Democrats Sold Their Soul for a Senate Seat

[PunkinPi]

Democrats Sold Their Soul for a Senate Seat
The party ignored the bigotry, the misogyny, and the warning signs because they confused white masculinity with electability.

...
Democrats should have never backed a man with a Nazi tattoo. Period. I do not care how many consultants tried to polish it. I do not care how many progressive influencers tried to explain it away. I do not care how many people screamed “blue no matter who” at anyone who dared to ask basic questions.

You do not defeat fascism by flirting with it. You do not beat MAGA by becoming its understudy. You do not save democracy by telling Black voters, Jewish voters, and every other loyal Democratic constituency to shut up and get in line because some consultants convinced themselves that angry white men are the only voters who matter.

...

The Democratic Party has a problem, and Graham Platner is not the disease. He is a symptom. There is a growing obsession inside Democratic politics with chasing disgruntled white men who have shown over and over again that they do not want to be chased. Every election cycle, someone in a strategy meeting decides that the path to victory is making the party a little more racist, a little more anti-semitic, a little more sexist, a little more hostile to the people who actually vote for Democrats.

...

Democrats have a choice. They can be a party that actually stands for something, or they can keep chasing the approval of white men who resent everything the party claims to defend. They can build power with the voters who have been loyal to them, or they can keep insulting those voters while begging for the attention of people who would rather vote for Republicans anyway.

Source: https://christopherbouzy.substack.com/p/democrats-sold-their-soul-for-a-senate?r=dpdx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true

Bolding mine for emphasis.

[WSHazel]

1. That article is pure gaslighting

Establishment and moderate Democrats wanted nothing to do with this candidate. He was shoved down our throats by the Left, and we went along with it because "the voters had spoken". So it takes a special kind of intellectual dishonesty to turn around and blame the Establishment for a candidate they didn't want.

[GPV]

2. Some of us on the left didn't want him. I am literally a Berniecrat,

I joined the party to support his candidacy, but was disappointed that he and Warren and others were willing to jump on the Platner bandwagon when his character seemed to be so poor.

Its not being progressive that you need to vilify, it's the piss-poor vetting.

[lapucelle]

9. The responsibility for the "piss-poor vetting" goes to Morris Katz, the same guy who brought us Fetterman.

Last September, the progressive strategist Morris Katz confessed to The New Yorker that the process by which he decided that Graham Platner was qualified to run for U.S. Senate required less time than drinking a cup of coffee. Actually, it seems to have been less a confession than a boast. Within a few minutes of talking to him, I was, like, ‘This guy owes it to the country to run for Senate,’” Katz recalled.“

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/07/graham-platner-allegations-maine-senate/687819/

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Katz has also appeared on the Nation's podcast:

What if Democrats Didn’t Suck? With Morris Katz

https://www.thenation.com/podcast/politics/fighting-fascism-podcast-morris-katz/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fun fact: Katz wrote a book for tween boys about puberty and wanted to use pictures of his own penis for the illustrations. The publisher talked him out of it.

"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Puberty—and Shouldn't Be Googling: For Curious Boys" (published by Downtown Bookworks/Simon & Schuster was co-authored by Morris Katz and Amelia Pinney).

On page 17, a footnote written by Katz explicitly states:"At first, we were going to use images of my penis to get this point across but the publisher said it was inappropriate so here we are, with some fruit and animal metaphors."

To see the actual page, go to the book preview link on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Always-Puberty_and-Shouldnt-Googling/dp/1950587134

[GPV]

10. Anyone who thought Fetterman had a winning strategy and believed

he was a prize has not been paying attention!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

88. Fetterman ran against the Wizard named Oz

Nor was he crazy till after the election.

[Cha]

11. What if Morris Katz "didn't suck"?

Good night!

[lapucelle]

12. ....

Mahalo, my friend!

[Cha]

14. lol..

Good day to you, Lapcelle.

[yardwork]

23. All of this needs to come out in daylight.

[lapucelle]

25. Platner had big, big boosters in the media. They shut down each and every discussion.

Politicians amplified the media narrative that Morris Katz created. Folks need to take responsibility, apologize, and take a seat.

[yardwork]

111. That needs to be investigated too.

[dalton99a]

27. +1. The 27-year-old wunderkind political strategist who will save Democrats

[betsuni]

37. Thank you for links!

[LeftInTX]

50. Is it the same Morris Katz?

Image of book author from Amazon

[lapucelle]

52. Yup. N/T

[question everything]

54. I don't think that Fetterman was bad until he was hospitalized after being elected

[lapucelle]

57. Rebecca Katz served as a senior adviser and chief political strategist for John Fetterman's 2022 Senate campaign.

She had a hand in delaying disclosure until two days after Fetterman had the stroke. Katz was one of the operatives behind the strategy to limit press access and strictly manage what details about the stroke were released.

