In 2004

[hyphenate]

It took a short while, but most Democrats pulled together and put their support behind John Kerry. He united most of us, though some were a little less willing than most.

This year, the chasm between the candidates and also ourselves makes it somewhat harder and I, for one, don't know how long it's going to take to bring us all back together and support a single candidate. It will happen--I can't see any of us voting for a Repub--but will it be too late for some of us to respect the candidate who gets the nomination?

There is a serious divide this time around, and simple disagreements turn into all-out flame wars, or alienate other DUers from the rhetoric posted. Reasons for our concerns are never taken in the spirit they are intended, but are overblown into "hatred" and "calling out." NONE of the candidates is perfect, but emotions run high and are never tamed.

Conservatives used to joke that Democrats were never a united party (to begin with) because we were the party of inclusion. It's true we are an integrated group, but our views have never caught us in thinking that is well over a hundred years old. If we weren't a diversified group, we couldn't call ourselves progressives, and we sure as hell couldn't call us Democrats.