While it's inevitable that there's going to be a lot of finger-pointing and I-told-you-so's to go around in the wake of this, I hope people don't forget the importance of uniting behind whoever gets the nomination, even if it's not your preferred candidate or process. It's still Susan Collins on the other side.
I wish it wasn't inevitable. Ever since Chevalier won in New York, then Kiros, and now this, I feel like the finger pointing has gotten pretty rough with both factions of the party.
Is part of it that the Dems don't want anyone who smells like the current Republican party? It seems there's an arrest or an outing everyday of some Repugnant who's caught cheating on his wife, or abusing a child or fleecing his flock. We've always set a higher standard for our politicians. Look how quickly Swalwell had to leave and poor old Al Franken for heaven's sake. He had to leave over an old photo from a comedy sketch. And no body parts were even unclothed!
My point, and I'm sorry if it seemed blithe, is that we've always reacted more quickly and been less protective of politicians of our stripe who offend than the Repugnants and it's cost us dearly in terms of power. Case in point a convicted sexual abuser is in the Oval and two credibly accused are on the Supreme Court. I'm not in favor of offenders of any sort gaining power so let's do a better job of vetting for God's sake, because when the facts come out as they always do, they're gone and often at the worst possible time like now.
"...none of which were that disqualifying in the first place." I think her comments on interracial relationships were particularly harmful and unnecessary--no one was trying to force her into one, right? Whatever happened to "love is love"? Or are we forgiving everything because she's got a position folks like on (a forbidden issue)?
Thanks. Always feels good when someone can be dismissive of bigotry toward someone else because it doesn't personally concern them.
If you think this "whoops, my bad" excuse allows remarks to go unsanctioned on digital platforms, you obviously haven't seen comments get deleted here. In the public realm especially, no one should throw shade and say "hey I didn't mean it" when it gets hot and then get a pass.
Targeting real people who have done nothing to you is bullying, and just deleting your comments doesn't mean you didn't make them. It's bad form for a public official and I hope DSA finds someone with better judgement for '28.
Glad you withdrew, Platner, but blaming the big, bad establishment is not the way to do it. What you could have said: “These accusations are abhorrent and totally untrue” - (I’m not saying whether they are or aren’t, just what he could have said) - “and I will be doing all I can to clear my name. However, defeating Susan Collins and taking back control of the Senate is too important to allow these charges to become a distraction. For that reason I am withdrawing from this race.”
Is that being “too much of a politician” for you? Guess what - I’m not a politician, just a Democrat who’d like to WIN.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says she is “seriously considering” jumping into Maine’s senate race: “I think I’m the best person to beat Susan Collins in November.”
I don't think we can blame someone for losing to Collins in the 2014 republican wave year, back when people still overwhelmingly voted for her by default. Collins won 61-38 in 2008 too. It's really only in the post-Trump, post-Kavanaugh climate that Collins has become vulnerable.
Bellows isn't likely to get the nod because enough party officials will have the same thought you had, but that doesn't make it a fair assessment.
Well, if you have a choice between a candidate with Platner's message but without the baggage, and a candidate who has run against Collins before and lost by 36 points, I don't think it's unfair to want the former.
David makes a good point. I live in Indiana where it is difficult to get Democratic candidates willing to run, because too many think that they cannot win. (Take our last Senate election--please!--that resulted in Jim Banks as our junior senator.) However, sometimes candidates have to run to get known, and that may mean losing an election., even if the candidate is strong. Republicans know that which is how Jackie Warkowski won her seat in Congress after previously losing to Joe Donnely, who moved on to run successfully for Senate, thus leaving the seat open. I wasn't living in Indiana at the time, so I do not know who the Democrat was that opposed her or if that person was a good candidate. I just know that she kept getting re-elected regularly every two years and would probably still be being re-elected if she had not died. Democrats did not have a strong candidate when she passed away in the election year (there were some people who wanted to ditch that candidate and run now that the seat was open), and her replacement, Rudy Yakym won the seat. Last election, there was only a candidate filing against him at the very last moment because no other Democrat would run. This year, there was a primary, so more interest, but both the candidates are new to politics.
2014 was an entirely different situation than 2026 is. It was probably the worst time for Democrats everywhere to run for senate, and this was also back when Susan Collins was still considered a harmless, moderate Repubican who wasn't like the other freaks in the party. Hell she won by 22 points in *2008,* when Obama won the state by 17 points. Nobody was going to beat her then.
