Should DU have a GOSSIP and personal attack about public figures forum?

[yurbud]

Given the MANY personal attack posts about Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and in the past other progressives that annoy Republicans and corporate Democrats' masters, as well as the largely irrelevant self-inflicted wounds of pols like Anthony "Look at My" Wiener, should DU have a gossip and personal attack forum?

That would mean locking or deleting such threads in other forums, and telling the poster to take it to its assigned dungeon.

I think there should still be room in General Discussion and the other big forums for issues of hypocrisy like which pols talk a good game while taking money from corporations, back the drug war after (or while) partaking themselves, or the gay-bashers who are closet gays.

And we could make the Gossip forum just for those to the left of Olympia Snowe (though that would not be my choice).

Locking this crap and redirecting it to a Gossip dungeon would clear out a lot of the trash talk and acrimony and recenter DU on actual issues instead making us sound only half an IQ point above the talking heads on TV.

And it would help our corporate friends here to sell their case based on the merits of their arguments on ISSUES rather than by defaming people they don't agree with.

What do you think?
What do

3 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	YES! Lock and load (up the Gossip forum with personal attack threads)
	3 (100%)
	YES, but just for attacks on Democrats on progressives. Republicans would still be fair game everywhere
	0 (0%)
	NO! Let it flow throughout the body of DU and become our lifeblood
	0 (0%)
	NO! Gossip should be allowed everywhere and discussion of substantive issues should be relegated to a dungeon
	0 (0%)
	OTHER
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[MineralMan]

1. Bogus Push Poll.

That's what I think, since you asked.

You could just write what you think, instead of posting a push poll.

[yurbud]

3. so your vote is keeping gossip in the grown up rooms

[MineralMan]

12. Nope. My vote was not to vote.

I don't vote in push polls.

[yurbud]

13. I thank you for at least that vote. A lot of people are talking without voting.

[Andy823]

2. Actually

I don't really think that Greenwald and Snowden are progressives. One is a right wing libertarian and the other is a Paul supporter.

Now if you want to set up a place for "gossip" and lies about lets say our President, well I am all for that. I think DU is supposed to be about supporting democrats, and President Obama is a democrat, why not let all those who want to spread gossip and lies about him do so on their own forum?

[yurbud]

5. I would agree if we're talking about the Muslim, Marxist, anti-colonial right wing screeds

most of the "attacks" on him here are for his actions or lack thereof on issues.

[Andy823]

16. I am talking about

Remarks like "he is a total failure, he as accomplished nothing", and he is just like Bush or Nixon, and how he has done nothing for the average person only for the rich, you know crap like that!

As for issues I have no problem there, but those who blame everything on the president and refuse to admit that it's CONGRESS that has the power to pass bills and make laws, and it's the CONGRESS that needs to get their shit together and do what they are being paid for instead of constantly doing their best to destroy this country, they need a reality check! If you want change vote in new members of congress because if you don't there will be not change.

[yurbud]

33. Obama has some accomplishments. Who each helps is debatable. Also, he can't blame congress for

his active support of privatization of public education.

He was free to choose whoever he wanted for Sec of Ed, and to some degree, what direction he could go, and he chose to go in a direction that screws kids for the benefit of Wall Street.

[yurbud]

8. your first paragraph makes my point. Unless you are saying that their information is inaccurate

why does their political persuasion matter?

The fact that Ron Paul is wrong about most issues doesn't mean he can't be right about one or two, and those one or two are worth noting when most "moderate" Democrats are wrong on those issues.

Or is it offensive to you when people believe something that they aren't paid to believe?

[Andy823]

18. It's the person that matters

While there might be a few things someone could like about Rand or Ron Paul, they would be a total disaster for this country if they ever did make it into the WH. The politics of a person do matter when it comes to what they will do when they get elected, not what they say they will do to get your vote, but what they really would do once in office. Do you think a Paul in the WH would do this country any good at all? I sure don't.

As for your paid to believe comment, I am not really sure where you are coming from on that, care to explain?

[yurbud]

19. they would be a disaster because of their POLICIES

I don't know or care how they run their personal lives.

Also, what a lot of politicians say has little bearing on what they will do, so you have to look at their track record and who is paying them.

As far as paid to believe, it's pretty self-explanatory: politicians look at who writes the checks to them and their family members and will likely continue to do so after they leave office, and base their policy proposals on that. Not all policies and not all politicians, but far more often than not.

[cui bono]

22. Why should we support Dems who push, enact and expand Republican policies?

When DU was set up to support Dems I presume the goal was to support the principles that the Dem Party is supposed to stand for. When the party fails to deliver then the party leaders need to be criticized. If there is no room for critical discussion of policies then this site should just shut down.

You said gossip and lies about PBO, what are you referring to?

[Andy823]

25. You should support who you want

If you don't like a certain politician, then don't vote for them, find someone who you do like. We all have the right to disagree with each other, and with those in office. Discussion is good, and people will not always agree, but when discussion simply turns to mud slinging, name calling, and accusing others of not being "real liberals" simply because they may disagree with you, then it's not really a discussion any more.

I was talking about posters who say "president Obama is a complete failure", "he has accomplished nothing since he took office", "he is just like Bush, Cheney, Nixon, or those who say he had not helped anyone but the 1%, things like that the are not true.

[Fumesucker]

4. Only one?

[Aerows]

6. General Discussion

would become General Desert.

[yurbud]

10. at least a desert of trolls and shills

[Orrex]

7. Yes! They should put it right next to the Whine About DU forum.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

9. Where should all the gossip and catty personal attacks of Obama and his team go?

Straight to the locked thread/hidden post pile? I agree.

[yurbud]

11. where are the gossip and personal attacks on Obama here? Most of us focus on issues

[leftstreet]

15. What 'gossip and catty personal attacks?'

The only tabloid stuff (like shirtless Obama or BO !!!111 photos or OMG Michelle's DrESs) gets posted by Ardent Supporters™

[yurbud]

21. ha!

[cui bono]

23. What are you referring to? Can you post some examples?

Thanks.

[yurbud]

24. if we could convince mods that would be an acceptable fix

[name not needed]

31. No thanks.

The Lounge exists as an escape from GD's loony bullshit.

[yurbud]

32. funny

[WinkyDink]

17. Is this another Weiner thread?

[yurbud]

20. he is at best a footnote in this thread (or more appropriately, dicknote)

[David Krout]

26. No! That would result in the isolation of NSA defenders

And that would be mean. Let them be part of General Discussion.

[stevenleser]

27. We do. It's called GD. nt

[yurbud]

28. then change it to Gossip discussion

[bemildred]

29. Just bring back Meta, it would be perfect for this. nt

[JNelson6563]

30. How about a forum for

news stories that really have no place here but are so sensational they guarantee the OP lots of desperately needed attention.

Then throw in one for those who insist on posting lounge material in GD. Call it GD Lounge for You Very Special Posters.

Julie

[SoCalDem]

34. Ignore by keyword is my best friend

keeps DU nice & tidy

[yurbud]

35. do you have a list of such keywords?

[SoCalDem]

37. It varies..and mine are surely different from yours

Some I recall are pit-bull, pit bull, pitbull
Snowden

and whatever is the Mélange du Jour that creates forty-leven nearly identical posts on page 1.

[KamaAina]

36. Absolutely.

They should call it "General Discussion".

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. No

It would be a place to hide

[bigwillq]

39. Sure. Fire away, fire away! I am titanium!