Literally none of the things we have done to debase ourselves post-2024 needed to happen. We could have just taken a rest and watched Trump blow up the GOP then presented ourselves as the alternative. We lost by 1.5 percentage points for Christ's sake.
Just endless "The Democratic party brand is nationally toxic how can we make that worse?"
The endless fighting about Biden didn't need to happen. "Trans people? Under the bus?" didn't need to happen. Sticking our fingers in our ears while people frothed at the mouth about Jews didn't need to happen. Graham Platner most certainly didn't need to happen.
The proof of this is all around us. Dems are winning all over the place and far-outperforming polls in places we wouldn't have dreamed of winning in the aftermath of 2024. Those Dems are talented, authentic, & sticking local. The GOP is also exceptionally weak.
But then you have the *national* (establishment!) podcasters and consultants obsessed with *inauthentically* forcing the party to be something it's not & you end up with a SS-obsessed narcissistic psychopath bound around our collective ankles like an anchor.
Oh and "Go on Piker" most definitely did not need to happen.
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Something I think a lot of white Democrats don't get about Southern Black voters is that they're not just "pragmatic;" they're hyper-vigilant. Anyone who lives in an environment where they could be harmed develops hyper-vigilance. It's one reason they don't fall for snake-oil.
I worked in the Nashville school district. Even Black children are hyper-vigilant around white people in the South (which is heart-breaking). They have to be. B/c in the schools, there are white people who are neutral, white people who are helpful, & white people who are harmful.
Graham Platner would do worse in the South than Bernie did. In 2016, Bernie wasn't judged as being a bad guy. People thought he was sincere, but kind of silly. Not a bad heart, but also no receipts to show of either 1) work achieved or 2) community ties built.
It's not a mistake when a man harms multiple women. When men harm women without seeking some kind of intervention, they want to harm women.
Look, a lot of us can imagine human darkness, right? Your worst moment. Maybe you wanted to hurt another person. Imagine taking that person's arm so hard it bruised them. What would you feel? I think most of us would feel something. Like, "Shit. I just hurt a person."
If you're a man, imagine doing that to a smaller person. Someone you know you can hurt. Imagine the look on their face--especially if you trusted them--when you did it. Is that just a mistake you would wave away? Or is that a mistake that would haunt you?
I thought about the claim that I am "obsessed" with Graham Platner last night. Am I obsessed with Graham Platner? The truth is: I'm not. I think he's boring. But I think I am "obsessed"--or at least hyper-focussed--w/ how little others care about things that I think should matter
I don't like pathological lying. I don't like being gaslit about pathological lying. Honesty should matter. I also think Nazi tattoos should still matter. I think it's important to consider a person's character. If they're a serial cheater, blame rape victims, & like violence.
If Platner were to drop out, I wouldn't think of him anymore. But we have all this lying, gaslighting, etc, when the Senate majority is at risk. When even the whole Dem party is at risk. This general "race to the bottom" in terms of human character. I do care about all that a lot
I keep seeing people say that Graham Platner's ex-campaign manager is on a "revenge tour." What evidence is there of that? She quit her own job, cited ethical concerns at the time, & then stayed silent for months. Is telling the truth about a problematic person "revenge?"
Platner didn't fire her. She quit. Because of the Totenkopf & other reasons. Then she stayed silent for a long time. Then she confirmed some things to journalists. If she's on a "revenge tour" what's the revenge in response to?
I mean, personally, I think people are just being idiots & buying Platner's lies without pausing for even a moment. But, say he's telling what he believes to be the truth. Why is his former campaign manager seeking revenge against him right now? What did he do?
Have you ever threatened a smear campaign in your life? Have you ever told a person, "If you tell the truth, I will destroy you?" I would like to think we can collectively agree that people who do this are bad people.
We're all guilty of something. Of lying at some point. Or encouraging someone else to lie. Maybe you're even guilty of subtly pressuring someone to lie. "It would hurt me if you told the truth about this." But a smear campaign? "I will destroy you." Not many people do that.
I can say, w/ a lot of certainty, that not many people do engage in this kind of behavior. I personally have only experienced it in the context of abuse. Not the context of regular shitty human behavior. Have you experienced it? Have you done it? It's really abnormal behavior.
People should start asking why. This is a very important Senate race. When Mills first dropped out, there were tepid endorsements. That's ceased. Did people in DC & Maine debrief the Mills campaign or otherwise find out new information about Platner. Their silence is deafening.
Control of the Senate goes through this race. The GOP is about to pummel Platner. They've invested a huge amount. And, yet, Democrats seem to be fairly quiet on their own fundraising/support for the man. Why?
Mills' non-endorsement is of particular interest. Platner didn't go negative on her during the primary. The non-endorsement is due to something other than competition. What is it? Her campaign manager has said she would personally NEVER vote for Platner. What do they know?