I tried to extend an olive branch this weekend... I was ignored 100%. It started in your camp and now we have hot heads on both sides attacking and counter attacking. I cannot believe how innocent you and others try to paint the Perry supporters... you are turning many of us into voters that despise Rick because of your side's antics. Keep it up... Jim has warned several of your team previously.
LLS
Herein lies the problem. There is no 'your side'. Palin's not running. If she was, we could all shrug and say, 'May the best candidate win'. Lots of folks, myself included, would be thrilled to have Palin run and jump ship to her side.
As someone who could support either Palin or Perry, it's clear that 80% of the problem is caused by about 20% of very vocal Palin fans. Are there Perry posters that go to far? Sure, and it's no nevermind to me if they ride the lightning out. If you can't be civil, you should be shown the door.
But this is apples and oranges. Perry's in the race, right now, serving a means to a very important end of challenging Barack Obama. Even if Palin jumps in, the strategy of defeating Obama with a very electable, reasonably conservative candidate, vice going for a longshot with a better conservative with much lower odds of winning, is a fair thing to debate. But it should be debated, not suppressed. No one is running to the mods to get people banned over calling Perry names. As far as I'm concerned, if Perry can't hack FR, he can't hack the general. A candidate should have to absorb and explain any insults people can generate, because the general will be worse. Palin fans don't agree. They think she's suffered enough and refuse to hear any further criticism. If Palin jumps in, there's going to be a huge push to ban any dissenting posters, opinions or discussion of her weaknesses as a topic. How does that help?
There's already a push now, against the front-running GOP candidate, by supporters of a GOP figure who's not running. So, even if it was a 50/50 split as far as trouble making went, then logically the favor should be show to the candidate who's actually in the race. Right? We can always reevaluate later if things change, but as they are, Perry's our best chance.
Anyway, I hope you don't find this too incendiary. It's not meant to be. I think we would all be better off by turning down the sniping on each other and putting it back on Obama. Give the olive branch another try. There's room enough for everyone's opinion here. ;-)