Time to cut the crap. Obama Derangement Syndrome doesn't really exist.

[Laelth]

256. Those labels may be accurate, for all I know.

Paid shills are real. Accusing someone of being one, while rude and possibly a violation of DU's rules, is not necessarily a lazy way to avoid discussion. It might be an actual accusation. The accusation may have some merit.

Likewise, the Third Way is real, and the DLC was real. Pointing out that a person or poster holds such beliefs is a far cry from diagnosing a medical condition. As far as I know, being a Third Way DLC Democrat is not a syndrome. Those of us on the left can't dismiss and ignore the Third Way/DLC Democrats because they control the party (from our point of view, at least), so calling someone a Third Way/DLC Democrats is not, in fact, a way to ignore or dismiss various posters points of view. Instead, it is a useful way to understand where various arguments are going and from where they come (whether we like those policy positions or not).

Similarly, sock puppets are real. Accusing someone of having a sock does not allow those of us on the left to ignore whatever the alleged sock said. Making such an accusation is not, from what I have seen, a lazy way to avoid discussion.

In fact, none of the above are lazy excuses to avoid discussion. They are all very real phenomena that we occasionally discuss on DU. ODS, on the other hand, is not real-- not until the AMA says it is, anyway. Thus, I conclude, an accusation of ODS is merely a lazy way to avoid discussion. It's a means of avoiding having to defend the indefensible on a liberal message board.

Just my 2 cents.

-Laelth