A lot of folks here are too young to remember this, but back in my day there was a democrat senator from Pennsylvania called John Fetterman. When he ran for this position, he was hailed as a new kind of progressive. Gave off serious working class vibes, wouldn’t wear a suit, and ran a really progressive ticket. He had a bit of an iffy past, involving threatening a black jogger with a shotgun, and fighting to gentrify the town of Braddock when he was mayor there. And of course, he had parents who were business owners who bought his political career for him. But we were told to ignore this, because he was saying a lot of progressive stuff now, and because the person he was running against was ostensibly worse (a tv doctor I think).
Anyway, he got elected, and the unimaginable happened: the guy who acted conservatively in the past, was acting conservatively in the present too! Even though he’d said he’d changed his tune and was a progressive now, he was supporting conservative legislation, and even enthousiastically supporting the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza (although it’s hard to find a democrat who doesn’t).
The Plattner situation reminds me of this. Rich parents, iffy past (3 tours of joining the illegal invasion of Iraq, and one in afghanistan, mercenary after, an actual, honest to god, I’m not making this up, nazi tattoo on his chest), and iffy present (he’s calling people who participated in the war crimes committed in Fallujah[1] “war heroes” in campaign interviews). It’d be kind of cool if we could learn from history instead of repeat it.
Inb4 the greybeards bring up Obama and his progressive campaign.
[1] they besieged the entire city and cut off its water and electricity supply. This is a war crime. Imagine being an elderly or disabled person who cannot leave the city – these are the kinds of people targeted by this attack. This is the kind of stuff Israel does in Gaza that makes legal scholars say that they’re committing a genocide. Anyway, the folks that did this are war heroes, apparently.
I went back and listened to Fetterman during his election, and I’ve listened to Platner in recent interviews, there is a major difference in the general thought of how politics works and how it should work.
I suppose it’s possible that this is another wolf in sheeps clothes, but it sure doesnt look like it to me. Not to mention taken at face value, he’s leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in the race.
So I feel like “taking things at face value” is exactly what went wrong with the previous bait and switch candidates. And I’ve yet to see something concrete and actual which distinguishes Plattner from them. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and I haven’t seen any progressive actions.
Seeing the amount of mental acrobatics performed in this thread to justify his background, I’m pretty sure some cosmic entity is polishing off the “fell for it again” awards somewhere. People are calling his mother owning multiple businesses, his dad being a prominent lawyer, donating 50k to politicians a regular background. Like holy moly.
His speech called “No one is coming to save us” dropped so many truth bombs. I was like FINALLY A POLITICIAN WHO SOUNDS REAL.
I’m just here to see all the tankies come out of the woodwork claiming he’s not “left enough” like he’s got Bernie’s fucking endorsement you lunatics
Yeah, tell me all about how the guy who wants to destroy MAGA and fight for health care, is worse than the corrupt, treasonous, racist, pedophiles we have now. At least this one has a D next to his name, and adds to a Democratic majority in the Senate. I’m tired of being lied to by Susan Collins and her ilk.
You’d think Platner was Trump himself, from all these supposed “leftists” in the thread. They are the reason the party can’t move left. They all sit home on Election Day waiting for Jesus himself to be on the ballot.
If you think that a 3 tour (or was it 4?) Blackwater merc is going to move you left, you are the reason why the party isn’t moving left.
Look, I get the point you’re trying to make, but I can’t begrudge anyone for being skeptical of the guy who got a Nazi SS Tattoo.
Maybe pick a different example next time?
How about when Kamala Harris ran and instead of voting for her, a bunch of leftists sat home and let Donald Trump win instead to teach her a lesson. I don’t really see a difference here. Leftists demand moral purity and then end up with an actual Nazi instead being elected.
In that case, it was because Kamala walked the line on Israel. In this case, Platner has actually taken the side you want on Israel and you STILL find a gripe about the Democrat to let MAGA win the election over.
Also, you need to understand that people are capable of making mistakes and growing from them. Did it not occur to you that Platner likely did not even know the context of the tattoo when he got it? It was just a bunch of marines bonding and doing a group thing. He went along with it and probably didn’t understand the historical context. I’m willing to bet 99% of the people complaining about his tattoo would not have understood the historical context if they saw the tattoo two years ago. But, now that the DNC did opposition research you’re all suddenly in the know. Well, the opposition research had its chance to dissuade voters in the primary and it failed. Making one mistake in your life doesn’t disqualify you from ever participating in anything ever again. Get the fuck over it. At this point, the primary is over and you have two candidates to choose from.
