Plenty of smart people raised the warning about Platner.

[LexVegas]

Looks like they were right.

[-misanthroptimist]

1. And they're all patting themselves on the back...loudly

[lapucelle]

3. Not all. Many Democratics are trying to figure out a way to salvage this race. N/T

[-misanthroptimist]

5. It is unsalvageable.

The wind has been taken out of Democrats' sails up here.

The only possibility is if Her Concernedness screws up spectacularly. She's a seasoned vet at this point, so that's unlikely in the extreme.

[boston bean]

16. Just stop with the doom and gloom. We gotta try our best. There is too much at stake

[sheshe2]

6. Patting themselves on the back?

No, we are not doing that, not at all.

Disappointed that so many fell for his BS? Yes. Saddened to most likely lose that seat? Yes. Upset that so many brushed aside and many out right IGNORED his treatment of women. Yes!

His treatment of women came up over and over again and it was ignored.

He was never fit to run for office. The warning signs were loud and clear, yet they were all ignored.

And just now on MS NOW, he is making demands that he will only resign from the race if, once again we meet HIS demands to choose his successor! THE F**K!????

[niyad]

8. EXACTLY!!!

But, alas, there was simply not sufficient EVIDENCE (includung his own posts) that any of the women were telling the truth. And we must have EVIDENCE, great quantities if EVIDENCE, before women can be believed.

[Orrex]

56. Don't be ridiculous

Women still won't be believed.

[niyad]

77. Sadly, you are quite correct.

[-misanthroptimist]

59. No, it's patting themselves on the back

I can read.

[sheshe2]

69. I can read too.

I read many of his self-deleted posts. The internet is forever.

[-misanthroptimist]

72. Twice, apparently.

You got a double post. No worries.

[Torchlight]

74. That's certainly one perspective

[-misanthroptimist]

84. It certainly is

It's one among many.

[QueerDuck]

65. When a candidate disqualifies themselves, they lose the right to dictate the party's future.

Letting a compromised campaign name its own successor undermines the entire concept of accountability.

The party leadership's job right now is NOT to appease a failed candidate's inner circle... it is to field a clean, vetted alternative who can protect the seat in November.

[sheshe2]

68. And this right here:

The party leadership's job right now is NOT to appease a failed candidate's inner circle... it is to field a clean, vetted alternative who can protect the seat in November.

You are correct.
Thank you.

[CrimsonBight]

75. You shouldn't be disappointed...

... that voters behaved exactly how voters behave in literally every election cycle. They flock to the candidate who offers them what they want.

People are dumb. People are selfish. People are naive. People are desperate. No amount of scolding is going to change that.

It's up to the Party to work with the electorate they have, and in this case they failed to do that.

[eShirl]

10. yes

[EdmondDantes_]

12. Certainly unlike the Platner supporters who gleefully belittled anyone who pointed out Platner's history

Maybe it's in response to how gleefully Platner supporters were that anyone who pointed out Platner's entire history is shitty behavior needed to shut up after the primary. After we were told we were supporting Republicans for that.

[ColoringFool]

57. I KNOW I AM! 💅 THE DEFENDERS WERE LOUD AND AGGRESSIVE.

"KEEP QUIET! YOU'RE NOT FROM MAINE!"

"HE WASN'T AWARE!"

"IT WASN'T ALWAYS A NAZI SYMBOL!"

"WHERE'S THE PROOF?!"

I think you get my drift.

Am I happy this Platner freak was the best Maine Democrats could promote? No. But then, I was fooled by Fetterman. 🥴 😳 🤬

[QueerDuck]

66. You are not alone, my friend.

[mcar]

61. Why shouldn't we?

Enough people saw the red flags but were ignored and mocked. I can't honestly say I'm patting myself on the back - I'm more disgusted with those who, once again, ignored reality for their latest great white progressive hope.

And very few are now or will ever admit they were wrong - or even try to learn from this huge mistake.

