Sam and crew go over Graham Platner’s win and his interview with Mika Brzezinski Scarborough on Morning Joe. Amoung the jokes about her interview they go over his acceptance speech. I am personally satisfied he has answered all the questions. I love his line “… if you give me the chance I will be a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator”. I am a progressive and a believer in DSA policies. Graham Platner is not the perfect person who is flawless and unlike many his flaws are out in the open, not hidden behind a facade of fake religious politeness. He is a populist. I am not looking for religious leaders in our lawmakers, I am not expecting someone who walked blamelessly through life, that they way only one person did and his name was Jesus. I am looking for someone whose policies help the lower incomes and the public at large, not the privileged few. I am looking for a congress and White House filled with people who do not think elected office is their golden ticket to personal wealth and authority over others. Real people screw up and those that ask and work for a second chance should be given a chance to show they deserve it. In my opinion Platner has and does shown he deserves his forgiveness. Plus people look at Graham’s past are not looking at Collin’s past or even Mika who started dating Joe when he was still married. To me a lot of these people going on about Platner’s past seem to hold him to a different standard than they themselves are held or republican canidates are held. Hugs.
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Jen Psacki interviewed him yesterday on her MS Now show (still type MSNBC and have to backspace …) and he was really good.
She asked him how he would respond to several Dem Senators who have criticized him , and he said “I am running for US Senator from the State of Maine…it is the people of Maine who will elect me, and they are who I am accountable to.“
Wish I could find the interview online. It was good. He had a (probably well rehearsed by now) bit about (paraphrased) “Yes I’ve been through some shit and been an asshole, but I’ve been working on myself and live every day trying to be a little better, and a little more kind by the end of the day than I was when I woke up.“
It’s telling that the loudest voices against him are either Republicans wagging their fingers at Democrats, or purity ponies yelling about how can we elect someone who was a sexist pig.
Well, he was the one who stood up and ran. There were three dems on the primary ballot: Graham, Janet Mills, who entered late, (at Schumer’s insistence) ran a half-hearted campaign and quickly suspended her campaign when she realized he had an insurmountable lead, and another guy who got like 8% of the vote.
Meanwhile there are half a dozen people running as Dems for Governor.
The people of Maine made their choice pretty clear. My boss, (who works remotely), lives in Maine and she likes the guy, and I trust her BS detector.
Will he turn out to be another Manchin, Sinema or Fetterman? My gut says probably not: Manchin never said he was anything but what he was, Sinema was a flake who turned out to like the attention and $$$ of being a swing vote in the senate (and we should’ve seen it coming, but the choice was her or the odious Rethug Martha McSally who I had the distinct displeasure of being represented by in Congress.) and Fetterman? Who knows, he was either the deepest of deep cover Republicans or the stroke and subsequent deep depression broke shit in his brain.
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Hi Bruce. I agree. When I look at the paid people who are on the media mostly attacking him they are not the average majority of Maine voters. They are paid operatives of the republican party, they are Israeli supporting Pac taking people, or they are corporates democrats trying to keep the status quo supporting the wealthy who are getting paid to attack Platner by those very wealthy. I have seen real women voters in Maine who have reservations but those people were being interviewed by anti-Platner interviewers. So most of the opposition in Maine is due to big money and establishment types wanting to keep their positions. Hugs
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I just found another one.
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Seriously. Platner’s plans for when he’s in office, and Collins’s record. If we want to get Collins out, we have to stick to real politicking: Platner’s plans for when he’s in office, Collins’s record. This crap of tearing down anyone who’s leery of Platner is only going to send voters running to Collins, or running anywhere but the voting booths.
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Hi Ali. Normally I would agree with you. But the money situation has become very clear on who is pushing the attacks on Platner. Not everyone is as honest and real as you are and I do respect you honest beliefs on him along with his issues. I don’t think your vision of him has been colored by the huge money push to sully him because you are a seasoned political person aware of how forces in congress, in power, and getting the best benefits from society fight dirty to keep those advantages.
However at the risk of you being upset with me I have looked into who is funding the campaigns both for Mills who ran against Platner and funding those attacking him now or those doing so for their own political bias / desires. I will only mention what I told Bruce and let you investigate what I say so that if I am wrong you will point it out to me. And if I am wrong I want you to, I hope you will because in no way am I always correct or even know all the facts.
But in looking at who is attack Platner and the money for those attack along with Mills campaign funding I see three culprits. The democratic cooperate establishment members desperate to protect their positions and their big money donors, the Israeli lobbies such as AIPAC and its subgroups, and the wealthy themselves. Why are these people against Platner? Because the polices he stands for, has voiced his positions on, they threaten each of the things these groups hold dear. He has been very vocal about not supporting the corporate democratic leadership and wanting to dismantle it, wanting to stop all offensive military aid to Israel while investigating all the other aid to them, and wanting to tax and dismantle the the wealth of the oligarch and their control over our government. And as they can’t attack his polices as they are what the majority of voters want, they attack him personally especially emphasizing his flawed past. But people can grow and change and I believe Graham Platner has. Hugs
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Well, all I’m saying is, Mills withdrew before the primary, Platner won the primary, he’s the Dem Senate candidate now, and we need to work on electing him, rather than trying to drag people for trying to drag him. The election is the important thing. Let’s get him elected! Know about his opposition in the primary is of no use now that he’s running against Collins for real.
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Hi Ali. I was with you until the last line. Really was. But the fact is those that were against him in the primary are still against him. I have seen clips of democrat elected officials saying the would rather Collins win than Platner now that he is the nominee. As I keep telling Ron we have to know what the enemy is doing to know how to defeat them. The Israeli Lobby money is in favor of Collins, and the establishment corporate democrats along with the wealthy know She will keep the status quo where he wont. So they will work to destroy him and elect her which means more mudsling attacks on his person. I am going to bed early. Couldn’t eat supper and very tired. Thanks for the discussion. Hugs
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You don’t have to agree with me, Scottie. And I don’t have to agree with you. I’m aware of how to campaign and get people elected from experience. It’s time to lift the candidate we want, and let the other settle into the dust. People will only recall the primary if they keep seeing stuff about it. People tend to move along. Getting a candidate elected means moving along with voters.
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Hi Ali. You are correct, we don’t have to agree. I think we need both your experience and mine to win. We do need to build up the candidate and highlight the polices the have. But as many campaigns have found you need a quick response team to deal with attacks. Campaigns have been lost by letting the other side define them and trying to ignore the negative mostly misleading attacks from the other side. Hugs
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