r/politics • u/AndroidOne1 • 19h ago
This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/24/graham-platner-maine-senate-oysterman1.7k
u/FitDingo7818 18h ago
He looks mostly human but if he is part oyster who am I to argue?
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u/84thPrblm 18h ago
He only becomes Oysterman when he fights fascism.
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u/waveytype 18h ago
Oysterman, take me by the hand Lead me to the land that you understand
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u/blitzkregiel 16h ago
his catch phrase when fascists are begging for mercy is, “aw shucks, i’m all outta fucks!” then he strangles him with his pearl necklace of justice.
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u/kinkgirlwriter America 12h ago
In the Director's Cut he shucks open the heads and slurps out the skulls.
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u/FitDingo7818 18h ago
I'm scared of his superpower.
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u/Hannibal_Spectre 10h ago
It’s not his last name. It’s not like Phil Oysterman. He’s an Oyster Man.
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u/sunflowerastronaut 4h ago
Is arch nemesis is the "The mother shucker". He can only defeat him with his "Oyster shooters"
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u/ScottyNuttz 18h ago
He was bit by a radioactive oyster
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u/awfullyconfused 17h ago
Instead of web he shoots pearls out of his hands like a bb gun.
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u/billtopia 7h ago
I’ve lost so much faith in my fellow humans that being part oyster is probably a plus.
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u/Worried-Scratch-5549 19h ago
He's right, hopefully he wins
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u/FeanorOnMyThighs 18h ago
He's very popular in Portland. Not so sure if ANY of the main "parts" will budge and vote for Susan.
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u/YaPhetsEz 18h ago
A left leaning rock would be popular in portland compared to susan collins. What really matters is the right leaning cities that might flip.
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u/1stepklosr 18h ago
It's not even the right leaning areas that need to flip.
Susan won Bangor and Lewiston in 2020 which are solidly blue in every other aspect. There needs to be someone who can get the Mainers who voted for Biden, Collins, and whichever Dem house rep to stop falling for Susan's bullshit.
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u/counterweight7 17h ago
I absolutely do not understand. What do you (they) see in her? I donated to Sarah Gideon multiple times and I don’t even live in Maine. She didn’t run a fantastic campaign but literally anything is better than a woman who confirmed judges that nuked roe v wade. I mean wtf Maine what is it that you like about that horrible woman. She wears ll bean fishing hats?? That all it takes?
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u/therapistofcats 17h ago
Maine is incredibly xenophobic. Sarah Gideon isn't from Maine. She wasn't born here, didn't go to school here, she can't trace her family roots to 1800s Maine so she had an uphill battle.
Whereas Graham is Maine born and raised, plus he is a veteran in a state with a very high number of veterans per capita. Plus he has a classic Mainah' job. I think his stance on the 2A will be the make or break moment, not sure if his stance has been made public yet.
I think he is more likely to sway fence sitters than Sarah was. I voted for her, much better than Ol' Susan the Concerned, but I am also not from Maine originally, so my opinion doesn't seem to matter up here.
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u/thatjoachim 16h ago
From what I read elsewhere in the thread he’s a competitive shooter, it might be good for him 2A-wise.
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u/therapistofcats 16h ago
Ah that's good to hear. I figured as a veteran that might be the case. Hopefully that sways the fence sitters.
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u/1stepklosr 16h ago
A lot of people aren't as plugged in and don't follow politics as closely. They like someone who is "independent" or "non-partisan" and to them, Susan fits the bill.
Basically they'll vote against their interests if they think the senator won't always vote with their party.
And as someone mentioned, Maine is very nativist. Despite living in Maine for over 20 years, Gideon was still "from away" and they can't support that.
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u/shinkouhyou 14h ago
Yeah, there's a sort of boomer Democrat (like my dad, and my friends' dads) who votes solidly blue unless there's an "independent" "moderate" Republican who promises old-fashioned bipartisanship and common-sense reforms. They idolize the fantasy of folksy "nonpartisan" elected officials and the good old Reagan days when government "just worked." Every time, the "moderate" Republican ends up being like every other Republican. It's bizarre.
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u/PotatoRover 12h ago
If we survive this current admin, the coming decades are going to be crazy. The older generation and especially the establishment dems are a completely different breed compared to the younger generations.
