r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 10h ago
Possible Paywall Mixed Feelings About Platner? Fine. But He Needs to Win. Case Closed. - I don’t know what to believe about Graham Platner’s past. But I know this. He hasn’t spent the last 40 years transferring trillions of dollars from working people to the very rich.
https://newrepublic.com/article/211466/platner-collins-maine-senate-primary393
u/Tighthead3GT 8h ago
My litmus test: Susan Collins voted to put RFK Jr. in charge of my country’s health. It would take a lot for Platner to be worse than that.
•
u/ToolTimeT 4h ago
She also said she took Brett Kavanaugh at his word that he considered roe vs wade, settled law.
•
u/Duckitor 4h ago
Pay close attention to how Susan Collins has voted. When she's "concerned," she'll vote against the Republican/DJT position -- but only when her vote **isn't** needed for the Republican/DJT position to pass. When Collins's vote is needed, she uniformly votes with the majority.
→ More replies (2)•
u/PhotownPK 3h ago
Most of them take turns appeasing their people. It's common practice. None of those votes are surprises by the time they get to the floor. If your vote does change, your next opponent will get the financial backing.
•
u/wrosecrans 1h ago
Frankly, I don't expect much better from Platner at this point.
But, he'll vote for a Democrat to be majority leader. Even if his votes on bills are shit, that changes the whole ball game. Even if that's literally the only good thing he does in his term, it's well worth getting rid of Collins.
•
u/HillBillyHilly 50m ago
Can't believe people are worried about his past compared to whats occupying the White House. Really? All the hand wringing about what happened between Planter and his exes? Come on, wake up to fact they're trying to discredit him to stop him from winning. Collins is bought and paid for the people she votes for - the right. Time to put working people back in charge a la AOC.
→ More replies (23)•
1.0k
u/not2dv8 10h ago edited 9h ago
Susan Collins has sided with every consequential vote in order to side with trump. Platner won't do that. What's the issue here folks? Collins/ Trump. Platner/no trump.
348
u/emseefely 9h ago
There’s a risk of him becoming a Fetterman but I agree with you completely that it’s better to vote Platner.
614
u/Kinesquared 9h ago
risk of fetterman is better than a guarantee of collins
143
u/shugbear 8h ago
As bad as Fetterman is, his voting record is better than Collins.
→ More replies (5)•
u/Paisleyfrog 7h ago
Yeah. Fetterman has come down on the other side in consequential votes, but he overwhelmingly votes with Democrats (as in, 90%+ of the time). He's like Joe Manchin was, although Fetterman is more frustrating because some of these votes seem opposite of how he ran. Manchin was never a surprise, it was more of a problem when majorities became razor thin.
•
u/TargetApprehensive38 4h ago
It's also more frustrating with Fetterman because there never seems to be any real reason for his flips. Manchin was walking a political tightrope in a state where no other Dem would have had a snowball's chance in hell of holding a senate seat and most of the times where he bucked the party line he was doing what his constituents wanted. Even though it was annoying when he was the holdout on some big legislation you could usually see where he was coming from.
Fetterman is from a much more purple state and ran against Dr. Oz. Any decent Democratic candidate could have won that seat just as easily and not been a constant problem for the following six years.
•
u/rastinta 3h ago
Manchin was a blessing to Democrats. He was a reliable vote and came from a deep red state. If it was not Manchin it was going to be loyalist to the GOP. Democrats would not have held a majority in 2021 without Manchin. I nod and agree when people hate Fetterman. I feel compelled to defend Manchin.
•
u/GoodIdea321 America 2h ago
If any number of Republicans in the senate were replaced by a Manchin type senator, we would be in a much better spot. He got too much hate.
→ More replies (3)•
u/ILOVESHITTINGMYPANTS 6h ago
There was a time when Fetterman seemed like a younger Bernie in his politics. Such a fucking asshole.
•
u/FIuffyRabbit 6h ago
If people actually cared about researching him outside of his "I'm a progressive", they would have seen he was already an asshole in drab clothing.
→ More replies (2)•
103
u/DegenGamer725 8h ago
If he were a Fetterman, there wouldn't be such an intense smear campaign against him
•
u/oh-shazbot 7h ago
one in which said ex girlfriend from smear campaign even came out to say that it is indeed a smear campaign and that her words were mischaracterized.
→ More replies (10)•
•
u/probation_420 7h ago
There absolutely would be oppo research going on. That's how politics works.
Any political race he chose to participate in would result in his fucking moron behaviors being uncovered.
A fucking moron is 100x better than Collins. Voting Platner.
→ More replies (1)•
u/WeirdIndividualGuy 7h ago
I, too, have forgotten about the intense smear campaign Fetterman went through for his election
→ More replies (5)•
→ More replies (4)16
u/IamScottGable 8h ago
100%. It's douche v turd sandwich, yeah he's a douche but there's at least value in a douche
→ More replies (1)32
u/_trashcan 8h ago edited 8h ago
Why’s a douche?
I haven’t seen anything bad coming from him or about him ; what did he do?Edit : I see some comments below now explaining a NYT post & various other connections to his opposition.
It’s a bullshit smear campaign.•
•
u/No_Oven1085 7h ago
- He once helped someone out of a cab too hard
- He once told an ex girlfriend who is now a republican operative to calm down
- He made a few edgy comments on reddit
This is the worst they can come up with after absolutely going through his entire history with a fine tooth comb. No arrests, no accusations of sexual assault, no nothing.
→ More replies (1)•
u/Mike_Kermin Australia 7h ago
Well he'll never been in the Republicans good books without any sexual assault will he.
