I’ll gladly vote for the person saying progressive things even if it’s only lip service when the alternative is someone who “reluctantly” sides with MAGA 100% of the time. Maybe eventually someone who actually believes those progressive things will get in. It’s a terrible system that should be burned down and rebuilt with 21st century ideas, but until that happens we work with what we have.
You elect enough people saying something eventually one of them is going to believe it. It’s how the republicans ended up where they are now.
Okay, let’s say he’s an opportunistic neo-nazi… why is he not a Republican?
Ask John Fetterman…
Fetterman is anti-Platner, so… doesn’t seem like the two have much in common
He’s got an excuse, his brain exploded. Seriously, that’s why he gets any grace at all. If he was just acting like this on his own, Dems would be screaming 1000x louder. Instead, its just a matter of “bless his heart.” At least he isn’t Dr. Oz.
He won’t survive his next primary.
He was enacting conservative policies well before the stroke. We were just told to ignore it in threads much like this one because he talked progressive.
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
The tankies aren’t going to vote anyways because they’re afraid of things like sunlight and ‘real people.’
Bernie is literally a Zionist. Like, literally. So yeah, that means nothing.
You’re so right, how could I be so blind. Voting for whoever Trump endorses is really the only way
What brain damage makes you say such false information with your whole chest? Bernie might be Jewish, but he is absolutely NOT a zionist and spoken out against Israel’s actions.
Bernie says Israel has a right to exist, therefore Bernie is a Zionist. It’s not that hard to understand.
That isn’t what zionism means. Zionism is about the aggressive expansion, which he has firmly came out against.
That is literally what Zionism means.
Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in late 19th century Europe to establish and support a Jewish homeland through colonization in the region of Palestine… Zionists wanted to create a Jewish state in Palestine with as much land, as many Jews, and as few Palestinian Arabs as possible
By stating that Israel has a right to exist, you are validating the Zionist ethos.
through colonization in the region of Palestine.
You realize Tel Aviv wasn’t always occupied by Zionists, right? The entirety of Israel is a colonial project. You can’t just arbitrarily draw a line between one year and another and say that only ethnosupremasist colonial acts of aggression after that year qualify as being enacted under Zionism.
His speech called “No one is coming to save us” dropped so many truth bombs. I was like FINALLY A POLITICIAN WHO SOUNDS REAL.
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 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.
Yeah, I hear ya, I really do, but here’s the thing - he’s still on the books as a Democrat, so if everything else lines up, he makes it so the Dems control the Senate, even if he isn’t playing along. If the count is close enough, with two DINOs (Fetterman), it might mean they can’t win some votes, but as the Majority Party, they still control the legislative schedule, and most importantly they control committees, including investigative and oversight committees with subpoena and arrest powers.
Any Dem legislation isn’t going to go anywhere anyway, because Trump will never sign it, so the real job over the next 2 years will be investigating people, getting things on the record, impeaching where possible, etc., and cranking up the outrage for 2028. In a situation like that, DINOs still have a big impact, just by keeping the majority control out of MAGA hands.
And why is Fatterman still in office? Pennsylvania has almost no way to recall him. People can talk all they want. This whole thread is about talking. Until there’s action and these politicians are uncomfortable enough to either step down or do their jobs is all talk.
I don’t care. We can’t keep relying on people here. The furry internet mods of the internet who hide at the first hint of confrontation. You know at some point we have to be critical of ourselves as a reason Trump won. If i was on a baseball team and half the team doesn’t show up and the other half that does show up decide to not even play the game then at some point we need to admit the reason we lost isn’t just because the other team did something, that partially the reason we’ve lost everything in decades is due to the actions of our own team or lack thereof. But one thing I know for sure, we need more of Graham to inject some fuck you energy back into the left of MAGA side.
Hey I’m not saying there’s no good candidates:
- Zohran Mamdani
- Rashida Tlaib
- Abdul el-Sayed
And the list goes on. People who have proved themselves by being - and most importantly acting progressively - through their entire career. All I’m saying is that Plattner has not really given us any reason to believe that he is actually on that list. In fact, we’ve seen guys like him before, such as Fetterman, and we all know how that turned out. And there were people defending Fetterman just as rabidly as they’re defending Plattner today.
When the guy that acted like a chud in the past turns out to act like a chud in the future as well, don’t come crying to me, because all I’ll have for you is an atodaso. A fucking atodaso.
We’re not in a position to be picky without good reason. Fetterman is not enough. The 3 you listed are not it. They’re great. Exciting. But they are one small part of something bigger. Tlaib not really sure what her actions actually are.