During the immediate fallout of the stroke disclosure, when reporters questioned why the campaign waited two days to report the hospitalization, Katz notoriously and abruptly ended a press phone call when the line of questioning focused on the delay.

After Stroke, Doctors Look at Fetterman’s Campaign Trail Prospects

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/health/fetterman-stroke-senate-campaign.html

-----------------------------------------

In addition, Katz refused to release Fetterman's full medical records before the election.

Do Voters Care About John Fetterman’s Stroke?

The Democrat’s health status is a legitimate election issue for Pennsylvanians. The question is what they should make of it.

==============================

The Katzes are not honest brokers and really should step back from politics for a while.

[question everything]

61. And yet, he posted the photos of all the Israeli hostages outside his office

[lapucelle]

63. Indeed he did. Fetterman was on the record as a strong supporter of Israel before his stroke.

The only people surprised by Fetterman's strong pro-Israel stance are the vibes voters who never researched his record.

John Fetterman says he’ll ‘lean in’ on U.S.-Israel relationship as senator

The Democratic lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania emphasized that he is forging his own path in one of the most high-profile races of the midterms

Matthew Kassel
April 11, 2022

https://jewishinsider.com/2022/04/john-fetterman-says-hell-lean-in-on-u-s-israel-relationship-as-senator/

Both of the PA Democratic candidates for senator in 2022 were strongly pro-Israel.

[MichMan]

71. Really weird about wanting to use his own penis in a puberty book, and then including that statement in the book

[lapucelle]

72. Katz's publisher had to talk him out of using photos of his own penis in a children's book.

That says a lot.

[sheshe2]

118. Now that is rather disturbing.

He sounds like a perv...I wouldn't let my kids anywhere near that guy.

[3catwoman3]

76. "...and wanted to use pictures of his own..."

Oh, for gawd's sake! I can't even find an adjective for this -

[MorbidButterflyTat]

82. How about MAGAt?

[3catwoman3]

90. I was thinking more along the lines of deviant...

...depraved, debauched, or just fucking disgusting.

[Skittles]

92. character-defining

and I was never a fan of BS either

[Orrex]

3. Then let's fault The Establishment for failing to present an electable candidate

Collins has been there for 29 years. In all that time, The Establishment hasn't been able to find anyone to beat her?

[Cha]

5. No. There's no Excuse for Graham Planter.

[Orrex]

8. I don't say it as an excuse for Platner. That skeevy fucker can rot in jail.

Nevertheless, The Establishment has failed to defeat Susan Collins for three decades. Why?

[GPV]

13. Partly it's the fault of the Party. Milquetoast incrementalists. Also,

There is bad blood between progressive non Dem parties like the Socialists and the Greens (hence the G in my user name) and the Maine Democratic Party. They had no interest in leaning leftward, no desire to accommodate people on the left, and when those people formed parties that aligned with our visions, the Democrats treated us as the enemy, eliminating seats and so forth.

There was always the option to create Green and Social caucuses in the party. To include us. But, it didn't align with the centrist third way. People took the wrong lesson from Jimmy Carter's loss and ran too hard into republican-lite territory.

The other issue is that Mainers aren't always party-line voters. As I explained in another thread, I was a Green who once voted for Olympia Snowe. Too many people here think Susie's equivocation is moderation. And, there's the added bonus that she has some real power down in DC. That's pretty meaningful to folks in a small state

[lapucelle]

20. You're a Green Party voter who has voted for Republicans?

Well, there you have it,

[GPV]

21. A shallow and dismissive stance. I've been a registered

Dem since 2016, thanks to Bernie's candidacy and and the mess that the Greens had become.

[lapucelle]

24. So GPV doesn't stand for "Green Party Voter", and you didn't vote for a Republican?

Good to know.

[GPV]

28. Okay, play the purity game if it makes you happy. I can forgive you, since

you're newish around here.

[lapucelle]

30. Sorry, that doesn't work on me.

BTW if by *purity* you mean "doesn't vote for Republicans" we are all pretty pure here.

[GPV]

32. Yeah, you guys must have run off the Republican converts

just like you did the Progressives.

The "big tent" isn't really a thing. Always the same old, same old. "Get in here and give us your vote, but don't you dare ask for anything."

[JustAnotherGen]

80. Who ran who off?

[TVguyCards]

87. Shouldn't we be celebrating their conversion to our side?

If we are bashing those who have joined us then we have much larger problems than any of us know.
Those who have joined us on the Dem Party side should be thanked and not scorned.