→ More replies (53)17
u/Crazymoose86 8h ago
It took him 20 years before he decided to cover up his Nazi Death Head tattoo, and he only did that because a story leaked that he had it. There's reason to be skeptical but I don't live in Maine so this one isn't my fight, its the peoples of Maine.
→ More replies (92)8
u/TheToiletPhilosopher 8h ago
You could say that about literally any candidate. Always good to be concerned and stay active in contacting your representatives, but this "concern" seems very manufactured. Even if he is, it's still better than Susan "very concerned" Collins.
•
u/Mikolaj_Kopernik Australia 7h ago
This is a stupid argument IMO. Do really think Platner is secretly a right-winger? Fetterman was always a pro-Israel moderate in his positions, he just ran a funny campaign trolling Dr. Oz.
→ More replies (1)72
u/RimboTheRebbiter 8h ago
I think that risk is overstated. You can't disconnect Fetterman becoming the person he is today from the massive stroke he suffered. I don't have Platner's medical records or anything, but I think that he isn't at a substantial risk of a mind altering stroke at the moment.
39
u/Stellar_Duck 8h ago
You can't disconnect Fetterman becoming the person he is today from the massive stroke he suffered.
He was out there chasing black guys with shotguns well before he was elected though.
→ More replies (3)32
u/Tarrot469 8h ago
And, to be absolutely clear, Fetterman even as he is now is significantly better than Dr. Oz would be in his position. I get wanting a more progressive rep, but Fetterman does vote with the Dems most of the time and matters for committee assignments.
→ More replies (1)15
u/Hghwytohell 8h ago
Fetterman was like this before the stroke too. He ran a disingenuous campaign where he branded himself as a progressive who supported universal healthcare and talked about income inequality, but he never actually had a track record of fighting for those things, which made it very easy for him to pivot once in office. And he was always very hawkish on foreign policy. Just about the only thing he's been consistently progressive on is marijuana legalization, which is becoming more and more a moderate position anyway.
I wish it was a simple as he had a stroke and it changed his policy positions, but I feel like us Pennsylvanians were thoroughly duped. People who say he is still better than the other choice in Dr. Oz may be correct from a pure numbers standpoint, but he's the same type of crooked politician.
→ More replies (12)→ More replies (3)17
u/DillBagner 8h ago
Fetterman was the way he is before the brain injury. He is a dishonest person, so I'm surprised people believe the brain injury story.
→ More replies (7)30
u/HurriKurtCobain 8h ago
There are a lot of reports from his staffers that he has essentially become a different person since his stroke. There was even a report from a staffer that he now drives like an absolute maniac and gets extremely angry/aggressive for no reason. Maybe he was a secret Republican pre-stroke, but he has definitely suffered a personality degradation since then.
→ More replies (1)12
u/TheComebackKid717 8h ago
I think people underestimate the impact Fetterman's stroke had on his political shift. I don't think his shift could have been predicted and I strongly believe it is not an outline of how Fetterman-like candidates will turn out.
→ More replies (1)•
u/tawzerozero Florida 7h ago
Even if he promised to be another Fetterman or even another Joe Manchin, it would still be one less vote for a Republican Senate Majority Leader, and one more for a Democratic Majority Leader.
Which I'd support in a second. These are objectively better than Collins/Trump any day of the week.
4
→ More replies (23)•
u/Headmuck 7h ago
I feel like having this past and admitting it is more promising than someone who might keep everything hidden. If he wanted to do a fetterman he would've handled things differently.
56
u/TheFeedMachine 8h ago
The issue is that it isn't a binary of Platner or Collins. The primary hasn't happened yet. It is Platner vs other Democrats and then the winner of that vs Collins. A generic Democrat from Maine that has served in local government and has no baggage is probably a better candidate, but for some reason the options in the primary will either be someone who will be 79 at the start of their term that is mildly unpopular or a guy with no government experience, that worked as a private mercenary, and had a Nazi tattoo for 15 years.
16
u/CapitalPunBanking 8h ago
It's especially not binary in Maine where they actually will elect Independents.
27
u/Lucky-Earther Minnesota 8h ago
The issue is that it isn't a binary of Platner or Collins. The primary hasn't happened yet. It is Platner vs other Democrats and then the winner of that vs Collins.
But realistically, Platner is going to win that primary by a huge margin. So it will be Platner vs Collins in the general.
→ More replies (17)•
u/palsh7 3h ago
Y'all can't say "Hey I get it, he has problems, but he's better than the Republican," and then ALSO say, "Hey, I get it, we could go with a different Democrat, but we're not going to." At some point, people have to take responsibility for their vote.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (6)13
u/apatheticVigilante 8h ago
To be fair, he wasn't really a private mercenary directly under Blackwater. He worked for a subsidiary, as a security guard for an ambassador. Take for that what you will
→ More replies (1)•
u/enjoycarrots Florida 3h ago
It wasn't under Blackwater at all, directly or indirectly. It was a privacy mercenary/security group that was one of several companies that emerged from the dissolution of what used to be (but wasn't still) Blackwater, merged with other companies who ate up those assets. People use Blackwater in the attack because it's a known bad actor entity with name recognition, but that's where the actual connection stops.
•
u/KeithDavidsVoice 6h ago
The risk is he wont beat Collins because he's a flawed candidate. Collins is a formidable candidate, which we learned in 2020 when she trailed in the polls for the entire race but still won reelection. So the risk is that running such a flawed candidate gives a veteran campaigner, like Collins, a ton of material to use against our candidate.
→ More replies (1)•
u/inept_machete 6h ago
Yeah it's just sad that now our "lesser of two evils" scale is being pulled up.
My big concern about past behavior is that I now viscerally know what happens with those underlying bad behaviors when you give a person power to cover his indulgences.
