Originally published at: So Far, a Beleaguered Graham Platner Retains Strength in Primary Showing - TPM – Talking Points Memo
While the outcome of Tuesday’s primary was never in doubt, the margin was; a mediocre showing against Maine Governor Janel Mills (D), who dropped out after running a begrudging campaign, would suggest that Democrat Graham Platner had taken on water from his recent stream of scandals. As of Wednesday morning, with about 88% of the…
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People love prodigal sons, reformed drunks and reformed brawlers.
I suspect this picture thing is a GOP trick.
Recall LBJ used to tell the story of the TX politician who told his campaign mgr to float a rumor that his opponent committed incest.
Mgr said, “You know that ain’t true”. The politician said, “I know, I just want to hear him deny it”.
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I don’t have a problem with folks voting for Platner. I would. But I object to any blinders, rose colored lenses, dismissal, downplaying, claims of unfair treatment, etc. on the part of supporters. It sounds a lot like MAGA supporters to me. The red flags are sinificant and we do not know how he will handle the pressures of DC, the relationships, the stress, the scrutiny, the deal making, the money, the influence and power. We do not know. It remains to be seen. I am unconvinced he will be able to deal with it all but am happy to be proven wrong. The thing I am most unhappy about is that they are choosing between two less than optimal candidates, and one of them is a no go.
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Past tense, son, past tense.
Now folks elect bad sons, drunks, and brawlers.
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Establishment dems will continue to be wary because he is too progressive. I fully expect that eventually Schumer and Jeffries will support collins.
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Picking the lesser of 2 evils has been the dominate theme in American politics since the end of George Washinton’s 2nd term.
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"Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me three times, you must be Susan Collins."
— Stephen King
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I heard his victory speech last night, and I was impressed. Discounting Platner would be a mistake. And I am not making excuses for him, but some of this stuff about nazis is just ridiculous. This is how we get stuck with people like Trump.
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Platner is a natural at politics. He is also the kind of person that working people can relate to and that is not a bad thing for Democrats.
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I’m 68, my whole life it has been about the lesser of two evils. I always choose the lesser because less evil is better than more evil.
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I hope not.
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Nah, Schumer already endorsed.
Not endorsing Mamdani, i can only presume, was more Islamophobia than a pro-israel stance.
We’ll see after El-Sayed gets the nod in MI how my theory holds up.
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As far as I can tell, at least the next two elections, and likely next 10, we are in a fight for our survival: the filibuster with respect to civil and inalienable rights, SCOTUS reform, and now the Social Security Trust funds. Platner and everyone else in the democracy coalition better get sharp now if not yesterday. I’m 70 years old, this has always been the fight since I’ve been voting, starting in 1976. Let’s survive and give our kids and grandkids a fighting chance.
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That makes me think of Bismarck’s words, immortalized by Claud Cockburn: ”“Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.”
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I thought that quite a bit of the NYT’s articles of “concern” about Platner were more hit piece than informative. Sort of like the same people who wrote all those awful things about Hillary. They wouldn’t invite her to their Yale-Harvard afterparty and wouldn’t invite Platner, either.
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I object to your us of the term “Beleaguered”. This discussion would be better served by comparing Platner to Trump and reminding everyone of Trump’s despicable history of adultery.
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Shocked! I’m shocked that a combat marine would get a tattoo of a skull and crossed bones!
What is this world coming to? I need my salts and couch.
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I don’t come in often on TPM any more. Not enough time.
The winning argument is that it is too critical to defeat Collin’s and grab her seat to get caught up in a character debate with Rs who defend someone as wicked as Trump.
But nominating someone with this kind of baggage has costs and some Maine voters will reject him for genteel Collins. She has a different set of baggage including on character, but more runway as well than a political novice.
there are others costs as well. Rs have no problem with their own hypocrisy so they will use Platner’s crude behavior for endless whataboutisms to muddy the waters on their own far worse character and personal corruption.
Thisvis Schumer’s fault for blocking other candidates by recruiting and endorsing Mills well past her expiration date.
In the end, most voters will forgive Platner’s behavior due to his understandable PTSD, provided there isn’t severe criminal behavior. But it is an opening for Collins to persuade some swing voters.
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Keep playing the video on the senate floor of why Collins voted for Supreme Court Justice Kavanagh - he will keep precedent with Roe V Wade. That was powerful and she will be 74 in January 2027 and looks closer to 80.
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50 years ago, a strategy was perfected by Republicans during the Nixon Administration for dealing with their political enemies opponents.
Ratf*cking is an American slang term for behind the scenes (covert) political sabotage or dirty tricks, particularly pertaining to elections. It was brought to public attention by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All the President’s Men (1974), the book that chronicled their investigative reporting of the Watergate scandal.
Nothing has changed and nothing will. Republicans can not run on policy, because the majority of Americans do not want to buy what they are selling (The only exceptions are racism, sexism, homophobia and White Nationalism).
Expect that the campaign of Susan the concerned will pile on with this %^$#!. It has already started.
It will get much worse.
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