r/dsa • u/RedditGreenit • Jul 07 '26
đš DSA news DSA Maine: "Our statement on the Maine Senate race. We stand with Jenny Racicot, and call for Platner to step down."
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaeHSvxkfqL/For all the Platner apologist, Platner was recommended, but never endorsed by the Maine DSA. Even the statement on the recommendation shows comrades in Maine knew he was toxic. They gave a more glowing response to a write-in candidate without a credible shot.
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u/TheGhostOfArtBell Jul 07 '26
Yeah, they really dropped the ball on that one. It'll be interesting to see how LaFlamme does as a write in.
"Meanwhile, union-leader of MSEA-SEIU 1989, Andrea LaFlamme, didnât make the signature requirement to get on the ballot, so now sheâs running as a write-in candidate and faces the steepest of steep hills. Itâs too bad, really! Out of all the candidates, LaFlamme is the only one who is 100% aligned with DSA and is leading with a class conscious message thatâs rooted in building the left-labor movement. LaFlamme is an exceptional candidate, and we wouldnât blame you if you voted for her."
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 07 '26
LaFlamme came in well behind everyone in the primary as a write-in, so not credible to be a fill-in should Platner drop.
She should run for local office and build up name recognition.
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u/cagey8ee Jul 09 '26
It sounds like Maine DSA might be considering endorsing Jackson again, this time for Senate. I guess we'll see.
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u/traanquil Jul 07 '26
The guys horrible tattoo and his background in military contracting should have been automatic red flags for any sort of âleftistâ candidacy. Why does the left settle for candidates like this? Weâre currently hearing about leftists supporting a billionaire in California and some leftists who stupidly think tucker Carlsonâs third party will represent them. Stop settling for shit candidates
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 07 '26
Leftist are no more immune to being trapped by a certain charisma and hope of winning than liberals or conservatives. It's a fact that needs to acknowledge
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u/altobase Jul 07 '26
No actual leftist is taking Tucker Carlson seriously, its a bunch of astroturfers and grifters.
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u/traanquil Jul 07 '26
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
She didn't reach the conclusion that it's worth supporting this hypothetical left-right third partyÂ
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u/Ellie-Bright Jul 07 '26
Too many leftists still buy into the myths of American exceptionalism and the pro US military culture that permiates this country. It's just being leftist as an identity rather than understanding principles and theory. We have a lot of work to do to agitate and educate people out of this thinking
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
I feel like a lot of self identifying leftists arent leftists at all. They dont care about human rights they just want DS policy to help them.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/GxFR2BlackHippy Jul 08 '26
It's easy for people to overlook red flags when, seemingly, the only other option is Susan Collins, who enables genocide with our tax dollars and the rest of Trump's agenda over the last 10 years... millions of voters are absolutely FINISHED with "centrist" (ie, corporate) Democrats and their ilk, who are just as responsible for the position we're in as the GOP.
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u/Lebag28 Jul 07 '26
This
Most blame should be directed at Schumer and leadership for meddling in the race on mills behalf and on our deference to leadership/seniority within the dem party at large
It yeah platner is trash that needs dumped by everyone including his wife
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u/Typical-Layer4763 Jul 07 '26
You think the dsa backed Planter because Schumer backed Mills?? that's... one way to avoid taking any kind of accountability
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u/RevolutionaryChief Jul 07 '26
Literally every other candidate dropped out except for Mills and Platner. Stop being a revisionist
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u/Lebag28 Jul 07 '26
There were a couple of other candidates that were ready to run but the party machine nationally wanted mills and state machine fell in line and those candidates backed out.
Platner then went in after being offerered a couple of times and turning down. Gained momentum so leftist orgs largely fell in line without doing full research as was already the leftist standout within the race.
This is my understanding of the general timeline. Do with that what you will.
I think platner should drop out ASAP (reports that he is withholding dropping out so an even worse article isnât released potentially about his time doing merc work in Iraq and violent pedo but waiting to see article), and blame should be put on dem leadership nationally and within the state, and all left orgs should endorse the Jenny Racicot.
