Do you live in Texas? I don’t. I don’t have strong feelings on either and both talarico and paxton seem like garbage from what I have read. The photo shoot of Talarico yesterday eating bbq with his expression looking like he was going to barf said it all. He’s pretending to be something he’s not. That bullshit works in deep blue places like CA, but goes over like a pregnant pole vaulter in TX.
No I don't live in Texas. I have a different opinion of Talarico (esp as compared to Paxton). You say to-may-to and I say to-maw-to. Vote to save democracy.
I think you'd agree that we tend to elect sociopathic liars fairly consistently. Political parties attract that personality type. It's kind of baked into who wants to go into politics, unfortunately. As long as we keep tolerating that, we're just nipping at the edges. It'll take the majority to wake up and get involved in primaries to do that, and I don't see that happening.... unfortunately.
I think Democrats spent way too long hoping Americans would “wake up” to Trump’s antics, when this is the world we live in now. Integrity means nothing if you’re not number one. It’s sad, yes, but we need Dems to start fighting fire with fire if we’re going to stop Trump’s madness. I believe Graham is a flame in that fire. I grew up in Maine, and my immediate family still lives there. My dad is a combat vet; he gets every story Graham has told about his service messing him up. He understands the story of going into a tattoo parlor in a foreign country and picking the first thing you see that looks “badass”. Graham’s controversies are the baggage Americans have in this day and age. We’re working with what we have, and if this guy can deliver on policy, then ever better.
I think many of us understand why Platner is running and it is rational as you explained. The bottom line is: We need a winner!
But isn’t Tara pointing out something deeper within the Dem
Party? That they typically preach of their higher moral clarity over that of the Republicans? And likewise, when she is attacked for simply pointing out the obvious discrepancies between what the Dems say and what they do this creates unnecessary tensions and disappointments for the voters who support Democratic candidates. Two ideas about the Dems can be true at the same time: the Dems are driven practically to desperation in beating Collins and Dems are compromising their own stated principles at the same time. In the end they may pay a big price for that.
Such a great response, thank you! I wonder how long the “party” will continue to exist, honestly. We’re definitely at an evolutionary point in politics where changes are coming. I don’t think the establishment Dems are ready for it.
I agree, change is coming. It will be interesting to see exactly what those changes will be. We live in interesting times, but I suppose all times are interesting in their own way. Peace.
No he is not. He’s a fan of nazis. Saying he’s not quality is akin to beating him with a wet noodle. He’s a catastrophe. A reminder that Democrats are cool with bigotry and as they have for the last year, excused jew hatred amongst their ranks.
It is ironic that there are 3 or 4 strong candidates in the Democratic primary for governor. (There is a bench, but apparently they don't want to be in DC.)
Reuters/Ipsos had a poll come out just today that would have predicted those reactions. Their results showed that 2/3rds of party aligned voters would prefer to vote for a candidate they do not like to stop the other party from winning. 76% of respondents thought they were just voting for the lesser of two evils. So you could say the voters have already abandoned the character argument, and it is just the candidates and the consulting classes catching up to that reality.
I am sorry that you were insulted for just doing your job, but I am afraid this type of behavior will only get more frequent and worse. Part of your community will always be here because of your willingness to ask the tough questions.
Tara, I've wondered about all that, weeks ago I asked, what if he were a Republican? We would be demanding that he drop out of the Senate race. But no, he's a Democrat in a state that is a must-win for Democrats to have any hope of taking over the US Senate. Even my esteemed New Republic gave him a pass, sort of. I am not sure I can.
Great article, Tara. I am so thankful for your powerful reporting. I love the fact that you don't take shit from anyone and that your reporting is truly unbiased. You always make me reflect and see things from another perspective. Thank you again.
It's like Fetterman all over again. Progressives got charmed by his embrace of progressive platforms and perceived willingness to fight, not to mention supporting him feeling like a rebuke to Schumer.
Now they see him as "one of them" and have an emotional reaction to defend him instead of a serious evaluation of whether he ought to be a Senator.
Unfortunately, there's no clear alternative to Platner. Mills ran an unenthusiastic campaign and it's unlikely she'd be accepted as a replacement. And like you mentioned, there isn't a bench of qualified Democrats in Maine that could be a dark-horse candidate if Platner were to withdraw after winning the primary. Furthermore, his progressive / leftist fanbase would revolt against Democrats declaring "the establishment" betrayed them.
