Words cannot describe how much I LOATHE the smarmy, arrogant, smirking, self-righteous superiority conveyed in those words.

"Oh, I held my nose and voted for ____."

"If ____ is the candidate I guess I'll have to hold my nose and vote for him/her"

SHUT UP

SHUT UP

SHUT THE FUCK UP

The ONLY reason anyone has for uttering that banal and asinine phrase is to let it be known to the whole wide ever-lovin' world that YOU have super-duper-impeccable-unreachable-amazingly high standards that 99% of the Democratic party has no chance of meeting, but nevertheless, you sucked it up, toughed it out, nailed yourself to the cross like the long-suffering saint and patriot that you are and voted for that hideous, horrible, no-good worthless DINO piece of shit on the ballot because even though you KNEW they'd lose and/or be a worthless PNAC enabler, you DID IT ANYWAY for the GREATER GOOD.

Honest to God, spare us all the sanctimonious windbaggery. If you voted for a candidate in the past that you didn't care for - cry me a river. There are usually several candidates in any given primary - not everyone's favorite choice is going to be the nominee. Stop acting like you're special because the eventual nominee didn't meet your lofty standards.

And whatever you do, don't pull this shit in 2008. If you cannot vote for the eventual candidate without making some holier-than-thou pronouncement about the stench emanating from the ballot causing you to gag and retch and hold your nose - then don't vote for them! It's really that simple! If Hillary/Edwards/Obama/Kucinich/whoever disgusts you THAT thoroughly that you literally feel a wave of nausea overcome you as you step behind the curtain on election day, then don't vote for them just so you can go proclaim your eternal martyrdom on DU afterwards and crow about what a great patriot you are that you voted for this AWFUL candidate that you hated just because you hate the Republicans more.

There are a few candidates that, I will admit, I am seriously considering not voting for in the general election should they be the Democratic nominee. I will not discuss who they are, and if any of them actually becomes the nominee, I am certainly not going to spend all of 2008 wailing about how my preferred candidate should have gotten the nomination and now I'm just going to have to HOLD MY NOSE and vote for _____ even though it violates everything I believe in. Why? Because that's narcissistic in the extreme. If you can't graciously support the Democratic nominee, then please refrain from loudly telling anyone and everyone that you'll vote for them even though it sickens you to your core. Either vote for them, and advocate for them, and do it honestly and with conviction; or if you cannot bring yourself to support them, then BE HONEST ABOUT IT and don't support them and use DU to discuss other things and issues that matter to you. If for some reason I can't bring myself to support the party's nominee in 2008 wholeheartedly, I will refrain from posting anything about that candidate during the election. It's that simple.

Lukewarm "support" like loudly proclaiming that you will "hold your nose" while you vote is every bit as harmful in the general election as actively campaigning for a third party, which is not allowed at DU. I honestly don't see why the "holding my nose" bullshit is allowed either.