Nobody else ran except for Bellows, who didn't even have any electoral experience when she ran. If anything I think it shows courage because she stepped up even when she had no shot at all - and she's a lot more seasoned now. I still think Jackson is our best bet (and my personal favorite), but Bellows shouldn't be counted out in my opinion.
I know very little about Bellows (at least as of now) so don't know what strengths or weaknesses she brings, but plenty of politicians can learn and come back stronger from a losing campaign. Technically, Ossoff underperformed HRC in 2017 for example...
Never underestimate the power of Susan Collins. She seems to benefit greatly from these kinds of circumstances in every election she's run in. I'm not an advocate for her. I want to see her out of congress, but I see this as it's going to be an uphill battle to oust her for sure.
Not as much an uphill battle as in previous Senate elections prior to 2020 though.
In 2020, Collins beat Sara Gideon by single digits even while Gideon’s actual Senate campaign was doomed from the beginning due to the DSCC endorsing her months before the primary back then.
It’s certainly not going to be easy but I wouldn’t assume at all that Collins has the same abilities to wield influence as she used to. For starters, she has been on the defensive by not apologizing for voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the SCOTUS.
If I'm Susan Collins I'm probably fuming about Platner being pushed out
This is an entirely different beast than the 2024 presidential race. Almost every option the Maine Democrats could pick have a much better chance at beating Susan Collins than Platner did (even Janet Mills). Voters might have some questions about the Democratic nominee and the whole ordeal right now, but in November their questions are going to be directed solely at Collins and how she's helped enable the current national nightmare
He made the right decision and pressure by the party for him to drop was justified. What I find unacceptable is the double standard by corporate media which gave the Platner allegations hypercoverage, but you see nothing about the credible reports of Ken Paxton's sexual harrassments, his affairs, and the video that dropped of him copping a feel of a woman standing next to him in a crowded subway car apparently capped on the sly by a passenger who recognized him. Where the fuck is the GOP about that?
I'm confused - are you saying the GOP isn't talking about Paxton's history with women (which is true and surprising to no one) or that the "corporate media" isn't, which is very much untrue. What's the point you're trying to make?
I agree with you on the GOP, but I just don't think your statement about the "Corporate Media" is true. Just Google him and see what comes up on the first page of results. Just a sample of headlines (all from "Corporate Media"):
"Ken Paxton faces questions over Texas registration, voting address" - Dallas Times
"It's time for Texans to biblically divorce themselves from Ken Paxton" - Houston Chronicle
"MAGA Candidate Torched for July 4 Europe Trip With Mistress" - Yahoo
And that's just three from the first page of results...
I supported and donated (twice!) to Platner's campaign. I feel VERY SAD and somewhat betrayed. I am also somewhat confused. Was it all a setup? Is he actually innocent? Was Susan Collins and/or Maine Governor Janet Mills involved? We will only know (if ever!) after the midterms in November. I obviously liked him. He is (was) a Progressive fighter. This is what we all now need. I refuse to now believe that this will be a cakewalk for Collins, who is probably VERY HAPPY tonight. Remember her voting for Brett Kavanaugh for the SCOTUS, and Kavanaugh's assurances to Collins that he would respect precedent as to Roe vs Wade? YEAH, uh-huh! Collins is NOT to be trusted, is too old (like McConnell), and has to go. Who to choose to replace Platner? That is up to the Maine Dems to decide. I hope it would be another charismatic Progressive fighter, WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. I sort of preliminarily like Troy Jackson. He seems to have both the experience and fighter mentality to do the job. He has also been PROPERLY VETTED (I hope!). But, not my call.
Hi! Thanks for the info. I tried to get a refund via ActBlue. They would NOT process it. Maybe too soon. I will try again later. If this STILL does not work, then I hope that Platner's campaign will forward any remaining funds to the new nominee.
Keep an eye on Maine. Schumer caused Platner by forcing Mills on Dem voters. He did better in the primary that any other candidate ever. Will the corporate Dems listen to their voters?
“Notable Maine Democratic Party donors in recent years include Reid Hoffman, Haim Saban, and David Ellison. David Ellison! As in the Trump ally who fired Stephen Colbert and is taking over TikTok, CBS News, and CNN. These names should mean something. Saban may be the single most important AIPAC donor in the Democratic Party.
Another big donor to the Maine Democratic Party is the founder of Zynga, Mark Pincus, who said in 2024 that "When you attack Amazon, you’re attacking America." It goes beyond big tech and Wall Street. Crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried’s partner Nishad Singh at FTX gave $100,000 to the Maine Democratic Party in 2022.