The bar is pretty high atm since "covering up a prolific could x trafficking ring" is the evil and pretty much everything save genocide is under that and that's on the table too
→ More replies (1)9
u/Powerful_Document872 8h ago
If he wins the primary then he needs our backing 100%. But we’re not locked in until that process is over and we are absolutely allowed to fight against a flawed candidate.
→ More replies (16)•
484
u/bestforward121 9h ago
The fact that out of all the women the New York Times interviewed they could only find one who made salacious accusations who just so happens to be a Republican operative who worked for the heritage foundation, and has worked for Susan Collins in the past should make anyone with an ounce of sense take pause. The NYT themselves said in the article that the claims could not be corroborated, and yet published the article anyway.
If Republicans can’t find a good scandal to pin on a rising Democrat they have no problem manufacturing one. Just look at Talarico being accused of being a vegan (he’s not), or of being gay (he’s not). The only thing surprising is the Democrats being idiotic enough to believe the party of pathological lying pedophile protectors.
225
u/TearsFallWithoutTain 8h ago
The NYT themselves said in the article that the claims could not be corroborated, and yet published the article anyway.
It's good to point this out because they never do this normally, and it's why other NYT writers have called it out for not meeting NYT journalistic standards
90
u/curtmahgurt 8h ago
The NYT is such a fucking rag, I don’t know why people read it anymore for politics. Art? Sure. But they will gladly post an uncorroborated story about a Democrat, and then turn every other cheek they have when a Trump Republican does something 10x worse.
→ More replies (3)16
u/flambasted 8h ago
It's important that the liberal media cover what both sides are saying, because the Republicans are serious people with important viewpoints to consider.
→ More replies (1)•
→ More replies (2)•
u/the_good_time_mouse 7h ago edited 7h ago
It's good to point this out because they never do this normally,
They do this all the fucking time. Every smug "woe is the west coast" article is full of it.
100
u/RegularLeading5200 Michigan 8h ago
Let's also not forget that the NYT reporter the far-right Republican accuser worked with was co-president of the Students for Israel and was AIPAC Activist of the Year while in college. It's no coincidence.
The timing of all this, the people involved, and the fact that there is no actual corroboration of the accusations means none of this passes the smell test. It's extremely clear that his strong opposition to the Israeli government and what they're doing is a major impetus for this smear campaign being orchestrated right now.
59
u/bestforward121 8h ago
It also cannot be a coincidence that Graham Platner wants to end military aid to Israel. AIPAC will go to any lengths possible to keep the free money spigot wide open.
It’s the only thing that explains why a curious number of alleged Democrats are pushing for Platner to drop out which would effectively have Collins run unopposed.
→ More replies (3)29
u/RegularLeading5200 Michigan 8h ago
It's coordinated, without a doubt. In a CNN article on this, they quoted someone who they referred to in the story as a "Maine Democratic voter" who said Platner lost her and she supports Mills "all the way" now. The reality? She's a political consulate who has worked with and for DMFI, Jake Auchincloss, and Ritchie Torres. Her whole work history is working with pro-Israel groups.
People will try to dishonestly pretend that these are two separate issues, but they're very much related.
•
u/ilimlidevrimci Foreign 7h ago
I think this is the real answer. As an outside observer, I'm not a fan of the guy but this is definitely a smear campaign driven primarily by the AIPAC network.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)•
u/yobo9193 6h ago
In case anyone was curious about the veracity of these claims, I found an article from The Daily Northwestern which confirms Katie Glueck was a co-president of Students for Israel:
•
u/Correct_Exchange9070 6h ago
It also helps that Republicans have figured out, they can come into subs like this, and push a narrative of Democrats not being progressive enough, and bullshit like that.
→ More replies (2)•
u/Frostyrepairbug 2h ago
Not just that, but she (republican operative) founded a group Women For Kavanaugh to make sure ole beer guzzling brett got confirmed to scotus, and she wrote hit pieces against Dr Christine BlaseyFord. I don't think Lyndsey is accusing in good faith.
17
u/MollyRolls 8h ago
Yeah I really wish Democrats would stop leaning into the “lesser evil” framework. There’s a lot to be excited about with Platner, and while the “scandals” can distract from that, they don’t actually change it. He’s a normal human who wants to make the country better for normal humans; let’s fucking go.
→ More replies (11)→ More replies (12)•
u/expensivexdifficult 2h ago
And the accusation wasn't "he hit me," it was "he grabbed my shoulders once."
62
u/soxperry 9h ago
His opponent has never missed a vote. That includes denying an increase in minimum wage, two justices who ripped away women’s health care, the Iran War, bloated ICE military budget, and so on.
7
495
u/Relzin Illinois 10h ago
Me: "Is Graham Platner in the Epstein Files?"
Google: "No, Democratic Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is not in the unsealed Jeffrey Epstein client or visitor logs."
So, not a good person but still genuinely better than large swaths of the most powerful Republicans. 👍👍
125
u/Khue 9h ago
To add to this, if you claim that there were better candidates in the primary than Platner, then I need you to take all of your anger you are directing at him, and point it to Mills and Schumer who were responsible for forcing them out of the race. Platner might suck, but he's your guy right now and the reason you don't have better choices is the Democratic party machine that doesn't want you to have better choices.
→ More replies (8)13
u/SigglyTiggly 8h ago
I believe you but got a link
51
u/Khue 8h ago
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5565965-schumer-endorses-mills-maine/
Sanders backing Platner was based on polling at the time where viability of other candidates wasn't going to be effective. Schumer threw the backing of the Democratic Party machine behind Mills and the other candidates basically flatlined after that. Platner's campaign was well run and effective which is another reason for supporting him. I believe some Mamdani people got onboard with him early.
