I favor Clinton over Obama (and Edwards over her), but it kills me to hear Clinton supporters swearing they'll vote for McCain over Obama in november - it kills me because it's intensly childish, self-defeating, and utterly short-sighted.

It's perhaps the most important election in decades, if only - and it's a big "if only" - because of the immediate need to take action on climate change and alternative energy. And restoring the constitution, and ending the war - it's a big list, but those are big things, and the biggest, the planet, is bigger than our country, our parties, and any of our puny hurt feelings. Species going extinct - and if McCain is president, species will go extinct, that might have a chance with any democrat - are more important than rudeness on a website. Jesus H. Christ, people.

I personally find Obama callow and glib and unseasoned, but my cat - given a decent cabinet, a majority in congress, and a democratic platform - would be a better president for the planet than John McCain. Remember how much Clinton and Obama overlap in terms of actual policy positions. Just give it a damned rest, breathe, wait for the convention to settle things, and remember what's more important.

And all of that said, the same goes for Obama supporters who insist on still picking fights about Clinton. This does absolutely nothing but hurt your candidate, however empowered it may make you feel in the moment. It is also, given the stakes, irresponsible. Grow up and look past it, especially if the Clinton supporters are still pissed off and pissing you off, because this isn't over, and most of them will come around if you just shut the fuck up about it.

Again and again, I have to wonder if many Obama supporters posting here give a damn about winning in November. At most, Obama's pulling 30% of the electorate at present, and yet these people are acting like everyone else - especially the rest of the Democrats - can go fuck themselves.

I say this as a one-time Edwards supporter who really, really doesn't want a Repubican winning the white house. Why are you people anwering any question of Obama with a screech about Clinton being worse? I have news for you - Clinton's finished, and all that screeching accomplishes is to piss off and frustrate the people who favored her (who Obama needs). Focus on McCain, and focus on plugging Obama's weak spots with something other than sarcasm and shouting about a battle that's not only over, but one that needs to be put behind everyone as soon and as gracefully as possible.

Trying to bully Salon into your own version of Fox does not help Obama win. What helps him win is to expand his arguments, expand his constituency, and answer his very real (like every other candidate running) weaknesses.

It seems obvious that the larger point here is that 49% of the democrats in the primaries have supported a candidate other than Obama in a very contentious battle that's left a lot of hard feelings on either side. It seems just as obvious that to win in November, Obama has to have the active support of all these democrats.

And sure, tasting the victory at last, some of his supporters and advisors (I think it's really obvious how much Kennedy is relishing getting the upper hand on the Clintons), want to turn these last moments into a "give it up! you lost! you suck!" exultation. It's humanly understandable. But it's enormously stupid. None of this end game is about Clinton. It's about the people standing behind her, whose feelings and beliefs are not negated - in their eyes - by coming a few precentage points short.

It's not in Obama's (or, more importantly, the planet's) interest to turn Clinton supporters either away (though I think few will really end up voting against him or staying home) or simply off, into grudging, nose-holding voters who won't work for Obama's campaign the way they might. That seems like a very good recipe for following in the footsteps of Kerry.

Not that I think Obama himself is doing this. His supporters, however, need to stop thinking of Clinton as an enemy, and damned quick. Winning in November actually depends on it.

As someone attached to neither Democrat and thinking more about the general, I have to say that the scattering of Obama supporters posting above in these comments - I'm thinking of a few very voluble individuals - might want to examine their habit of piling on, en masse, pretty much no matter what Joan says. I get that you wish Joan saw it your way, and I get that you would prefer different coverage from Salon "of all places". But the totally predictable nature of the posts suggests more that what you'd like is just your own brand of Fox.

I'm not saying you don't have a point. But the repetitive yammering is totally undercutting it, and makes sifting these comments like trying to think in a carload of nine year-olds.