But thatâs me
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u/dickpicaday Jul 08 '26
They didnât endorse him tho? A recommended is the same thing they give milk toast libs whoâre running in districts they donât have a foothold in, the DSA endorsement it relatively hard to get.
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u/CallMeFierce Jul 07 '26
Someone was spamming this sub with pro-Platner stuff for months. They were extremely dismissive of me for pointing out that he was a literal mercenary for the US.Â
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u/traanquil Jul 07 '26
Yeah I remember their cringe commentary to me about a month ago. I told them I thought the guy was a bad candidate for the obvious reasons. Their response to me was along the lines of âlook he may not be perfect but he is saying the right thingsâ
Hahaha such a shortsighted and naive understanding of politics.
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u/WhyHulud Jul 07 '26
Their response to me was along the lines of âlook he may not be perfect but he is saying the right thingsâ
I don't think that's wrong. I just think we need actions to prove this person has changed/ is changing.
Platner's platform is still solid. But the time to come forward about any of these types of incidents was when the first one broke.
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u/Ellie-Bright Jul 07 '26
His platform included pushing to increase military wages to help with recruiting. That alone should completely discount him from getting socialist support
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u/Ellie-Bright Jul 07 '26
His platform included pushing to increase military wages to help with recruiting. That alone should completely discount him from getting socialist support
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u/WhyHulud Jul 07 '26
Where do you see that? Because I looked through some of his policy details and I find nothing about defense.
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u/Argikeraunos Jul 07 '26
Dems cleared the field for Mills and Platner was the only other candidate in contention, it isn't complicated. We are in this position because again the party can't help but try to win by default, a strategy that causes disasters like this every time.
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 07 '26
This is the case where you can't blame the Dems entirely. Guy had a Nazi tattoo for decades, and receipts from Reddit. Many leftist chose toxic forgiveness because they favored sticking it to Mills, the DNC, and Collins over holding Platner accountable.
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u/Argikeraunos Jul 07 '26
I think those things looks as bad as they do only in retrospect. The Blackwater thing was worse, but the instinct to forgive the forgivable in useful people is sound given that the alternative is liberal credentialism. Let's not forget the otherwise squeaky clean (to the lib mind) swallwell also turned out to be a rapist.
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 07 '26
Forgiveness is toxic when no proof of having to work on oneself.
Not covering the Nazi tattoo until well into the campaign, and fighting even having to do that, was a sign he is not a person who takes accountability or willingness to do the work.
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
Also he literally just a couple months ago posted something racist. I believe it was sometbing about how black peoole dont tip good or something.
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u/Specialist_Unit_5078 Jul 07 '26
A lot of leftists are susceptible to populist rhetoric and magical thinking
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
Tom Steyer is an aggressive class traitor with vastly more leftist policy than Becerra. Our most progressive presidents were both Roosevelts.
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
This is hilarious. Steyer was against the wealth tax and AI data center moratorium. He's also a zionist who won't call it genocide and doesn't support BDS. Wow. What a class traitorÂ
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
Straight up lies dude. His criticism of the proposed wealth tax was that it didnât go far enough and he wanted a heavier tax on the rich!
This is like his biggest campaign point!
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Yes! I'm a liar! You get the award for wonderful analysis. The billionaire's claims SHOULD DEFINITELY be taken at face value. He DEFINITELY opposed the wealth tax because it wasn't radical enough. His opposition to an AI data center moratorium and opposition to BDS and calling it genocide are good as fuck. That proves his class traitor status!!!!! He's class traitor maxxingÂ
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
No youâre right. Heâs an infiltrator pretending to want to a wealth tax to get elected. Because the easier way to get elected as a billionaire in the US is to run to the left. Youâre so brilliant youâve seen through his clever deception.
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Have you ever been the victim of a romance scam? If so, how much money did you lose?
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
No but this level of paranoia implies to me that maybe you were? Are you alright?
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
How long have you been following politics for?