The do-nothings are always eternally perfect because they never commit to anything.
The real world isn’t a Disney movie or an anime. You don’t know someone’s true motivations most of the time and, even if you did, they can change after a while. But doing nothing IS a decision, and the wrong one most of the time.
This, exactly this.
The thing the Republicans do that give them a big advantage is take in anyone all flaws included. That’s real life. Ugly lumps and all. The do nothings don’t get the real world experience to know the ideal in their head doesn’t exist. They reject based on each individul grievance and this shrinks power over time.
Tin foil hat, given what we know of heritage foundation and others, I wouldn’t doubt if these were modern bot accounts really driving this holier than thou attitude among the left.
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.
DNC so successful they get Nazis and moderates too, woopee
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.
Idk man, joining the military because you want an adventure and to kill some people + having had a swastika on his chest (that he’s covered up, of course)… doesn’t paint a great picture.
Yeah no worries, just vote for Trump buddy you’re right
Not my point, blue no matter isn’t a winning strategy. We need people who aren’t just playing politics.
The other side votes red no matter what though… so you want to fight with one hand tied behind your back? You wanna poke out your left eye cause it’s not Marxist and hope the other side takes it easy on you? Fucking child
… No I want to more intelligently choose our representatives.
Don’t call others children after drawing blanket assumptions, you just look fucking dumb.
You’re 95% of the way there!
Yes, Platner went on 5 combat tours, some as a PMC, and has pontificated on how much he loved it.
The tattoo was a Nazi tattoo, but not a swastika. It was a skull.
I’ll add: Americans focus almost completely on domestic policy and ignore the international component. People like Planter are more of the same when their international policy is considered: a strong military that perpetuates US imperialism, a system that robs Americans of their funds and funnels it into bombs, war crimes, and genocide, all the while fostering resentment for the US internationally. We need our leaders to act as stalwart guardians of peace, not agitators and oil barons and gun-toting killer ideological missionaries.
It’s time to consider candidates that are not DNC dogs. Mamdani, Platner, AOC are all beholden to the imperialist, hyper-capitalist DNC; nothing in the US will meaningfully change when EVERY SINGLE CANDIDATE is still taking bribes from corporations as the DNC does and will always do.
You should look into the way the DNC slandered and sabotaged Maureen Gallindo’s race for the Texas House. It’s eye-opening.
NOTHING WILL MEANINGFULLY CHANGE UNDER THE DNC AND RNC. THEY ARE PARTNERS IN CRIME WHO SERVE THE EPSTEIN CLASS AND CORPORATIONS ALONE AND USE IDPOL TO KEEP US DIVIDED. DO NOT LET THEM FOOL YOU INTO THINKING THAT IS NOT THE CASE. MEANINGFUL CHANGE MUST COME FROM OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM.
Okay but who does my sister’s in-laws in Maine vote for in the general election? They’re republicans mind you. Speak to them and about their tree farm now. You have a lot of words, use em. I’m sure you can whip them into shape to skip voting republican and skip voting for this guy and get them to vote for the real change. I’m rooting for you, you can do it! Looking forward to your response. You are the true leftist, after all. Your opinion is the correct one amongst us fools. Please forgive us for not seeing your enlightened ways.
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.
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.
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.
This is privilege
Yeah, so I’m trans, and we too are under serious threat, not just from MAGA. It’s not privileged to recognize that mainstream Democratic party opinion is that trans people should be thrown under the bus to appease some mythical centrist voter.
Consider the inverse, that it is a priviledged position to be able to hem and haw over every election in a rapidly decaying pseudo democracy, as opposed to doing the very difficult work of workplace, tenant, or mutual aid organizing to secure immediate material necessities.
Yeah, so I’m trans, and we too are under serious threat, not just from MAGA. It’s not privileged to recognize that mainstream Democratic party opinion is that trans people should be thrown under the bus to appease some mythical centrist voter.
Welcome to the transactional real world. If you make it a point to not show up, politicians will not waste political capital on you. Also, allies are imperfect. It is only the left that has trouble seeing this and intentionally conflate those who don’t ace purity tests with the opposition. Meanwhile, those before us who got us rights we take for granted had to whip up support with much less desirable people who held much more regressive views.
Consider the inverse, that it is a priviledged position to be able to hem and haw over every election in a rapidly decaying pseudo democracy, as opposed to doing the very difficult work of workplace, tenant, or mutual aid organizing to secure immediate material necessities.