[NoMoreRepugs]

2. Platner wouldn't have ANY baggage IF he was a Republican. They don't care. It's all about winning.

[sarisataka]

4. Should we have the same standard as Republicans?

[Boo1]

7. That does seem to be the message some are going with

I

[-misanthroptimist]

14. Maybe it is at this point

It's a nasty position, but we need to win. So, do we vote for less-than-worthy or even downright nasty people who can win or do we insist on a candidate of high character and lose?

By any standard of character, Kerry should have crushed Bush -a decorated war veteran v. a NG pilot who may well have deserted. He didn't.

Harris, who AFAIK had no real baggage, should have beaten a convicted felon with ease. She didn't.

It is obvious that character doesn't count with a majority of Americans -not just Republicans, but a fair number of independents, too.

So, do we insist on high character all the way to the gulags, or do we compromise (hopefully temporarily) our standards and just get our people elected?

[sarisataka]

17. Have you ever read Animal Farm?

When we reach the end, I would rather be one of the animals looking in the window than one of those seated at the table.

[-misanthroptimist]

23. "Donkeys live a long time. None of you have ever seen a dead donkey."

That's a false dichotomy...and a bit of a misplaced a long time.

Have you ever read 1984? I'm sure you have. I reject the notion that the Party (any Party) is always right.

[sarisataka]

28. 1984 is another of my favorite books

I am happily insane and think 2+2=4

[-misanthroptimist]

31. Not in base2 or base3

[sarisataka]

33. LOL

[boston bean]

18. Draw a moral line for yourself and don't support rapists.

[-misanthroptimist]

22. Yes

I'll console myself with the fact that I didn't vote for an accused rapist...on the way to that nice shower in the gulag. What a victory that will be!

[boston bean]

25. Men with such low morals and ethics will not be your savior. Think Trump. Just cause there's

A (D) at the end of the rapists title doesn’t mean it’s better.

[-misanthroptimist]

27. The long and short of it is this at this point

Assuming Platner stays in the race, I can vote either for him or Collins or not vote at all. That's an easy choice for me. I'll vote for Platner without a moment's hesitation.

[boston bean]

34. Or you can vote for a different democrat-if he drops out as he should.

[-misanthroptimist]

36. If he drops out

I'll surely vote for his replacement, no matter who it is.

[Jack Valentino]

48. But it IS better with a (D) after their name,

because this is all about control over our Senate and our country....


Yeah, we should have been able to do better in this instance,
but this guy took off and ran away with the state primary....
and the aging Governor took a long time before Schumer
was able to push her into the race---
AND, she has a LOUSY RECORD on labor and other Democratic issues---
so it appears she wasn't a great candidate to the base,
who mostly failed to give her any significant support,
and she suspended her campaign due to lack of money

(that's a crappy situation for a 2-term governor running for US Senate to be in.....)


Yeah, all the people who complained about Platner appear to have been right---
but none of them offered a viable alternative---
and NO, Mills was not viable against Platner's Maine movement,
which she realized herself when she 'suspended' her primary campaign....

[mcar]

62. How about we don't embrace rapist Nazis?

That seems to be a basic standard.

[-misanthroptimist]

82. Who's embracing him?

I've voted for a bunch of people that I thought were...substandard. He'll just be another in a long list. The potential upside will come if 1. We win the Senate; and 2. he will actually fight for the things he says he fight for.

[mcar]

86. Substandard? Substandard?

Sometimes I cannot believe what I read here. A credibly alleged rapist, definite misogynist and bigot with a Nazi tattoo is a giant leap over substandard.

[-misanthroptimist]

15. It's not just Republicans

If what was simply Republicans, [Redacted] and a host of other Republicans wouldn't remotely be electable. They'd get 35-40% of the vote. They need approximately 1/3rd of independents to win elections -and they get them.

We have to come to grips with awful fact that a majority of voters don't care about character.

If we keep our standards high, we risk the end of democracy in the US. If we relax our standards...

So, what do we do? Win elections or keep our integrity even though that may cost us our very lives? Different people will have different answers.

