such as the general election, then, yes, your readership falls, Jerome.

So traffic is down, but people need to recover. Who could have imagined four long months of arguments and counter arguments. It wasn't sustainable, and the primaries ran their course.

Personally, I thought Obama's father's day speech was great, and worth more attention.

PS. I didn't detect any snark in this diary.

The primaries are over. We get it, you're unhappy that your candidate lost.

Also:

"The thing that shakes me up about his chances is that I just paid $4.33 for a gallon of gas, and its this close?!?!"

Clinton only ever polled, at best, one or two points better than Obama, sometimes she polled worse than Obama. This jab really fails to connect.

Better not to jab at all, though, we're on the same side now.

Get over it already.

...assuming it's at all possible to rouse the bolosphere's own Rip Van Winkle.

When the Obama-Clinton race was in full swing, this was an exciting spot.  Good discussion (some) bad discussion, and spirited debate.

Before that, there were people writing great diaries on issues that I found interesting.  Health care, welfare, international affairs- smart stuff.

In the last month, this site has slipped into a bit of a coma.  Partially unavoidable, since the big primary spectacle is over, but instead of picking up where we were before, all I see are:

-Diaries about sexism.
-Diaries from people yelling at the people for writing a diary of sexism.
-Diaries from people earning McCain points.
-Diaries from people explaining what hoops Obama must jump through to win their votes
-Diaries yelling at said people
-Diaries about this poll result or that poll result and how it's either our saving grace or our Doom.

What's the point?  We could sit and sift through congressional races, which would be great.  We could sift through Obama's platform and find what we like, and what we don't, and call for change where we see it needs to be there.

But people are still stuck in this Clinton vs Obama mindset, and until that goes away, MyDD goes from a "subscribe via RSS and check the site every 20 min or so" to a "check at the end of the day and see what happened then move on".

I think the fact that a lot of non-Democrats who had an interest in keeping our contest going stopped coming here, or that enthusiasm for fighting with said non-Democrats has fallen, is combining with sheer burnout from the intensity of emotion that was our primaries.

Without the Democratic horserace keeping readership up, the site needs to expand and improve coverage on other issues.

A classic post by Jerome.  He hits his main points

-HRC wins even when she loses!  Its all about HRC.

-Its the Obama supporters who are having a tough time dealing.  Everything is their fault.

-Passive aggressiveness

The other thing that's clear is that this race has went into a deep sleep since Clinton dropped out. The traffic on the blogs (not just MyDD), via the Liberal Ad Network stats, has dropped by 25%, from 160M to 120M, monthly. I'm certainly bored by it, and was hoping for the Town Hall events, but that seems a non-starter. All there seems to be, for the next couple of months, is endless VP speculation and a plethora of polls that won't matter come September. Wake me up when it begins.

Can you please make it clear you have no associations with NoQuarter and their thugs and America haters are not welcome here.

If you supported Hillary during the primary and now after, how can you let these people drag her whole career and reputation into the mud.

Obama and the DNC have put Larry Johnson in the same hopper as Floyd Brown.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/f ightthesmearshome/
[Look at the FIRST entry]

Noquarter along with a few others are now actively campaigning to bring down the Democratic party.
They have stated they want to smear any down ticket race that is even related to Obama.

Jerome please take a stand.

If Floyd Brown is not welcome here, I don't see how the Larry Johnson's hit squad are allowed.

I am not saying for you to ban members but at least say you are not associated with him or his like.  Many times this site is accused of being a friendly despot for members of his site and the other 2 mirror sites.
I hope and believe that is not the case.

[Also I am pretty sure that the NoQuarter and Hillaryis44 was brought to the attention of the Secret Service for violent threats against the lives of Obama and his wife made last Friday]

Ummm.. She dint' win by 500,000 votes, in fact she didn't win the popular vote at all... unless, of course, you count illegal elections and discount legal caucus ones.

Amazing that the Clinton supporters are so eager to scream disenfranchisement about MI, but have no qualms about eliminating the votes of at least 4 other states.

And yes, we don't understand why you are so "ho hum" about a guy who was the first person in 30 years to beat a Clinton.  Obama is going to transform the map and give us a permanent democratic majority...

But, that's not something to get excited about, is it?