[Cha]

134. lol... year we're so "pure"... we'ce been

Fighting for Democracy for years.. If my preferred candidate loses in the primary, I will vote for the one who won.

Not sit home because I didn't get my choice, I don't rage to teach Dems a lesson or vote for the fucking 3rd party in swing states.

Call me that "pure".

Mahalo, lapucelle!

[EdmondDantes_]

46. Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton were both Republicans at one point

Shockingly people can change. Obviously not everyone does, but it is possible.

[JustAnotherGen]

104. Hillary was one in

they 1960's.

Warren was one during the Contract on Black American Women in 1994 - and I will NEVER forgive her for that. I was 21 in 1994.

My mother was a white woman of Warren's age group- she should have DONE and been a BETTER human being. I still think she only flipped because there was something in it for her.

[mr715]

59. Thank you for complexity, nuance, and depth.

I appreciate you.

[GPV]

60. I appreciate that. :) As an educator, it's part of my

programming to look for the best in people, especially as a special Ed paraprofessional. I know how very tempting it is to be dismissive of people we don't like, especially since we have Maga in our own families, but cutting them out goes against my belief that all people have value. (Not all of their behaviors, of course, but they are people and do have value. And we are lucky in that our right-leaning family members mostly keep to themselves rather than be obnoxious.)

[mr715]

62. I have so much respect for special ed support faculty

I really don't like the term "paraprofessional" as though it is someone less than fully professional.

Part of my "coalition" when I got elected to UFT leadership in NY was the special ed support team loved me for always taking time to talk to them and treat them as I treated my fellow teachers.

I'll never forget the terror I felt when a student (I was covering kindergarten and I'm a middle school/HS science teacher) asked me for bathroom assistance. A cold chill ran down my spine. I had no idea what to do.

The paras saved me.

Love em.

[GPV]

69. I'm laughing because of the bathroom anecdote. :)

But I really do enjoy hearing support of the rd techs. I have a BS in elementary Ed, but being a support person has fit me so much better as far as my resilience as a person with bipolar and other mental health concerns. Not being a "real" teacher used to bother me, because I wasn't living up to my full potential, but I have been very lucky to never have other staff members or admin treat me as less-than. They know full well that a teacher can only teach if the environment is calm and stable, and that's where we come in.

[mr715]

113. Doctors, nurses, teachers, paras.

Doctors do medicine, nurses heal the patient.

Teachers provide instruction, paras educate the child.

I've worked with so many incredible people, and I'm very proud to be an educator. Once I'm done with this degree, I look forward to going back to the classroom of a nice NYC public school. Hopefully one with a good principal.

[GPV]

115. I hope you find a wonderful place to be. I'm in one myself, and

if it weren't for the fact that we have a supportive faculty and admin, I might have burned out by now. It's disheartening to see how far back students have fallen in both behavior and academics. I worry greatly for this generation. They'll need to take on the massive challenges we've passed on to them with a lower quality education than we had and less curiosity or initiative. Truly, we are at a crossroads, but we educators can only do so much around the disruptions, disinterested students, and their screen-centered home lives.

[mr715]

119. It is a blessing to teach science.

Whenever the kids are being difficult, I can blow something up and BAM, attention right back on me.

[GPV]

124. I sat in for three classes of life science per day this year, but next year we swing

back to chemisttry and physics, so if I cover middle school science again, I might get to see some explosions.

[JustAnotherGen]

101. I don't have a single

Magapub in my family.

[mcar]

68. This is like a bingo card

Milquetoast incrementalists.
Centrist third way
Republican lite

[lapucelle]

123. String two of them together

and someone (perhaps a member of a group of *doctor's*) will congratulate you for your *complexity, nuance, and depth*.

[lapucelle]

17. Nah, let's fault the folks who recruited, boosted, and amplified this guy.

All the *earned media* about this guy was negative, but it was folks with big platforms (and thirsty politicians trying to become or remain relevant) who gave Platner a soft landing each and every time.

[mcar]

66. Ooh, the "Establishment"

[sheshe2]

122. IKR?!

[krawhitham]

97. At least the Establishment never presented a rapist

[WSHazel]

99. Swallwell

But the percentages are much better with the establishment.

[Orrex]

127. That's about as low as the bar can be set

[PunkinPi]

34. Bouzy is calling out the...

Left (DSA, leftists, progressives*, etc) who were pushing Platner despite his many, many red flags. The problem is since they don't have a party infrastructure of their own, they do it using the infrastructure of the Dem party. And when the Dems embrace these kind of untested and unvetted candidates with a ton of baggage just because they fit some kind of white masculine aesthetic and vibe that they think will win back white male votes, but never does. Each time the Dems give up their values to appease a certain segment of the left, it's problematic to the actual base of the Democratic party/establishment because it is alienating them.

