On Primaries

In the last week, we've been hearing plenty about primaries... Especially one in Las Vegas. Who is Harry Reid backing? Who is Culinary backing? Who will excite Latinos more? Who will excite women more?

I don't think I need to go into details as to what I'm referring to. And it's not like this may be the only primary that heats up. So where do we go from here?

Here's a start: Don't take it so personally, and don't make it toxic. Really. Just live by these rules, and the entire Democratic Party and progressive movement don't have to be ripped apart over personality wars.

This isn't obligated to be "ugly", so don't fulfill certain pundits' wishes. No progressive benefits from "ugly". And no progressive benefits from media feeding frenzies involving "ugly" that only serve to distract voters from what really matters.

And what really matters, you ask? Economic justice. Civil rights. Health care for all. A greener, cleaner future. This is what matters... Not "ugly", not personality wars.

And for most races here in Nevada, the election doesn't end alongside the primary. We all have a long and brutal year ahead of us. We have dangerous, extreme, TEA-flavored ideologues to defeat at the Presidential and Congressional level. So certain primary campaigns should remember that even if their respective campaigns "end" on primary night, there's still far more that Nevada progressives will need to do to succeed on November 6, 2012.

So before there's greater potential for this upcoming primary season to spin out of control, I just wanted to put this out. So please take heed. Thanks.