Sadly, this is true. The Founders provide us with the Constitution, a framework for governing. But they also emphasized that it would rest on people of virtue. We’ve seen less than that over the centuries quoting a certain someone “at levels never seen before.” The former Republican Party is dead. There ability to deliver virtuous leaders is dead. They must be voted out of office and replaced with a party dedicated to protecting and improving our democracy.
As Ron Brownstein says in minute 40, Planter is a bad fit for the Maine electorate. There are not that many young "Bernie Bro's" and Collins won last time by getting votes from older women who did not like Trump but nonetheless voted for Collins. This portion of the electorate seems unlikely to be attracted to Platner as a candidate. There are other multiple candidates for Governor on Dem side who could step in according to Brownstein. Those candidates are a better fit for the state. If Brownstein is correct, Dems will lose the the Senate seat all to support a guy with an SS tattoo and who is such a phony, he is a rich kid masquerading as working class and who attempts to cheat on his wife right after getting married!
The body politic is wounded. I think any rational voter knows this at a subconscious level. And with any wound the first course of action is to stop the bleeding. While it is great to have sterile bandages, the reality is anything will do in a pinch. Let's consider Platner a bandaid. Let's take him at his worst, dirt and all, cause we know that it is not as bad as it will be if we don't stop the bleeding. We can clean the wound, dress it correctly, and figure out how to keep it from happening again later. Part of our job is to keep an eye on the wound and make sure the bandaid doesn't cause an infection before we can properly treat the wound, before we have to amputate entire sections of the body politic. But as in any crisis, one step at a time until you get out of it. The hard part is picking the right sequence of steps.
It says so much about the Democratic coalition circa 2026 and why I find it more and more objectionable that a SS tattoo is not a symbol of genocide but an Israeli flag is. One would think that a media company that prides itself in being non-tribal would have something to say about that.
From this week’s G-File. Thank you Jonah Goldberg.
Here is a small excerpt:
The narcissism of small differences is an outgrowth of our coalition instincts. We care about shibboleths—linguistic or cultural differentiators that distinguish our group from rival groups.
Speaking of genocide, here’s a woman explaining how Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo is no big deal, but if a politician had an Israeli flag tattoo, that would be a deal-breaker because that would signal “support for genocide.”
There are those who argue that Nazi tattoos in general, and tattoos worn by the SS in particular, could be construed as support for genocide. I don’t want to be Mr. I Read a History Book, but the SS did very bad things having to do with genocide.
When you think that a Nazi tattoo isn’t a symbol of genocide but an Israeli flag is, you are deep inside your coalitional bubble.
47 is was a convicted felon at time he was chosen by Americans. 47 is odious. Platner behaved odiously in his distant and fairly recent past. I’ve not heard him brag about any of those behaviors. 47 brags about much of his criminal behavior, brags that famous people can do whatever they want to the non-famous. Contrition for past bad behavior deserves different response than boastful pride and claim to rightfully be beyond any legal reach.
At the time of the primary in Maine, voters had the choice of voting for Platner who likely beats Collins or allowing Mills to likely lose to Collins in the end. Collins is 47’s lackey. Life’s given choices are rarely ones I’d choose to make for myself. The National Democratic Party painted Maine votes into a corner and left them with these choices.
In a recent survey 1/3 of Maine republicans were in favor of Medicare for all. Platner has Medicare for all on his platform. He also has voting for budgets that deliver Maine taxpayers benefits, like hospitals, roads, public education, childcare and policies that can help Mainers live more humane dignified lives. These things they have earned and deserve.
I wonder if we haven’t always had miscreants in government. When we admit what the internet has done to our lives, and what it has contributed to our history, it may be that our current downward trajectory isn’t that at all - it’s just that their cloak of secrecy is no longer available to hide behind.
"There’s not enough room on the internet to list all of his improprieties."
No, but you omitted one of the most outrageous ones, at least among the many in that paragraph. Namely, the stealing of classified information and obstructing their return. Not just by him, but with the help of many fellow traitors who did everything from the planning to the grunt work. We still don't know if some of that sensitive information was copied and sent to foreign dictators, but we do know that TACO would absolutely encourage that. Why he was not immediately - between his 2 terms no less - forced to testify under oath is yet another indictment of him and his co-conspirators. By then, almost 4 years ago and over a year after the insurrection, it was crystal clear to anyone paying attention was that the MAGA cult's goal was nothing less than to overthrow the Republic. The biggest irony is that it never was HIS main goal, which is to feed his insatiable id and ego at all times, whatever that means for the Republic.
Most of Platner's mistakes have been explained, by him. You know who has apologized, Platner. You know who hasn't, Trump. I believe in redemption. Most Americans do. We're not as judgemental as the press.