30
u/SigglyTiggly 8h ago
Ty , mills is fucking 77 years old. Schumer and the dnc really dont learn from their mistakes
→ More replies (11)6
u/ThomasVivaldi 8h ago
What mistakes? They got the last septuagenarian they wanted in power elected. Biden might not have worked out for the rest of the country, but he worked for their interests.
9
u/SigglyTiggly 8h ago
They are losing long term power, more outsiders of their "party" will win. They don't like or respect the democratic process and each primary their " party" loses , is less power they have.
Its the problem with the good boys club
3
65
u/jackp0t789 9h ago
I wouldn't even say he's a bad person, just a human who did surprisingly dumb shit when he was younger... dumber than most even in regards to certain tattoos.
However, he seems to have learned from those mistakes and is trying to do better now.
Considering the moral black hole of a party he's running against in the general, and the geriatric deathtrap he's facing in the primary, him being a human who made dumb mistakes in the past shouldn't be a disqualifier unless there's a better option available immediately to take the wheel... which there isnt
→ More replies (9)21
u/Junglizm 8h ago
This is what I don't understand with people on this. Like the moral bankruptcy of the current batch of politicians is a huge problem, but we aren't going to fix that overnight and replacing a clearly terrible politician (Collins) with one that is simply "problematic" (Platner) should be an easy choice. It moves the needle in the correct direction, just not as much as people would like I guess.
12
u/jackp0t789 8h ago
I also don't like how all this stuff "magically" only comes out more than 3/4ths of the way through the primary cycle.. literally days ahead of the primary without any time for anyone else to feasibly jump in and take the baton.
The media sat on these hit pieces until now for a reason, and its not an honest good faith reason.
•
u/firelight 7h ago
This is what I don't understand with people on this.
It's a combination of identity and purity politics.
For the first, the kind of people who comment in Democratic internet circles are tired of rich, straight, white, old men running things. The fewer of those five things you are, the better, in their book.
For the second, those same people don't want to deal with the fact that real people who have had to live actual lives are messy, or that they have the capacity to learn and grow. They only want candidates who are uncomplicated saints.
Which, I mean I get it. Between the betrayers like Fetterman and Sinema, the feckless do-nothings like Schumer and Jeffries, and the nakedly power-hungry like Newsom, Democratic politics have an overwhelming number of untrustworthy players. But while recognizing that, you can't also write off every human being who has a complicated past. That just leaves you with a party full of manufactured products like Pete Buttigieg, who only know how to parrot the lines given to them by analysts.
It's safe to say that Platner has engaged in deeply unwise behavior in the past. But I can't entirely judge a man for having a rocky relationship with his wife, or getting an offensive tattoo while in the military (and not getting it covered up for 20 years), or even making shit posts on Reddit. Yeah, he's done things that I don't like. But the mistakes of the past don't necessarily speak to the person he is now. If anything, I think the Democratic party needs more people like Platner that understand where so many men in this country are right now, and give them a cogent and compelling vision of the better person they can be tomorrow.
The fact that he's getting pilloried for his past is a tragic mistake. The narrative around Platner should be one of growth and overcoming one's limitations. Not, "your sins will stick with you forever, so don't even try to move past them."
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (1)•
u/lordcthulhu17 Colorado 6h ago
I think it also points out how many people in the liberal base are against rehabilitation
→ More replies (52)16
u/Harmcharm7777 8h ago
I think we can shoot higher than “not a pedophile.” That said, Platner would still clear a higher bar. Maine isn’t looking to marry him; I don’t know why his (consensual, non-criminal) romantic life would have any bearing on his candidacy.
→ More replies (1)7
u/Lucky-Earther Minnesota 8h ago
I think we can shoot higher than “not a pedophile.”
That would be nice, but over here in reality, the President is a pedophile. So the bar is set agonizingly low for the moment.
123
86
u/30mil 10h ago
Well hopefully he wasn't part of some international child trafficking/rape cabal.
→ More replies (6)15
286
u/JarrickDe 10h ago
Democrats have to better than angels while Republicans can be and mostly are worse than most demons.
121
u/w4rma Virginia 9h ago edited 5h ago
Democrats need to stop letting billionaire-owned, enshitified 'news' companies influence them. Democrats need to primary every loser "centrist" heel.
→ More replies (29)26
u/BillButtlickerII 9h ago
I’m convinced Republicans would still lie about shit as dumb as their morning coffee orders, even if they knew every lie they told killed a thousand random kids. They lie and project about shit as if it provides them sustenance to stay alive.
→ More replies (2)5
u/DoTheFooka-Fooka 8h ago
A thousand random kids? No.
A thousand random minority kids? They'll never stop ordering coffee.
37
u/MetalEnthusiast83 8h ago
I think not having SS tattoos isn't really setting the bar super high.
→ More replies (6)•
u/911freeze 7h ago
…better than angels? This guy had a nazi tattoo on his chest for 20 years! He only covered it 8 months ago.
→ More replies (3)24
u/itsallforporn 8h ago
Brother, better than angels? He had a nazi tattoo.
I am open to supporting the guy, even as a Jewish person, but this narrative of "I didn't know what it was when I got it" is so outrageously stupid.
Either he's an idiot tattooing symbols on himself without knowing what they are (unlikely), or he used to sympathize with Nazi views and isn't owning up necessary (and hopeful) growth
→ More replies (15)14
u/Educational_Exam_225 8h ago
Black women have to be better than angels. White men can have Nazi tattoos and cheat on their wives and everyone and their dad will simp for them. I agree Platner has to win but let's be real - these are not a high bar to clear as if Platner wasn't a white man we wouldn't even be having this conversation
•
→ More replies (67)11
u/morty_morty American Expat 9h ago
The problem is that it's the Democrats themselves who insist upon upholding that nonsensical "rule". Dems spend more time attacking their own side than they do anyone else. They would rather argue about purity than win. Morons.
