On Platner. He has got things in his past which are bad. He is currently the subject of an all out political smear campaign. Both these things are true, and unless we can nominate another candidate that can beat Susan Collins, it does not matter.
We are in an existential war for the future of this country, and Senate numbers matter more than anything else. We have seen what happens, particularly to the Supreme Court when the GOP controls the Senate.
It's crucial to elect a Democrat in Maine.
This sounds suspiciously similar to the kinds of things Republicans said to me about Trump before they voted him in. 🤷♂️
No it does not. This is not a defense of Platner. It is a plea to focus on the big picture. Collins must be defeated. The Dems must get control of the Senate. That is all that matters at this point.
Voting is not about picking a good person. It is about power, we need Maine for Democrats to take back control of the Senate.
@mastodonmigration @DavidM_yeg I simultaneously agree and disagree. We have been screwed SO often by the so-called Democrat who turns out to be a two-bit lying shit like Schumer, Gillibrand, Fetterman, Manchin, Sinema....we get fucked any which way.
Still, I foolishly hold hope that Platner genuinely repudiates errors of youth and WILL advocate for higher wages, tax the stinking rich (at 99%), clean environment, healthcare for all, etc. But I sure as shit ain't holding my breath. Indeed, so corrupt and feckless are so many Democrats that I fear a) they will fuck this up and NOT gain House or Senate and/or b) the assholes who win will yet again betray people and planet for 0.01% interests.
💯 Wish we had a better choice.
But we don't. That's the way politics works. It is almost always about the least bad choice, and in this case, given the stakes involved (control of the Senate), there is no choice.
All very true. Julianna Stratton won in IL. There is a war going on for control of the Democratic Party. There may be the votes to oust Schumer from Majority Leader, but everything else pales compared to winning back the Senate. We need to win Maine.
@FIAR_Light @[email protected] @DavidM_yeg
I really don't see where the DNC or big donors wanted Platner?
I thought it was obvious that Mills was the party establishment candidate. Being the safe option, gouvernor, so already vetted. Platner positioned himself as a leftist, disruptive candidate.
He was both too leftist and too risky to get the support of the DNC or big donors.
There's a lot to criticize about the DNC and Democratic party establishment, but Platner is not on them. If he wins the primary, that's on the primary voters in Maine.
@Mab_813 @DavidM_yeg You are correct. I was pivoting to a broader view of the Democrats/DNC and made the unfortunate conflation of Platner as part of THAT problem of their being corrupt shills of the 0.1%.
Yes, I think he originally sounded quite leftist and the DNC didn't like him and that's why Sanders did. Maybe he IS genuine but the issues around his tattoo and treatment of women leaves much of that in serious doubt. I guess we'll see if he manages to defeat the truly invidious Collins.
@FIAR_Light @mastodonmigration @DavidM_yeg
Platner does not even dispute reports he fantasized about raping intruders to exhibit dominance.
He has no career, no network, no track record for *anything* other than Bernie nodding toward him.
He's an insane choice, even now. Sorry, I get worked up.
@CartyBoston @FIAR_Light @DavidM_yeg
It is an insane choice, but unfortunately it is the choice at hand.
Politics is not about picking good people. It is great when you can, but politics is about gaining power, and right now we need the Maine Senate seat, the future of the nation hangs in the balance.
@CartyBoston @FIAR_Light @DavidM_yeg
If Janet Mills can beat Susan Collins, great. As said above, this is not about defending Platner. It is about winning the Senate.
You may be right, it may be necessary - it’s actually not my fight up here north of the 49th - but the echo is very strong to my ears: when led through what an awful person Trump is and has been, the final line of defence was always ‘well we need him anyway to take power’.
Yes, voting is a duty that very often involves choosing the least disagreeable option, but then remember to take the system that gave you that option and turn it inside out.
Yes, and it worked. They took power, and look what that has wrought.
Seems like you are making the case the that control of the government is essential.
Representative government on the one hand and empire, war, power, and control on the other are very different states of affairs. The second rarely leads to the first. I do hope that Americans will find a path to true democracy out from the ongoing shadows of your various wars of the civil and cold variety.
@DavidM_yeg @mastodonmigration
It's not the same because Platner acknowledged the mistakes of his past and is promising a better future. Trump is like the ghost from scrooge, only he's a cunt. The cunt of the past, present, and future.
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