He seems great! Its great to see some politician taking accountability for their past mistakes without dodging it. He got the strong charisma that Democrats so utterly need. Hope he will win.
If itβs truly about service, mentor. Be the wise guide on the side. I think thereβs too many of them stuck in sage on the stage mode.
Some of them become so self important that nobody can tell them theyβre not. Itβs about the job. Itβs not about you. I think the first week that somebody is elected to that office, someone needs to sit down with them and ask them what their exit strategy is. Itβs not a marriage, and there is no honor in dying with your boots on.
All Nazi regalia was stolen from somewhere. Even the Swastika. They were not great original thinkers, just a gang of aholes led by a man who was not particularly brilliant but knew how to work a room... Sound familiar?
Here's the thing, as we start to ACTUALLY get millennials and younger in government we're all going to have bullshit internet baggage. I'm about the same age as Platner and got facebook when it was still just for college kids. I've FORGOTTEN more compromising pictures that probably exist somewhere. My livejournal might still exist? So I totally understand the reddit nonsense tbh. And maybe someone who had trump values but saw the light could be a good messenger.
I've also known enough dudes to totally buy the tattoo explanation too. But I could definitely be wrong I guess. As long as he doesn't have a stroke maybe we'll be ok.
Yes, I was thinking of Fetterman while reading this. He seemed like someone to convince people that progressive policies can come from "manly" men. And now he thinks the gilded ballroom is a good idea.
Agreed. Would this be a good time to point out that Mary Peltola is running for Dan Sullivan's seat, and she is carrying (peeks) no baggage whatsoever (unless you have unanswered questions about that gun collection of her late husbandsβ 176 long rifles is possibly excessive). And shoveling Sullivan out of that seat which was purchased by extreme right elements would also be a good thing.
The other known pearl clutcher, Murkowski, has refused to endorse her, saying that holding on to a Republican majority is too important. Which tells us everything we need to know about her so-called scruples (if we needed further clarification).
She was all hearts and roses about Mary the first time around, but oh, we just have to keep that sleazy carpetbagger in the Senate because he's a Republican.
Numbers count. The majority parties in both the House and Senate hold enormous power, including the power to block most of the stuff they don't like, which the Repubs have taken full advantage of. So, even if the Dem candidate isn't as pure as we would like, voting for that Dem increases the chance that Dems can control the House or Senate.
I hope he responds to bad faith Republican attacks with, "So what you're saying is, back then, I'd have made a good Republican. Well, I've changed. What's your fucking excuse?"
Frankly, Janet Mills couldn't win, both because she's an old woman (as is Susan Collins) but because she has too much experience--everyone has some complaint (she vetoed tribal sovereignty twice, she recently vetoed a moratorium on data centers, her DHHS is an ungodly mess) and she can't even run on some of her accomplishments (did you know that Maine offers full Medicaid coverage to children and pregnant people regardless of immigration or legal residency status? Nope, nobody does, and it's going to stay that way). So. The problem is that a third of the voters genuinely like Susan Collins (they are MAGA or she fixed grandpa's VA benefits problem), a third hate her fucking guts, and the other third are going to be a hard sell for a semi-feral dude who was born in Connecticut and went to Hotchkiss. We are better off running a white guy, frankly--the last two challengers were young women--but I'd still say it's 50-50.
We are not better off running "white guys" ad infinitum since it tends to block women out of power positions and that is a bad thing. Also, your comment about how an "old woman" can't win is vile. Let me remind you that Collins was not a youngster when she last ran and won. And Dem women like Pelosi and, until very late in her life, Feinstein, were powerhouses.
I absolutely agree with you--I was speaking of the electorate generally. If mature, competent women were consistently electable, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris would have been president and Libby Mitchell wouldn't have been knocked out of the race for governor by a pedophile. I am done being idealistic. (And Pelosi and Feinstein were elected in California, not Maine.)
Omg I'm so tired of this. War. They lost bc of war all the time, and not doing Jack shit about housing. And promising the status quo, as the American dream slipped through our fingers. Their position was I'm not trump. It's pathetic to keep pretending it's their gender and it's damaging to democrats in general.