Great piece, Sarah. Whenever I see you as the author it quickly becomes a must-read for me.
I wrote about this at more length on my own page (https://substack.com/home/post/p-201655184), but briefly, I see a world of difference between someone voting for Platner in spite of the character concerns and just accepting that character doesn't count in politics. That reeks of might-makes-right to me, which is MAGA's game. Democrats should be about showing how we can all do better when we work together, which starts with people who will do the right thing for everyone, not just take whatever they can get away with for themselves. That's not the same thing as being scandal-free, but it's still a kind of morality. So yes, doing good and being good should still matter.
The trick is to make it so the system actually works for everyone. And that requires power to start off with, and probably at least some of us playing hard-ball. But fighting hard for what's good even if it gets our hands dirty is very different from saying MAGA is awful so why should we try to be better.
As for what to do, I really *don't* see a better choice than Platner at this point, I'm glad he won this week, and I hope he wins again in November. Clearly. We just need to keep in mind he *does* have baggage, that Mainers are voting (I hope) in spite of that rather than out of indifference toward it, and maybe vet people better next time so people have better choices in the future. That's my take, anyway.
His team got the tattoos at a time when they were living with danger. They were committed to the task. The tattoo said "We are together. We are fierce. We are deadly." Platner's reluctance to get rid of the tattoo until so much later had nothing to do with antisemitism. It had everything to do with honoring that bond, with being proud of that service.
He probably knew about the tattoo's associations, if not at the time, then since. That is going to come out. They are going to try to "Swift boat" him in October. It would be best to have first established an honorable explanation a little closer to the truth. And brace yourselves.
I am disgusted but not surprised by Americans, especially educated Americans, ignorance around veterans and the band of brothers bond. I taught The Things They Carried to high schoolers and encouraged them to volunteer with vets so that future voters wouldn't be so clueless.
Obviously, as a life-long Dem, I want Platner to win to vote for better policies and hold this corrupt admin to account. But, I also want, very badly, for him to win so that the DC political journalists, with a few exception, can stop with the asymmetric coverage. Teach them a lesson. No, it's not that Dems are just like Republicans, it's that they cover very little of substance.
Sadly, this is true. The Founders provide us with the Constitution, a framework for governing. But they also emphasized that it would rest on people of virtue. We’ve seen less than that over the centuries quoting a certain someone “at levels never seen before.” The former Republican Party is dead. There ability to deliver virtuous leaders is dead. They must be voted out of office and replaced with a party dedicated to protecting and improving our democracy.
As Ron Brownstein says in minute 40, Planter is a bad fit for the Maine electorate. There are not that many young "Bernie Bro's" and Collins won last time by getting votes from older women who did not like Trump but nonetheless voted for Collins. This portion of the electorate seems unlikely to be attracted to Platner as a candidate. There are other multiple candidates for Governor on Dem side who could step in according to Brownstein. Those candidates are a better fit for the state. If Brownstein is correct, Dems will lose the the Senate seat all to support a guy with an SS tattoo and who is such a phony, he is a rich kid masquerading as working class and who attempts to cheat on his wife right after getting married!
What a potential self-own by Dems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhRMFddSy_I
The body politic is wounded. I think any rational voter knows this at a subconscious level. And with any wound the first course of action is to stop the bleeding. While it is great to have sterile bandages, the reality is anything will do in a pinch. Let's consider Platner a bandaid. Let's take him at his worst, dirt and all, cause we know that it is not as bad as it will be if we don't stop the bleeding. We can clean the wound, dress it correctly, and figure out how to keep it from happening again later. Part of our job is to keep an eye on the wound and make sure the bandaid doesn't cause an infection before we can properly treat the wound, before we have to amputate entire sections of the body politic. But as in any crisis, one step at a time until you get out of it. The hard part is picking the right sequence of steps.
It says so much about the Democratic coalition circa 2026 and why I find it more and more objectionable that a SS tattoo is not a symbol of genocide but an Israeli flag is. One would think that a media company that prides itself in being non-tribal would have something to say about that.
From this week’s G-File. Thank you Jonah Goldberg.
Here is a small excerpt:
The narcissism of small differences is an outgrowth of our coalition instincts. We care about shibboleths—linguistic or cultural differentiators that distinguish our group from rival groups.
Speaking of genocide, here’s a woman explaining how Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo is no big deal, but if a politician had an Israeli flag tattoo, that would be a deal-breaker because that would signal “support for genocide.”
There are those who argue that Nazi tattoos in general, and tattoos worn by the SS in particular, could be construed as support for genocide. I don’t want to be Mr. I Read a History Book, but the SS did very bad things having to do with genocide.
