6d ago

I Thought Graham Platner Was Finished. What I Saw in Maine Changed My Mind.

www.nytimes.com

nytimes.com

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38323356

https://archive.ph/wip/7kgpn
Oct. 31, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ET Michelle Goldberg
Andy O’Brien, a former Democratic state legislator and newspaper editor, told me that outsiders didn’t fully understand how radicalizing the second Trump presidency has been for ordinary Democrats. Even senior citizens, he said, were becoming “fire-breathing leftists. They’re just pissed off.”
These voters understood that Platner had made mistakes, but they saw him as a fighter. “Five years ago, he would have been dead in the water, I think,” said O’Brien, who now works with the labor movement. “But this is such an unprecedented time. I think a lot of people really believe that we need somebody who can effectively fight against fascism.”
Maine is an overwhelmingly white state, but it’s not just white guys who feel this way. “We’re sticking by him,” said Safiya Khalid, a Somali American activist and former member of the Lewiston City Council.

Comments

just_another_person @lemmy.world 6d ago
He really seems like a good dude. Maybe a bit aloof to some things, but his intent seems genuine. I don't know why people thought he was "done". He said he wasn't stopping, and he hasn't, which speaks to his character. His opponents are fucking AWFUL choices, not just for Maine, but for everyone.
Until he comes out and says some really dumb shit, I have no reason to believe he's not in it to win it, and his words are genuine. This isn't some Fetterman bullshit.
- NuXCOM_90Percent @lemmy.zip 6d ago
  He said he wasn’t stopping, and he hasn’t, which speaks to his character
  I think that more speaks to his past comments on sexual assault...
  His opponents are fucking AWFUL choices
  Actually Daira Smith-Rodriguez had a very similar platform and none of the baggage and is even in a union. Can't imagine why people didn't catch on to her.
  
  just_another_person @lemmy.world 6d ago
  Okay...the first bit you're taking so far out of context that I don't even know if you know what he said. It was a glib statement for sure, and maybe borderline insensitive. His clarifying statement (even 12 years ago) was that you have a bunch of fucked men being thrown through war, and not behaving like "gentlemen", so it's best to remove yourself from bad situations within those ranks. I'm paraphrasing, but his comments clarified what he was saying.
  Second, I did watch some clips of Rodriguez. She's not a good candidate because she can't speak to ideas on the fly, future plans and thoughts, and just lacks charismatic ideation. She's just kind flat when speaking, like a standard do nothing candidate. I don't think that takes her to the finish line.
- KnitWit @lemmy.world 6d ago
  Lol, white guy refusing to back down after being caught out as a bigot, ‘character.’
  
  just_another_person @lemmy.world 6d ago
  Explain what you just said
SoloCritical @lemmy.world 6d ago
I legit can see how dude got a Nazi symbol on accident, let’s be real.. Nazis have seemingly hundreds of symbols tied to them, and some aren’t quite so obvious. Like the tattoo he had? To me it just looks like a really shitty skull design. Absolutely something a young dumb person would get.
All that aside. Something is definitely strange surrounding all this. I’m not advocating forgiveness, or condemnation.. just saying I guess this is all pretty fucking strange to me.
- foggy @lemmy.world 5d ago
  For real. I was born in '88.
  You know how many online names I've made that end in 88 not realizing it's a Nazi dog whistle?
IvyisAngy @lemmy.world 6d ago
I actually don't like how hard thier pushing the "misunderstanding" angle. Media owned by billionaires trying really hard to get the people to forgive someone?
They hate the soon-to-be New York mayor. But this guy gets all the leeway?
I have some extra sus just for that.
- KnitWit @lemmy.world 6d ago
  He’s a cis-white male, and unfortunately both sides of the aisle have no issue, or are willing to overlook, bigotry as long as cis-white males continue to be protected.
  
  NuXCOM_90Percent @lemmy.zip 6d ago
  
  Ah, but boys will be boys and no reason to let one little mistake ruin his entire life. Or any of the other little mistakes. People grow. They change. And they should never have to prove that to anyone.
  But yeah. Most of me is sad that we are probably going to see the Democrats elect a nazi to the Senate. But at least part of me can't stop laughing at the people who insist this is some anti-establishment underdog or that, and I quote,
  doesn’t have a clear track record of being a corporate minion that doesn’t represent their state
  when he was a god damned Blackwater merc.
- SanctimoniousApe @lemmings.world 6d ago
  While we can't definitively say he's a Nazi, he obviously at the very least makes poorly-informed decisions - definitely not good leadership material.
- HasturInYellow @lemmy.world 5d ago
  My view is the media is trying to smear him and only a few people online are defending him. And a shitton in Maine. They like him.
  The most concerning thing in all this is the blackwater shit.
Diva (she/her) @lemmy.ml 6d ago
The years of military service/mercenary work is the bigger issue imo, but democrats eat that shit up so of course they're going to overlook a nazi tattoo.
- rigatti @lemmy.world 6d ago
  I think people can change for the better, and Graham seems to have done exactly that.
  
  SanctimoniousApe @lemmings.world 6d ago
  Even if he had changed, his record of poorly-informed decision making makes him a bad choice to be a leader.
  
  Diva (she/her) @lemmy.ml 6d ago
  
  here's his reddit post where he's talking about circumventing direct orders to commit even more warcrimes than he would normally be allowed to by the US military:
  
  There’s all sorts of reasons I could point to why Graham Platner is unfit to be a leader in any leftist movement but the most glaring one is that as far as I can tell from his statements he thinks the US wasn’t engaged in anything wrong overseas.
NuXCOM_90Percent @lemmy.zip 6d ago
Maine is an overwhelmingly white state,
And that is why the blackwater merc with a nazi tattoo is "progressive"
Ah well. Looks like his campaign is collapsing internally at the rate you would expect for getting caught having lied about not knowing what his nazi tattoo meant. I just hope that the DNC et al actually realize there is still time to find a new candidate.
- waddle_dee @lemmy.world 6d ago
  The DNC has their candidate. It's Mills lmao
  
  NuXCOM_90Percent @lemmy.zip 6d ago
  Stop listening to your favorite podcasters.
  Actually go look at how many established Democrats have been interviewed and actively glossed over or ignored all the bullshit with Platner.
  He is "anti-establishment" in the same way trump was. Yeah, he probably isn't the first choice. But The Party clearly support and endorse him. Contrast that with a Mamdani or Abughazaleh where most established Democrats actively ignore them because The Party actively does not want them to win.

52 Comments