*Pls note I know a lot of folks here identify as progressives, I'm using the term some of those who supported GP called themselves.

[pinkstarburst]

38. I think we've gotten some great progressive, left candidates

and elected officials. AOC. Mamdani.

The problem with Platner was not that he was a progressive candidate. The problem was that he was a walking red flag from the start and despite every single SCREAMING red flag that came up (the Nazi tattoo, the 6 women he was sexting with despite being married), some in the democratic party would have defended him almost to the point of no return (except maybe rape--though I still am seeing posts saying "but we don't want Collins, guys" which is disgusting to me.)

We should be vetting our candidates for major offices thoroughly before they run. That's how we avoid a Swalwell or a Platner. And if we find out someone potentially horrible has snuck in, the vetting should have turned up 1000% after the FIRST huge red flag (the Nazi tattoo), not seen Bernie and other huge names continuing to endorse him.

[Quiet Em]

42. Did you notice how AOC and Mamdani didn't wander anywhere near Platner

AOC and Mamdani offer the blueprint that progressives/leftists should be following. They build bridges and coalitions, not the attack and divide strategy of the Platner campaign. They speak to the economic concerns of people and the very real and harmful social issues that are hurting people. They offer hope, generate real enthusiasm, not the vote for this very flawed man who is bigoted and credibly accused of rape or you will get Collins strategy of the Platner campaign.

There is a small but loud faction within the progressive left that is doing what Chris Bouzy is talking about. It's very white male centric. They consist mostly of social media influencers and podcasters but they are having some influence and it's disturbing.

[mcar]

47. Someone here yesterday called for Sen. Schumer to step down

because of the Platner debacle.

So it takes a special kind of intellectual dishonesty to turn around and blame the Establishment for a candidate they didn't want.

[Skittles]

108. he needs to pass the fucking baton already, regardless

seriously

[TVguyCards]

86. "He was shoved down our throats by the Left"

No. He was democratically elected by the people of Maine who aren't interested in what the establishment is offering after losing to Susan Collins for THIRTY YEARS. Whoever replaces Platner needs to support the policy positions he did and I hope they do.

[Cha]

4. Thanks for Bolding it, Punkin..

I like reading it that way.

It really rang true. Daniel Moraff, who recruited Planter, wanted to shake things up, but he didn't vet his "experiment".
And his Karma has come back to "shake things" up, alright.

Hopefully, the Maine Democratic Party will be able to get some Real Dem Candidates, who are working-class heroes, for the caucuses to elect a Democratic candidate who has a vetted history of actually doing something for the people of Maine

[harumph]

6. Daniel Moraff should find other employment.

But to be fair, it takes more than one person to fuck things up. Normally it's a group effort.

[MustLoveBeagles]

49. I started out as a Platner skeptic

Who threw that aside and supported him after his primary win. I guess I was so desperate to retake the Senate that I was willing to put up with just about anything. The rape allegation was bridge to far. I realized I should've trusted my instincts. I was wrong. I apologize.

[redstatebluegirl]

56. The Nazi tatoo should have been enough for Democrats.

[MustLoveBeagles]

58. I agree 👍

I should've known better.

[pinkstarburst]

77. I have yet to meet any quality people

with Nazi tattoos.

Just saying.

Nor do I know of any stand up men who are sexting six women while married.

We need to do a much better job vetting our candidates for important positions going forward.

[SocialDemocrat61]

7. It was up to the voters of Maine

They voted for him despite having other options.

[canetoad]

15. Not going to even read it

The hyperbole stings my eyes.

[bigtree]

16. such bullshit

..the 'party' is busy shunning Platner right now.

Record Number of Democratic Women Running for U.S. House

A new record has been set for Democratic women running for U.S. House seats, according to the latest data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. In the 2026 midterms, 364 Democratic women have filed to run for House seats, beating the previous record of 356, set in 2020. Candidate filing is not yet complete in six states, so this number is likely to rise, and a new record may also be set for the total number of women running for House. Currently, 523 women have filed to run for House seats; the record was set in 2020 at 583. The number of filed Republican women House candidates in 2026 is 159; the record for Republican women House candidates was set in 2022 at 261.

https://cawp.rutgers.edu/news-media/press-releases/record-number-democratic-women-running-us-house

[Skittles]

94. yes, NOW

[bigtree]

100. Platner was supposed to be some kind of pushback to party regulars

..'the establishment'

Now people want to claim that he was some kind of invention of the people he (and his supporters) was railing against; the ones that supported his opponent in the primary.

The revisionism that bends over backward to condemn the establishment that rejected and essentially shunned Platner is rich.