The insiders running the party are the people funded through these streams of revenue.”
Donors to the Democratic Party are not the enemy. Only the Democratic Party stands between a possible restoration of democracy and non-corrupt governance and kleptocratic tyranny. Stay focused.
If corporate-bought Democrats are our only bulwark against fascism, we better admit defeat. They had 4 years between autocratic attempt and autocratic capture and they did nothing effective to protect the country even after a violent attempted coup we could all see live on TV. They couldn’t even immediately investigate and prosecute the head of the conspiracy or most others at the top, so instead of prison the instigator is in the White House destroying democracy. These are the people we should count on?
I'm not a Mainer so I don't have a feel for the current political climate there. I hope your assessment is accurate regarding the Dems of the state. All I know is, Susan Collins must go. She doesn't get what harm she's done to our country.
THANK GOD
While it's inevitable that there's going to be a lot of finger-pointing and I-told-you-so's to go around in the wake of this, I hope people don't forget the importance of uniting behind whoever gets the nomination, even if it's not your preferred candidate or process. It's still Susan Collins on the other side.
I wish it wasn't inevitable. Ever since Chevalier won in New York, then Kiros, and now this, I feel like the finger pointing has gotten pretty rough with both factions of the party.
Is part of it that the Dems don't want anyone who smells like the current Republican party? It seems there's an arrest or an outing everyday of some Repugnant who's caught cheating on his wife, or abusing a child or fleecing his flock. We've always set a higher standard for our politicians. Look how quickly Swalwell had to leave and poor old Al Franken for heaven's sake. He had to leave over an old photo from a comedy sketch. And no body parts were even unclothed!
My point, and I'm sorry if it seemed blithe, is that we've always reacted more quickly and been less protective of politicians of our stripe who offend than the Repugnants and it's cost us dearly in terms of power. Case in point a convicted sexual abuser is in the Oval and two credibly accused are on the Supreme Court. I'm not in favor of offenders of any sort gaining power so let's do a better job of vetting for God's sake, because when the facts come out as they always do, they're gone and often at the worst possible time like now.
Al Franken had roughly 7 accusers.
"...none of which were that disqualifying in the first place." I think her comments on interracial relationships were particularly harmful and unnecessary--no one was trying to force her into one, right? Whatever happened to "love is love"? Or are we forgiving everything because she's got a position folks like on (a forbidden issue)?
Thanks. Always feels good when someone can be dismissive of bigotry toward someone else because it doesn't personally concern them.
If you think this "whoops, my bad" excuse allows remarks to go unsanctioned on digital platforms, you obviously haven't seen comments get deleted here. In the public realm especially, no one should throw shade and say "hey I didn't mean it" when it gets hot and then get a pass.
Targeting real people who have done nothing to you is bullying, and just deleting your comments doesn't mean you didn't make them. It's bad form for a public official and I hope DSA finds someone with better judgement for '28.
Amen.
You're preaching to the choir here.
Troy Jackson. Come on down.
He officially entered the race and already leads Collins in polls.
https://www.instagram.com/troyjackson207/p/DajXGvKRgms/
https://www.instagram.com/troyjackson207/p/Dai6DCzP4rx/
Oh hell yes!
Now we may just be able to unseat Collins.
I truly think we can win this with Jackson. A less problematic middle aged white dude.
And, as someone pointed out, from the same part of the state Collins is from and not associated with the "liberal elites" of the Portland area.
Glad you withdrew, Platner, but blaming the big, bad establishment is not the way to do it. What you could have said: “These accusations are abhorrent and totally untrue” - (I’m not saying whether they are or aren’t, just what he could have said) - “and I will be doing all I can to clear my name. However, defeating Susan Collins and taking back control of the Senate is too important to allow these charges to become a distraction. For that reason I am withdrawing from this race.”
Is that being “too much of a politician” for you? Guess what - I’m not a politician, just a Democrat who’d like to WIN.
Yeah, I was hoping he'd be a little more apologetic and a little more team blue. But that isn't really his lane, I guess.
I am no expert on ME politics, but Jackson seems the best bet to me. And closest to what Platner primary voters voted for.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says she is “seriously considering” jumping into Maine’s senate race: “I think I’m the best person to beat Susan Collins in November.”
She had her shot 12 years ago and lost 68-32.
