these diaries are such a waste and they shoot up the rec list. Diaries on issues just sit there. What is up with this place?

"Shut up and know your place and vote Obama!" Wow you really turned me around.

So the concern trolls, the ones who flock to any diary asking "well, what has Obama done/said about X?" like you're making some kind of point - you should really put up or suck it up.

Voters have THE MOST influence over elected officials during an election. Obama is basically running unopposed. Right now is the best time to ask about his policy proposals.

We're a nation of laws, not men. It is the DUTY of citizens to hold leaders accountable, not to follow them blindly.

concern troll. Because it's lost its meaning.

But let's not forget that it's not about anything but being the center of your own world and making sure you get to express yourself about how important the reaction to your reaction to anything is the paradigm of Democracy in action. Like I've said before, lock step posting is neither here nor there, but some of you should at least have the decency to get a room and leave non self-possessed people alone.  

There are no centrist candidates in American politics anymore, and anyone on the left who thinks there are is buying into one of the biggest PR jobs the Republicans inflicted on the US during the past 30 years.  

So long as Obama favors federalizing health care, raising taxes on high earners, and withdrawing from Iraq completely, how can one call him a centrist?  If he did all of that he'd be the most liberal president since FDR.

And so long as McCain favors keeping permanent bases in Iraq and appointing Scalia clones to the Supreme Court, the US could only continue its social drift to the right.  

The last truly centrist Republican president was probably Gerald Ford.

But that's not what Republicans want people to believe, of course.  This all goes back to Ronald Reagan's argument that he didn't leave the Democratic party, the Democratic party left him.

Great diary.

A letter from the boss (Hillary & Friends)

I must confess a bit of fatigue and irritation with people who continue to carp, complain, and criticize the results of the primary and lay down conditions for their support. The Los Angeles Lakers didn't establish conditions to recognize the Boston Celtics as NBA Champions; Roger Federer did not demand concessions before recognizing that Rafael Nadal defeated him at Wimbledon.

...but not be cause I agree with you. I don't agree at all, but I think we should have the discussion. Certainly, there are PUMA's out there who are destructive to the party and serve no useful purpose.  But there are also people who want to hold our candidates to a higher standard.

As far as I'm concerned, "suck it up" is the worst possible advice to give voters and activists in an election year, or any other time, for that matter. We can't change things that way.  It's our job to push our candidates and make them responsible to us, not the other way around. Criticism, even harsh criticism, is not concern trolling. Markos absolutely has the right to push Obama to be more progressive on issues.  I would argue he not only has the right, it's his duty.  I don't agree with Markos on a lot of things, but I do on this.

We all know that McCain would be a horrifying nightmare as a president.  That's not even a real question. But that doesn't mean we stop pushing our candidate to be better. That makes us sycophants, not supporters.

Look at the last couple of sentences in your diary:

So the concern trolls, the ones who flock to any diary asking "well, what has Obama done/said about X?" like you're making some kind of point - you should really put up or suck it up. I expect to see your keyboard commando butts out there leading the the revolutionaries in the charge to storm the White House, or voting for Obama in November.

 You seem to be clearly suggesting that people who ask questions about Obama are automatically concern trolls who should either shut up and open their wallets or prepare for an armed assault on the White House.

I'd suggest that most Democrats recognize that Obama is the clear choice, but we still need to make sure he hears what we are saying.  I won't just suck it up.  I didn't do it for Hillary and I won;t do it now.  When Hillary did something I really didn't like, I expressed my disapproval in no uncertain terms, and that's what I'll continue to do.

..but if I may say, it is not constructive to dictate to people under what criteria they should make their choice when they vote.

In this country voting is not a privlage, it's a right.  You don't have to take a test or prove you're mentally competant.   And everyone is entitled to make their choices how ever they see fit.  They can choose a candidate based on something as shallow as hairstyle or eye color, or they can make it based on something as deep as the future of the world as we know it.

But in the end, it's a choice everyone has to make themselves.  

You would be better served trying to demonstrate to people, how much better Obama is than McCain without the judgement and lecturing.

People might not be convinced right away, heck they might not ever be convinced.  But you'll have a might higher percentage of success if you don't accuse them right off the bat of being childish and petulant.

Just saying.

At the top of the rec list, I was expecting this diary to be more of an attack on McCain and his platform, rather than upon the small percentage of wavering democrats who still so support Clinton they are threatening to go out on strike.

The threat, as you surely know is a historical, tried and true, union principal of influencing the eventual deal made with management (new or old) during contract negotiations.

We need more mediation around here and less confrontation. "Suck it Up", given the content of your diary, was a disappointing offer to the negotiating table.

I would have heartily recommended this diary.  But not now.  I agree with all the sentiments expressed, but there has just been way too much feeding of the trolls around here.  Hopefully, if we just lay off the subject of the past campaign, WHICH IS OVER, we can revisit the issue again some day.

Or, work within the system with what we have.

Umm that is what we are doing. There are no conditions for our support. We withdrew our money from the party. We speak out on blogs and in person about the failures in the system-why the hell do we any super delegates anyway? We will not vote for the chosen one because this is a democracy and that is our voice. We organize protests. We hold the people responsible for the mess we are in accountable and do not continue to support them.

The only whiners here are people like you. Insulting people who have chosen to no longer support a party that continues to disrespect our views. If we keep voting for them they think they can continue to ignore us. If they lose when everything points to their winning they will either fail as a party and new one will rise or they  will grow a backbone.

This is called civil disobedience. What you propose -just going along because it is the best we can get is not the way to achieve our goals which is bring the country to the left from where it is which is very far right.

Attacking women voters who are considering supporting Obama certainly isn't a good strategy for attracting their support.

Its time Obama folks begin considering whether their tactics are playing into the GOP's hands instead of helping their candidate. Maybe some of those who are so vociferously attacking women voters are really fellow Obama supporters.

This may be the first presidential campaign many of you have been involved in and it might be helpful to realize your inexperience is hurting you.

wow, your update is almost as dismissive and insulting as the original diary. Yeah right since someone disagrees with you they HAVE TO BE MCLAME VOTERS (gee all caps is sooooo impressive!). someday you may realize the world does not revolve around you and the lines you are drawing all over the place do not control or define anyone except yourself.

It would take a major act of bad faith to MISREAD what you originally wrote, and anyone who has a problem with the clarification is just an inveterate trouble maker, attention seeker or troll (e.g. zerosumgame above)

Incisive and eloquent as always Upstate Girl. I used to be BRIT, until I was banned in the battle of Bob Johnson Bridge, but I've missed you in the last month or so here. Keep it up with your passionate diaries, and your withering comments too!