[boston bean]

20. We do not support rapists.

[-misanthroptimist]

24. No, I support Democrats

[boston bean]

26. Rapist Democrats?

Ok. You do you.

Blech

[-misanthroptimist]

29. If that's the only choice, yes.

I believe the phrase is "hold your nose and vote." I won't be the first to have to do that. In fact, it won't be the first time I have done it. I'll console myself with the fact that I'm helping the Democratic agenda which means helping millions of my fellow citizens.

What's the alternative? Voting for Collins? Not voting. Neither is helpful.

[boston bean]

30. You want him to stay in I presume so you can vote for him. Even though he is a rapist.

BUt there is a second option for you. Platner resigns, another democrat candidate is on the ballot and you can still vote for a democrat.

[-misanthroptimist]

39. Whoa! Wait a damn, tootin' minute, pardner!

I want him to stay in (not the bolding, italics, and underlining) if he is innocent of the charges. Only two people at this point can know for a fact if he did it or not. If he did it, he most definitely should drop out. If he didn't do it, he should stay in...maybe. There are other reasons he could drop out even if innocent of the charges.

[boston bean]

42. You can hang your hat on that.

But it doesn’t need to be proven in a court of law that he is a rapist for people to come to an obvious conclusion. Trump was never criminally convicted either. But he is definitely a rapist.

[-misanthroptimist]

47. Civil adjudication is good enough, imo.

That means neutral parties have looked at the evidence and reached a conclusion based upon it.

We do not have all the evidence. We certainly don't have the ability to put things in any kind of context. Reaching any conclusion is irresponsible and unsound.

[boston bean]

50. When he was first elected there were twenty

something women whonhad accused him and he was on tape about grabbing womwn hybthe p^ssy.

People still voted for him. It is all somilar in my book.

Are you stating you gave trump the benefit of the doubt back then?

[-misanthroptimist]

53. For rape? I sure as hell did.

For being a sexual harasser? There was no need given his statement that you cite. It was an admission.

Sufficient and verifiable evidence first, then conclusion.

Although, in a case like the Epstein files, covering up the facts as [Redacted] is doing constitutes admission of guilt, imo.

[Jack Valentino]

49. TRUMP LOST a civil case about an alleged rape.

Thus far, Platner hasn't been legally charged with anything, much less adjudicated...

However, if Collins is re-elected in Maine,
that WOULD BE a major victory for the "rapist in chief"...

[Orrex]

80. How many rape allegations do you need to hear before it's an issue for you?

Not one, clearly. Two? Ten? Fifty? What's your tipping point?

And what if he gets into office and is then tried or sued for rape? Do you stand by your man though it all, ignoring the claims of however many women, or do you tap out at some point?

[ColoringFool]

58. Ouch. A dead dog on the ticket, I'd vote for. But a rapist? A bridge.....

....too far.

[Shrek]

55. There were other Democrats of higher character running in the primary

Perhaps the voters should have chosen one of them.

[mcar]

9. I was one of them. Thanks

Many of us here raised those red flags. We were accused of supporting Collins, Janet Mills was derided and lied about (AIPAC booga booga!).

Seems some won't support Democrats who aren't perfect in their eyes - perfect including those credibly accused of rape.

[niyad]

11. But, you must understand, there was no EVIDENCE that any of those

women were telling the truth.

[EdmondDantes_]

13. Even if they didn't want to believe those awful horrible women, they could have believed Platner

Even the stuff he admits to should have been disqualifying.

[niyad]

21. So one would have thought!

[mcar]

63. Oh yes, actual, verfiable evidence that is acceptable to certain posters

And only after a long examination of that evidence has occurred. So see, there's no time to get a new candidate.

[niyad]

64. Exactly!!!

[QueerDuck]

71. Don't forget "And even if they were telling the truth, he hasn't been convicted of a crime."

🙄😡🤢🤮

[Wanderlust988]

19. Bernie always picks lousy candidates for general elections. They need to go away!

[J_William_Ryan]

32. "Just stop with the doom and gloom."