Or had the foresight to say, in spite of inebriation, "Wait, guys, I need to research this, because if it's a hated Nazi symbol, it might have a deleterious effect on my run for Senator of Maine someday..."
Same for me. While I'm sure many people were familiar with that symbol, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that the majority of Americans were not.
True. He may not be perfect but as a Dem he would add one more to the number of Dems needed to take the majority position in the Senate and that is hugely important. The more bothersome thing about Platner is some of his comments, but that was a very long time ago. When he was young Reagan was liberal.
As a Mainer, I have voted for Susan Collins in the past, but that's only because state democrats couldn't put up a candidate who had a chance in hell of being elected, better the devil you know, blah, blah, blah...
But, I voted for Sara Gideon six years ago and she did better than any democrat against Collins, ever. I'm glad Mills dropped out, it was a dumb idea to run in the first place. And I think the Nazi tattoo story is bullshit, but I'm voting for Platner and it seems everyone I know feels the same.
I really feel like Collins' concern is entirely warranted this time.
I'm 60, and I don't want anyone my age or older running for office. My generation, and especially the boomers, have failed big time. Let's pass the baton to some new ideas!
I think the Olds have been heavily over-represented up until now. By the time someone is old enough to run for senate, they are five years past the age of being drafted. Jon Ossoff is the youngest Senator right now, and he'll be forty next February. Chuck Grassley is pushing 93. The average age of US Senators is 64.
It's not possible at this time for all the ages to be represented.
Understood - it's not a slight against people just 10 years older than I am, but a 78-year-old freshperson senator is just wrong. I worry that Platner might turn out to be some sort of Trojan Horse, but he's what we've got now, so let's try to flip the seat.
I was born in '58, so I'm in that weird tail-end of the Boomer generation (sometimes called Generation Jones or my favorite, Bastards Of Young). We weren't born when Elvis shook his pelvis on Ed Sullivan, and were too young to care when The Beatles played the same show. Woodstock happened when I was 11 and just looked nasty to me. Culturally, I have nothing in common with the stereotypical "Boomer".
In 1963 my father was a white-collar guy with a decent job, a mortgage, a sahw, and 5 kids and making a bit over $11,000 a year. Today's equivalent would be approx $118K. Mom would probably have to have a part-time job today.
The tv show "All in the Family" gave a good representation of that. At the start, Archie's job as a dock foreman supported a family of four. As time went on, additional members of the family had to enter the workforce to afford the same lifestyle.
Who among us doesn't have stupid, embarrassing stuff in their past? (Other than me, of course. π)
He seems great! Its great to see some politician taking accountability for their past mistakes without dodging it. He got the strong charisma that Democrats so utterly need. Hope he will win.
Is anyone else stuck back on Janet Mills being 78 years old? Picturing the Congressional dining room with Ensure on tap.
Six year term, 84 at best when she wraps. If re-elected? 90. C'mon, peeps, move over and let the kids have a turn behind the wheel.
I'm an Old. I couldn't agree more!
If itβs truly about service, mentor. Be the wise guide on the side. I think thereβs too many of them stuck in sage on the stage mode.
Some of them become so self important that nobody can tell them theyβre not. Itβs about the job. Itβs not about you. I think the first week that somebody is elected to that office, someone needs to sit down with them and ask them what their exit strategy is. Itβs not a marriage, and there is no honor in dying with your boots on.
At least plattner got rid of his tattoo. Our secretary of war games still proudly wears his Nazi regalia.
All Nazi regalia was stolen from somewhere. Even the Swastika. They were not great original thinkers, just a gang of aholes led by a man who was not particularly brilliant but knew how to work a room... Sound familiar?
Ta, Dok. We need every Democrat elected for every office. When we fight, we win.