So we have no good options, and the only thing most Democrats can agree on is that it would be better to have the Maine senate seat in the hands of a Democrat rather than give Collins another term.
Democrats should have walked away from Graham Platner weeks ago. In fact, to prove that he has no moral compass, he should not have run knowing his own toxic behavior history. Sadly, when it comes to politics, there's no moral high ground for either party.
You can't push back on Platner without Democrats jumping down your throat. Been there, done that.
Sadly, there's a very good progressive candidate running - David Costello. He has no baggage and no drama. Who does the "progressive" wing of the party do? Completely ignore Costello and makes excuses for Platner. He's the golden boy even though he's as probablamaic as a bag of dicks. Among other things, this is what happens when candidates for office are not properly vetted.
Yep. Leftists have a bad habit of getting charmed by a candidate, declaring said candidate the one true savior, and when red flags / skeletons are uncovered, they have an emotional "protect the tribe" reaction than "is Platner a good candidate, or does he simply have a slick sales pitch?"
You are being mistreated on this issue. I learned a new word: mortadella, a large pork salami. It's hard to see what your insulting commenter was getting at. Maybe AI autocorrected another word? Or is this a common insult?
I am sorry journalists are now attacked for doing their job. The mortadella thing sounds like someone very much not American- maybe not even human. AI could have generated such a weird and ridiculous attempt at an insult- knowing about your dog’s name.
How did he snow everybody, including so many in the media who ran cover for him…(Tommy Vietor and Jen Psaki, just an hunch)? I swear I could have vetted him better.
Tara, you have the knack of asking the correct questions and you don’t take any flannel. Keep up the good work.
thanks Gary
She is a natural.
Tara, This is why we need more Talaricos and fewer Platners. And more women in leadership positions. Good work. Linda S. Clare at The Deep End
Do you live in Texas? I don’t. I don’t have strong feelings on either and both talarico and paxton seem like garbage from what I have read. The photo shoot of Talarico yesterday eating bbq with his expression looking like he was going to barf said it all. He’s pretending to be something he’s not. That bullshit works in deep blue places like CA, but goes over like a pregnant pole vaulter in TX.
No I don't live in Texas. I have a different opinion of Talarico (esp as compared to Paxton). You say to-may-to and I say to-maw-to. Vote to save democracy.
I think you'd agree that we tend to elect sociopathic liars fairly consistently. Political parties attract that personality type. It's kind of baked into who wants to go into politics, unfortunately. As long as we keep tolerating that, we're just nipping at the edges. It'll take the majority to wake up and get involved in primaries to do that, and I don't see that happening.... unfortunately.
I think Democrats spent way too long hoping Americans would “wake up” to Trump’s antics, when this is the world we live in now. Integrity means nothing if you’re not number one. It’s sad, yes, but we need Dems to start fighting fire with fire if we’re going to stop Trump’s madness. I believe Graham is a flame in that fire. I grew up in Maine, and my immediate family still lives there. My dad is a combat vet; he gets every story Graham has told about his service messing him up. He understands the story of going into a tattoo parlor in a foreign country and picking the first thing you see that looks “badass”. Graham’s controversies are the baggage Americans have in this day and age. We’re working with what we have, and if this guy can deliver on policy, then ever better.
I think many of us understand why Platner is running and it is rational as you explained. The bottom line is: We need a winner!
But isn’t Tara pointing out something deeper within the Dem
Party? That they typically preach of their higher moral clarity over that of the Republicans? And likewise, when she is attacked for simply pointing out the obvious discrepancies between what the Dems say and what they do this creates unnecessary tensions and disappointments for the voters who support Democratic candidates. Two ideas about the Dems can be true at the same time: the Dems are driven practically to desperation in beating Collins and Dems are compromising their own stated principles at the same time. In the end they may pay a big price for that.
Such a great response, thank you! I wonder how long the “party” will continue to exist, honestly. We’re definitely at an evolutionary point in politics where changes are coming. I don’t think the establishment Dems are ready for it.
I agree, change is coming. It will be interesting to see exactly what those changes will be. We live in interesting times, but I suppose all times are interesting in their own way. Peace.
