I see it's already started, but I expect it will get worse. How bad, time will tell.
Very soon now, various destructive personality types, in and outside of the blogosphere, are going to decide that those who support a candidate who has fallen behind or has dropped out of the race should "get over it" and "move on" to supporting the "presumptive" nominee. They will then take it upon themselves to "persuade" those supporters to their point of view.
I would like to say that I think these people mean well, but I don't. I don't think anyone ever means well when they appoint themselves as the decider of what other people should or should not do, and even less so when they set about to force others to their point of view.
As someone who had a front row seat for some of the most appalling behavior I've ever seen, in or out of politics, in 2004, I have a few things to say on the matter, now, before it really gets bloody...
First, to those who are inclined to this type of behavior:
Rest assured that nothing is more likely to permanently alienate supporters of the losing candidates than trying to persuade, cajole, browbeat, or threaten them into getting over it and falling in line. This was so painfully apparent so early in the 2004 primaries that I could only conclude that the people who persisted in these efforts must have been:
- Republican trolls,
- Partisan hacks who supported a losing candidate and were far more eager to prove their loyalty to the alpha candidate than to actually bring anyone else on board, or
- People driven by a twisted zealotry that cared nothing for the damage they were plainly doing, but only for the egomaniacal thrill of trying to bend others to their will.
Of these, Republican trolls seemed by far the least likely...why waste time trying to drive Democrats away from their nominee when they can rely on other Democrats to do it for them?
This behavior makes Democrats look really, really bad. How little faith you have in your nominee if you feel you must pressure your fellow Dems into supporting him or her. How little faith you must have in your fellow Dems. How little respect you must have for each other. What a mockery of the whole concept of "Democratic values."
For the rest of you, be prepared.
You may be shocked at the venom. You may be shocked at who is spewing it.
Supporters of other candidates that you previously admired for their ability to amiably agree to disagree may become rabid.
Supporters of your own candidate may turn on you and say unimaginable things. People you liked, maybe even thought of as your friends.
People who inspired you daily by their commitment to their candidate may flip as easily as a lightswitch and denigrate you for not doing the same. Worse, your beloved candidate may aid and abet by flipping just as easily, and enthusiastically endorsing a candidate that seems to represent everything he or she campaigned against.
What to do, what to do?
I wish I knew.
I cannot recommend trying to reason with these people. That's been tried and failed many times. Certainly it doesn't help to spew back. Perhaps the best approach is to say simply and firmly that you will get behind the nominee whenever you are ready, and not a second sooner. Let them get over that.
If you find yourself starting to question yourself, remember that, no matter what anyone tells you, there is no nominee to get behind until after the National Convention. There is work to be done, yes, but there is no need to fall in love with a candidate to do that work. Trust me on that one. And the presidential nominee isn't the only candidate that needs your support. The groundwork for a November GOTV effort will eventually benefit all Democratic candidates, so feel free to direct your energies to a congressional, state, or local campaign.
Here on DailyKos, I think the people who are in the best position to address this behavior are those who have established themselves as strong supporters of the nominee. Assuming they don't become one of the perpertrators themselves, they can denounce this type of behavior without being subject to accusations of sour grapes or disloyalty to the Party.
If those who support the nominee will step up to do that, I suggest that the rest of you may just want to stay out of it. It is, after all, their problem...it is their candidate who is likely to be hurt by this behavior. You may do well to let them deal with it, and focus your energies elsewhere.