Democratic Party Fissures
It's been twenty years since Texas voters have played a part in the selection of a party's nominee for President. This year brought plenty of excitement and, for me, ultimately disappointment. Not in the results, which won't be known until tomorrow, but in the behavior of Texans.
Just a month ago, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama held a debate in Los Angeles before the Super Tuesday primaries. They conducted themselves civilly, agreed on most issues, and expressed honor at sharing the stage. The final debate question, in which both Clinton and Obama expressed themselves open to the possibility of a so-called dream ticket of Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton, brought cheers from the partisan Democratic crowd.
A month later, the two candidates have sharpened their language, but their debates are still civil. It's their supporters who have sunk to the lowest depths in smearing the opposing candidates. The comments sections in The Dallas Morning News political blogs are filled with vile insults, slurs, slanders and outright lies. Today, it's impossible for me to imagine Democrats celebrating a ticket shared by Clinton and Obama. Bitterness has burrowed way too deep, not into the candidates themselves, but their supporters.
I don't know if all the other states experienced the same level of dirty politics as the campaigns came through, or if Texas is seeing something different because it comes so late in the process. All I know is that a month ago, the Republicans were unhappy with any of their choices and the Democrats were thrilled with their wealth of satisfactory candidates. Today, the Republicans have reached, if not peace, at least a cease fire. But the Democrats are tearing each other apart. Texans were eyewitness to the whole sorry spectacle.
P.S. I single out The Dallas Morning News mainly because that's the source I am most familiar with, but it also seems to be a source that does the least moderation of readers' comments. Just about anything goes. The reporters admit they are overwhelmed with volume, yet are doing the best they can. If they are moderating anything at all, I'd hate to read the kinds of posts that get censored. The ones that get through are offensive enough.
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