I think it's very important to challenge the falsehoods leveled against our candidate and his

[Ed Suspicious]

supporters, but I'm afraid I just can't do it any more, at least for a while. I find myself dreading to come here because it seems so few are honest brokers. I'm not leaving but I've trashed a couple of forums/groups that I just can't take reading any longer and I'm working on filling my ignore list so I can return my DU experience to some level of enjoyability. I feel a bit like I'm sticking my head in the sand, but it's either that or cease coming here. I really just want to let people who are out the fighting the good fight in dealing with the propagandists know that it's going to feel a bit lonelier here for you as the elections near. If you can take reading it, help you fellow posters by acknowledging in the fight that you have their back. I know that sometimes even a "+1" to a comment is enough to take the edge off a little. Just know that there are many who are very much behind you in spirit, but are just keeping a little quieter for our own sanity. I'm going to live in my own little Sanders friendly world so that I can keep hopeful and keep a positive perspective on things.

Keep on fighting as long as you can. I appreciate the thankless work you do.

[bbgrunt]

1. we appreciate all the thankless work YOU have done.

Don't feel bad about taking a break. At this point people on this board seem very entrenched--and the propagandists on here are wasting their time with all their ridiculous attempts to create divisiveness.

[Ed Suspicious]

2. Thanks. I'm not sure how helpful I am, especially lately. I feel I'm about 88% snark at this point,

but I appreciate the kind words.

[840high]

3. You are very helpful.

[Ed Suspicious]

5. Thank you.

[Hydra]

4. It's a big job

But everyone helps. Also, it's getting so ridiculous that it's almost not even worth commenting on. The moon doesn't start being pink just because some people find it convenient to their political aims.

[merrily]

10. People making up stuff, pulling stuff out of their ears. It's comical.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. One of the comments I found particularly amusing

was that Hillary was fighting the big bad Republicans in Arkansas when she was the state's First Lady. She wasn't fighting them, she was cavorting with them. The state Republican Party at that time was just a shell of its current form, and Hillary was hobnobbing with the state's richest Republican, Sam Walton, for 6 years. And Jackson Stephens, otherwise known as "Mr. Republican of Arkansas" and arguably the state's 2nd-richest Republican, helped to finance Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

[merrily]

13. Yes, members of the board of directors of Wal-Mart, like Hillary, did hobnob with owner Sam Walton.

Her fellow board members said that, as a board member, she did speak up for equal pay for women, but not for other Democratic issues. Nothing to say, for example, during a strike.

But that's not even the most comical thing I've read today.

[zentrum]

6. Glad to know you'll still

….be there!

[LovingA2andMI]

7. Spending more time....

Reading than commenting as of late but, have our own Bernie Universe at Independent Underground News & Talk FB Page -- and We Let It Be Known LOUD and LONG we've #GotBerniesBack!

Thanks for all that you do and taking a break every once and awhile can be a really good thing!

[edgineered]

8. Carpet bombing.

It isn't deadly to existing supporters, it merely keeps us quiet and tired. The effect is more felt on those we need in the fight. We are behind Bernie no matter what they say.

[merrily]

9. I don't think the falsehoods on this board will change a single mind.

Therefore, I wonder how important it truly is to challenge them?

You are doing the right things: trash forum, trash thread and ignore are very useful--if you use them.

The Bernie Sanders Group does get trolled now and again, but not that often. Same for Populist Group, for posts that have nothing to do with Bernie.



Above all, do whatever you have to do to take care of yourself and to work for Bernie in the real world, both of which are far more important than any DU nonsense.

FWIW,

[JDPriestly]

12. Ed, you are the best. Don't let it get you down.

We need you to be here on DU.

[Bernin4U]

14. New here, been slowly venturing out

And not entirely sure what to make of the GD and HC forums.

Definitely a lot of disinformation, accusation, personal attacks, and cheerleading.

In threads that ask legit questions such as, is Bernie too far left, or, could Hillary be successful if she wins, rarely go anywhere. Maybe 20% of the discussion is at all related to addressing the actual question, the rest is more concerned about questioning if not attacking the premise itself. So the level of actual dialog is pretty embarrassingly low.

Hard to see much of anything constructive in it. If people are determined to say stupid stuff (intentionally or not), I'm not sure how much it buys us to bother trying to "Correct the Record".

I still hope to hang in the Bernie forum. Just that going into others seems to be time that might be better spent elsewhere. Easy to see how it is thankless, and one could burn out quickly. And in my little time there, have definitely noticed Ed's hands in a lot of things, which is certainly appreciated.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

17. As to the legitimacy of 'Is Bernie too far left?'

I think the polls answer that - when polled on individual issues, Americans strongly support all the same sorts of things that Bernie does. So Bernie isn't 'too far left' in reality. It is, instead, a matter of perception. He is perceived as being 'the far left' because he was an independent and a 'socialist'. So the answer lies in introducing him and his policies to the public, so that they realize he's nowhere near as far to the left as they've been told.

(Of course, that answer 'questions if not attacks the premise itself'. But I think that's the point - the premise is wrong. We know what Bernie proposes, so we KNOW he's not 'too far left'. That the real question is 'Can Bernie show enough voters that he is not as far left as they think he is to get elected?')

[marym625]

15. Stay strong, Ed

Whenever you're up to it.

I know that going out and volunteering helps immensely. Talking to people is a great way to alleviate the stress. Even the two people I met that supported Hillary, though one was sold on Sanders after a half hour conversation and looking up records in our phones as we talked, and the one trump supporter who lectured me, was nothing like the discourse here. Not even close.

We'll be here, keeping the fire going with the light on, waiting for you to return.


#Bernie2016 #FeelTheBern

[Enthusiast]

16. Thank you for all you have done for the cause.

I have also had to use the ignore feature more than ever before.

[TBF]

18. Last week I logged into my latent Twitter account

and opened an account on Reddit. I'm still figuring out how to use Reddit, but I can tell you there are some pumped up kids on there!

We will not give in to the bullies. We will continue to fight! (whether it's here or elsewhere)

[SoapBox]

19. Skip the front page and just come straight in here.

I do that a lot, since trashing groups and users on ignore still show up in Trending.

But, sometimes I can't take it and have to toss in a post, just to poke the bear! I never get into any conversation with the Bots...but love pointing out all sorts of stuff about her.

Don't go too far away!