→ More replies (12)7
u/loondawg 8h ago
Realize a lot of that is people masquerading as democrats. The old "I vote democratic but here are a bunch of reasons you shouldn't" is way too common around here.
•
u/GoodIdea321 America 2h ago
I vote for the democratic party because there isn't really another choice. Anyone saying the "I vote democratic but here are a bunch of reasons you shouldn't" stuff is either a liar or they want an excuse to feel better personally by not voting.
•
184
u/Imallvol7 10h ago
Why are there always high standards for Democrats and literally no standards for Republicans? Make it make sense.
103
u/Erratic_-Prophet 9h ago
There's also the fun phenomenon where when Democrats do something bad it's Democrats fault and then when Republicans do something wrong it's also Democrats fault for not stopping them.
19
u/alienbringer 9h ago
I love the one where if a democrat does something bad it shows the democrat is bad, but when a republican does that same bad thing it shows the republican is good.
63
u/jamerson537 9h ago
Because the people who vote for Democrats have higher standards for who they vote for than the people who vote for Republicans, for better and for worse.
→ More replies (10)•
u/smokeweedNgarden 7h ago
Imma be honest. In the year 2026 asking why Republicans don't bote for standards is like asking why people stay with serial cheaters and abusers.
The answer is I don't fucking know. And I'm not going to spend any energy trying to figure it out.
•
u/jamerson537 7h ago
The answer is 40 years of uninterrupted propaganda starting with conservative radio in the 80s and Fox News in the 90s, and it only got worse with the internet.
19
u/Plutos_Cavein 10h ago
Because that double standard benefits republicans. Who are friendly with the billionaires who control all media.
12
u/buttbuttlolbuttbutt 9h ago
Its called Astroturf, and lay enough of it down, people just start believing it.
The human brain is unfortunately very susceptible to believing things when repeated a lot.
17
u/bizarre_coincidence 9h ago
In many cases, that would be a legitimate gripe. Not having Nazi tattoos and or a history of physical abuse is not a high standard.
→ More replies (16)→ More replies (37)•
u/LeftToaster 7h ago
Wayward Republicans, i.e. those who oppose the GOP leadership on key issues, always get in line when it counts. All of the "Never Trumpers" have kissed the ring.
Wayward Democrats throw bombs and darts at the party, fight with leadership and scuttle key votes for progressive change.
33
•
u/Silly-Pitch-2565 5h ago
His wife already addressed their issues to the press. She explained that they worked through these issues early in their marriage. He also had PTSD from service, which explains his erratic behavior YEARS ago. People can and do change. People using this against him are scumbags, especially considering the people they support in the GOP.
20
u/Tricky-Engineering59 10h ago edited 8h ago
I feel like this piece from today by Parkrose Permaculture says it all:
8
→ More replies (7)13
u/not_limburger 8h ago
I am glad I watched this.
MSM has gone nuts with anti-Platner coverage. It's never ending.
Side note: I got a kick out of her knitting during her video presentation.
17
50
u/Far_Silver 10h ago
I don't think there's much in the way of mixed feelings from the average voter. The political establishment doesn't like him because he supports things like taxes on the wealthy and stopping support for Israel, that the billionaire donors don't want. They know that the public does like those things so they're trying to come up with other ways to attack him, but the voters seem smart enough to know that's exactly what they're doing.
→ More replies (8)
32
u/spendology 8h ago
Reporter: "Your candidate admits to having a Natzi tattoo. Does the Democratic party have a Natzi problem?"
Guy: "He apologized and got it covered up. Secretary of War Pete Kegseth proudly sports his Natzi tattoo, never apologized, never removed it and he is an active White Supremacist and Chrsitian Nationalist subjegating minorities. Republicans don't own the moral high ground. In fact, their morals are lower than below the depths of hell. Next question."
→ More replies (3)
86
u/ColoradoClimber513 10h ago
No one is going to be perfect. And no one has a perfect past. But the measure of a person is how do they address their mistakes and try to improve.
As far as I'm concerned is the best by far. And, most important, his views and agenda reflect mine as well. And that is what true representation is. He is NOT a corporate shill nor is he an aipac shill.
→ More replies (29)37
u/AlcibiadesTheCat Arizona 10h ago
I would rather have someone who’s made mistakes, atoned for them, and learned from them than have someone who’s never made mistakes.
Learning from failure is a critically important skill in leadership.
→ More replies (28)
5
u/debrabuck 8h ago
Yeah, trumpers, take a look at trump's latest 'rigged election' tantrum, Ken Paxton's lawbreaking, Kegsbreath telling denominations they're not really Christians, Bill Pulte as DNI, etc, and tell us that Platner's tattoo is a problem for you, or that you don't like marital complications (Stormy, heh).
•
u/AmethystApothecary 7h ago
When the devil you do know is Susan Collins I think it's worth the gamble to find out if he's actually better because he probably won't be worse.
•
u/ThreeEyesWhitePerson 6h ago
Yep. I don't like the strain of bro-leftists who are trying to make him the face of a new leftist movement, but he's obviously the best (and a necessary) choice at this point.
•
u/ChefCurryYumYum 6h ago
Oh I have mixed feelings about Platner, partly I feel hopeful that he will get elected and partly I feel worried that the establishement will kill his candidacy in the cradle.
Oh he sexted someone? Might have had an affair once? Yet I have seen congress defend child sex offenders.
No, these attacks have only strengthened my support, I only wish I lived in his state and could vote for him!