As someone who also came around from the other side (though I never got a fucking tattoo celebrating my ignorance) I have high hopes for Platner
Here's the thing, as we start to ACTUALLY get millennials and younger in government we're all going to have bullshit internet baggage. I'm about the same age as Platner and got facebook when it was still just for college kids. I've FORGOTTEN more compromising pictures that probably exist somewhere. My livejournal might still exist? So I totally understand the reddit nonsense tbh. And maybe someone who had trump values but saw the light could be a good messenger.
I've also known enough dudes to totally buy the tattoo explanation too. But I could definitely be wrong I guess. As long as he doesn't have a stroke maybe we'll be ok.
Yes, I was thinking of Fetterman while reading this. He seemed like someone to convince people that progressive policies can come from "manly" men. And now he thinks the gilded ballroom is a good idea.
Seems like that stroke too a bit too much of his brain power.
I smell a Sinefetterma. I hope I'm wrong but this timeline has this ordinarily criminally optimistic observer feeling a little cynical.
I get it. He has my BS detector bleeping yellow--how fun to be at the point where we say, 'Eh, it's not redlined, I guess he'll do..."
When the baseline is Susan Collins things open up in a lot of directions.
Agreed. Would this be a good time to point out that Mary Peltola is running for Dan Sullivan's seat, and she is carrying (peeks) no baggage whatsoever (unless you have unanswered questions about that gun collection of her late husbandsβ 176 long rifles is possibly excessive). And shoveling Sullivan out of that seat which was purchased by extreme right elements would also be a good thing.
The other known pearl clutcher, Murkowski, has refused to endorse her, saying that holding on to a Republican majority is too important. Which tells us everything we need to know about her so-called scruples (if we needed further clarification).
She was all hearts and roses about Mary the first time around, but oh, we just have to keep that sleazy carpetbagger in the Senate because he's a Republican.
It would be a delicious irony if she loses the senatorial race this time, and comes back in the next cycle and takes Murkowskiβs seat.
I was having that exact same thought.
Numbers count. The majority parties in both the House and Senate hold enormous power, including the power to block most of the stuff they don't like, which the Repubs have taken full advantage of. So, even if the Dem candidate isn't as pure as we would like, voting for that Dem increases the chance that Dems can control the House or Senate.
I hope he responds to bad faith Republican attacks with, "So what you're saying is, back then, I'd have made a good Republican. Well, I've changed. What's your fucking excuse?"
Perfect! Please tell Platner
Wow, I like it! That would be something he could work nicely with.
Frankly, Janet Mills couldn't win, both because she's an old woman (as is Susan Collins) but because she has too much experience--everyone has some complaint (she vetoed tribal sovereignty twice, she recently vetoed a moratorium on data centers, her DHHS is an ungodly mess) and she can't even run on some of her accomplishments (did you know that Maine offers full Medicaid coverage to children and pregnant people regardless of immigration or legal residency status? Nope, nobody does, and it's going to stay that way). So. The problem is that a third of the voters genuinely like Susan Collins (they are MAGA or she fixed grandpa's VA benefits problem), a third hate her fucking guts, and the other third are going to be a hard sell for a semi-feral dude who was born in Connecticut and went to Hotchkiss. We are better off running a white guy, frankly--the last two challengers were young women--but I'd still say it's 50-50.
We are not better off running "white guys" ad infinitum since it tends to block women out of power positions and that is a bad thing. Also, your comment about how an "old woman" can't win is vile. Let me remind you that Collins was not a youngster when she last ran and won. And Dem women like Pelosi and, until very late in her life, Feinstein, were powerhouses.
I absolutely agree with you--I was speaking of the electorate generally. If mature, competent women were consistently electable, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris would have been president and Libby Mitchell wouldn't have been knocked out of the race for governor by a pedophile. I am done being idealistic. (And Pelosi and Feinstein were elected in California, not Maine.)
Omg I'm so tired of this. War. They lost bc of war all the time, and not doing Jack shit about housing. And promising the status quo, as the American dream slipped through our fingers. Their position was I'm not trump. It's pathetic to keep pretending it's their gender and it's damaging to democrats in general.
I was naively surprised when Sara Gideon did not stomp Collins.