When you think that a Nazi tattoo isn’t a symbol of genocide but an Israeli flag is, you are deep inside your coalitional bubble.
https://x.com/TheCarolineMc/status/2063803200902168769
47 is was a convicted felon at time he was chosen by Americans. 47 is odious. Platner behaved odiously in his distant and fairly recent past. I’ve not heard him brag about any of those behaviors. 47 brags about much of his criminal behavior, brags that famous people can do whatever they want to the non-famous. Contrition for past bad behavior deserves different response than boastful pride and claim to rightfully be beyond any legal reach.
At the time of the primary in Maine, voters had the choice of voting for Platner who likely beats Collins or allowing Mills to likely lose to Collins in the end. Collins is 47’s lackey. Life’s given choices are rarely ones I’d choose to make for myself. The National Democratic Party painted Maine votes into a corner and left them with these choices.
In a recent survey 1/3 of Maine republicans were in favor of Medicare for all. Platner has Medicare for all on his platform. He also has voting for budgets that deliver Maine taxpayers benefits, like hospitals, roads, public education, childcare and policies that can help Mainers live more humane dignified lives. These things they have earned and deserve.
At this point I would vote for a lizard or my dog before supporting any republican
👍
I wonder if we haven’t always had miscreants in government. When we admit what the internet has done to our lives, and what it has contributed to our history, it may be that our current downward trajectory isn’t that at all - it’s just that their cloak of secrecy is no longer available to hide behind.
Thank you Sarah.
"There’s not enough room on the internet to list all of his improprieties."
No, but you omitted one of the most outrageous ones, at least among the many in that paragraph. Namely, the stealing of classified information and obstructing their return. Not just by him, but with the help of many fellow traitors who did everything from the planning to the grunt work. We still don't know if some of that sensitive information was copied and sent to foreign dictators, but we do know that TACO would absolutely encourage that. Why he was not immediately - between his 2 terms no less - forced to testify under oath is yet another indictment of him and his co-conspirators. By then, almost 4 years ago and over a year after the insurrection, it was crystal clear to anyone paying attention was that the MAGA cult's goal was nothing less than to overthrow the Republic. The biggest irony is that it never was HIS main goal, which is to feed his insatiable id and ego at all times, whatever that means for the Republic.
Excellent work Sarah
Most of Platner's mistakes have been explained, by him. You know who has apologized, Platner. You know who hasn't, Trump. I believe in redemption. Most Americans do. We're not as judgemental as the press.
Great piece, Sarah. Whenever I see you as the author it quickly becomes a must-read for me.
I wrote about this at more length on my own page (https://substack.com/home/post/p-201655184), but briefly, I see a world of difference between someone voting for Platner in spite of the character concerns and just accepting that character doesn't count in politics. That reeks of might-makes-right to me, which is MAGA's game. Democrats should be about showing how we can all do better when we work together, which starts with people who will do the right thing for everyone, not just take whatever they can get away with for themselves. That's not the same thing as being scandal-free, but it's still a kind of morality. So yes, doing good and being good should still matter.
The trick is to make it so the system actually works for everyone. And that requires power to start off with, and probably at least some of us playing hard-ball. But fighting hard for what's good even if it gets our hands dirty is very different from saying MAGA is awful so why should we try to be better.
As for what to do, I really *don't* see a better choice than Platner at this point, I'm glad he won this week, and I hope he wins again in November. Clearly. We just need to keep in mind he *does* have baggage, that Mainers are voting (I hope) in spite of that rather than out of indifference toward it, and maybe vet people better next time so people have better choices in the future. That's my take, anyway.
Oh my God, I lost respect for their opinions when the Capitol was invaded--and we have actually sunk MUCH farther since then. We're up shit creek now.
His team got the tattoos at a time when they were living with danger. They were committed to the task. The tattoo said "We are together. We are fierce. We are deadly." Platner's reluctance to get rid of the tattoo until so much later had nothing to do with antisemitism. It had everything to do with honoring that bond, with being proud of that service.
He probably knew about the tattoo's associations, if not at the time, then since. That is going to come out. They are going to try to "Swift boat" him in October. It would be best to have first established an honorable explanation a little closer to the truth. And brace yourselves.
I am disgusted but not surprised by Americans, especially educated Americans, ignorance around veterans and the band of brothers bond. I taught The Things They Carried to high schoolers and encouraged them to volunteer with vets so that future voters wouldn't be so clueless.
Obviously, as a life-long Dem, I want Platner to win to vote for better policies and hold this corrupt admin to account. But, I also want, very badly, for him to win so that the DC political journalists, with a few exception, can stop with the asymmetric coverage. Teach them a lesson. No, it's not that Dems are just like Republicans, it's that they cover very little of substance.