•
u/Frostyrepairbug 2h ago
Congress, and Susan Collins, in particular is covering up the largest pedophile and trafficking ring we may have seen. She's chosen defense of this party over country. Yet Graham may have sexted with another consenting adult, who wasn't his wife?? Big deal. And considering that his accuser worked for the Heritage foundation, and a women for kavanaugh group? Or the fact that aipac and subsidiaries have thrown 90million into this race to smear Graham?
I don't live in Maine, but if I did, I'd be voting for Graham just out of disgusted spite.
•
u/Mo-shen 6h ago
Zero mixed feelings.
I'm not a gate keeper, I don't expect anyone to meet all the things I want in a candidate, and purity tests are an idiots game.
Children stop waiting for your perfect candidate. Stop helping the GOP win....especially when the main person pushing all this stuff is a gop operative.
•
u/rthanu 5h ago
Yeah vote for him. But for fucks sake why is a quality candidate so hard to find?
→ More replies (1)
•
u/ReleaseFromDeception 5h ago
America needs to wake the FUCK up!
Democrats need to stop clutching at their pearl necklaces and elect candidates that can not only FIGHT, but WIN.
This weaksauce inner party purity test BS needs to die.
I don't want a utopia - I want a working democracy!
→ More replies (3)
•
u/threewildwolves 1h ago
Mixed feeling about Platner but no mixed feelings about Susan C?!?! The guy grew and matured and healed, just like all of us. Well, NOT like Susan Collins or Trump, or bondi, or Patel. Democrats have a way of shooting themselves in the foot by expecting a candidate to be perfect instead a grown mature human. 🙄
•
u/BabyYodaX 6h ago
Many of us who have strong feelings about Platner(for and against) do not currently live in Maine.
I lived in Maine for a short amount of time, and Maine is a different animal.
He's going to be the Dem nominee. Let the people of Maine deal with it.
→ More replies (2)
12
u/PBandJellyfish77 8h ago
I'm seriously so sick of the "but what about this bad personal thing" hit pieces. gestures wildly at Trump and the Epstein Files The media is so full of shit to cover these things about Planter and ignore the fucking Epstien Files.
•
u/JesusShaves_ 7h ago
LifeProTip: Always vote for the lesser evil, because if you don't vote, you get the greater evil.
→ More replies (2)
8
u/DJC_Kowalski 9h ago
The problem with not voting for Platner is that you have 4 options in the Dem Primary. Write in, which will never have the numbers to win. David Costello, who will probably get less votes than the write in. Janet Mills, a tired, used up 80 year centrist former governor who is acting like she is doing a huge favor for the electorate, and Platner.
Lack of good options is a problem. Then in the General you have Susan Collins who will rubber stamp Trump.
→ More replies (7)
•
u/Kefflin 6h ago
You can't have real people that had real life and sometimes did bad or dumb choices if you keep rejecting them because they had real life.
If you want polished candidates that have been raised from birth to do that job and kept squeaky clean by their parents who were in power before then, that's how you get dynasties and the shit y'all are in now
•
11
u/Rusty_Thermos 9h ago
Democrats need to get off the pedestal they like to put themselves on and start fighting to win. I'd rather a flawed person fighting for me than anyone fighting against me. Thats the reality of democrat vs republican right now.
14
•
u/Xerxestheokay 3h ago
For those worried about the Platner texts, I have much worse Collins texts, like her votes for:
- Iraq War
- Tax cuts
- Right wing SCOTUS nominees
•
u/tissuecollider 2h ago
The fact that she 'took Kavanaugh at his word' shows that that Susan Collins shouldn't be allowed near a voting button for the rest of her life.
•
u/maikuxblade 6h ago
“Why do Democrats do poorly with men?” was a huge point of self reflection last election and yet here we are pretending a skull and bones tattoo isn’t badass and instead he must be a Nazi because Nazis co-opted the Jolly Roger, which they did specifically because *it’s a symbol of being a badass.* Meanwhile, in reality, the other side is openly embracing an American brand of fascism yet we’re all wasting our time online arguing about a marine with a pirate tattoo with a politically incorrect skew that he doesn’t even have anymore, and which the military did not see issue with.
Oh and he must be a “Fetterman-type” because apparently that’s the lesson to learn from Fetterman and not that we need more economic populists from working class backgrounds because **they goddamn win elections** and it’s been an era of populism since Trump came down from his golden escalator and beat an imminently qualified candidate yet an entire decade later we have not built a coalition around populist policy goals that people have been screeching about for decades like M4A, taxes on the elites, fixing our broken education system and higher ed, repealing Citizen’s United, a commitment to renewable energy, affordable housing, public transportation and infrastructure that isn’t constantly decaying, you know, things you’d expect from a nation that wants to lead the world. Or have you all given up on the American dream and decided Palantir & friends can just carve up whatever’s left of us?
And whatever you do don’t respond to this comment with any abrasiveness, remember, your Reddit comments are part of your permanent record and can potentially disqualify you from public office! If you are rich in America you can abuse kids and nobody does a goddamn thing but you peasants reading better mind your manners or it will follow you for life!
•
u/Own_Manufacturer6959 5h ago
AND he isn't some handpicked DNC Octogenarian who is completely unrelatable ready to die in their seat in congress and soil their depends
•
17
u/Bibblegead1412 10h ago
Dems always preach about “reform” and “rehabilitation”, yet when one of our own has had problems, gotten help, and grown through and learned from their past, we tear them down as “not good enough”. We need to stop expecting humans to have been perfect their entire lives, and start focusing on people who have lived through their worst parts and came out the other side better. It’s exhausting the purity tests we put our candidates through, when the other side is literally electing felons and rapists.
→ More replies (5)
•
u/diamondeyes68 7h ago
Susan Collins had an affair with her now husband who left his wife and three kids for her…. Why aren’t the republicans talking about that?
