sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

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Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

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I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

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Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

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Was he less than an ideal candidate? Yes. But if you look at how your Democrats are now smearing the other candidates who have the same platform, but don't have the same issues, you might realize it has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with economics.

What am I saying? Of course you wouldn't realize that. You have to constantly pretend that what's happening isn't.

Aunburdened said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

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Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

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I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

---

Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

Was he less than an ideal candidate? Yes. But if you look at how your Democrats are now smearing the other candidates who have the same platform, but don't have the same issues, you might realize it has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with economics.

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Every candidate has opponents and those opponents will use whatever they can to discredit them, including rape allegations. Good candidates either don't have those issues or are able to get out of ahead of them. There's a reason the smears against Mamdani didn't work.

I can see that this happens, but I also have a problem with folks on the far left who want to act like this is all just the establishment attacking them and that no mistakes were made on their end.

wifeisafurd said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

---

Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

---

I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

---

Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

Was he less than an ideal candidate? Yes. But if you look at how your Democrats are now smearing the other candidates who have the same platform, but don't have the same issues, you might realize it has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with economics.

---

Every candidate has opponents and those opponents will use whatever they can to discredit them, including rape allegations. Good candidates either don't have those issues or are able to get out of ahead of them. There's a reason the smears against Mamdani didn't work.

I can see that this happens, but I also have a problem with folks on the far left who want to act like this is all just the establishment attacking them and that no mistakes were made on their end.

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Have to agree with this. This is just the Dems screwing up another race they should win. They knew Biden had issues, and they simply ignored them and had their friendly media ignore them, and now here again they are forced to in appoint a late minute candidate to enter the race. The real contenders, are for the most part , those that lost in primaries, having displayed numerous vulnerabilities (the current Secretary of State at least didn't lose in the primary, though she has a thin resume). Collins is Republican in a blue state and should be vulnerable, but like Trump, is an able political strategist, and likely will win a race she should not, and the Democrats again are their own worse enemy.

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The Dems screwed up the race by making Janet Mills the only alternative. If they ran two candidates with a popular economic platform, they could have won. Now they're gonna lose again.

Aunburdened said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

---

Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

---

I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

---

Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

Was he less than an ideal candidate? Yes. But if you look at how your Democrats are now smearing the other candidates who have the same platform, but don't have the same issues, you might realize it has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with economics.

---

Every candidate has opponents and those opponents will use whatever they can to discredit them, including rape allegations. Good candidates either don't have those issues or are able to get out of ahead of them. There's a reason the smears against Mamdani didn't work.

I can see that this happens, but I also have a problem with folks on the far left who want to act like this is all just the establishment attacking them and that no mistakes were made on their end.

---

Have to agree with this. This is just the Dems screwing up another race they should win. They knew Biden had issues, and they simply ignored them and had their friendly media ignore them, and now here again they are forced to in appoint a late minute candidate to enter the race. The real contenders, are for the most part , those that lost in primaries, having displayed numerous vulnerabilities (the current Secretary of State at least didn't lose in the primary, though she has a thin resume). Collins is Republican in a blue state and should be vulnerable, but like Trump, is an able political strategist, and likely will win a race she should not, and the Democrats again are their own worse enemy.

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The Dems screwed up the race by making Janet Mills the only alternative.

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Yes, this is also true.

Aunburdened said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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sycasey said:

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Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

Was he less than an ideal candidate? Yes. But if you look at how your Democrats are now smearing the other candidates who have the same platform, but don't have the same issues, you might realize it has nothing to do with ethics and everything to do with economics.

---

Every candidate has opponents and those opponents will use whatever they can to discredit them, including rape allegations. Good candidates either don't have those issues or are able to get out of ahead of them. There's a reason the smears against Mamdani didn't work.

I can see that this happens, but I also have a problem with folks on the far left who want to act like this is all just the establishment attacking them and that no mistakes were made on their end.

---

Color me absolutely that Jon Favreau of all people told the truth about the Democratic Party.

