Look, I admire the fact that you're trying to figure out a percieved problem in this election, or should I say post primary phase of an election. I really do. Both sides are going to have to do some of this if we're going to try and fix this mess and keep yet another right wing repub out of the white house.

But I have to (at least inmy own case refute your initial premise. We're NOT trying to drive you from the party. We'd love it if you'd come with us.

The problem seems to be identifying common ground between each candidates supporters.

Here's one of the reasons I see.

A) Obama supporters are never going to say/think/believe/agree with you that the best candidate wasn't Obama. We thought and still think he IS the best candidate. We think the best candidate DID win, against all odds, and with a lot of our help. We're really proud of that.

Strangely, we also see Obama as slightly less liberal than HRC. A lot of people aren't necessarily in favor of mandated healthcare, it smacks of socialism to many of us.

Now, could that be at least a part of what you're seeing as arrogance in Obama supporters?

I'm sorry if it looks that way, we (well most of us anyway) certainly don't intend to upset HRC's supporters. But if any of us thought HRC was the better candidate we'd have voted for HER and we'd be on the other side of this discussion. So at this late date, with all the voting already done, we're kinda stuck with that one.

And I assume that HRC supporters feel dissappointed that the candidate they prefered and believed in and voted for didn't win. This seems to lead to a belief that because they view Obama as an inferior candidate he is doomed to lose in November.

As an Obama supporter I can empathise with that, WE spent the whole primary terrified that HRC would get the nomination. And then the republicans would drag up EVERY scandal and rumor and current piece of BS from her and Bill's many years in the public eye, and the dems would lose for sure. I mean we saw an endless parade of humiliation for both Hillary personally AND the democratic party as the repubs danced all the way from the Rose Law firm, through Monica Lewinsky, and on to the Peter Paul case she's currently involved in.

So I guess we do have SOME STUFF IN COMMON. Each sides supporters are hyper-sensitive to the negatives of the others chosen candidate. But far more importantly..we're ALL terrified of the same thing, we're all afraid

OF LOSING to Republicans..AGAIN.

But if we can somehow find enough compassion for each other, (yeah we're a little bruised too), and get calm and stay focussed on the big prize, a DEMOCRAT in the white house, WE, the democratic party, can and WILL kick McCain's butt !

And we're ALL really passionate about the Democrats taking back the White House. For a lot of reasons, most of which we probably have in common as well. The WAR and the utterly crashing economy being the most obvious ones.

When it comes to policy we probably have some differences, as all individuals do, but we must have a lot in common too since Hillary and Obama's platforms are so close that some news guy wondered out loud who was copying who. And they are BOTH democrats.

Another irritant for HRC supporters seems to be the media coverage she recieved.

I just have to say, TRUST ME, we Obama supporters are NOT in control of the media. If we were, old Teflon John wouldn't be getting away with half the crap he's doing and saying, and furthermore, the Rev. Wright scandal would have lasted exactly two hours. Preferably between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on a Sunday.

I have said quite frequently on this board and others, the media is indeed biased.

They are biased towards sensationalism. It sells ads and fills news cycles for them.

This did not work out well for HRC, and coincidentally often did work out in Obama's favor.

Here's the real reason as far as I can see. And no, it wasn't fair.

What could possibly be a more exciting story to cover, or sell more ads than:

Big name democratic inevitable nominee deposed by rising young star from out of nowhere.

That was the media's story and they stuck to it.

And to be honest about this (which is VERY hard since I'm an Obama supporter) it may be the factor that tipped the balance and gave him the nomination. Because this primary was CLOSE, really close.

But still, at the end of the day, Obama supporters have no right to tell HRC supporters what to think or do. We really don't. But the same applies in reverse. We aren't going to feel bad about winning, ever.