Screw Groupthink: Think independently, dammit!

[msallied]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a Democrat despising the policies of a Democratic politician, and perhaps even calling him Slick Willy if he feels that said politician has earned said designation.

That does not make the person a Republican or a "Freeper."

Let's try not to excommunicate people for not following the herd, mkay? We're Democrats. We're supposed to be good at encouraging independent thought, are we not? And I personally don't think Bill Clinton has done much to deserve the respect of his fellow Democrats, especially lately. Disagree with me on that if you like, but don't ever call me or anyone else who feels the same a "freeper" because of it. Don't be so threatened by independent thought that it causes you to fear and insult everyone who doesn't use all of your preferred talking points.

[Youphemism]

1. Ditto!

[KittyWampus]

14. LOL!

[Bluerthanblue]

2. "Put a fence around people and you get sheep"-

If independent thought is bad- America is bad by design.

I'm not big on any kind of name-calling. I agree with you,- people DO see life from different viewpoints..none of which are "wrong"- Demanding lock-step agreement isn't 'democratic'- or logical.

peace~

[katandmoon]

3. OMG -- that's RICH!

[question everything]

4. You can criticize President Clinton without using the terms coined by Republicans

what will you do next? Talk about JFK and his affairs? Or about Ted and Chappaquiddick?

For along time I would get emails from former friends - now acquaintances - with trashy "jokes" about Hillary and Ted Kennedy, vulgar and offensive. And they finally stopped when I told them I don't want them.

By using your terms - what, your "independent thinking" cannot come with more civilized term?

[PoliticalAmazon]

6. If JFK starts using assassination as a campaign strategy then, yes....

I will have some choice criticisms against him, regarding his use of that heinous strategy.

[crankychatter]

5. NAFTA, CAFTA, the War on the Poor + Hillary's HMO Monopoly Push

fuggem

Bill is a misogynist asshole, Southern Dem which is to say, a Republican Crook with a used car salesman smile.

He thinks women are meat... sexual vessels

I see him with plaid pants, a narrow brimmed hat and white shoes

I campaigned for him twice and defended him against all comers with flame throwers...

while he and his wife were screwing us all

He's as slippery as a boiled peanut

I'll call them any damn thing I want

fuck him, and with her GOP complicity in the last seven years... fuck HER TOO

I mean that in the best possible way

[KittyWampus]

15. May I have permission to steal (I mean quote) your entire post?

[Donkey_Punch_Dubya]

7. Do you think there is irony in

the fact that as an Obama supporter, you say this while almost all posts that are not pro-Obama or anti-Clinton are ruthlessly attacked in this forum?

I'm neutral in the Clinton-Obama war, BTW.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. You know you can be just as effective, actually more

if you use the actual record of the clintons without using a RW meme

Just saying

[Moochy]

9. "You've all got to work it out for yourselves!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qANMjwLmo6Y

"Yes, we are all individuals"

[baldguy]

16. I'm not.

[TahitiNut]

10. As an independent liberal, I've always thought the voters were the HIGHEST authority ...

... in establishing our own criteria. I find the slavish subjugation to a candidate annoying at best and obscene most often. THEY are never the standard to which *I* must adhere; it's THEIR job to serve US and meet OUR best standards. This upside-down and through-the-looking-glass mentality so often seen is ridiculous. Some even seem to think others are responsible for THEIR vote. Nonsense. We're each free citizens responsible to ourselves and responsible for our own votes. I detest the kind of slavish partisanship that seems to think a person's vote is "owed" instead of "earned." Fuck that.
:shrug:

[TeamsterDem]

17. What a great post! Thank you. n/t

[cornermouse]

11. Given what the board has looked like for the past several

weeks, just how is calling Bill Clinton RW names independent thinking? There has been a mob mentality on this board that I never thought I would ever see on DU. And for the record, I voted for Edwards in the primary and have been appalled at what the Obama supporters have become.

[LWolf]

12. That includes not purging Democrats

who refuse to support Obama for president, right?

[TeamsterDem]

13. Thank God!

Having less than 200 posts I was afraid to post something like this. I'm glad I'm not alone in feeling this way.

While Bill Clinton did some good things as president, he also did some awful things. NAFTA, refusing to actively lobby for passage of an anti-striker replacement bill, welfare "reform," lacking a swift response to the U.S.S. Cole attack, and his failure to forcefully get behind Hillary's health care effort were all examples of the latter. Frankly I was then and am now unimpressed with Clinton's presidency.

Don't get me wrong. He wasn't all bad. And he was certainly better than anything the Republicans had to offer both then and now. But we should all feel free to criticize people of both parties if we don't feel they live up to our expectations. I expect sanctioning of intra-party criticism from our political foes, not from within.

[MethuenProgressive]

18. Without "groupthink," there'd be no Obama campaign.

David Axlerod plays the tune, and the followers follow.

[TeamsterDem]

20. Ahh yes because surely no Obama supporter has their own feelings, right?

What an elitist thing to say.

[DemVet]

19. "Slick Willy" is the same type of derogatory term as "Obama bin Laden"

I guess that one is OK too, right?

[TeamsterDem]

21. Bad analogy

One implies that the referenced person was immune to political downfall; the other implies a murderous terrorist.