.@jonfavs reflects on the Graham Platner fiasco in a new piece here: pic.twitter.com/SpNDYH8LM1

— Crooked Media (@CrookedMedia) July 18, 2026

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I generally agree with this take. I've seen some more centrist/liberal types blaming Favreau/Pod Save for Platner's rise, but IMO they get that causal relationship backwards: the Pod guys care about winning elections and beating Republicans more than anything else, so if they supported Platner it's because they saw he had better support and was the better option over Mills (still don't think they were wrong about that). They took up his cause because the VOTERS showed a clear preference for Platner, not just because they loved him personally.

So yes, Platner had real support. Also, he imploded because he didn't address any of the potential problems he should have known were coming before they blew up in his face. Sometimes you have these outcomes when running someone who has never been in government before.

Trump has lowered the bar so profoundly that a lot of peccadilloes are no longer disqualifying. Both parties so innately only care about winning to obtain and retain power they are happy to look the other way when the bad candidate is on their side. IMO this one is on Schumer and the establishment Ds. Their party is under attack from the left and they are seemingly disinterested in finding real candidates. How they only came up will Mills is a serious head scratcher.

sycasey said:

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Honestly this whole Graham Platner thing is fascinating to me: he has a lot of flaws that you would expect to sink most candidates, but he just seems to remain strong. Or at least stronger than anyone else the Democrats could offer . . . I acknowledge that some of his strength is because of how weak the Janet Mills campaign was.

I will also say that when I hear one of Platner's speeches, I get it: he sounds very down-to-earth and genuine. I think that's why a lot of the attacks haven't stuck. People watch him speak and he just doesn't sound like a secret Nazi who beats women or whatever his opponents are trying to claim he is. I think similar things happened with Obama when he was running in '08. He was attacked as a radical Muslim terrorist or whatever, but moderate Midwestern voters saw him speak and were like, "No he's not." Not saying Platner is as politically talented as Obama was, but it looks like a similar phenomenon.

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What Obama (in 2008), Bernie Sanders, and Graham Platner had going for them was the truth & strength of their populist / Progressive economic platform, and their anti-war / anti-imperial position.

Note 1: There was very little difference between campaigning Obama in 2008, 2015-present Bernie Sanders, and Graham Platner. The Iraq War and the Bush/Cheney administration were extremely unpopular; so Obama knew that he would win by being less pro-war than Hillary.

Note 2: Graham Platner is not as articulate / polished as Obama. But what he lacks in political polish, he makes up in authenticity. In today's political environment, candidates need authenticity far more than political polish. They need to come out of a 1-hour or 2-hour interview, with challenging questions on their core beliefs, looking even better & more respectable than when they went in. This was Platner's core strength. He's a working-class vet, and working-class people identified with him.

sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

---

Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

---

I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

---

Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

"...but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later."

How would we ever know if the smears were true?

Politico took anti-Platner opposition research, developed it into a 'hit piece' without getting 2nd-source corroboration (thereby violating their own journalistic standards), omitted an extremely relevant fact (her "glute massage" message), and published the piece in a direct effort to destroy Platner's candidacy.

They created an accusation of rape that did not previously exist. They relied 100% on the testimony of one person, who deleted all of the messages (evidence) that could support her claim.

And even when she told him not to come over, it didn't occur to her to lock her door & deny him entry.

IF she did press charges, this "case" would NEVER be prosecuted due to lack of evidence.

There's a reason why we don't see this level of scrutiny against establishment candidates -- it's because they're supporting the status quo, and not challenging it.

The Young Turks shines a light on the targeting of Graham Platner:
Bombshell Graham Platner Report Has BIG PROBLEMS

wifeisafurd said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Anarchistbear said:

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tequila4kapp said:

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Trump has lowered the bar so profoundly that a lot of peccadilloes are no longer disqualifying. Both parties so innately only care about winning to obtain and retain power they are happy to look the other way when the bad candidate is on their side. IMO this one is on Schumer and the establishment Ds. Their party is under attack from the left and they are seemingly disinterested in finding real candidates. How they only came up will Mills is a serious head scratcher.