NYT March 30, 2026
Gov. Janet Mills argues that her rival for Senate, Graham Platner, could be doomed by his history of offensive online remarks. But at a time of anti-establishment anger, Mr. Platner says he is the safer choice.

Mr. Platner suggested her campaign was engaging in “deeply toxic and divisive politics.” He also argued that her ties to the party establishment — Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, urged her to run — was the bigger liability in a general election.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/us/politics/maine-senate-primary-mills-platner-democrat.html

[Skittles]

105. bottom line is

GET BETTER CANDIDATES

[Renew Deal]

18. That preachy BS doesnt account for Democrats wanting something different

Platner wasn’t the choice of the party. He was the choice of the voters.

[Skittles]

95. wanting something different is one thing

wanting an asshole with a nazi tattoo is entirely another

[OhioBack2Blue]

19. Exactly....

Every election cycle, someone in a strategy meeting decides that the path to victory is making the party a little more racist, a little more anti-semitic, a little more sexist, a little more hostile to the people who actually vote for Democrats.

TL: DR = A little bit more right wing. Been going on since Reagan.

[Ms. Toad]

22. And a lot of the responses here condemning the article prove it's point. n/t

[bigtree]

36. the author is a AI developing scammer and promoting troll

...and is confused about who supported Platner and who defended him.

He's representing moderate political ideology as the dominion of the 'Pod Saves America' left who promoted Platner as populist.

The problem isn't the respective ideologies of the left and the center, it's the contradictory, contrived rhetoric that Platner was selling to appeal to Dem voters.

The 'author' developed a bot that claimed to identify twitter trolls which where criticizing his idols, Prince Harry and his wife. It was weak and weird. That's his only credential here, so it's really something to claim he credibly affirms something untoward about people responding to his opportunistic falderal about Democrats.

[Ms. Toad]

41. The sentiments expressed are what I have been observing in Democratic politics

Increasingly since at least 2004, when gays were told to sit down and shut up because responding to the right's campaign to use same gender marriage to drive evangelicals to the polls to vote for marriage discrimination ballot initiative. Now it is trans individuals and, to a lesser extent woman, who are expected to be the sacrificial lambs.

I don't care who wrote it. The sentiment matches what I have been observing, and which has been accelerating for years. And the responses attacking the message (including by attacking the messenger) are part and parcel of that trend.

We need to stop chasing the easily offended middle while expecting those who have always had to struggle for our rights to sit silently by.

[bigtree]

43. but the people who were doing that weren't associated with the 'Pod Saves America' left

...who was pumping up Platner.

The author is confused.

[Ms. Toad]

44. The opinion piece does not mention "pod saves America." n/t

[bigtree]

48. I included that to emphasize that Platner's support didn't come from the people the author claims

...weird to represent the primary defenders of the people and issues you allude to who have always resided on the 'left' as promoters of 'white males' to the exclusion of 'gays, women, minorities, etc.'

Where do you think that support for disaffected, disenfranchised individuals and groups in this country has come from? Those ideals have long been the denizen of the people who have been promoting Platner. That association is what has allowed him to represent himself as populist.

Our party represents a coalition of those interests, not a competition between them, notwithstanding the apparent insincerity of the candidate they chose to the defense of those ideals.

[EdmondDantes_]

26. The author doesn't establish who the party is they are referring to

Yes some Democratic established figures like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren endorsed him early and loudly, but I believe a majority of the "establishment" supported Janet Mills such as Chuck Schumer.

Yes a large majority of Democratic primary voters wanted Platner, but he certainly wasn't being pushed from the top down like the author is suggesting. But I don't think those voters were consciously going for Platner because he's a cishet white guy. I do think they were willing to look past all his red flags because for a lot of people fundamentally economic progressivism is the key concern.

Do I agree that his voters were overlooking a whole bunch of flaws? Absolutely, but much of the party establishment wanted Janet Mills who clearly wasn't what the voters wanted. So you can't really say the party was hung up on getting a cishet white guy when they wanted a woman.

Do economic progressives need to not just focus on economics and make sure they are intersectional with other groups in the party? Yes. But likewise other groups in the party including the traditional establishment needs the economic progressives both for their enthusiasm and for pushing the party on economic issues. Being part of a big tent means having to find areas where you agree and areas where you can compromise without betraying your values.

[pinkstarburst]

39. To be fair

I think some of this is true, too.

The two candidates who got almost all the votes were Platner, who had zero experience, and was running on a progressive platform, and Mills, a 78 year old who had some controversial decisions in her past as governor.

To me, this feels like what happened back in 2024 when Biden was refusing to step aside despite his age and the vibe was just like all the air had been let out of the balloon. No one wanted two 80 year old men on the ticket.