I'm so glad you will fight through your ennui and depression to pull the lever for Obama in November. Your enthusiasm is breathtaking! It's clear your commitment to the liberal agenda surpasses personal preference for a candidate no longer in the presidential picture.

Yes, Obama is so boring. Life without Hillary is just an empty glass from the glamorous party of her campaign, coated with the dregs of the excitement of her candidacy. She shone while he faltered. Oh, yeah.

This isn't about hating Hillary, Jerome. It's about loving the possibility that we might get a more moral administration next year. Your reputation as a liberal is at stake. Slumber until November if you wish, Jerome. But no real liberal would think of it.

Damn gas is expensive. Gosh, Hillary Clinton would have handled it so much better, thats why her lead over John McCain was like, sixty points or something!

with 'leadership' like this.  This is really some sad, delusional stuff here Jerome.  Obama supporters are the ones struggling?  This stuff is just embarrassing.  It would be one thing coming from just some random silly person, but isn't this your site?  

Hillary wasn't 'shining' as she ran parallel attacks with the GOP on Obama.  That 'polished gold' crap is, let me say it again, embarrassing as hell.  Coming from supposed Democrats, this stuff makes me blush.  Maybe you should go into phone sales or something and leave politics alone?  

....exacerbated here by a real antagonism towards the primary results.

So much to talk about now, but people on both sides still seem stuck in the primary.  I guess that's natural and will end at some point.

Meanwhile, analyses of polling data (even this far out), Obama's policy positions, how his campaign is responding to McCain and how they are organizing now, voter registration efforts, local races, all should be providing fodder for front page pieces and mostly are not.  There is a lot to be said but the same things keep being addressed over and over again, in some weird loop.  

When this ends and there is some kind of unity I think things will change.  If there isn't we will lose.  

But you were certainly awake enough yesterday to post McCain internet ads, then pretend to be interested in what Obama would do about it.

I'm sorry, but unless she is offered the VP and accepts, we really aren't going to be hearing much from Hillary up until the general election. That's the sad truth, and if you're going to feign indifference, then so be it.

Just make sure that you continue your self imposed slumber next time you get a "IZ OBAMA TEH DUM? YEZ OR NOEZ?" pop up ad.

While I can't argue against it being 'this close' it certainly isn't 'close' pre se.

Obama is polling better than bush EVER polled against Kerry.

Jerome,

Hillary didn't 'start to shine.'  She hit the states with her best demographics right around the time Obama was dealing with the Rev. Wright.  This has created a situation in which partisans saw her as improving.

But she never really did.  Her polling numbers never went up nationally, her negatives never really dropped.  There isn't a lot of data to support your contention that cannot be easily explained through demographics....

Well said.

I, too, have been quite surprised by the reactions of my pro-Obama friends who can't quite seem to grasp that I'm okay with Obama . . . just "okay."  

Since when did the democratic party turn into a religion?

Your readership is falling, because you keep blogging about Clinton instead of about Obama, Jerome. And she's no longer on the race. That and that alone makes your blog irrelevant.

Face it, man. The primaries are over. You're either with Obama, or you're with McCain. If you really support Clinton, you'd be with her in doing everything to get a Democrat elected this November, rather than thinking up new ways to undermine our nominee.

Wow, I'm sort of surprised this post has generated so much criticism.  

Personally, I agree that this is a bit of a down period -- and naturally so after the crazy-long primary period -- and think that's probably a good thing.  We still have a long way to go till November, so a bit of a summer lull strikes me as healthy.  Likewise, I fail to see how anythign Jerome said here is surprising or particularly offensive.  He doesn't much like Obama, but he will obviously vote for him and prefers him to McCain.  So what?  If you like Obama, then try to keep in mind the fact that your guy (my guy too) won.  That ought to help you be little less grouchy about others not being quite as enthusiastic.    

"Losing is winning!"

Also, are you ever going to get around to eating that shoe?

I think the hardcore Obama supporters are having a tough time dealing with the fact that the rest of us are so ho hum about his candidacy.

well said.

I will vote for Obama, but I am not excited about him as I was about Hillary.  How can Obama excite the millions of HRC supporters who will vote for Obama but do nothing else?

This isn't sour grapes - the only candidate I voted for in a primary that went to the GE was Gore.  My choice in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 2004 didn't get to the GE - yet, I was excited to work for them - as a volunteer, spreading the news, talking to people.

