for him… I remember that quite well.

But he was in fact in his 40's. Hmm. That actually says a lot about men like him...

Who was molesting and raping children while poopooing Bill Clinton for brining oral sex into the media

Left wife 2 for mistress 2 while wife 2 was sick with something else. Mistress 2 is wife 3, and she's apparently learned how to not get out-mistressed.

Denny Hastert was pedophile and pederast, though, so is probably worse.

But he looked like a nice ol' grandpa so everyone was fawning over his leadership.

How gross.

Thank you, Chasstev365

for two years when he met with them last week. That would have been good information to share.

wouldn't be the first.

That he knowingly dated a republican operative?

And what's your opinion on Susan Collins? Would you like 6 more years of her? That appears to be the case.

And you do know that Newsweek swings way right. Don't you? Or does that not matter when doing a hatchet job on your own party.

This all still begs the question about whether or not Platner informed Senate Democrats about his former girlfriend's "lifelong" political affiliation and that she might go on the record about physical intimidation and/or assault.

In this situation, there are two candidates. Two. Not three. Not four. Two. One is flawed but on the right side of most things. One is truly atrocious and on the wrong side of everything. You may be doing this from a pure heart, but at the same time, you're falling for Republican bait and helping Collins.

Some days ago, the question came up about why people vote for Republicans with vastly more baggage than Platner. The answer is simple. For good or ill, those people believe in an agenda, and they vote to move that agenda forward. That may require them to vote or support people they really don't like, but that's irrelevant with respect to the true goal, moving the AGENDA forward. And that's why Republicans are so successful, and one of the reasons we're not.

I believe in our agenda and will do whatever is necessary to move it forward. WHATEVER is necessary. You can chose to help that cause or, like Gaza voters in 2024 who bare a significant responsibility for Trump 2.0, muck up the works. That's how politics works. Your approval is not required.

You can chose to take Repuke bait and hurt our candidates and our agenda or not. Just don't come crying as the fascist autocracy takes full control. I won't want to hear it.

We’re Democrats. Facts are our friends.

But she's still technically on the ballot. She was polling beyond awful against Collins and Platner. The Maine Dem primary is a forgone conclusion. Period. EOM. This is a two person race. Whether you like it or not, it's Platner vs. Collins.

And I stick by my statement....you're doing exactly what Republicans want you to do. How does that make you feel?

Janet Mills did not drop out. She suspended her campaign, and is not only *technically* on the ballot, she is also actually on the ballot, as is Democratic candidate David Costello. It's generally good policy to wait until voters actually vote before crowning a winner.

As for "what Republicans want", my guess is that they're eager to run against Platner and that turning a blind eye to red flags, half truths, and continually evolving spin plays right into their hands. How does that make you feel?

You think Mills, who's cooked, and Costello, who never was, have any chance at all?

That's what Democrats do.

And are you calling me NOT a Dem? Rather presumptuous, but to be expected.

It's probably not good policy to put words in someone's mouth in one breath and then call that person presumptuous in the next.

People should know that.

lapucelle posted two facts and tried to stitch them together to lead to the assumption they've made. An assumption is an opinion. An assumption isn't a receipt. But I'm sure it may convince people who aren't too keen on logically checking things for themselves, and who already have the big hate for Mr. Platner. Me, I think there's not a single policy of his I'd have a problem with. What about you?* Interestingly enough, I never see you or the others talking about his actual policies.

What are you going to do after he likely wins the Primary? Are you going to support him as energetically as you've been bashing him?

*Not expecting a reply as that would involve discussing policies and issues. I can already tell by looking at his policies one that you and most of the others who are bashing him would oppose, and that's his criticism of Israel.

Thanks for your reply and the links btw. I live in a country with a different political system, so feel free to correct me if I do get anything wrong.

What you posted didn't show that he KNOWINGLY dated a Republican operative. The first link you posted was a damage control statement he made calling her a "lifelong GOP operative". That's not proof of what he knew when they were dating.

The next link gives a bit of a career history for her. Fair enough, but unless you were embedded inside their relationship (really hoping you weren't!), you can only assume what he knew. A job like hers would be described by many partners as a communications or even digital marketing role. Maybe if he went out with her to GOP dinners and planning sessions and stuff, that'd be different. And even then I'd be thinking what's the actual problem? Are people so pathetic that political candidates are dead to them if they dare date someone on the other political side of the aisle?

Also, I looked this up and there's no legal requirement for Senate candidates to disclose past relationships. There is for financial matters and conflict of interest, not personal history. So the claim that he has some explaining to do about who he dated is pretty feeble. I think Americans are already far too creepy and puritan like when it comes to judging the behaviour of other adults. If we can survive a Deputy Prime Minister who cheated on his wife with a staffer, was drunk most of the time, and who fell into a planter box outside a bar in Canberra. (Locals later stuck a bronze plaque on the planter, and a chalk outline of him lying on the ground, but his staffers kept on turning up and getting rid of it). Anyway, we can manage to exist with politicians, some of who have some stinky personal morals, and we just judge them on their performance as a pollie and leave the rest of it out of it. You all should as well.

So, no. Yr assumptions aren't him knowingly dating a GOP operative. They're just assumptions and from what I've read at DU, assumptions made with a heavy bias involved.

I live in the equivalent of Washington DC. I've worked in the government for decades. That gives me more knowledge about politics and what circles around it than Graham Platner would have had back then. You claimed he KNOWINGLY dated a GOP operative. You're just guessing he knew because you seem hellbent on bashing him on multiple fronts. I told you that for partners who aren't particularly knowledgeable about the workings of government and politics, a comms manager or a digital consultant are about all some partners would know and care about. One of my besties knows her hubby does crane stuff. After being married for over 30 years, that's about as much detail she can give when she describes his job.