You people have no plan. Your solution is what? Don’t vote or vote for Susan Collins? Either way, you’re supporting the Republicans and therefore supporting Trump. You are therefore my enemy.
Leftists demand moral purity and then end up with an actual Nazi instead being elected.
You’re voting for the guy who had an SS tattoo. Pot, meet Kettle.
How about when Kamala Harris ran and instead of voting for her, a bunch of leftists sat home and let Donald Trump win instead to teach her a lesson.
A lesson libs like you clearly have yet to learn. Kamala alienated parts of what should have been her electoral coalition, because she wouldn’t distance herself from Biden who was deeply unpopular, wouldn’t take a proper stance on Palestine, and adopted Republican border policy. Running to the right doesn’t work.
To platner’s credit, he’s not doing that (ot at least hasn’t yet. We’ll see what he does if in office), but he’s a controversial candidate for good reason.
Also, you need to understand that people are capable of making mistakes and growing from them. Making one mistake in your life doesn’t disqualify you from ever participating in anything ever again. Get the fuck over it.
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. I don’t think anyone is beyond redemption. I’m a prison abolitionist ffs. But if you can’t see why the SS tattoo might give people pause, you’re just not taking a sober look at the situation.
You people have no plan. Your solution is what? Don’t vote or vote for Susan Collins? Either way, you’re supporting the Republicans and therefore supporting Trump. You are therefore my enemy.
Ok, take a deep breath, and chill out. I am a stranger on the internet. You don’t know me, and you don’t know if I voted, or who for. Voting is a tool. It is one singular means of political engagement. Not every election is the most important election ever, and whether someone chooses to vote for someone like Kamala, or Platner, is up to them. Those people aren’t necessarily your enemies, they’re people who’s conscience told them to take a position different from yours.
Unionize your workplace, if it’s already unionized, get involved. Canvas for a ballot measure, or attend a city council meeting. Find a mutual aid network in your area and hand out food or hygine kits to the homeless. Opposing Trump is sometimes about voting, but it’s also about building something beyond the systems which allowed him to come to power in the first place.
Not every election is the most important election ever, and whether someone chooses to vote for someone like Kamala, or Platner, is up to them.
This is privilege. Meanwhile POC here, we’re being dragged back to the 1950s under Trump I and II. Similar for women, LGBT, etc. He’s speedrunning imperialism. Stopping the MAGA agenda should be paramount. I’m not thrilled about Platner but I am willing to take a chance with him over the perpetually concerned Collins who aligns MAGA when it counts. Unionizing, attending city council meetings, advocating for prison reform, etc. should accompany voting, not replace it.
You like unions? So does Platner. He was found by the AFL-CIO to run for Senate. If you like unions, Platner is your guy.
Otherwise, you can help Collins get elected.
I like unions, but not uncritically. The AFL-CIO suppressed left-wing labor movements in Latin America during the Cold War, something I find reprehensible.
You seem to have an awfully black-and-white view of the world.
The election is black and white, you either support the anti-Trump candidate or you help the Trump candidate win with your comments and actions.
DNC so successful they get Nazis and moderates too, woopee
99 other seats you could be worried about, 2 of which belong to each of you. Go put that energy into your own elections ya jackasses.
Senators serve 6 year terms, and their terms are staggered so that only a third of them up for reelection during any given cycle, so there are only 33 (maybe 34) other elections to worry about right now. Factor in popular sitting senators who are unlikely to receive a primary or general challenge this year, and there are really only a handful of senate seats tor people to be concerned about. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Platner/Mills and Paxton/Talerico for the general elections, and the primary between Markey/Moulton (and I’m not sure if that has national attention or it’s just news to me because I live in Massachusetts).
All you out of staters sound like some clown in Texas foaming at the mouth over the mayor of New York. Big clown energy. Calm down eyes on the prize focus on your own representation. This one’s mine. You can go reelect your little DNC clown so they can fund Israel and we could keep bombing brown people forever instead of getting healthcare.
Let’s go Maine. The rest of your bootlickers are just jealous. You can’t find someone to run that doesn’t have the DNC’s hand up their fucking ass.
Sounds like a ton of concern about a guy who’s promising to promote national healthcare, social safety nets, prosecuting and impeaching trump, etc. I don’t give a fuck who feels Susan Collin seat as long as they’re ready to impeach Trump as soon as they get in.
Sounds like a whole lot of salty crackers in this motherfucker. Y’all mad because you can’t get a pro Israel candidate out of your seat of power. Why don’t you focus on your own fucking elections and go someone decent in your district if you’re so concerned about ours
We won’t run a pro Blackwater “ex” Neo Nazi vet, atleast not any campaign I’d want to vote for.
