Apparently, someone determined that insulting Sanders and his supporters is the path

[merrily]

to party unity. That should work well!

[Cleita]

1. Sigh. Too true. eom

[Vincardog]

2. FKEM

[tex-wyo-dem]

3. Yeah, great strategy...

Par for the course for her campaign.

[dorkzilla]

4. If she wins the nomination

She'll be Green with envy.

[Kalidurga]

20. That could be an OP you know where so ehem someone can thank that post.

[merrily]

21. And, if he wins, it'll be bile. Green, either way!

[MuseRider]

5. This place has been giving me

headaches and my blood pressure must be sky high. JPR is a respite that I did not use until today. Ahhhhh, came here and I feel all stirred up again. So much anger gets in the way of accomplishing anything.

Aww go figure. Of course that is what some of them think is going to work. Very authoritarian and very brand loyal.

[merrily]

9. Oh, my. Take care of yourself. Meditate. Stay in the Bernie Group. Go to another board.

Whatever your physical and emotional well-being requires.

Alternatively, just live and laugh at it all. (Don't take it serious; it's too mysterious.).

[ljm2002]

12. Ha ha, I read the post title too quickly...

...and thought you said "Take care of yourself. Medicate."

Well that might be good advice too.

[merrily]

16. Whatever works. It is St. Patrick's Day, after all.

[MuseRider]

32. It isn't THAT bad

but it really does get me going. I do think I get too upset. I have a million things to keep me sane . Thanks. I just hate the taunting, it feels terrible to be taunted because I want to get mad and mean and I try so hard not to.

[merrily]

36. Then, take the advice of the song.

[MuseRider]

40. :-)

Will do!

[grasswire]

46. yes, I was fed up today too.

By the lack of intellectual rigor on the part of "them" and the hive mentality.

It's impossible to discuss anything.

[Else You Are Mad]

6. Let's not let them win.

The best way to defeat this is to respond with calm facts that contradict their points. Leave anger out of it.

[merrily]

10. Do you think facts affect GD: P discussions? I don't.

I once assumed they did. I don't anymore.

[Else You Are Mad]

24. Oh I am well aware.

I was banned from the Hillary group by reponding to a post in the regarding bernie bros in a civil and polite manner. Below is the post that got me banned:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1107&pid=73325

Can any tell me why I should have been banned for that post other than I pointed out the flaw in their narrative?

[merrily]

28. I am a big defender of protected groups to do as they please. (Sorry!)

[Autumn]

52. Protected groups are safe havens for the members. We have blocked people for the same thing.

[rhett o rick]

7. Attempting to use ridicule and intimidation to change our behavior is Bullying 101.

The best way to deal with them is to ignore them. Let them chat with each other.

Since I've taken a much needed break from hosting, the alert stalking has backed way off.

[merrily]

11. I'm glad to learn it's better for you, rick. You were really getting trolled.

[floriduck]

8. They are the real Democrats.

We are just the rebellious agitators that don't matter, except for our votes to elect Hillary.

[merrily]

14. Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket!

[Fawke Em]

42. Which they're now panicking about not getting.

The votes, I mean.

It's funny to see them trying to beat us about the head and face because many of us - probably more than that 33 percent - are planning to take our ball to Greener pastures.

[riderinthestorm]

13. It just makes me more fired up to help this movement

such a wrong tactic... Lol

[merrily]

22. I don't think I can be more fired up.

[CrispyQ]

15. I don't know if dem leadership has decided they can win without the left or

if they are confident we will all fall in line like good little dems & vote for the suck less candidate.

Obama's almost endorsement of HRC today had me seeing red.

[merrily]

18. Please see Reply 9.

[abelenkpe]

26. Fall in line

Is expected.

[Jim Lane]

17. Several someones -- enough that I don't even know which one specifically you mean. (n/t)

[merrily]

19. "Someone(s)"

I did not have one person in mind. But, it's a pattern today.

[Kalidurga]

23. They are absolutely correct...but it could mean doom for the Democrats.

It is one thing to run Sanders supporters off of a message board. But, it will have a ripple effect. We do this thing called talking to each other and what we do on message boards goes out into the real world, like later I am going to an anti-war rally. What I have learned here will come up, that is just one example. Multiply that by thousands and then other thousands. Because I am just one person. I will be talking to hundreds though later this week. Those people will talk to other people and so on. Then there is social media again where we talk to people... eventually if they keep up with the hate and the insulting tactics Liberals will leave and all that will be left are the people who genuflect to authority and there is their path to party unity.

[merrily]

25. The "leaning" numbers still favor Democrats.

The share of independents in the public, which long ago surpassed the percentages of either Democrats or Republicans, continues to increase. Based on 2014 data, 39% identify as independents, 32% as Democrats and 23% as Republicans. This is the highest percentage of independents in more than 75 years of public opinion polling. (For a timeline of party affiliation among the public since 1939, see this interactive feature.)

When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 48% either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 39% identify as Republicans or lean Republican. The gap in leaned party affiliation has held fairly steady since 2009, when Democrats held a 13-point advantage (50% to 37%).

Then again, I am registered Democrat, but plan to change to indie. If they asked me, I would say I leaned Democratic rather than Republican.

http://www.people-press.org/2015/04/07/a-deep-dive-into-party-affiliation/

[Kalidurga]

27. You have a point on how people actually vote.

Most people will not ever vote for a third party candidate. What I am talking about though is people fleeing the party. Those people will not contribute to the Democratic Party even if they do contribute to individual Democrats. They may or may not vote for the Democrat at the top of the ticket while voting for Democrats down ticket. Or vice versa. The point is the more this goes on the less Liberals are going to feel they owe Democrats and some just might leave the reservation for good. I won't do so, I am just sayin.