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The electorate doesn't want moderate milquetoast, they want someone who represents them. The likely candidate will have a similar position on israel and universal health care as Platner

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Looks like it will be Troy Jackson

“His campaign dominated the first of two days of the delegate-selection process, with his longtime union allies flexing their organizing muscles to out-maneuver his rivals en route to capturing a strong majority of delegates.”https://t.co/bozq1ZXyyG

— Lauren Miller (@laurenm) July 19, 2026

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S/b interesting to see how women react to Jackson. That is where Collins and Trump differ in terms of Collins got the majority of women voters last time she ran. Jackson, who was a big Platner supporter, was very anti-abortion, though in his recent campaigns he has simply ducked the issue. I suspect he takes a lot of advertising hits from Collins aimed at female voters. Collins will have a huge money advantage. All this probably turned what seems like a likely loss for Collins to her being favored. (The last SCOTUS decision on party spending on candidates also helps big time).

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Jackson will most likely take the same position on choice that Sen. Tim Kaine (Hillary's VP pick in 2016) did -- he was "personally against it", but would vote with the Party on any matters involving abortion / Choice.

cbbass1 said:

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sycasey said:

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Aunburdened said:

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SBGold said:

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Aunburdened said:

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Economics is why the right wing Democrats had to smear Platner and get him out of the race

When voters think of “left” today they think of Pelosi in kente cloth, not the economic stuff. The economic stuff is just common sense. That’s why the party establishment is right wing on economics but seen as too left wing by normal people. https://t.co/aIIJfpxn8t

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) July 15, 2026

---

Not taking Ryan and Alex's opinions (no facts given on anything seriously

VOTE BLUE AND FREE WAGS

---

I bet that you would if they were published on MSNOW

---

Look man, you can say that Platner got smeared or whatever but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later. At least some of the fault is on him and the people who recruited him, yes?

---

"...but if the smears are true then he was simply a bad candidate and this stuff was going to come out sooner or later."

How would we ever know if the smears were true?

Politico took anti-Platner opposition research, developed it into a 'hit piece' without getting 2nd-source corroboration (thereby violating their own journalistic standards), omitted an extremely relevant fact (her "glute massage" message), and published the piece in a direct effort to destroy Platner's candidacy.

They created an accusation of rape that did not previously exist. They relied 100% on the testimony of one person, who deleted all of the messages (evidence) that could support her claim.

And even when she told him not to come over, it didn't occur to her to lock her door & deny him entry.

IF she did press charges, this "case" would NEVER be prosecuted due to lack of evidence.

There's a reason why we don't see this level of scrutiny against establishment candidates -- it's because they're supporting the status quo, and not challenging it.

The Young Turks shines a light on the targeting of Graham Platner:
Bombshell Graham Platner Report Has BIG PROBLEMS

---

The reporting here seems pretty well sourced, I tend to believe the allegations are true (or at least some of them are). The people who argue otherwise are generally those who were invested in Platner's campaign in the first place.

cbbass1 said:

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This was Platner's core strength. He's a working-class vet, and working-class people identified with him

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Polling suggests that this was actually not true. He got more support from the college educated than the working class.

sycasey said:

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cbbass1 said:

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This was Platner's core strength. He's a working-class vet, and working-class people identified with him

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Polling suggests that this was actually not true. He got more support from the college educated than the working class.

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That's because he was running as a Democrat, and the Democratic Party base is solidly Progressive.

cbbass1 said:

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sycasey said:

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cbbass1 said:

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This was Platner's core strength. He's a working-class vet, and working-class people identified with him

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Polling suggests that this was actually not true. He got more support from the college educated than the working class.

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That's because he was running as a Democrat, and the Democratic Party base is solidly Progressive.

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Okay, but the claim was that he would have unique appeal for working-class voters and that was not in evidence.