Acknowledging the truth is not ‘doom and gloom’ – Republicans will retain control of the Senate.

As for Platner, his attraction was that of a rough-and-tumble straight-talking tough guy progressive Democrat most believe is the future of the Party – but with a fatal flaw.

[LisaL]

35. WTF?

The night is still young. There is no need to assume that republicans will retain control of the Senate. Yes, sure, Maine didn't do us any favors, but it isn't over until it's over.

[GPV]

76. I've been voting here since before she ran for Senate. At no time did

I ever think she might lose. Even this time, though the odds seemed more in our favor. The truth is, there is a percentage of non-Republicans who think she's a moderate and doing a good job. Those are the people whose votes we are fighting for. And of that group, the Trump haters were willing to look at Platner over choosing "balance." If we want those votes, someone with Platneresque takedowns of Trump needs to fill in for him on the ballot. We are not a blue state. I live in Jared Golden's district. We had to fight to get him in, and even so I've been disappointed by him.

[wnylib]

37. Is there such a shortage of potential Dem candidates in Maine

that they couldn't have come up with another one to compete well against Platner in the primary?

[LisaL]

38. Apparently so, because they didn't come up with another one

to compete against Platner in the primary. But that's neither here nor there, because they walked right into this situation, and the question is how to get out of it.

[wnylib]

41. If he drops out as candudate, is it possible

to have another Dem primary so voters can choose a replacement?

Is there anyone with name recognition and competitive ability against concerned Susie?

[LisaL]

43. No, it's not possible to have another primary.

Not in the rules. But if he drops out before the deadline, party can nominate another candidate.

[wnylib]

44. They'd better move fast and make a good, competitive choice, then.

But how fast depends on Platner dropping out.

Is he able to put the necessity to win above his ego?

[LisaL]

45. Yes, he has to drop out in a week.

For the party to be able to nominate someone else.

[niyad]

78. As to your last line, I doubt it. His ego (or someone's) is clearly

outsized. HE will dictate/approve his replacement??? WTAF???

[betsuni]

40. They're usually right. The only reason I'm still here.

Thank you, smartypantses!

[Keepthesoulalive]

52. I hear you

I am so tired.

[Cha]

46. Mahalo, LexVegas! Hopefully we can get

a candidate for Senate on the ballot who will beat Traitor supporting Collins.

[RandySF]

51. Like me.

[PunkinPi]

60. Yep...

https://democraticunderground.com/100221177699

[Kid Berwyn]

67. Lot of smart people also warned DNC we need new blood.

No offense to my fellow senior citizens.

[Nanjeanne]

73. Plenty of smart people supported Platner too. It happens. I am sure if you look back, plenty

people supported Swalwell and lots of other politicians who were brought down by destructive behavior. Plenty supported many flawed candidates. Mistakes happen. Nowadays with internet it’s going to happen more than in past. Is the implication that the many public and private supporters and organizations and unions that supporter Platner should all go hide in a basement somewhere and only the smart people who didnt support him be listened to from now on?

Jeez folks. Platner will step down. Someone hopefully exciting with a progressive platform will run who can hang on to his volunteers and his supporters and maybe we salvage the seat for Democrats.

The gloating is weird. What happened is sad. There was an establishment candidate that was not getting traction. Platner filled a void and created an excitement amongst a lot of people, when no one seemed to want to take up the challenge. His past was a destructive one and running for office was a mistake.

Shit happens. Time to move on.

[niyad]

79. The difference between platner and the others you mentioned,

is that his behaviour was known from the start of his campaign, in his own words.. Known, ignored, excused, dismissed.

[nini]

81. It wasn't rocket science to see his less than stellar ways

People are too easily fooled by those who will tell them what they want to hear.

Actions speak louder than words and voters need to start paying closer attention.

[Rebl2]

83. Didn't

Bernie Sanders back him? Does he now?

[Jacson6]

85. Yes, Sanders endorsed Platner as a candidate.

Today Sanders with drew his endorsement. That guy is a total jerk. IMHO.