This guy from Maine is trouble.Just covering up a Nazi tattoo itself is enough for me .Democrats need to get quality people ,this guy isn't it.
No he is not. He’s a fan of nazis. Saying he’s not quality is akin to beating him with a wet noodle. He’s a catastrophe. A reminder that Democrats are cool with bigotry and as they have for the last year, excused jew hatred amongst their ranks.
This is 💯 - the party didn’t build a bench
It is ironic that there are 3 or 4 strong candidates in the Democratic primary for governor. (There is a bench, but apparently they don't want to be in DC.)
They didn't want to lose to Collins
Oh my goodness! The race to the bottom continues. Good grief!
Thank you for providing the context i needed to determine if this Senate race in another state is important. It is.
IMHO, if one is going to represent We the People, character matters.
She is one of a kind that is for sure.
Reuters/Ipsos had a poll come out just today that would have predicted those reactions. Their results showed that 2/3rds of party aligned voters would prefer to vote for a candidate they do not like to stop the other party from winning. 76% of respondents thought they were just voting for the lesser of two evils. So you could say the voters have already abandoned the character argument, and it is just the candidates and the consulting classes catching up to that reality.
I am sorry that you were insulted for just doing your job, but I am afraid this type of behavior will only get more frequent and worse. Part of your community will always be here because of your willingness to ask the tough questions.
Thank you ❤️
Tara, I've wondered about all that, weeks ago I asked, what if he were a Republican? We would be demanding that he drop out of the Senate race. But no, he's a Democrat in a state that is a must-win for Democrats to have any hope of taking over the US Senate. Even my esteemed New Republic gave him a pass, sort of. I am not sure I can.
Great article, Tara. I am so thankful for your powerful reporting. I love the fact that you don't take shit from anyone and that your reporting is truly unbiased. You always make me reflect and see things from another perspective. Thank you again.
Thank you ❤️
It's like Fetterman all over again. Progressives got charmed by his embrace of progressive platforms and perceived willingness to fight, not to mention supporting him feeling like a rebuke to Schumer.
Now they see him as "one of them" and have an emotional reaction to defend him instead of a serious evaluation of whether he ought to be a Senator.
Unfortunately, there's no clear alternative to Platner. Mills ran an unenthusiastic campaign and it's unlikely she'd be accepted as a replacement. And like you mentioned, there isn't a bench of qualified Democrats in Maine that could be a dark-horse candidate if Platner were to withdraw after winning the primary. Furthermore, his progressive / leftist fanbase would revolt against Democrats declaring "the establishment" betrayed them.
So we have no good options, and the only thing most Democrats can agree on is that it would be better to have the Maine senate seat in the hands of a Democrat rather than give Collins another term.
Exactly right.
Keep asking the questions of both crazy sides of the ‘aisle’!🥴🥴
Democrats should have walked away from Graham Platner weeks ago. In fact, to prove that he has no moral compass, he should not have run knowing his own toxic behavior history. Sadly, when it comes to politics, there's no moral high ground for either party.
We should have learned a lesson about electing someone with “questionable” ethics and character. Look how we got here.
Makes you wonder the morality of America now.
You can't push back on Platner without Democrats jumping down your throat. Been there, done that.
Sadly, there's a very good progressive candidate running - David Costello. He has no baggage and no drama. Who does the "progressive" wing of the party do? Completely ignore Costello and makes excuses for Platner. He's the golden boy even though he's as probablamaic as a bag of dicks. Among other things, this is what happens when candidates for office are not properly vetted.
Yep. Leftists have a bad habit of getting charmed by a candidate, declaring said candidate the one true savior, and when red flags / skeletons are uncovered, they have an emotional "protect the tribe" reaction than "is Platner a good candidate, or does he simply have a slick sales pitch?"
You are being mistreated on this issue. I learned a new word: mortadella, a large pork salami. It's hard to see what your insulting commenter was getting at. Maybe AI autocorrected another word? Or is this a common insult?
I am sorry journalists are now attacked for doing their job. The mortadella thing sounds like someone very much not American- maybe not even human. AI could have generated such a weird and ridiculous attempt at an insult- knowing about your dog’s name.
How did he snow everybody, including so many in the media who ran cover for him…(Tommy Vietor and Jen Psaki, just an hunch)? I swear I could have vetted him better.
They don't cover him. They are part of the democratic party machine