[merrily]

30. They have been leaving the party, no question. I am saying only that the "leaning" numbers

still favor Democrats anyway.

The numbers of registered Democrats are going down and I believe this primary will drive them down even more, unless some people just don't both to change the registration.

[Kalidurga]

45. I think so too.

The mask has come off the major players in the party and it doesn't look good under there.

[malokvale77]

29. In addition to your apparently obvious observation...

Skinner has failed to see the difference in vitriol and support.

[merrily]

31. Meh. It's his board. He gets to do what he wants. We get to decide if we stay or leave.

[malokvale77]

34. Yup...

exactly why I became a member at JPR. I'm trying to learn the software there as I ween myself from this place.

[merrily]

37. I don't know all of it. I just post and check on replies to my posts. The rest is frills, as far as

I am concerned.

[malokvale77]

39. I'm paying attention.

Thanks merrily.

[merrily]

41. My pleasure.

[Bettie]

33. I'm barely hanging in around here

Wow, all the really nasty people are back and unafraid of any repercussions.

For the first time since I have been on DU (2004), I have people on my ignore list.

But, for whatever reason, they are absolutely convinced that they do not need our votes and that they must actively push us out of the party for daring to dream of a better country.

[malokvale77]

35. Yes...

as was posted by a Hillary supporter here: "WE DON'T WANT YOU AND WE DON'T NEED YOU!"

[Bettie]

43. I suppose they have to say that

to make absolutely sure that they have a handy scapegoat if their candidate fails to deliver.

Then, they get to point to us and say "See, if they had just let the coronation go as planned, she would be Quee...President!"

[malokvale77]

44. It will be hard to point to us after proclaiming...

"WE DON'T WANT YOU AND WE DON'T NEED YOU!"

I took the hint long ago. I didn't need it bolded in all capitals.

[senz]

38. The more insulting they become, the less the likelihood that I would consider

supporting their candidate in any way, shape or form, regardless of circumstance.

They don't care. They'll continue to snipe and bully no matter who wins the nomination.

[marions ghost]

49. Agree

feels like being pushed around by Miss Piggies and Eric Cartmans...............

?w=650

[Warren DeMontague]

47. People are ecstatic that they can say all this bullshit and not get a timeout for 5 hides.

Skinner's grand gesture of unity in action, i guess.

"Berniebrooooooooooos", derp hyuk hyuk derp

I'm imagining a whole bunch of 12 year olds in 65 year old bodies.

[TBF]

54. They can say whatever they want but

they will not be in the voting booth. I'll vote for who I damned please.

And there are other female candidates besides Mrs. Clinton.

[nilesobek]

48. I always considered posting here a privilege.

That's why I try to obey the site rules and TOS. Disappointing that the rules were unequally and unfairly enforced.

Sort of like real life. Rules were for riffraff like me.

[II-X-II]

50. They insult me on a daily basis

when they exist as a Hillary supporter. Willing to throw away principles to elect someone that won't do shit for the 99%.

[merrily]

55. Backing a different candidate is different from being ugly to supporters of Sanders.

[djean111]

51. On the bright side, it only took reading through the comments on two or three threads to get my

ignore list to go from one, did that last year (after getting a bizarrely incoherent PM, which some others have also gotten) to maybe 125 so far. The criteria is not "Hillary" supporter", the criteria is "nasty, rude, condescending, jeering, mean-spirited". Just one good-bye thread produced 60-70 ignores.

it is remarkable how nice it is now, especially when all the thread-jackers disappear into the void.

When I click on the ignore button, I always think of that kid in that old Twilight Zone movie, who sends folks out to the Cornfield of Nowhere if they displease him, leaving them to flap around like scarecrows. Or straw men (typed straw mean first, how apropos), which is much more fitting.

[TBF]

53. It's not just here -

I see it all over the internet. Sanders supporters are the majority on Twitter and Reddit, but on Facebook and in these forums (all older crowds) we get the Sanders bashing. I don't know if it's solely Hillary supporters or a mix of her supporters plus paid trolls (after all it helps the republicans if we are split).

So. I have decided to ignore all of it. I am supporting Bernie until he is in the white house. If there comes a time when he is not on my ballot I will make my choice - looking for the most left candidate on the ballot. That's my plan and it's not going to change.

[merrily]

56. My OP did not say someone here made the decision

[winter is coming]

57. Oh, I think it could unify the party.

The question is, what size will that unified party be?

[merrily]

58. I looked this up yesterday for a post . Many have left the party in terms of registration and

become indies. However, registered Democrats still outnumber registered Republicans. And when asked how they "lean" almost 50% said Democratic. What was not clear to me, though, was whether Republican and Democrat were the only choices for the "lean" question.

[Ivan Kaputski]

59. The admins want unity too. It's all about the hit counts for ad revenue.

[merrily]

60. Meh. Skinner owns the board. We're "only" content. Live by his rules or start your own board or

find another board or get banned and take up a hobby other than posting. I am not trying to be flip: those are simply the only realistic options I see.

[HereSince1628]

61. I think we're a bit more than just that

Apparently we're also regulated to present content that presents an acceptable message to visitors to DU.

That changes nothing about the admin owning the board and setting the rules, but I think it more fully describes 'content'.

[merrily]

62. Quite correct. We are a propaganda machine comprised of many, many complicit cogs.

Rube Goldberg lives.