He worked as a security guard at an embassy, bud. That whole notraversy ginned up over this was already tried by Mills, it will be even less useful for Collins.
Lot of ground pounders take those because they are the only thing that somewhat aligns with their skillset. Mans gotta pay the bills
Do we have a time machine? No? Then we can’t make a better choice for primary than him anymore. That’s it.
Is he better than Susan Collins?
That’s the vote. A or B. Decide which, between those two options only you’d hate the least, and vote the vote.
Is he imperfect? Yes. But now he’s only competing against Ms Collins.
Well that’s fucking depressing
That’s fair, but we’re actively living the consequences of not voting for harm reduction when we had the chance in 2024. I’m so fucking sick of this. We can’t afford to ignore history or reality anymore.
Trump and the DNC themselves are the fruits of accepting the argument of “harm reduction” for long enough.
Guess what, it’s always this election that we need to support an ‘electabe candidate’ standing for nothing while promoting conservative and nationalist values, and always the next where we’ll surely be able to put pressure on the Democratic party to field a candidate that actually wants to change things. You know, the type they like to fight and slander at every turn otherwise.
Not as depressing as what happens if everyone who is informed enough to have meaningful opinions refuses to participate rather than make a choice.
Everything else is much more depressing.
And if turns into another Fetterman? Then what?
What if somebody slaps you with a trout? Did you consider that possibility?!
Or what if he even turns into another Susan Collins?!
This is concerning!! I’m concerned, she’s concerned, we’re all concerned here.
Fettermsn had a stroke that obviously changed his personality
No I heard he was always an asshole. But it was him or OZ and sick of the lesser evil which is bullshit. And this guy is a nazi. His bullshit he didn’t know his tattoo was what it wss goes against realty. So guess we see how he turns out. I hope for the best but not holding out he will make any difference.
So what your saying is the DNC is controlled opposition and they are terrible at political strategy and legislation?
Not so sure about that, given some questionable past behavior of his. His entire time as a mayor was problematic.
The heel turn was coming, the stroke may have only made it worse.
I’m not from there so my opinion is worthless but—
I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER EVER EVER EVER vote for someone with a Nazi tattoo. I don’t give a fuck if he says he’s reformed. The fact he that was a choice they made literally proves they are not fit for office. Yall get what you deserve with these fucking people.
I hate this braindead take people keep repeating, without considering it. In politics, for whatever reason, changing your mind is one of the worse offenses you can make. It’s “flip-flopping” and this is supposed to be bad.
Fuck that. I want someone who can ingest new information and changes their beliefs based on that. People changing their opinions is actually good.
He has talked about his past, if you care. He’s now one of the few people who want to reduce military spending. He’s talked about the military not actually being good for him. Does this sound like a fascist to you? Yeah, he was a stupid kid who joined the military for a sense of community at one point. We’ve all made mistakes though. He no longer holds the same beliefs, and is potentially stronger in that than people who never had the same experience.
My best of best friend got sucked into 4chan for a minute when they were a very young adult. Realized the error of their ways, and changed. Is now my best friend. Is now a compassionate loving and kind human, to all.
Sometimes, seeing something for what it is first hand, can fuel the fire for true change.
With your logic, I should not be friends with this person because over a decade ago they were sucked into a horrible line of thinking. I should just write them off and shame them. Id rather recognize that they saw how the propaganda machine was working on them, how they were able to overcome it and work on themselves, and now hold a voice on how others can do the same to prevent it further growing.
Thats all I can think about when yall say this shit. If I apply this thinking to my friend, they wouldnt be my friend.
Did he also get the popular 4chan slogan “Ni**erfa**ot” tattooed on him and then keep it for two decades of his good person era? And then lie and say “I had no idea those were degrading words, by golly”?
These days I have to assume these posts are by feds or Russian plants. He was a Marine, if you’ve never spent time around them let me tell you, they promote a culture of killers and respect effective killers. SS imagery was as common as “Back to Back World War Champs” imagery.
The left needs killers.
Exactly.
You need people who aren’t perfect, but are extremely driven.
Will they make mistakes?
Yep.
… that’s how people work.
What’s pretty damn uncommon is someone who makes a big mistake, actually realizes it, admits it, and fights against it, at least partially out of a sense of avenging their own prior mistakes.
You gonna have a lot of trouble stopping a person with a well placed grudge against elements of their former self.
Yes, instead of the formerly chud-brained person who changed their mind and did the work to improve, you would rather vote for the current Nazi who is clever enough to hide their nature by not having a tattoo.
