Had I known about that rule, I probably wouldn't have joined at all. It smacks of an elitist clique vibe, exclusive club kind of thing - we libprogs are supposed to be 'big tent'. But since I'm already here, I'll give it a chance.

That said, I do intend to vote regardless. Always have.

[SunSeeker]

47. Welocme to DU, paul ofnoclique!

[artislife]

49. There are a lot of Democrats to support

There isn't just one election.

[NBachers]

51. I've been here a tad longer, and I can't find a word in your post to disagree with.

To protect myself here, I've developed the "Scan and Click" technique:

1. Scan the thread titles. Reject the ones that are obvious hate bait. Why take on someone else's agita?

2. When you go down the responses in a thread and they degenerate into two kids in separate bedrooms yelling "It's Your Fault!" "No It's Not! You Started It!" then it's time to turn out the lights, and find some grown-up activity. Yes, you may be playing into the hands of the troll-provocateurs in letting yourself get chased off, but, again: Why take on someone else's agita? Just step away from the keyboard when the hostility gets too thick.

[Tresalisa]

52. Yes!

I will vote for the Democrat nominee, but I sure hope it's Bernie!

[MFM008]

53. OP

I agree with you completely. To not support the nominee is to support republican rule and all the shit that entails.
Period, end of story.People around here act like the volcano is going to blow if it isnt Bernie Sanders.
Support the damn nominee or enjoy 4 to 8 years of Carson, Trump, Rubio, Cruz and kiss everything you value GOODBYE.

[McCamy Taylor]

58. Excellent question which we should all ponder.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

59. Because I may vote for a Democratic nominee if my nose holding limit isn't exceeded.

[Maedhros]

62. The entire REPUBLICAN DISASTER! meme is designed to keep us afraid

and to corral our votes for candidates that work against our interests.

[Cha]

67. They ignore the gop at their own peril. They call it a scare tactic to vote for the Dem NOM..

Well they won't be on DU during the GE Election if they're still raging against Hillary.

Can you imagine F******* Romney/ryan these last 7 years?

They forget all about F******* bush/cheney.

It's all about them and stamping their feet if they don't get their way.

[Le Taz Hot]

69. As I've told so many of you "just wondering"

chaps, I lean more toward the Underground than the Democrat. So, thanks for your contribution towards the loyalty oaths total for the week. I think we're pretty close to the 500th loyalty oath posts for the week but my all means, kick in another one because there certainly can't be enough of these. We love them so much.

Oh btw, check out the TOS terms (you guys always miss this step). Nothing in there that says you have to be a Democrat or swear blind fealty to a particular political party in order to post on this site.

[LWolf]

70. Welcome to DU.

To answer your question:

1. My vote in the general election is none of your, or anyone's business.

2. This is GD Primaries; it's not about the general election.

3. I've been here for almost 13 years, and I've always voted my conscience in the general election, which, again, is nobody's business but my own.

4. I show up in GD primaries to support Sanders; in other forums here to talk about other things.

5. I don't do loyalty oaths.

And finally, I understand and empathize with those who are talking about other choices in the general election. I understand your position, as well. Personally, I have a different POV, but I don't share it here, because I respect the TOS, and it would require me to, shockingly, discuss multiple points of view that don't align with the partisan nature of this site.