A yougov poll has 62% of Americans under 30 holding a favorable view of socialism. That's not just dem leaning under 30s, that's all under 30s. And a third of under 30s said they hold a favorable view of communism. That is an insane stat in a country that has historically been scared of anything left of George Bush. When looking at dems as a whole, 67% have a favorable view of socialism.
Statista has a chart on favorability of socialism and shows a 15% increase from 2010 to 2021 for democrats.
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u/feachbreely 11h ago
I’m from Maine, the person below saying Maine is xenophobic is spot on. Gideon got branded as an out of stater (she’s originally from Rhode Island) and that tanked her campaign. That and people who are otherwise blue and really don’t like Collins will still vote for her because of her position on the appropriations committee and Maine relies on federal money for our shipyards which are large employers here. They think if she loses then Maine will lose that money and the shipyards will either be shut down or have to do mass layoffs.
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u/DrawingNo6704 15h ago
The morons that keep voting for Collin’s need to have it explained to them that everything they were fearful of Obama doing, Trump is actually doing.
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u/FeanorOnMyThighs 18h ago
So we got Augusta, and Orono and then "the parts." Those people are locked n loaded.
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u/Huge_Excitement4465 17h ago edited 17h ago
Some people who might not typically vote for Collins believe her role on the appropriations committee and ability to appease Trump make her an asset during this administration. Yet she voted for Vought’s role and must claw back funds as a result.
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u/Synekal Maine 18h ago
Dems either need to Step Up, or Step Aside!
Planter is stepping up when we need it.
Now we just need to get the democratic geriatrics who allowed all this to happen on their watch, to step aside.
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u/uxbridge3000 17h ago
Would give nod to your comment about the elder generation's poor candidate selection, but the youngest generation is also quite uninvolved and disinterested to the detriment of everyone. Nothing happens in this world without something forcing it to happen. People must push to make the change they desire.
There are 22 GOP (and 11 Dem) Senate seats up for election in 2026. I hope every last one flip to candidates more appropriate to the needs of our nation.
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u/Bmorewiser 16h ago
Young people- old democrats are responsible for Trump.
Also young people- “I don’t vote. Harris and Trump are the same.”
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u/51patsfan Maine 18h ago
He's sorta like Jared Golden with the military service. I think if he can get those voters in District 2 areas he should have a good chance.
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u/jellyrollo 17h ago
He's a lot more progressive than Golden, but he's also a harbormaster, oysterman and competitive shooter who is friendly with many people who have been voting for Trump and Collins for the wrong reasons, and knows how to connect with them. Coming from a small town in rural Hancock County, he should have the same home-town, native-born appeal as Collins inexplicably does as "the girl from the County."
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u/hunter15991 Illinois 17h ago
So many people vote on vibes and aura (for example, Mamdani got 23% of self-identified conservative voters in a recent poll), and Platner is so damn District 2-coded - at least in my non-Maine eyes - he may as well have been dunked in the Penobscot as a baby like Achilles was.
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u/zernoc56 14h ago
So then as much as it pains some people, Democrats need to start Aura Farming. Sure, facts and truth are important, but if your presentation is bland and uninspired, voters will not be interested.
Certainly do not invite anyone with the last name “Cheney” onto your campaign stage, ever.
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u/AngryTomJoad 14h ago
it would be a nice turn of events if one of these trump apologists lost their seat for supporting the destruction of democracy
im donating a few bucks right now
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u/AndroidOne1 18h ago
I agree! We need a fresh new face, uncorrupted by the current political system.
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u/Vapur9 18h ago
Recognizing the truth doesn't necessarily mean he has a good platform.
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u/ohnofluffy 17h ago
He has a physical, underpaying job and no family money —- in other words, most of New England. I’m ready for more politicians who actually have to live in this world rather than those who live above it.
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u/KnotSoSalty 11h ago
I work with a lot of guys from rural Maine in the Maritime industry. Half the ship engineers I’ve ever sailed with seemed like they were from Maine.
Every single one was a Republican. Much worse IMO than the Texans and Louisianans I’d work with. Most of them just wanted a farm/ranch. The Maine guys didn’t want ANYONE moving into there town. White/black/brown/green if you weren’t from there don’t move there. One guy used to joke about how he would slash the tires of his New York Neighbors every time he was home. The neighbors had been full time in upstate Maine for like 5 years.
It’s a serious “culture” up there.
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u/loganbootjak 18h ago
Most dems aren't even at the recognition state. they are bizarrely silent on most anything Trump is doing.