Clearly if you've got pics of him and her cosying up at some Republican fundraiser, that would turn your assertion into something far more solid. But again, I'd point out that nasty puritanical streak in some Americans and ask 'So The Fuck What?' Didn't Gavin Newsome used to be married to Kimberley whateverhernameis (aka Plastic Face lady who yelled weird crap at some Trump rally)? Shall we crucify him as well? You know what would be fun, at least for you because you seem to care way too much about people's personal lives? Let's hang out together and go through all the Democratic politicians and search out any previous relationships with anyone on the other side of politics (let's also include Greens and Independents).

I think it's weird and a little bit creepy, tbh. What is it with people so obsessed over his personal life, yet unwilling or unable to say anything about his policies? Which of his policies, if any, do you oppose?

Also, I hope you will support him if he wins the Primary. My understanding is the Maine Senate race is super important if the Senate is to be retaken.

Either he knew what he claimed as fact when he was dating her or he didn’t know it when he was dating her.

Or maybe it isn’t a fact that she is a “lifelong GOP operative”, in which case Platner needs a different reason to impugn her honesty.

If he misspoke to the press, he should clarify his statement.

until 2018. The Heritage Foundation dates are more vague but the guess is 2015-2022. Working for Nikki Haley wasnt u til 2023. No dates for when she worked for Stand for America, an advocacy group founded by Haley that "promotes freedom at home and strength abroad."
Her longest stint, according to her LinkedIn, was at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that later authored Project 2025, a conservative playbook for the Trump administration. She served as a social media manager at the think tank for over six years, from September 2015 to April 2022. She didn’t start her conservative podcast with the likes of (I’d say right wing crazies but let’s stick with conservatives) Bethany Mandel, Emily Zanotti, Mary Katharine Ham, Kelly Maher, and Elisha Krauss until 2021. And she is currently a fellow at Independent Women which was founded by activist Rosalie Silberman to promote a "conservative alternative to feminist tenets" following the controversial Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas in 1992

So yes he probably should have said mainly instead of lifelong. After all she might have been a camp counselor and a candy striper. Good catch!

Make Platner should correct the record.

accuracy because I’m not sure why you started with 2018 rather than the first date I gave of 2015…. So you should have stated Platner shouldnt have called her a lifelong blah blah blah when it was actually 11 years. Just for the record since I don’t want you to have to correct yourself.

Anyway — it’s possible you are correct. The NY Post should have a headline “Platner Exaggerating Is Disqualifying. Said “Lifelong” when he should have said “A Bit More Than A Decade”.

Of course Platner may know more about other right wing jobs she had prior to Heritage Foundation but even still he is definitely not telling truth because she definitely wasnt a right wing nutcase at 5 months. At least I don’t think so.

Now if we find out that at 4 years old she started Toddlers for Clarence Thomas. Or Teens for Stephen Miller - we will have to revisit this.

White men in their 20's and 30's can do and say anything they want. Women and minorities should shut up and deal with it. Military veterans are given a lifetime free pass. All the far right Christian nationalist podcasters are now fine unless they are 40+. We also owe apologies to any Republican we criticized for past bad behavior, such as 30-something Trump calling for the death penalty for the Central Park 5. Racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism, mistreatment of women are all now fine. All this so we don't nominate a popular white woman governor for a Senate seat.

To avoid going over income limits for that, he pays his wife instead of himself for both the campaign work & oyster biz work.

A former Platner campaign aide told the Substack Judge Street Journal that the campaign paid a salary to Platner's wife rather than to Platner himself "for a few reasons": "One, the optics of a candidate drawing a salary from the campaign committee isn't great, though I don't think your family getting paid from the campaign committee is great either," the staffer said in November. "Two, if Graham drew a salary from the campaign, his disability status and his disability payments would be put at risk."

This guy has more Red Flags then a 24hr Le Mans race in the rain IMO

Here is the Substack link but I could not find the article you quote. One can readily see the biases of the Substack.

https://judgestreetjournal.substack.com/

He is on 100% disability so he will have income limits.

Yet somehow also healthy enough to be a full time politician AND run his oyster biz, which I have read involves mostly taking tourists out and selling his catch to his mothers restaurant.

You have been posting after saying you were busy kayaking but have continued to make posts in the anti-Platner campaign since then without providing a link that you quoted. The content of Substack you mentioned is largely bashing Democrats that do not favor Israel's aggression.

In recent days there is a cascade of Platner bashing on the internet of dubious interpretation. Making inflammatory claims without substantiation muddies the water. Looks like the goal is that some Democrats would rather have a GOP Senator than a Democratic Senator that opposes the aggressive militarism of Netanyahu's Israel.

Think interesting how many at DU would rather have a GOP Senator from Maine instead of an admittedly flawed Democrat that appears to be the choice of a Majority of Mainer Democrats.

If you think that white woman governor was gonna win the senate seat you're delusional. There is a wave of distaste in running 70+ year olds for senate seats at the moment due to Biden and the 2024 election.

Where is the misinformation that “there is no other choice” coming from?

Rachel Maddow always says pay attention to what they do, not what they say.

He's a good speaker, says all the right things, and will likely defeat Collins. The question is can he perform over a long term in public office without similar lapses in judgment? He needs to build some cred with women voters that he will represent.

Will he vote with the Democrats? Will he count as a Democrat in the Senate that’s it

I love my adopted state. Oh beautiful...

Arguing that some Republican was worse and the media ignores it has 2 problems. It implicitly accepts the accusations against him which he, in part, disputes. The second is that almost any mother, father, teacher etc has heard and rejected the idea that there is no problem as others were worse.

when a state like Maine can't come up with better candidates than Collins and Platner!

But if they can do it so can we