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You don't have to pretend you love a candidate to create a healthy dialogue with their supporters, but you do have to stop unnecessarily badmouthing the candidate and supporters to get the respect and consideration of those voters (not the bots) who admire said candidate.
Some politicians are also heinous individuals with abhorrent beliefs and positions, and those who continue to support them no longer merit my respect, though I will *try* to remain courteous. I know I will never find political common ground with that constituency.
I hope that one day we might find a path to renewing civil and respectful connections as human beings, but that's a long road, to be walked in the future. For now, I want to focus on the people who do - for the most part - agree on how our nation should look/act...
...regardless of the politician we may each support, we need to stop attacking, criticizing, or otherwise denigrating the character of any other candidates on our side (and I don't care whether they call themselves a Democrat or not).
Every liberal candidate has accomplishments worthy of strong admiration, as well as actions or statements deserving of criticism. I have yet to find one 2020 liberal candidate who deserves the scorn and contempt that was thrown by so many liberals at Clinton or Sanders in 2016.
Let's each take the time, instead of smearing the character of a candidate, to look for the great things done by each candidate running as a Democrat, and honor that. Find the one candidate you want to support, and celebrate and evangelize them.
Put your energy wholly into the good work of convincing others why your preferred candidate deserves our support. Don't spend one minute more complaining about another candidate for the Democrat nomination. Feel free to critique a position with which you disagree...
...but stop with the personal attacks and self-cannibalizing vitriol. A vast swath of voters want a strong liberal President, but the internecine warfare already begun within the Liberal ranks is helping Conservative candidates gain ground through passive attrition.
We will disagree over the next 21 months, about many things. Let us agree, however, to be civil about one another's candidates who stand for so many of the same principles as we do. Let's only speak of the issues and platforms.
The candidates are OUR representatives, and when we denounce a candidate, we denounce their supporters, by direct extension. If that is your goal, carry on. If voter unity is your goal, things must change immediately, no matter how difficult that may seem to you.