I don't think we can blame someone for losing to Collins in the 2014 republican wave year, back when people still overwhelmingly voted for her by default. Collins won 61-38 in 2008 too. It's really only in the post-Trump, post-Kavanaugh climate that Collins has become vulnerable.
Bellows isn't likely to get the nod because enough party officials will have the same thought you had, but that doesn't make it a fair assessment.
There isn't a person alive that would have beaten Collins in 2014.
If losing to Collins in that election is enough to give you pause, then yes, you are being unfair.
Well, if you have a choice between a candidate with Platner's message but without the baggage, and a candidate who has run against Collins before and lost by 36 points, I don't think it's unfair to want the former.
So candidates (who lose during wave years when no one else wanted to run) aren't allowed to run a second time?
Do you think that Sherrod Brown (lost in 2024) and Mary Peltola (lost in 2024) should not be running this year in a much bluer environment?
Did they lose by 23?
You are not entirely wrong, but not all losses are equal.
36.
David makes a good point. I live in Indiana where it is difficult to get Democratic candidates willing to run, because too many think that they cannot win. (Take our last Senate election--please!--that resulted in Jim Banks as our junior senator.) However, sometimes candidates have to run to get known, and that may mean losing an election., even if the candidate is strong. Republicans know that which is how Jackie Warkowski won her seat in Congress after previously losing to Joe Donnely, who moved on to run successfully for Senate, thus leaving the seat open. I wasn't living in Indiana at the time, so I do not know who the Democrat was that opposed her or if that person was a good candidate. I just know that she kept getting re-elected regularly every two years and would probably still be being re-elected if she had not died. Democrats did not have a strong candidate when she passed away in the election year (there were some people who wanted to ditch that candidate and run now that the seat was open), and her replacement, Rudy Yakym won the seat. Last election, there was only a candidate filing against him at the very last moment because no other Democrat would run. This year, there was a primary, so more interest, but both the candidates are new to politics.
2014 was an entirely different situation than 2026 is. It was probably the worst time for Democrats everywhere to run for senate, and this was also back when Susan Collins was still considered a harmless, moderate Repubican who wasn't like the other freaks in the party. Hell she won by 22 points in *2008,* when Obama won the state by 17 points. Nobody was going to beat her then.
Nobody else ran except for Bellows, who didn't even have any electoral experience when she ran. If anything I think it shows courage because she stepped up even when she had no shot at all - and she's a lot more seasoned now. I still think Jackson is our best bet (and my personal favorite), but Bellows shouldn't be counted out in my opinion.
Jackson has a better chance to win than Bellows. That's my whole point.
I know very little about Bellows (at least as of now) so don't know what strengths or weaknesses she brings, but plenty of politicians can learn and come back stronger from a losing campaign. Technically, Ossoff underperformed HRC in 2017 for example...
Never underestimate the power of Susan Collins. She seems to benefit greatly from these kinds of circumstances in every election she's run in. I'm not an advocate for her. I want to see her out of congress, but I see this as it's going to be an uphill battle to oust her for sure.
Not as much an uphill battle as in previous Senate elections prior to 2020 though.
In 2020, Collins beat Sara Gideon by single digits even while Gideon’s actual Senate campaign was doomed from the beginning due to the DSCC endorsing her months before the primary back then.
It’s certainly not going to be easy but I wouldn’t assume at all that Collins has the same abilities to wield influence as she used to. For starters, she has been on the defensive by not apologizing for voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the SCOTUS.
If I'm Susan Collins I'm probably fuming about Platner being pushed out
This is an entirely different beast than the 2024 presidential race. Almost every option the Maine Democrats could pick have a much better chance at beating Susan Collins than Platner did (even Janet Mills). Voters might have some questions about the Democratic nominee and the whole ordeal right now, but in November their questions are going to be directed solely at Collins and how she's helped enable the current national nightmare
He made the right decision and pressure by the party for him to drop was justified. What I find unacceptable is the double standard by corporate media which gave the Platner allegations hypercoverage, but you see nothing about the credible reports of Ken Paxton's sexual harrassments, his affairs, and the video that dropped of him copping a feel of a woman standing next to him in a crowded subway car apparently capped on the sly by a passenger who recognized him. Where the fuck is the GOP about that?
I'm confused - are you saying the GOP isn't talking about Paxton's history with women (which is true and surprising to no one) or that the "corporate media" isn't, which is very much untrue. What's the point you're trying to make?
The GOP isn't clutching its pearls over Paxton knowing he has Trump's support, and corporate media hasn't dwelled on Paxton the way they have Platner.