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u/Any_Will_86 18h ago edited 18h ago
Every Dem I see has spoken up but the media and political fan bases aren't letting that come through. Then again the flood the zone Trump strategy was to do so much opposition would be drown out and that seems to have worked.
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u/noguchisquared 18h ago
People just love these contrarian narratives. All the local Democrats and my representative are persistently talking about this. The actions they can take are somewhat thwarted by people that ignored politics or voted for this. And the news media gives no oxygen to the Democratic leaders to talk more directly to Americans that could make a difference because of the constant appeasing of fascist agendas.
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u/Shifter25 18h ago
"They should at least be talking about it if they can't do anything!"
Example of them talking about it
"I don't care if they're talking about it, what are they doing?!"
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u/AndroidOne1 19h ago
News snippet: One of Graham Platner’s high school yearbooks shows him babyfaced with a buzzcut, holding a sign proclaiming, in part: “Free Palestine.” The image is accompanied by a superlative his classmates bestowed upon him: “Most Likely To Start A Revolution.”
“Well see!” Platner wrote on X Thursday, posting a photo of the yearbook page, in a post that’s been viewed 4.5m times. Now bearded, burly and tattooed, with a sweep of dirty blond hair above a sunburnt face, Platner still believes in a free Palestine. He also thinks it’ll take something revolutionary to save the US, so earlier this week, when the oysterman announced his candidacy to be the next US senator from Maine, he pulled no punches.
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u/trastamara22 18h ago
Dems are totally in response cycle with fascism. Jeffries said don’t swing at all the pitchers. There needs to be a reset here. Dems need to do the pitching and maybe this dude has a fastball that fascism can’t hit?
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u/Shifter25 18h ago
What is "pitching" here, to you?
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u/greg19735 15h ago
i love it when analogies get too wrapped up in the 2nd meaning that they stop making sense.
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u/deadguy00 15h ago
Plain speech is often lost on people trying jump big chasms with their logic.
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u/ChatterBaux 12h ago
I feel like it's partially by design, albeit sometimes unconscious.
They get the luxury of sounding profound and looking like they have conviction, but avoid the objectivity that would open them up to scrutiny.
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u/The_Vaike 15h ago
Don't respond, initiate. Make the first move instead of always letting the opposition make the first move.
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u/SapCPark 17h ago
And the GOP, who voted for this, is innocent? The GOP gets a pass for everything they do instead the vast majority of the blame that they deserve.
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u/Pherllerp New Jersey 16h ago
No but you can’t expect them to help fight their own agenda?
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u/UnquestionabIe 14h ago
This is what I always find to be an odd bad faith argument. Of course the fascists who enacted fascist policies are to blame, that should go without saying. However a lot can be learned and applied by looking at the lack of response to it and how various protections either failed or were never in place.
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u/Michael_G_Bordin 14h ago
People act like criticizing the Democratic Party is ignoring criticisms of the GOP. It's fucking annoying, and I agree it is bad faith.
The GOP and their fuckwit voters are to blame for the current state of the GOP and their policies. But their electoral victories and current unchecked applications of fascism are also the fault of an opposition party that has no spine. The Dems have showed absolutely zero fight against Trump's agenda, and it's going to take a radical shift away from the establishment to find that fight.
Only, it might be too late. The Dem establishment don't actually care, they're perfectly fine being neutered pseudo-opposition. They seem to think they'll be safe, sound, and rich as hell. And if Trump and his ilk are smart, they'll go after the DNC last, once anyone who would fight for them is gone.
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u/DennyHeats 15h ago
No one get's mad at the shark in Jaws, they get mad at the mayor who keeps letting people swim in the water. The shark is doing what sharks do.
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u/Mr_Meng 14h ago
So Republicans just get to be awful because that's what Republicans do? Sounds like an excuse by people too afraid to call out Republicans for being awful and get in their faces about it. And before someone says 'why don't you do it?' I do. I won't go as far to say I've convinced any MAGA people but I've had a few(grown adults) walk away with their fingers in their ears.
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u/gotridofsubs 18h ago
Dems are totally in response cycle with fascism. Jeffries said don’t swing at all the pitchers. There needs to be a reset here. Dems need to do the pitching
Its probably got something to do with the fact that they were voted out of power at every level of government 9 months ago.
Voters told them they didnt want them pitching
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u/Major_T_Pain 18h ago
This troll response from astroturfers is really pernicious.