You are totally on point with Janet mills.
You got ageism in my misogyny!
Platner was 23 in 2007. He went straight from High School in a small town of 1100 people, into the Marines.
I am 67 years old, college educated, I've read hundreds of books, many of which were about history.
And in all that time, I have never seen that symbol, not before I saw it on his chest.
SO WHY THE FUCK is he expected to somehow have known what it was when he was 23?
Stop being useful idiots
Me neither. And people act like it's as well known as the swastika.
Or had the foresight to say, in spite of inebriation, "Wait, guys, I need to research this, because if it's a hated Nazi symbol, it might have a deleterious effect on my run for Senator of Maine someday..."
Same for me. While I'm sure many people were familiar with that symbol, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that the majority of Americans were not.
Same same. Iβm certainly familiar with WWII, but my knowledge of Nazi memorabilia is pretty much limited to the swastika.
True. He may not be perfect but as a Dem he would add one more to the number of Dems needed to take the majority position in the Senate and that is hugely important. The more bothersome thing about Platner is some of his comments, but that was a very long time ago. When he was young Reagan was liberal.
As a Mainer, I have voted for Susan Collins in the past, but that's only because state democrats couldn't put up a candidate who had a chance in hell of being elected, better the devil you know, blah, blah, blah...
But, I voted for Sara Gideon six years ago and she did better than any democrat against Collins, ever. I'm glad Mills dropped out, it was a dumb idea to run in the first place. And I think the Nazi tattoo story is bullshit, but I'm voting for Platner and it seems everyone I know feels the same.
I really feel like Collins' concern is entirely warranted this time.
re: the possibility of change:
In 2008, wasn't Obama against same-sex marriage?
Shit, Hilary was against it till at least 2014!!!
Jesus Christ, she's 78 years old! We really need to start running younger people.
I'm 60, and I don't want anyone my age or older running for office. My generation, and especially the boomers, have failed big time. Let's pass the baton to some new ideas!
We need to run older people and younger people and every age in between. Every age group needs fair representation.
I think the Olds have been heavily over-represented up until now. By the time someone is old enough to run for senate, they are five years past the age of being drafted. Jon Ossoff is the youngest Senator right now, and he'll be forty next February. Chuck Grassley is pushing 93. The average age of US Senators is 64.
It's not possible at this time for all the ages to be represented.
Yes to that. Ain't nothing wrong with some good life experience.
I'm almost 78 years old and I approve this message!!!
Understood - it's not a slight against people just 10 years older than I am, but a 78-year-old freshperson senator is just wrong. I worry that Platner might turn out to be some sort of Trojan Horse, but he's what we've got now, so let's try to flip the seat.
Seriously. What ever happened to "never trust anyone over 30"?
Oh, yeah... the boomers turned 30/40/50/60/70 and soon 80.
What they meant was "Hey, you can trust me! Want some brown acid?"
I was born in '58, so I'm in that weird tail-end of the Boomer generation (sometimes called Generation Jones or my favorite, Bastards Of Young). We weren't born when Elvis shook his pelvis on Ed Sullivan, and were too young to care when The Beatles played the same show. Woodstock happened when I was 11 and just looked nasty to me. Culturally, I have nothing in common with the stereotypical "Boomer".
Younger Sister was born in '59, and she's fucking OLD. Unlike me.
My brother! SAME.
100%
My father earned about $56K a year, 40 years ago, as the boss of first one department, then another, at Time Magazine, later Time Warner.
I just looked that up. What would that be today?
Good Holy Everything, it's $224K.
In 1963 my father was a white-collar guy with a decent job, a mortgage, a sahw, and 5 kids and making a bit over $11,000 a year. Today's equivalent would be approx $118K. Mom would probably have to have a part-time job today.
The tv show "All in the Family" gave a good representation of that. At the start, Archie's job as a dock foreman supported a family of four. As time went on, additional members of the family had to enter the workforce to afford the same lifestyle.
And at that, these days 224k would not have been a lot of money, had they stayed in NY.