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Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

McCamy Taylor

(19,240 posts)
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 02:13 PM Mar 2019

Help Me Out Here? WTF is the "Purity Patrol" in regards to the Democratic Primaries?

I googled "Purity Patrol" and got an environmental group that tests water. But in a political context this makes no sense. How does "purity patrol" relate to the Democratic Primaries? Is there some broader meaning to this phrase that I do not understand? In the context in which I heard it used, it struck me as being sort of a politically loaded comment, like "political correctness" as it used to be used to protect hate speech and "welfare queen" as used by Reagan to make poverty something to despise rather than something to pity.

Or maybe it is like Paws Patrol? My grandson loves Paws Patrol.

BTW, I will be here often checking for Divide and Conquer/Kneecapping/ and Anyone is a Phony (favorite GOP Democratic Primary lie of the 21st century). And if something troubles me, I will say so. This is a political forum that encourages political debate. We should all come away from this forum at the end of the day a little bit more politically savvy (I know I do. I now know the phrase "purity patrol') Anyone who objects to me checking for Divide and Conquer/Kneecapping/Anyone is a Phony, please let me know why. If your objection is that for the first time in decades, I have chosen not to remain undecided, well, sometimes Granny has to shake things up a bit. If your objection is that I am a smart ass, then you are correct. The snark is strong within you, McCamy. If your objection is that my comments do not reflect the opinions of the guy at the bottom of my page, I am not pretending to reflect his opinions. I have been around for a long time and my opinions are my own and no young whippersnapper from El Paso will make me change my opinions.

Party on, dudes. And by that, I mean Democratic Party on! And if you have not read Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972" Angela Davis's "Women, Race and Class" and Eric Hobsbawn's "Bandits" (the last pertains specifically to Trump and his popularity with his rural base and gives clues as to how best to divide him from his base) then add them to your summer reading list.

This is shaping up to be a great primary. I wish Dr. Gonzo and Molly Ivins were here. They would love this one.




If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Help Me Out Here? WTF is the "Purity Patrol" in regards to the Democratic Primaries? (Original Post) McCamy Taylor Mar 2019 OP
Ignore them and do what you think is best RandySF Mar 2019 #1
Look up "no true Scotsman" TwilightZone Mar 2019 #2
Trying to extrapolate from this definition. McCamy Taylor Mar 2019 #4
If you Google "purity patrol democrats", you'll find what you're looking for SFnomad Mar 2019 #3
That one does not make sense. McCamy Taylor Mar 2019 #5
 

RandySF

(57,636 posts)
1. Ignore them and do what you think is best
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 02:20 PM
Mar 2019

otherwise we’ll just go crazy.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

TwilightZone

(25,342 posts)
2. Look up "no true Scotsman"
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 02:34 PM
Mar 2019

That's basically what it is, but applied to primary politics.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

McCamy Taylor

(19,240 posts)
4. Trying to extrapolate from this definition.
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 06:11 PM
Mar 2019

I (McCamy Taylor) am guilty of riding the "purity patrol" because when I see an example of Divide and Conquer or Kneecapping or (Any Democratic Candidate) is a Phony in the DU Primaries section, I assume that the one putting forth this propaganda is not a true Democrat. But, in fact true Democrats play Divide and Conquer/Kneecapping and (Any Democratic Candidate) is a Phony all the time in the primary. and therefore instead of saying they are not true Democrats I should write that they are stupid as shit, self defeating, short sighted Democrats who are shooting their party and its candidates in the foot?


Is this accurate? Because I am more than happy to start using the second assumption. Not everyone has what it takes to be a skillful Russian troll. I am sure that mixed in among the trolls are some really dumb Democrats.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

SFnomad

(3,473 posts)
3. If you Google "purity patrol democrats", you'll find what you're looking for
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 02:47 PM
Mar 2019

Many of the articles are a few years old. Many of the articles are from right wingnut websites that want to exploit the dis-unity.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

McCamy Taylor

(19,240 posts)
5. That one does not make sense.
Sat Mar 16, 2019, 06:16 PM
Mar 2019

"Purity patrol Democrats" in this context is a way to say "Shoo! Your idealism will cost us elections and then we all suffer." So, for instance, Susan Sarandon becomes the poster child for Purity Patrol.

When I point out Kneecapping/Divide and Conquer and (Any Democratic Candidate) is a Phony, I am very pragmatically trying to help the party. Rather than focusing on the primary and trying to get a single candidate elected, I am trying to make sure we emerge from the primaries with a candidate who can actually win. Unless one can be too good a Democrat. But I thought that Yellow Dog Democrat was the phrase for that one.

Hey, why does not DU have a Yellow Dog smilie? I want a yellow dog smilie!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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