Looks like I need to subscribe to read the whole thing.
That was my thought as well but not sure how it would work. Platner succeeded in part because the party was in some disrepute but now both are so what to do.
The current party line of refusing Platner any role in choosing a successor candidate is as bad a stance as Platner reportedly insisting on full control; some compromise on this appears essential and very soon.
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The party professionals are brain dead. Giving the voters a voice isn’t placating Planter. It is acknowleging that voter desires really count more than the presumptions of the party.
It’s comical that they list all of these people, who each spoke to him “about 20 minutes”. He would have been on the phone for hours.
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So she was in China for two days already when he “was found unconscious” and she didn’t return home. Two reasons -
- We’re sorry, ma’am, there’s nothing that can be done. Rushing home will only alarm people.
- We’re sorry ma’am, after resuscitation, Mr. McConnell is back to his old, frail, health afflicted self. Rushing home will only alarm people.
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That may be generous. They are professionals with all the stats and internals in front of them yet appear to imagine they are in a position to dictate in the teeth of overwhelming evidence that Platner’s policies and rhetoric were on target and highly energizing. Perhaps they have a (party) death wish.
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That is what a lot of people miss. Platner wasn’t personally inspiring and didn’t have a special way about him. What he was saying was different from the standard duck and cover professional Democrat.
During the Civil War Union politicans and generals had all sorts of bad things to say about Grant. They called him a drunk and said he had been a failure as a private citizen. They said ne damn near lost Shiloh and wasted lives. He couldn’t win without overwhelming support.
Lincoln rejected all those arguments by quietly saying “He fights.”
What the Democratic party needs right now are politicians who fight for the American people. A lot of us thought Platner was one of those people. The Democrats in Maine need a opportunity to replace him with someone who will fight for them instead of some duck and cover neoliberal straight from lunch at the Capitol Grill.
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Great line. It’s been that for longer than a while. Planter’s a mess no doubt but he gets most Democrats to pay attention. I think Mainers should stay with him. One reason is b/c of what you mentioned: some moderate fucking Dem talking bullshit populism with zero credibility losing by 1% to Collins. Flipping a Senate seat is enormously difficult. Planter has four months to clean up his mess. Maine voters will have to hold their noses and decide if Planter is the best choice to get them what they desperately need. Maine is a poor state. They don’t have much to say about anything until now.
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I watched three women on MSNOW cheering Platner’s demise totally missing what attracted the people of Maine to him. The Republicans are bad but I often wonder if the Democratic establishment is all that much better at least as far as regular people are concerned.
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You did notice that his poll numbers were dropping?
Did you notice that he was recruited by a cabal of out of state progressives who flubbed the vetting? In part because they dismissed his offensive attitudes towards various groups as a refreshing lack of respect for identity politics aka the lives of ordinary people who are not white male elites.
Put another way, Platner is a prime example of what used to be known as a sexist pig.
Maybe, but the Democratic establishment and its allied media took care of him for you didn’t they. RAH, RAH,RAH.
My point is simple. America needs a Democratic party tied to working people. A party for people who aren’t simply Republican light. A party that will move heaven and earth to make sure all Americans have a chance, have healthcare as a matter of right and have their voices heard.
There were 48 countries in the World Cup. Forty Seven of them have unversal healthcare. Guess which country is the one that doesn’t? Why? We can spend $1.5 Trillion on a military that doesn’t have any opponents in the world but we can’t take care of a sick baby or young mother. Platner might have been a sexist pig, but I think being a well spoken political coward failing to do anything to actually make the world a better place for his fellow men and women is worse. You won’t hear about those people on MSNOW or in the New York Times.
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Draft Stephen King.