The reason Democrats were ousted from office is because of what the OC said. The DNC isn't a feckless breed of incompetent NeoLiberal idiots because they lost power. It's the other way around.
So.
Stop saying things like this.Any democrat who isn't fully on board with: UHC, money out of politics, reduced or free state college and ending the war in Gaza (and reducing American war spending more generally). They need to get the fuck out of our way or get their asses thrown out with the rest of the putrid NeoLib garbage.
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u/pigeieio 15h ago
"Do WHAT I WANT RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL CUT MY OWN THROAT!!!!, SURE YOU STOPPED THE BLEEDING THE LAST COUPLE TIMES I DID IT BUT THIS TIME I'M GOING SUPER DEEP"
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u/MagicWishMonkey 8h ago
Acting like the country that just elected Republicans to majority across the board is secretly super progressive is just insane.
Like what universe do you live in where someone who voted Trump would have voted Harris if she had promised UHC? If you look at the massive amount of data that has been collected since the election it's pretty clear that people didn't vote for Harris for a lot of reasons but her not being progressive enough was not one of them.
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u/ModernLarvals 15h ago
All the DNC does is book the venue for the convention. You don’t understand how any of this works.
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u/hammer-nail-hammer 17h ago
They certainly seem relieved to be out of power instead of having any expectations to meet.
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u/Free_Accident7836 18h ago
This does not seem like what Susan Collins voters want
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u/jellyrollo 17h ago
Susan Collins voters want someone who is a home-town, native-born Mainer. Maine is very insular, and Collins' last opponent, Sarah Gideon, was originally from Rhode Island and had only lived in Maine for 16 years. By Maine standards, that's like she arrived yesterday.
This guy fits the bill in so many ways as a small-town harbormaster, oysterman and competitive shooter. He knows how to talk to the people who have been voting for Trump and Collins for all the wrong reasons, and meet them at their own level.
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u/pigeieio 15h ago
If he has the chops to do the job better then anyone else and actually get and not just make a show, there is no evidence of that yet, but the election isn't tomorrow and he has some time.
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u/BewareOfGrom 19h ago
I saw his interview on The Majority Report.
He seems like the real deal.
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u/X_SkeletonCandy Washington 15h ago
He called a genocide a genocide, endorsed Medicare for all, and said hes modeling his campaign after labor movements of the past. This dude is exactly what we need.
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u/AndroidOne1 18h ago
Totally! It’s refreshing to see someone who actually feels real.
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u/Wood-e 7h ago
Oh snap I missed this! When was the interview?
*Uploaded 8hrs ago is why. https://youtu.be/8cWA5aF1fXs?si=xyYsoNjOSJoIAcXq
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u/Ok-Bunch2258 18h ago
Damn!
I hope he wins and the rest of the Democratic party takes note!
And kicks that Trump enabling Susan Collins to the curb!
Democrats thought they had a real shot to unseat Collins in 2020. Sara Gideon raised $40m more than Collins, and polls showed Gideon in the lead, but she still lost by nine points in a state her fellow Democrat, Joe Biden, won handily.
How the fuck do you lose to Susan Collins?!
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u/Huge_Excitement4465 18h ago
Leonard Leo owns a couple homes and a church in MDI Maine. He has become involved in Maine politics, funds a local paper and feted Collins with fundraisers. When he pushed for Kavanaugh and allegedly orchestrated the smear campaign against his accuser, supposedly McConnell told Collins she would be well-funded if she greenlit Kavanaugh. Leo hosted a Collins fundraiser at his waterfront mansion afterward.
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u/space_cow_girl 15h ago
Anyone know if there’s a German word for the pleasure one feels knowing his shining castle built upon the sand will be swallowed by the ocean before long?
That every new moon high tide will be followed by an even higher high tide, month after month? Slowly advancing at first, then in surges?
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u/littlest_lemon California 17h ago
Maine is truly weird and it's reflected in its electoral politics. Gideon is considered "from away", which is a death sentence in Maine politics. Doesn't matter what your platform is, if you're not from here, it's much harder to win.
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u/greg19735 15h ago
Susan Collins gets to play both sides. She gets all the R votes, and a lot of the D votes because she's seen as a safer pair of hands and as she votes with the dems like once every 1000 years.
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u/Free_Accident7836 18h ago
This guy is about to find out
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u/noguchisquared 18h ago
Hope he can defeat her, but it is not like the last person shouldn't have gotten past her but the Maine voters picked Collins.