You absolute muppet.
I know this is such a wild take. “He has a Nazi tatto” so does SECDEF. The whole admin is Nazis doing nazi shit. At least this guy wants to prosecute the Nazis.
Susan Collins it is then
No, I’m pretty sure this one’s going to platinum. Everyone’s pretty much sick as Susan Collins and all she has are the hardcore MAGA. She can’t even find real people to run her campaign ads.
We keep voting for the lesser evil and then act suprised when candidates keep being evil.
Maybe if non-evil people ran in primaries, and people showed up to vote for them, we’d get to vote for something else. Have you considered running for office, or canvassing for good primary candidates?
I have but I’m a bad public speaker. I do political organizing in real life, including helping run a recurring mutual aid distribution, and that seems a more valuable use of my time than a quixotic vanity challenge.
Your mutual aid does nothing in the face of federal legislation. And the destruction of social safety that we’ve watched over the last 18 months.
The striking workers our strike kitchens feed disagree. The unhoused we give clothes to disagree. The tenant unions we support disagree.
When I want opinions on the real life organizing I do in my community, I’ll ask the other real life organizers in my community and the community I serve, not some random internet stranger.
Well if someone doesn’t, we’ll never have anything but lesser evil candidates.
Stop trying to talk sense into blue maga
This guy is totally a fake wealthy backed candidate meant to electioneer a win. An unholy blue maga combination of black ops and illiberalism. You have got to hand it to them though, so credit where credit is due. They have done a great job promoting this POS despite the fact that he is a murderous motherfucker.
The question is why is the Fight Agency group that lined up to elect Mamdani also lining up to elect Platner if he’s unholy black ops illiberalism?
The question is why are the elites hand picking candidates to win elections. It’s gross and disgusting perversion of politics more akin to a spectacle like wrestling. If you think an ex mercenary knuckle head who does what he is told is your speed then more power to you.
The elites like the AFL and CIO. 🙄
I saw him sitting in interviews being fed lines by his handlers. You might be fooled by this garbage disney story making a normal guy a politician with a wave of the magic wand nonsense, but I am not
His “career” is thanks to a team of political operatives who worked on Fetterman’s camp. So you can take your nonsense and peddle it somewhere else.
Got a source for that? Am genuinly curious
You can read about him here.
https://time.com/article/2026/05/20/graham-platner-profile/
Nothing I am saying is really controversial other than I really don’t like him. He is supposedly not politically aligned with him, but his team has several former Fetterman staffers.
Not only that, but he also “found” by the same group that helped to create Fetterman.
thanks 👍
He says enough good things that he’s worth throwing some weight behind. Importantly too, (and unfortunate it has to be this way) he’s a macho white veteran. He’s speaking TOO and FOR this demographic who happens to have too much weight in the US political discourse.
A lot of what he says I generally agree with, but he is, like any politician, imperfect. He’s the best we got against Susan Collins though. If his image can be the voice of reason to this demographic of desperately macho white dudes in the US, then let’s ride the wave until someone better comes along.
He’s an unapologetic war criminal who brags about his love of war crimes and got a Nazi tattoo to commemorate those crimes.
But “he says enough good things” and calls himself progressive, and that’s good enough for you?
Citation?
This is bullshit. He’s spoken about how the military sold him an idea that it didn’t give him, for example. He also wants to decrease military spending. I’ve seen nothing similar to your claims, except that tattoo, which he got while in the military, not to commemorate it.
Not really the sentiment. If he can steer disaffected white men away from the Republican Party, that’s a good enough start for someone. That doesn’t mean he’s perfect.
Perfection is the enemy of progress. We can’t wait for the perfect candidate. We have to use people who have enough cult of personality to ultimately get to something better.
I don’t want to see another 2024 election outcome. I did NOT want to vote for Kamala, but the unfortunate reality is that if we didn’t we’d be stuck with Trump. I get exactly why people wanted to “make her pay” but we have a rigged electoral system, you’re only making yourself pay when you do something like allow Trump to be voted in.
100% agree with you here. The key to winning is having a candidate the disaffected white men will be willing to vote for because they are the largest GOP voting block. If the Dems ran more guys like Platner then they’d win more often. That simple.
He so unapologetic about the war he thanked Susan Collins for sending him.
What alternative are you proposing?
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Yep. And that makes him popular with macho white guys. I love villains, I especially love villains who are on my side.
If I had a nickel for every person who could have been the bellwether of US populism I’d have… I don’t know… a bunch of nickels. I’m not holding my breath.