And then it seemed like to me, once Platner was the clear favorite, people were so desperate to beat Collins that they were wanting to overlook all the bad stuff that was coming out, hoping it was the last of it, which of course, it wasn't.

I think if there had been a better choice of candidates (not having to choose between an 80 year old and a creep with a Nazi tattoo), this might have turned out differently, but who knows.

[EdmondDantes_]

53. Alas we don't have a time machine.

Best we can do is learn for next time. And as you note, both the establishment and economic progressives can learn something about who to promote.

[Sympthsical]

102. Excellent summary of the entire mud-soaked affair

people were so desperate to beat Collins that they were wanting to overlook all the bad stuff that was coming out, hoping it was the last of it, which of course, it wasn't.

This is all the analysis required.

[BannonsLiver]

29. Great. I Agree.

Now who the fuck is Christopher Bouzey? 🤷‍♂️

[TVguyCards]

89. He's the founder of Bot Sentinel

which was a Twitter plugin (extension) users could download and use that gave the probability percentage of an account being an actual BOT.

He is very anti-progressive and anti-leftist. He used to be ok but he completely broke after the 2016 elections and went on a "Twitter rampage" adding progressives and leftists to hit "red list" marking them as 90%-100% a BOT despite they weren't. At one point his extension had around 1 million users so you can see the problem this would cause.

He was warned several times over his behavior by Twitter pre-Elon Musk, suspended a few times, and eventually his extension went kaput and now today is no longer used since Elon no longer allows 3rd party extensions.

[BannonsLiver]

91. Thanks for the background.

I figured he wasn’t credible, this confirms it.

[YorkRd]

31. Platner could just as easily ran as MAGA

To try to tar Dems with this Platner is dishonest. The Democratic establishment pushed Janet Mills into the race. Platiner is a big liar just like Trump and most Maga politicians.

[blubunyip]

103. Agree

All men with Platner's baggage should just run as a Republicon. In fact he could still do that and actually be elected. They have no problem with lying, cheating, stealing, and abuse of women. In the Repuke party a history of abusing women is a badge of honor. Shows who's boss and in charge, dontcha know. A really tough guy.



The Democratic party has dodged a bullet. Things would only get worse. So glad she spoke out when she did.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

33. Lawrence was great last night on Platner

@lawrenceodonnell.bsky.social on the lesson of the Platner campaign: Always wait for the vetting youtu.be/rnKosV5DkqA?...

— The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell (@lastwordmsnow.bsky.social) 2026-07-08T04:19:12.688Z

[PunkinPi]

35. That he was! Thanks for posting. nt

[Cosmocat]

40. The voters voted for him ... the issue is the time we live in

This is not not a defense of the party, it definitely is W A Y too passive and no up to the job at the moment.

But, as someone who has both run for and won local offices and worked elections as an election official, people WILDLY over estimate how much pull the party has in getting people elected.

Platner has a LOT of appeal, he has the right look and has taken very good progressive stances and has a strong populist way of talking to the public.

The issue here isn't the party - its that he slipped in at a point at which the Rs, MAGA, DT have blown up the norms that have existed all of history until the slob came down the escalator a decade ago.

Just one of many examples, John Edwards had a LOT going for him, but was done the moment his side action was made public.

But, after watching the Rs not just abandon the norms but to full out disregard any civil discourse and celebrate their brazen corruption and immorality, Ds (myself included) were willing to go with him despite having more than a handful of things that would have outright disqualified him the first 240 years of our existance.

WTF should we hold ourselves up to completely abandoned standards when we get ZERO credit for it.

[maxrandb]

45. Retrumplicans sold their souls for misogyny, racism, fascism, white supremacy and hatred

See....both-sides really are NOT the same!

[awesomerwb1]

51. Dear god. Garbage

[ABC123Easy]

55. My favorite part

You do not defeat fascism by flirting with it. You do not beat MAGA by becoming its understudy. You do not save democracy by telling Black voters, Jewish voters, and every other loyal Democratic constituency to shut up and get in line because some consultants convinced themselves that angry white men are the only voters who matter.

How often did I see on here (and was threatened with by several DU members with), "You better get in line and support the nominee OR ELSE!"

All I did was voice my concerns with a candidate with a nazi tattoo. The hatred and nasty replies from other DU members was staggering and very eye opening to me.

[mcar]

70. I got a few of those too

[ABC123Easy]

74. Sorry

I sympathize with you.

[sarisataka]

84. "It's not a Nazi tattoo"

"That was a long time ago, who could possibly know what it was"
"I've studied WW2 and never saw that symbol"
"A historian of WW2 said he had no idea what the symbol meant"

I could go on and on and on

[ABC123Easy]

96. Yep

We've already discussed this I think.