•
u/Available-Net-2675 6h ago
-Vote blue no matter who-
*Vote blue unless they're progressive, in which case vote red
•
u/Heavy_Pin7735 5h ago
He fought for our country, has apologized and asked forgiveness, he listens to people, and is authentic and high integrity with his words - good enough for me. Hopefully that’s good enough for Maine.
•
u/crazypyro23 4h ago
Worst case scenario, he's a Fetterman. I'd take that over Susan Collins every day of the week. If I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll learn my lesson.
→ More replies (3)
54
u/Phylaras 10h ago
I hate the Dems for continually surfacing such weak candidates.
Yes he's better on positioning ... and probably better as a governor.
But how the hell is the Dem bench this thin?
61
u/Fredifrum 10h ago edited 4h ago
Don’t blame “the dems” for this. Platner certainly wasn’t solicited for this role. He ran his own campaign. Honestly, that’s part of why he’s so messy. Someone sought after by a political group would have failed the background check immediately.
EDIT: Some research shows he was encouraged to run by “a coalition of labor unions and local community groups”. So, he was solicited in a sense but not by a major national democratic organization or the DNC.
4
→ More replies (9)15
u/Own-Run8201 Virginia 9h ago
Bernie Sanders, who famously doesn't vet, recruited him.
→ More replies (9)•
u/Fredifrum 4h ago
Not true. Bernie endorsed him after he started running but had nothing to do with him starting his campaign.
81
u/Clever-username-7234 10h ago
Policy wise Platner is better than most Dems
→ More replies (2)26
u/putsch80 Oklahoma 10h ago
So was Fetterman during his campaign.
To be clear, Platner is miles better than Collins.
→ More replies (3)18
u/jaboooo 9h ago
Fetterman had a stroke that he never really recovered from. It's unsurprising therefore that he's been browbeaten by his colleagues and reverted to base instincts.
It's a shame, but hardly the basis for a prediction
→ More replies (5)31
27
u/liquifiedtubaplayer 10h ago
Yeah if Platner is such a bad candidate then that's a knock on the Dems for not having someone better to beat him.
I think he's a chud who just tells people what they want to hear but that's still better than Collins.
We overthink these things imo. Flipping a MAGA(adjacent) seat benefits establishment Dems and progressives. Sometimes it means a moderate lib, sometimes a DSA member, sometimes an over promising populist. All W's.
It's only bad for MAGA and accelerationists (lol). Hell, even in the worst case Fetterman is better than Oz.
•
u/Vankraken Virginia 6h ago
Flipping a seat from Red to Blue is a benefit in the here and now. The long term effects are harder to predict but generally I think Platner at worse case will just hurt the Populist movement more than the Dems if he fucked up royally. Fully in the Blue No Matter Who camp but this guy shows that voters on the left can be just as dumb as MAGAts sometimes.
Platner smothered the attention economy for the Maine primary campaign (his campaign was almost certainly amplified far more than most no name candidates would have) so the better options didn't have the opportunity to get established and gain momentum.
→ More replies (1)18
u/goodlittlesquid Pennsylvania 10h ago
The governors race is crowded. Perhaps some of those candidates would have chosen to run for Sneate if Schumer hadn’t stepped in and drafted Janet Mills.
2
u/BarkerBarkhan 9h ago
There were actually quite a few viable Senate candidates until Mills joined in. Then most dropped out, except for Platner.
34
u/phlogistomancer 10h ago
Personally, I wouldn’t want to throw myself into the Dem “eat their own young” purity-test gauntlet we’ve been running in recent times. So I don’t blame quality candidates for not wanting to self-sacrifice.
→ More replies (30)3
u/bjornartl 9h ago
He's not such a weak candidate. They'll be able to dig up dirt on anyone, at least anything that can be framed as such. And even when they can't they'll have some Heritage Foundation associate who defended Kavenaugh from real sexual assault allegations make up some fake personal experiences from the past.
Kamala was weak because her laugh wasn't flawless enough, while her opponent was a rapist with 34 felanies and mob tied. Democrats were weak because Biden was too old then Democrats were weak because Biden stepped down due to accusations of being too old. Kamala was simultaneously a weak choice because she didn't cater enough to lefties AND because she didn't try to reach across the isle to reach undecided voters. Tampon Tim (Walz) was a weak candidate because he provided teenagers with access to tampons in schools, how dare he?
•
u/Paradoxjjw 5h ago
You just need to look at their response to Mamdani to see why. They're not nurturing enough new talent and if new talent springs up in spite of lack of support they oppose it if it is too left leaning.
→ More replies (28)19
u/Plutos_Cavein 10h ago
Look at the degree of scrutiny that is being put on him. Now ask yourself if you actually know anybody who you think could stand up to that without looking bad?
→ More replies (32)
8
20
u/drewcareymoore 10h ago
Collins needs to lose. And if Platner’s on the ballot, that means he’s the guy.
But there’s still a month or so where he can drop out, and people who act like that fact isn’t true are sus as fuck.
14
u/pseudowoodo3 Pennsylvania 9h ago
I agree Collins needs to go. But Platner is the best candidate on the Maine ballot at the moment. Find me another viable candidate who supports cutting off Israel aid and taxing billionaires, otherwise why are we denying the reality that he is the de facto candidate after Janet Mills withdrew herself?