I don't feel that "luv" this election.  I may never feel it.

also, for those who state quit talking about Hillary, well, sorry folks.  She is an amazing person and so is her husband.

I hope we continue to talk about strong democrats like Hillary and BC for years to come.  

we want them on our side.  And you should as well

You're bored.  Boo fricken hoo.    

You'll vote for Obama, but he doesn't excite you.  You got a big platform, get off your ass and do something with it.  Instead using it to whine about your nominee, why not find a dozen senate, congressional and governor candidates that can get you motivated, and raise their profile?  Or analyze which states can best utilize additional resources this summer in improving democratic prospects in the fall.  Or are your days of crashing gates behind you?  Time to coast?

Me?  I'm excited.  And doing something about it.

The gate is being crashed, Jerome.  We'll wake you afterwards, I guess.

Hillary should have ran as herself and not as a surrogate Bill Clinton.  Also, she should not have pandered to women, because  she did not have to.  She would have been a much better candidate if she would have stayed positive.  These are some of the reasons she lost.  I never hated Hillary, I just thought that the Clintons had their time, and it was time for a change from Bushes, and Clintons.  Obama is a great step in a new direction.

Wow, this is a pretty partisan post that I'm not sure accomplishes much.  What I mean by that is, I have no problem with someone "liking" Clinton, but there's absolutely no attempt at providing reasonable perspective.

Clintons popularity has increased, compared to what?  Arguably her political future is a big ole TBD right now and I think, as usual, her and her supporters are believing too much of their own inevitability.  If you look at polling data a year ago versus now, her numbers dropped in almost every category.  However, since because in the last month of the primary her numbers went from horrendous to OK now we are back to "Hillary the great" again?  When are you people going to learn, the myth of the Clintons is partly manufactured by the Clintons and as such not based in reality.  

Let me be clear, If Clinton was the nominee today, I'd vote for her simply because ideologically she is a match to my beliefs.  That's a hard statement for me because the last 2 months of the primary really turned me off to the Clintons because of "the kitchen sink" strategy.  If anything this primary has shown that the reality of the Clintons as candidates is sometimes a little lackluster compared to the myth of the Clintons as icons.

For as much as people talk about how she may have won the popular vote, the reality is that her and Obama were darn near even, and that's actually a huge loss for Clinton.  By her own admission, until the very first primary Clinton was the hands down favorite to win.  She had the support of party insiders, she had the money, she had the name recognition, and she had one of the most beloved Dem POTUSs in recent memory to act as her standard bearer.  The fact that she lost to a junior Senator who started with little money, little support from party insiders, and no one else but himself to be his cheerleader is pretty telling of the flaws in "the myth of Clinton".

Can we please move on from the VP stuff?  Honestly, its almost insulting when people frame the issue as "Clinton has a responsibility to take the job" and such.  The truth is, she lost and that should send a serious chill up the spine of everyone who is advocating that she is somehow "needed".  Again, the myth of the Clintons is that their magic powers can rally the masses and they can win, but reality hurts and the first time Hillary Clinton faced a major opponent in an election campaign, she lost.  The numbers are already showing that Obama is steadily converting the Hillary supporters over, and that's the best thing for us as a party.  We simply don't have the luxury of believing in icons right now.  I support Obama mostly because he has shown he can run a top-shelf campaign organization.  Obama had a plan "from day one" and he executed it well, using the grassroots in a way other candidates have never seen.  This is what will win the election, not the symbolism of having a Clinton on the ticket.

The "Obama supporters" don't have to get over anything, our guy won.  Seems to me a lot of die-hard Clinton people really need to wake up to reality and realize that their candidate came up short, it happens, someone has to lose.  In my brain I know that ideologically Clinton and Obama are dead even, but Obama has shown a clear edge in out-managing Clingon and (arguably) stirring emotional support.  The real issue, IMO, is are Clinton supporters man/woman enough to step up and put their hard feelings aside?  The country is in deep doo-doo and this really isn't the time to let some desire for revenge lead to possibly one of the least best fits for POTUS (McCain) walking into the office on the backs of Democratic discord.  I can understand people feeling slighted about Clinton losing, but we knew back in February that this was going to be decided ugly.  Time to clean the blood off the floor and throw it out as we move into the WH.

The polls won't matter until September, but in the last few days you've repeatedly referred to the daily tracking polls and the closeness of the race?  Do I have that right?