I'm actually a little shocked by the complete lack of actual thought (and correspondingly massive upsurge of obscenity and homophobic metaphors) in the responses.

I think it might be useful to distinguish between partisanship and ideological differences. When I think of "partisanship" I think of Republicans who felt it was the worst possible attack on our constitution to have Bill Clinton lie about an affair but dismiss the lying of the current administration. I thinkof Democrats who are quick to denounce the current administration of being jack booted thugs but happily stood by mutely when the Clinton administration used unforgiveably excessive violence in Waco and Ruby Ridge. Or the proper denunciation of Republican unethical behavior coupled with the disgraceful silence about the Congressman with the freezer full of money.

To me, being ideologically inconsistent in order to defend the party of your choice is the worst sort of partisanship and is destructive to the very foundations of democracy.

On the other hand, disagreeement on matters of principle seem to be a thing of ancient history. I am a registered Republican of libertarian leanings who has voted mostly Democrat and Libertarian for the past two decades. (I am also no troll, but a salon subscriber.) I don't really have a party horse to back in this fight, but I would like to see some intellectual consistency on both sides.

Fight all you like over substantive issues, but blowing with the wind depending on who is in power is useless. So, when I think of post-partisanship, I think of people who fight for things they believe in, not just their team.

Earlier, I mentioned Ruby Ridge incorrectly and I apologize. I think though that my larger point was correct: people who countenance behavior from their own side while condemning it from the other are doing a disservice to the nation.

When the Kerry allowed the Democratic National Convention organizers to move demonstrators out of sight and ear shot (whether or not they adopted W’s stupid “free speech area” terminology, I don’t know), he showed himself to be just as willing to abuse our rights as Bush is.

To Chas who said people were nutcases at Waco, that may be true. But just because you’re crazy, doesn’t mean that they government has the right to kill you. Rodney King was stoned and driving dangerously, was it okay for the cops to beat the shit out of him with billy clubs? I bet the people in MOVE were really crappy neighbors, but perhaps the Philadelphia police overreacted when they drowned them, shot them and burned down a whole city block in an effort to evict them.

You see, if we let ANYONE abuse someone’s rights just because the government of the moment thinks their ideas are crazy, then what happens when the government decides that a different group of people should be targeted, like people who advocate environmentalism or nuclear disarmament or gun control? I honestly believe that the left didn’t criticize Waco because the people in there were religious zealots and therefore not like the left so not worth defending.

We seem to have forgotten the lesson of the ACLU and the Skokie Nazis. We defend their right to march because by doing so we live up to our own highest ideals.

Finally, I don’t see how come people can’t arrive at a better rejoinder than “fuck you” or “screw you” or threatening to put a brick in someone’s head. Let’s take it up a notch, folks.

I am one of her constituents and I write a few times a year to badger about basic civil right issues and the form letters I get back laying out her positions horrify me. When I wrote in about flag burning, I got back a convoluted letter explaining to me that she is opposed to the anti flag burning amendment (good), because she feels it should be outlawed without an amendment. What the fuck kind of logic is that? If she is not going to stand up for such a basic civili liberty as the right to burn the flag, honestly, fuck her. She'll never ever get my vote.

I am a history professor and am surrounded by a substantially left of center peer group. I live in NY. I am involved. I don't know a single person who likes HIllary or would support her. I know lots of people who voted for her while holding their noses, but none who are lining up to put Hillary signs on their front lawns.

I always wonder, hust who IS her base? Who is giving her all this money? It can't all be coming from Barabara Streisand, but I've never come across an ardent supporter even among NY democrats.