Those of you who are urging others not to criticize the Prez tonight....

[regnaD kciN]

6. Just remember that what you post can "drive the narrative"...

Just as I'm convinced that, without the massive freak-out on MSNBC, Obama's immediate post-debate slide wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad, so I think that what people post here, at dKos, etc. can have implications we don't even begin to realize. "The left 'netroots' is in panic mode" is a pretty powerful meme, and can get fed up the media chain and become part of the post-debate spin that can so influence even those who haven't watched the debate itself. And, even if what you write doesn't reach that high, it can serve to heighten or lessen enthusiasm among those who read it, possibly turning RVs into LVs or vice-versa.

I think a good test, before writing anything tonight, would be to ask yourself "would what I write help our side to win, or possibly hurt it? I'm not saying legitimate criticism is out-of-line, but I'm suggesting that, if you have such criticism, you wait a few hours to calm down and reconsider if your reaction is entirely justified, or might be a little over-the-top, rather than rushing on here in mid-angst to deliver an emotion-driven "the sky is falling" post that will remain part of the public discussion, even if you no longer feel that intense in the cold light of day.