→ More replies (18)
8
u/DontOvercookPasta 8h ago
The headline pretty much sums up my feelings. Anyone still pushing Platner slander i have to consider a republican op at this point. Either that or an inadvertent enemy of progress, ala letting perfect get in the way of good enough. Is Platner perfect? Absolutely not, he admits this freely himself. 90+% of people in and around his life vouch for him. Some people INSIST on the tattoo and how he couldn't have known. I didn't know that was a nazi symbol, i've watched all the big ww2 movies and band of brothers and played the call of duty and battlefield games.. the only inkling i had as to it's affiliation was the "are we the baddies?" Sketch. Even then i didn't pit 2 and 2 together that THAT specific skull and cross bones was nazi iconography. He freely admits to having gone through a dark time of drinking and difficult reacclimatizing to civilian life, which is just all more understandable after he went to Iraq. Now the allegations as to him being a war mongering trojan horse, because what kind of leftist would do those things? I'll tell you what kind of leftist, one who changed INTO a leftist. People act like you can't have life changing events and paths that alter your brain and personality and make you see the world in new light. It's amazing to me any people could use these arguments against a guy pushing for healthcare and ending war. NOT in the disingenuous ways trump did.
→ More replies (2)
15
15
u/affectionmissed 10h ago
I mean you all said this about Fetterman as his past came out and you all reassured us it was a kick in the shin, which then turned into a kick in the nuts.
10
u/LiveChocolate8819 New York 9h ago
I fucking despise Fetterman, but he still votes with the Dems like 93% of the time.
And while the issues that fall under that 7% are very important, on the whole it's still better than having Dr Oz in that seat (yeah he has a prominent role in the admin now but that's with the benefit of hindsight).
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (6)8
u/pseudowoodo3 Pennsylvania 9h ago
Yes you’re right, let’s never vote for people with a progressive platform again because of the one time a chud got brain damaged into being a Republican.
Fetterman pre-stroke presented as having a progressive-pro labor platform and had a great record standing up to Republican rhetoric as Lt. Governor. I’m so sick of people trying to gaslight others pretending like the questionable aspects about his past were enough to signal his current state, it’s total bullshit.
→ More replies (7)
22
u/justwannaedit 10h ago
Okay, cool, but can we not pretend he didn't have a nazi tattoo?
→ More replies (28)
4
u/AstronautGuy42 8h ago
If you only know of Platner through headlines, I implore to seek out interviews with him. I bet he is much more grounded and reasonable than you anticipate.
Jon Stewart had an excellent interview with him on his podcast.
I had an entirely different view of Platner from just consuming headlines or articles. Then once hearing him speak, my opinion completely changed. Platner vs Collins is a fucking no brainer unless you are a corporate entity. Seriously
6
u/super_surge 8h ago
He's fantastic. I can't wait to vote for him. He's the only candidate with the guts to tell the truth about our rigged system! Of course they want to smear him!
•
u/Manowaffle 7h ago
On the one hand, the Democratic nominee is a womanizer.
On the other hand, the Republican nominee is a collaborator with a fascist regime that is protecting child rapists and violent thugs who do their bidding.
I wish I were exaggerating, but there it is.
→ More replies (3)•
18
u/BOBALL00 9h ago
He has an actual Nazi tattoo. What are we even doing here?
→ More replies (6)20
u/Kassssler 9h ago
Yeah it's ridiculous. You got a whole lot of white people in this thread telling everyone it's not a big deal lol.
→ More replies (15)13
u/flamingcrystalheart 8h ago
The uncomfortable truth is there's a lot of leftists who are okay with Nazism now because they've been radicalized by propaganda about the Israel/Palestine conflict.
•
•
u/greenearrow 7h ago
As someone who has Fetterman as a senator: I will vote against him in the primary. I will donate to his primary opponent. I will do everything I can to get him primaried out.
I’d still vote for him over a republican if he’s my democratic candidate. I fucking hate him, but Dr. Oz and McCormick are worse. If he runs as an independent, fuck him completely.
•
u/denverpig22 6h ago
Let alone the double standard the media has calling him out for flirting while married while President Cheeto roams free
→ More replies (1)
•
u/SuddenRadio6221 2h ago
This exactly. The guy's shown himself to be an idiot, but in the end, it's not brain surgery, it comes down to voting yay or nay with the good guys or bad guys.
•
u/Mayhem1966 2h ago
Better than Susan Collins or worse? And as a voting senator, not as a dinner companion or a neighbour. It's the only relevant point.
•
u/Technical-Coffee831 1h ago
I mean, look how that worked out in Pennsylvania with Fetterman, and honestly he seemed a lot more palatable at the time. Do we really feel that good about Platner? I don't live in Maine, but honestly seems like they're trolling running Platner as their "best" candidate to unseat Collins.
•
u/Capital-Mine1561 1h ago
The official democrat party supported Janet Mills, a 79 year old who would have been serving a six year term. Maybe the issue is that the dems are still running geriatric candidates and expecting it to be palatable
•
u/CP_Chronicler 1h ago
He also hasn‘t spent the last 30 years being involved in Epstein’s child sex trafficking crime ring and then spent the last few years actively trying to stop investigations and the release of the Epstein files, like POTUS and other MAGA politicians. He also hasn‘t spent the last year supporting ICE’s kidnapping and murder of US citizens.
•
u/NotJimmy97 20m ago
Still can't believe the most flippable non-vacant seat of 2026 had to be contested by either an unlikable septuagenarian centrist or a compromised Redditor with endless closet-skeletons. Is this really the best Maine could do in unseating the person that killed Roe?
•
u/AutoModerator 10h ago
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion.
In general, please be courteous to others. Argue the merits of ideas, don't attack other posters or commenters. Hate speech, any suggestion or support of physical harm, or other rule violations can result in a temporary or a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
Sub-thread Information
If the post flair on this post indicates the wrong paywall status, please report this Automoderator comment with a custom report of “incorrect flair”.
Announcement
r/Politics is actively looking for new moderators. If you have an interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out this form.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.