[Skittles]

98. yup

we were also advised if you ain't from Maine your opinion doesn't count, as if we're only supposed to care about our local candidates ON A POLITICAL BOARD

[ABC123Easy]

110. That's right! I forgot

100% remember that now

[Skittles]

117. sad thing is, many would still vote for him

oh yes

[biocube]

64. Instead of getting upset with who Maine Democratic voters chose as their senate candidate...

...maybe recognize that there's at least a plurality of Democratic voters that want a different approach to campaigning and think Democratic leadership aren't meeting the moment.

Graham Platner has literally had campaign staff members had their careers threatened because the party bosses wanted the field cleared for Janet Mills who could be a 1990s pro choice northeast Republican.

[lapucelle]

75. When did that happen? N/T

[obamanut2012]

83. Link to that happening?

[lame54]

65. Pending...

Receipt yet to be given
Still time to correct

[beaglelover]

67. Yeah, let's just keep doing what we've been doing since it's working out SO well for us. SMDH

[31j20b3]

73. Voters get to make their own choice. IMO there's a better approach to pursue...

WHY DID MAINE PRIMARY VOTERS MAKE HIM THEIR CHOICE?

What did they see/ or hear from him that was better than a mainstream democrat?

Elections could be won or lost on the answers...

[B.See]

128. THIS. Turned out that, unknown to the electorate

there was worse, far worse than what had previously been disclosed/revealed about Platner.

And I'm not talking some old tattoo that turned out to have a Nazi connection. Or maybe I was just more focused on REAL Nazis, supremacists, and fascists.. silly me.

My position was and always was this was up to the voters of Maine. And they'd made their decision. But he's out now.

So what Democrats should be asking is precisely this.

WHY do voters enthusiastically gravitate to candidates like Platner, Mamdani, and others

over the 'business as usuals' the mamby pamby strongly worded responses, and the mixed messages sent by those pocketing campaign money from pacs with other agendas?

To dismiss his support by attributing it to some influence campaign by monied interests or similar would be an insult to the voters of Maine.

These newcomer candidates are saying something Democratic voters want to hear. Perhaps long wanted.

The rest had better figure out what that is.

[JustAnotherGen]

78. The Party ignored?

Or the Maine voters ignored?

Let's not pretend that he was the so-called 'establishment's pick'.

This sits at the feet of the Leftists who were looking for a knight in shining armor to come in and save them.

[Progressive dog]

79. There is a lot of that crap to be

found online. Democrats at lest are trying to get rid of Platner and probably will succeed but assholes like that guy elected a much worse person president twice.
Trump doesn't become acceptable because Maine Democrats chose Platner as their candidate. Maine Democrats are now realizing their mistake and probably fixing it.
After five years of Trump, a convicted felon and a wannabe dictator who still has the support of these Republicans who sold their souls long ago and are proud of it.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

81. Who are the disgruntled white men Democrats are "chasing"??

Referring to the sexist, racist, abusive Nazi rapist? Oh hell NO. He was the progressive hero who jumped in with both feet and an ugly "working man" goatee, a bad liar who exhibited the exact opposite of progressive traits for the whole world to see but talked a good enough game to label himself progressive and thus untouchable.

Nope, no way did that walking disaster fuck things up because Democrats "chased" him! Every single thing HE DID was excused, denied, rationalized, forgiven and forgotten by his followers. Now trying to foist off their own responsibility?

"You do not save democracy by telling Black voters, Jewish voters, and every other loyal Democratic constituency to shut up and get in line...."

This is a disgusting LIE. It works, though and right on time, too.

So what's next? The "loyal Democratic constituency" demanding Democrats "earn" their votes or else? I find it hard to believe that they are unable to figure out what happens by not voting Democratic. It seems very deliberate. And trashing Democrats while sucking on the Democratic money spigot. Enough!!

Democrats "sold their soul??" Utter bullshit.

[sarisataka]

85. Not all Democrats...

Seriously however those of us who were on this side of sticking to our values where shouted at being told this is the way of the future. There are no perfect candidates and we need to win regardless of the candidates' background. If we want to win, we have to pick people just as nasty as Republicans. Winning is more important than anything else.

When the question was posed, what should be a disqualifier for a candidate, no answer was ever given.

It appears that rape is still a line (most) of us are not willing to cross.

[Skittles]

93. an utterly shameful chapter

how many times do we have to be reminded: when people show you who they are, BELIEVE THEM

[Red Mountain]

106. Is a refund a possibility?

Might get another offer.

[Easterncedar]

107. Divisive, simplistic nonsense

Weak generalizations, too.