I agree with you on the GOP, but I just don't think your statement about the "Corporate Media" is true. Just Google him and see what comes up on the first page of results. Just a sample of headlines (all from "Corporate Media"):
"Ken Paxton faces questions over Texas registration, voting address" - Dallas Times
"It's time for Texans to biblically divorce themselves from Ken Paxton" - Houston Chronicle
"MAGA Candidate Torched for July 4 Europe Trip With Mistress" - Yahoo
And that's just three from the first page of results...
I supported and donated (twice!) to Platner's campaign. I feel VERY SAD and somewhat betrayed. I am also somewhat confused. Was it all a setup? Is he actually innocent? Was Susan Collins and/or Maine Governor Janet Mills involved? We will only know (if ever!) after the midterms in November. I obviously liked him. He is (was) a Progressive fighter. This is what we all now need. I refuse to now believe that this will be a cakewalk for Collins, who is probably VERY HAPPY tonight. Remember her voting for Brett Kavanaugh for the SCOTUS, and Kavanaugh's assurances to Collins that he would respect precedent as to Roe vs Wade? YEAH, uh-huh! Collins is NOT to be trusted, is too old (like McConnell), and has to go. Who to choose to replace Platner? That is up to the Maine Dems to decide. I hope it would be another charismatic Progressive fighter, WITHOUT ANY ISSUES. I sort of preliminarily like Troy Jackson. He seems to have both the experience and fighter mentality to do the job. He has also been PROPERLY VETTED (I hope!). But, not my call.
You can get a refund of your contribution.
If you donated via ActBlue:
https://help.actblue.com/hc/en-us/articles/16869091073047-can-i-get-a-refund-for-a-donation-i-made-through-actblue
Hi! Thanks for the info. I tried to get a refund via ActBlue. They would NOT process it. Maybe too soon. I will try again later. If this STILL does not work, then I hope that Platner's campaign will forward any remaining funds to the new nominee.
Please keep us posted
I tried again this morning. No go. It was marked "refund rejected" from yesterday. Something tells me that they are having problems.
Please choose wisely, ya Maine-iacs!!! 😎✌️
Keep an eye on Maine. Schumer caused Platner by forcing Mills on Dem voters. He did better in the primary that any other candidate ever. Will the corporate Dems listen to their voters?
“Notable Maine Democratic Party donors in recent years include Reid Hoffman, Haim Saban, and David Ellison. David Ellison! As in the Trump ally who fired Stephen Colbert and is taking over TikTok, CBS News, and CNN. These names should mean something. Saban may be the single most important AIPAC donor in the Democratic Party.
Another big donor to the Maine Democratic Party is the founder of Zynga, Mark Pincus, who said in 2024 that "When you attack Amazon, you’re attacking America." It goes beyond big tech and Wall Street. Crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried’s partner Nishad Singh at FTX gave $100,000 to the Maine Democratic Party in 2022.
The insiders running the party are the people funded through these streams of revenue.”
https://www.levernews.com/corporate-dems-are-weaponizing-graham-platners-demise/?ref=lever-reports-newsletter&attribution_id=6a4f1698f1789800010c662c&attribution_type=post
Donors to the Democratic Party are not the enemy. Only the Democratic Party stands between a possible restoration of democracy and non-corrupt governance and kleptocratic tyranny. Stay focused.
I think Ellison and other Epstein class folk can be considered the enemy.
Not while they're contributing to the Democratic Party. Look, I'm a socialist, but above all, I'm against kleptocratic fascism.
If corporate-bought Democrats are our only bulwark against fascism, we better admit defeat. They had 4 years between autocratic attempt and autocratic capture and they did nothing effective to protect the country even after a violent attempted coup we could all see live on TV. They couldn’t even immediately investigate and prosecute the head of the conspiracy or most others at the top, so instead of prison the instigator is in the White House destroying democracy. These are the people we should count on?
Then give up, because there is no other choice in the U.S. Also note that advocating for opponents of Democrats is forbidden on this site.
Alert Trump or Brendan Carr if you think I’m advocating for someone that doesn’t meet your political specifications. They’re big on that.
That's an idiotic thing to say. This is a private site that operates according to the rules the site owners set.
I'm not a Mainer so I don't have a feel for the current political climate there. I hope your assessment is accurate regarding the Dems of the state. All I know is, Susan Collins must go. She doesn't get what harm she's done to our country.
She is not stupid and is well aware of what she's done.