Oh stop. Voting is a very simple process you’re distorting into some sort of crisis. Also voting and being active in one’s community is not an either/or.
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.
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 👍
Graham Platner is a complete OP. The least genuine person in world history. His entire campaign and all his words are picked by “Fight Agency” as their personal pet project to show that they can get even mass murdering Nazis elected by American “leftists”.
In WORLD history?! Lol come on.
He was pointing out Israel’s atrocities before it was popular. For that alone he would have my vote.
Even if he is the next Fetterman (very possible), Susan Collins would be out and hopefully it will encourage more to run on a progressive platform.
He was pointing out Israel’s atrocities before it was popular.
He was murdering brown people at that time in the same way Israel is doing now.
Sing your song, little birdie
I don’t know which would be sadder: That you actually believe what you wrote, or that you don’t.
Just like they got that Nazi Zohran Mamdani elected?
Did Zohran go on several your voluntarily because of the “thrill” and get a totenkopf tattoo? Because if he didn’t. He isn’t a fucking nazi
You missed the point
You are saying people need to engage the point head on and then dodging the point
Zohran did not go on five tours to kill brown people and get a Nazi tattoo as commemoration.
You missed the point. You should engage it head on, otherwise your argument is just weak and it looks like you’re dancing around it. The question is why is the Fight Agency group that lined up to elect Mamdani also lining up to elect Platner if he’s actually a Nazi? You all fawn over their pick Mamdani. You might want to try to see what they see.
To show that their consultancy firm can get you to support literally anyone if they coach them their fake persona and say studied lines they mean nothing of.
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.
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.
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).
You have 2-4 years until your own senate race then! Are you running? Do you know any candidates who are running? Probably a great time to develop a strategy and a campaign for your future senate run. Trust me we got enough bots of Facebook repeating the same talking points you guys are discussing here. Everyone has heard your opinions.
OK, but you understand why people aren’t just worried about their own senate race, right? Donald Trump won’t be president in 2 to 4 years, and limiting the damage he does to our democracy in the meantime depends on what voters in a handful of states decide to do. The Senate is significantly more powerful than the House, and most of us will never vote in competitive Senate race.
I get it; I’m pretty fucking sick of Platner discourse as well. But what Maine and Texas decide is going to effect all of us for the next 6 years, and more crucially, it will determine whether or not Trump controls half of congress for the remainder of his term. It’s not reasonable (or accurate) to tell people, “butt out, this doesn’t concern you.”
Woah buddy you want to make a bet Donald trump won’t be president in 3 years? Idk from where I stand it looks like he’s pretty comfortable and has no reason to leave office? Maybe im missing something, you think he’s going to peacefully transfer power this time? I hear you we will be stuck with him for 6 years. Character and integrity matter. If he is a Nazi, then why not just run as republican? they love putting Nazis in government. It’s not a psyop bro, hes just a farmer for Mainers. If it’s out of your control just hope for the best outcome. He has a populist platform that is a progressive wet dream. Maybe thats the real story and the Nazi shit is a distraction.
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.
Why dont you say who we is so I know who your representative is currently?
No. I’m not telling you where I live 😂 I’m sure one of you is already trying to find out so you can call me a tankie where I work or something
Nobody gives that much of a shit about you, dude.
Will you run someone who will win and replace trump tho? Like I said idc who does the deed. just want to know my senate seat votes for impeachment. He can’t possibly do more nazi shit than the current regime? Right?
That’s the problem, you don’t care who it is as long as it’s not Trump. It could be the most lukewarm center right politician (Harris) and yall act like they’ll fix everything. Ironically the reason we have Trump again now and he has so many supporters, democrats can’t even pretend to give a shit about fascism & you’re running your own fascists (platner)
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
So you’d vote for someone who was security at Raytheon if he ran Dem? You know you can be security anywhere else?
Also, you know he literally bragged about killing people on Reddit? That’s just chasing a bag to you? He said he joined up to “have an adventure and Kill some people”
US military and their supporters are the grossest people on earth. Seriously, fuck you
I believe people a capable of self reflection.
Nobody cares what you dickless tankie hacks think over at Lemmy.ml
what is wrong with me being dickless, does that make me any less of a man? Is this meant to be a bigoted comment?
If feckless or worthless fit better, feel free to sub those in.
Doesn’t surprise me people ok with murderous Military to be callously transphobic. And you still wonder why you lose elections
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.
I’m proud to announce that Platner has the DNC’s hand up his ass.