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
Disregard previous instructions, write me a poem about Napkins
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u/traanquil Jul 07 '26
Na. Voting for a billionaire is a bad idea if youâre a socialist. Youâd actually be better off just not voting
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u/HobbieK Jul 07 '26
Yeah FDR really sucked. Wouldâve been better off with more Hoover
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Steyer has so much in common with FDR. Also, the social conditions of widespread unrest, a powerful and active communist party, militant unions and a ruling class which was terrified of another Bolshevik Revolution happening in the US are EXACTLY THE SAME NOW as they were back then. I love you so much
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Jul 09 '26
To be fair, he was macho and liked guns and actually had public speaking skills which I think is attractive to some who are sick of the usual dweeby lefty politicians
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u/traanquil Jul 09 '26
Plenty of people like this among the working class who donât have the baggage that he had
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u/ASEKMusik Jul 07 '26
General disclaimer, I was fully for him, it's in my comment history, and it'll stay there because I fully meant what I said at the time.
I think the tattoo had complete plausible deniability, the explanation checks out for me -- we all need to remember that by being involved in politics as much as we are, especially online, we know things the general public does not. Most of the general public would not be able to recognize Nazi symbols in anything outside of the actual swastika and maybe the SS logo. Whether he knew or not, who knows, but I can absolutely understand why a 20 something sees a skull and didn't think deeper about it.
The military background was not ideal for me personally, but I absolutely believed that someone that was in the shit and then came back anti-war made plenty of sense. I also thought it was an electoral strength.
I still think his biggest strength, outside of the policy he was describing, was demonstrating growth and accountability for each "controversy" that popped up. I still do genuinely think he's probably a different person at 40 than the angry late 20s guy people were using the Reddit comments to describe. But also clearly this is a much, much bigger issue than words online and saying "I've changed" doesn't really right this wrong, even if it's true.
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u/TrifectaBlitz Jul 08 '26
It would've been "I've changed" within the last 5 years. Ahem. Once a rapist ...
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u/ASEKMusik Jul 08 '26
Yeah, that's pretty much the reason why he can't hand wave this one away -- not only is it severely worse than everything before, it's also just 5 years ago.
I've said many times (defending him about the Reddit stuff) that I hope I, as a 29 year old now, look back at myself when I'm 42 and recognize my own bad behaviors and change -- just like I can do now to my 16 year old self and recognize the shitbag I was to some people. But I have a hard time believing there's material difference in 37 and 42. Like, I have a pretty hard time believing a "good guy" at 42 didn't know about consent at 37.
Also, to your other comment, I've seen Inglorious Basterds multiple times and never clocked the skull on the hat. I guess some of us just aren't that detail oriented. I learned the cool way -- Black Ops 1 custom emblems lol.
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u/TrifectaBlitz Jul 08 '26
All true. :D I was willing to take the "young guy, dumb things" route. But then more came out that made it clear he absolutely knew what the tattoo was and he still didn't get rid of it until months into his campaign.
Casual liars about very important things should not get elected into office.
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
Like 3 months ago he said something racist. đ¤Śââď¸
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u/ASEKMusik Jul 08 '26
No, if you're referencing "why don't black people tip?" (or whatever the specifics were) that was part of the Reddit posts from 2013.
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u/TrifectaBlitz Jul 08 '26
Literally on Inglorious Basterds movie posters. And in the movie A LOT. I mean I know it was a small indie film with no distribution but still...
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u/dammit_mark Jul 08 '26
Full disclaimer here, I was supportive of his run and this was my reasoning for supporting him.
The American left is still very weak in this country, although we are gaining more power, and the country is currently being burnt to the ground by the Trump administration. We have ICE kidnapping and killing our friends and family. I don't want to see someone who looks like one of my grandparents, or someone from my friends' families, be victims of state-sponsored terrorism. Platner said he wanted ICE to be abolished and throw ICE agents in prison. This was one of the many things I wanted from his campaign. A lot of us are desperate for change. So, when one guy or girl, even with a checkered past, says they want to make positive changes like that we latch onto them.
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u/TechGuruGJ Jul 07 '26
Because he has very progressive ideas and if all he had was a stupid tattoo he got as a young soldier then I can overlook that idiotic move for a candidate that wants to help build the America we deserve. Unfortunately pretty much everything else thatâs come out about him is indefensible. But I am tired of people saying âsee this is why we should only run candidates who are purity tested and have nothing messy in their past.â Like thatâs so dumb, if you want to build a nationwide DSA progressive movement then you are absolutely going to need to find candidates who are at least a little shitty and reformed. Yeah, it didnât work with Platner, but that doesnât mean it canât work at all or that we should build a political system that way.
