cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38323356
Oct. 31, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ET Michelle Goldberg
Andy O’Brien, a former Democratic state legislator and newspaper editor, told me that outsiders didn’t fully understand how radicalizing the second Trump presidency has been for ordinary Democrats. Even senior citizens, he said, were becoming “fire-breathing leftists. They’re just pissed off.”
These voters understood that Platner had made mistakes, but they saw him as a fighter. “Five years ago, he would have been dead in the water, I think,” said O’Brien, who now works with the labor movement. “But this is such an unprecedented time. I think a lot of people really believe that we need somebody who can effectively fight against fascism.”
Maine is an overwhelmingly white state, but it’s not just white guys who feel this way. “We’re sticking by him,” said Safiya Khalid, a Somali American activist and former member of the Lewiston City Council.
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The ink on his celtic (allegedly purity) tattoo that covers up the totenkopf is still wet. He is hopefully still applying ointment every day. If he is in such a different place after just two weeks, who can possibly imagine what he might be doing in a whole month!
As opposed to nazis who were rocking the totenkopf back in September.
I am a firm believer that people be given a chance to change. I have seen absolutely nothing indicating that the Blackwater merc with a nazi tattoo did. In fact, back in early October he was outright lying about not knowing what his nazi tattoo was.
At best, we are looking at a Fetterman where he’ll say whatever will get him elected, fuck over the country as a republican for six years, and then get a lobbyist gig. And, just a reminder: Fetterman was a piece of shit long before the stroke and it is well documented even on a fucking Anthony Bourdain show.
No. This is just yet another case of a really problematic white man being pushed above everything else and all defenses being “Well, boys will be boys”. Because Women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ folk (among other)… really have no choice. The republican will ALWAYS be worse.
But if you want to suppress votes by running a nazi against fucking susan collins because it is just too hard to finish out the next six months of primary season?
The reality is that he probably IS a good candidate because… Maine is really fucking white and really fucking racist. It’s “Upstate New York: The State”. And… a fucking nazi probably isn’t going to be much worse than collins. But I am not going to shut the fuck up about how “progressives” and “leftists” around the country can’t stop glazing a god damned nazi and what that means for all of their “allies”.
Daina Smith-Rodriguez is white.
Also, did you read his comments? Even his reddit comments were anger at inequality, lack of LGBTQ support, anti-racism…etc.
What are you even talking about in this comment?
Unintelligent purity tests like what you do are why we on the left are divided and can’t win. We don’t need your mentality on our side. You are divisive and unhelpful. You might as well just turn MAGA, because you have the same negative effect as voting for trump. We really don’t need you.
If “don’t have fucking nazi tattoos” is an “unintelligent purity test” then… holy fucking shit we are cooked.
and
Yeah. The side with the totenkapfs on their chest isn’t my side. Which… is what you and many online leftists (as well as the DNC) are making abundantly clear to Women, People of Color, and our LGBTQIA+ “friends”.
And, just because I can’t resist
Actually, I think electing a nazi does a better job of supporting trump. Just saying.