[AZProgressive]

109. I first heard of "blue no matter who" during the 2020 primary and it was mostly centrists that were stating that

I believed Tara Reade and the other women who claimed Biden rubbed their shoulders which was unwanted but I still ended up backing Biden because the other option which was Trump had multiple sexual assault allegations including with underage people.

As far as Platner I wish there was a viable third option in the primary but once I saw it wasn't affecting Maine's voters decision making I got on board like I did with Biden. There also wasn't any sexual assault allegations at the time and the person making the worst claims in the NYT article was a member of "Ladies for Kavanaugh" and a professional Republican operative so that was why I stood by him. Now that there is a sexual assault allegation so I'm willing to sacrifice him to help Talirico in Texas -- BTW I haven't heard nearly as much about Ken Paxton as much as I have heard of Platner's dating life.

I agree there are consultants and strategists that want the party to move to the right on social issues but I didn't see that as part of the campaign. He wasn't like scapegoating trans kids and immigrants as to why we don't have nice things. Voters in Maine voted for a progressive platform in-spite of the candidate rather than as favor to him.

[Stacey Grove]

112. I sold my soul for rock and roll first

[Easterncedar]

116. I might have, but no one was buying

[PCB66]

114. I can forgive him for the "Nazi" tattoo

That is just a military macho thingy and he is not a Nazi.

I think he is an asshole for the way he berated a fellow soldier but that would not prevent me for voting for him. Most politicians are assholes to some degree or another. There are many a whole lot worse.

I cannot forgive him for the credible reports of sexual abuse. That is a big nope.

We can do better.

[mr715]

120. Did I sell my soul?

[Initech]

121. Stopping MAGA and Project 2025, and holding the GOP, Fox, and Heritage responsible should be our #1 priority.

This entire situation was handled poorly. Yes, Platner was a poor choice. But we need to defeat billionaire backed Susan Collins.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

125. Part of the problem is, imho

that we are best summed up by Will Rogers and his 'I don't belong to an organized political party, I'm a Democrat' quote.
I don't know who runs the party (if anyone), I get email solicitations from many groups saying they are raising money to get Dems elected or 'turn Congress blue" or whatever.
It's like they are at odds with one another, each in their own little silo, not communicating or checking on anyone else in the same party. I wish they would establish a Democratic Party platform with statements like 'we stand for and will work for, low cost health care for all, free childcare, a smaller defense budget (with the money being used for social programs etc), affordable housing, college that doesn't unreasonably burden the graduate with debt, more training for law enforcement on social issues, no more money for other countries unless they promise to not attack their neighbors etc etc etc.'

[duckworth969]

126. It was a hatchet job, timing was sus

[WinningAgain]

129. We can kiss the Senate bye, bye

Maybe the tent is too big.

[whathehell]

130. The claim is that "the party ignored the bigotry, the

misogyny and all the warning signs because they confused white masculinity with electability"

If true, it seems it may not be their only point of confusion since "white masculinity" doesn't automatically equal "toxic masculinity". Toxic masculinity is found in all races and ethnicities.

[pat_k]

131. Bullshit. The dynamics are so much more complicated that this bullshit narrative.

And Maine will have a new nominee and a stronger candidate against Collins than Platner was.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21362064

[Abolishinist]

132. Exactly.

This whole thing about Dems catering to the "angry white male" bullshit needs to go away, and fast.

Full disclosure: I am a white male. And from time to time I feel angry.

"Democrats have a choice. They can be a party that actually stands for something, or they can keep chasing the approval of white men who resent everything the party claims to defend. They can build power with the voters who have been loyal to them, or they can keep insulting those voters while begging for the attention of people who would rather vote for Republicans anyway.

Graham Platner is not just one candidate. He is a warning. He is what happens when a party gets so desperate to win white men back that it forgets who kept it alive. Graham Platner was never the answer to MAGA. He was proof that some Democrats are willing to become what they claim to oppose, as long as they think it might help them win. And if Democrats ignore that warning, they deserve every bit of hell coming their way."

[Vogon_Glory]

133. So I'm supposed to feel guilty about Maine voters nominating Platner? NOPE

I refuse to embark on this guilt trip, I’m a Texas resident with a squeezed wallet who’s had to be very choosy about what few out-of-state candidates I give to. I didn’t send any contributions his way.

When the scandal broke, I chose to wait for more evidence. While Plattner’s accuser seemed to be sincere, I wanted more corroboration before forming an opinion: I well remember the rat-f*cking that forced Al Franken out of the Senate.

More corroboration came out. I live in Texas. I left the process to others more involved with Maine politics.

Platner ended his candidacy. Our party took a blow in Maine, but we cleaned up the mess. That’s more than what Club Pachyderm would have done if Platner was their candidate.

Excuse me while I stay on the station platform while the Guilt Trip Express pulls out.