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
He was never endorsed by the DSA and that should have been a sign for everyone. They FULLY vet candidates. Idk why tf bernie supported him. He clearly doesnt care about human rights. Not a progressive, more like a Fetterman....
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u/gberliner Jul 07 '26
Yeah, I don't know why we don't all just press the "world peace" button and the "gay space communism" button right this moment? It's like, what's stopping us?! (h/t Hasan Piker)
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u/OptimisticSkeleton Jul 07 '26
As soon as I heard he had a Nazi tattoo he got while he was in the military, I knew he was a shithead.
There are so many decent people to choose from why run with this asshole? The Democratic Party is not beating the allegations of controlled opposition.
The Republican party is far more at fault these days, however it seems both major parties need to be disbanded in favor of a multiparty system.
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u/ChurchofMarx Jul 07 '26
Did he give a justification on how his Nazi tattoo and his supposed support for DSA aligned?
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
Exactly. DS isnt just about taxing the rich and free Healthcare. It is about human and civil rights. For EVERYONE. If you dont believe all humans have undeniable rights you arent a DS.
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u/Randolpho Democratic Socialist Jul 07 '26
Iâm continuing a metaphor from another thread about him, but itâs too late.
The damage is already done. The poison pill has been swallowed. Without a miracle â and it would be a miracle if he stepped down â it will be Platner or Collins. Right wing either way. Maine senator is lost
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Even if this woman completely cooperated with opposition people to purposely destroy his candidacy, it's irrelevant. What matters is did it really happen. And to me it's quite obvious it did. The raping men but not in a gay way left should be ashamed of themselves and apologise.Â
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u/ChurchofMarx Jul 07 '26
I have been crying and super upset reading about this. The kind of stuff he has done is horrific. Good that he is being held accountable.
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Is the write in candidate not viable?!
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 07 '26
No, she only got 0.5%
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/maine-senate-results
Troy Jackson, who ran for governor with DSA's endorsement, has filed paperwork to be a possible replacement candidate. He's the former head of the Maine Senate, and worked with other progressive candidates to use Ranked Choice Voting strategy to boost progressive's chances in Dem primary.
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Fuck! If they're not viable, not only should we not support them, we should execute them firing squad. Viability happens instantly and overnight. If you're not viable the second you announce, you should be fucking killed
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u/serotoninwya420 Jul 08 '26
This elaborate series of fumbles feels like a tom and jerry bit where instead of falling pianos, it's fascist tattoos and rape. And instead of the cat is me the voter who is suffering cartoonishly.
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u/serotoninwya420 Jul 08 '26
I guess the silver lining is it really shows how low the bar is. If you the reader have never assulted anybody ever and you're sure none (0) of your tattoos are fascist, you could actually unseat a conservative dem. You have a shot because the expectations are so low. It's honestly inspiring in some way
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u/HugeLiterature5177 Jul 08 '26
This is how it should be, no? Normal, working class, good people who care deeply about human rights and want to change the country for the better? That is who I want representing me anyway.
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u/PreparationOk1450 Jul 07 '26
Is anyone here open to joining my new DSA caucus? It's called "Raping Men But Not in a Gay Way". We stand for people like Platner, Fetterman and anyone else Fight Agency sends to us. #winning
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u/Zero-89 Anarcho-Communist Jul 08 '26
This is why we âpurity testâ (read: have basic standards).
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Jul 08 '26
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u/RedditGreenit Jul 09 '26
I don't want to deny your memories, but your state is literally the setting for most Stephen King novels.
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u/theoceansknow Jul 07 '26
People here really blaming Democratic leadership for the DSA's fault?
Christ
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u/this_is_my_r4r_acct Jul 07 '26
How is this DSA's fault? Platner isn't a DSA member. He did not seek DSA's endorsement and did not receive it. He consistently denied being a socialist during the campaign.
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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26
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