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u/ganashi 18h ago
This is the type of candidates that Dems need to be running. I’m sick of the mealy mouthed wonky policy shit, that has no place on a campaign trail in a post-2016 world, we need moral clarity, a laser focus on what’s hurting the average American, and most importantly a willingness to exercise power to ensure that their policies are implemented to deliver for their voters
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u/SumuDa I voted 18h ago
The American citizens gave ALL the power to one political party than start complaining that the other side doing NOTHING cause they have NO power in anyway other than speeches why cause you didn't give them the power it a Cause and Effect if you think about it
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u/thereallacroix 15h ago
I agree with you. More perfect union put up a profile of a guy FROM MAINE who lifted his family out of poverty due to Biden admin boosting solar projects in Maine. Their union told them they would have work until 2027. Good work, good money, union. Trump canceled all of that. Now they’re struggling to find work. His reason for voting for Trump, immigration. He lives in MAINE.
When I heard abt Graham I immediately started following him on IG. Two or three days ago he puts up an ad saying “dems are doing anything…” and I immediately unfollowed. Democrats are unique in that they take excessive criticism from the right and from within and from the left. More people seem upset with the dem response to authoritarianism than authoritarianism itself. I believe Graham sees himself as progressive and I hope someone removes Collin’s… but I hope we can find a way to galvanize behind the only pro democracy party in the country and not talk abt them like they always doing something wrong. It’s as if no one has any idea how things work. People voted to give Rs unified government… full stop.
I don’t live in Maine so I don’t have to be bothered with that guy but the falling in love with him for shitting on dems I’m not onboard for. Especially not for their response with no effective political power.
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u/LordGothington 11h ago edited 11h ago
His reason for voting for Trump, immigration. He lives in MAINE
For those that don’t know — Maine is the whitest state in the US and 5th lowest by percentage of population that are immigrants.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/immigrants-by-state
Maine also accounts for 1/3 of all native French speakers in New England. Not relevant, but mildly interesting.
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u/Uncreative-Name 17h ago
I feel like I read this exact article every year. They'll put up some blue collar challenger in a Senate race. Commenters all say "This is the type of person they need to start winning elections." They raise a shitload of money, then lose by 10 points..
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u/Greenn1483 Maine 15h ago
Gideon wasn't blue collar and was from away. I don't believe any left leaning populists have even tried running in Maine. Most of the dems that try to win in Maine are centrists, if anything. This guy is not a centrist and probably not considered a safe pick to run for the dems, but he's a guy who can start a movement like Mamdani if it gets traction, and it looks like he's off to a good start. I'm a veteran, too, and veteran representation is very important to me, so there is that.
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u/Keylime29 6h ago
So my only objection is the Republicans are the one who are actually the fascist but somehow you’re still making bad press for the people who aren’t the criminals. Are they doing enough to stop it no but they’re not the ones causing it and this is a deliberate propaganda to destroy the Democrats
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u/Inevitable-Ad9760 19h ago
Thank goodness for new faces in the democratic party.
"I wish him well, frankly"
Sorry, that's the same phrase used by Donald Trump on Ghislane Maxwell as she was sent to prison after being convicted of being a pimp for his pedophile sex gang. Just thought I'd mention that
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u/LA-Aron 18h ago
This is what we need. People we can all get behind. Fuck all these fake ass politicians.
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u/AndroidOne1 18h ago
I agree! Having candidates from grassroots movements could really benefit ordinary people and their communities. Career politicians often become disconnected from the very people they should be representing and serving.
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u/yIdontunderstand 13h ago
That's exactly what America needs. Normal Americans to get involved and do what's right.
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u/Bagoong4Lyfe 11h ago
Oysterman, Oysterman
Does all the things an oyster can
Dines on algae, makes some pearls
Runs for office to impress the girls
Look out! Here comes the Oysterman
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u/weaponjaerevenge 18h ago
So is he gonna do something, or is he gonna just Fetterman us?
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u/YaPhetsEz 18h ago
Fetterman had red flags before we elected him, and then he suffered severe brain damage. I can’t imagine that happening again
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u/PropofolMargarita 17h ago
Democrats are in the minority in every branch of government. WTF are they supposed to do.
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u/DistractedPhoenix 18h ago
Just because the democrats have run a shit campaign doesn’t excuse the millions of Americans that voted for Trump and republicans
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u/Angry-Dragon-1331 18h ago
No, but if it’s driving him to take on a senate race that’s been pretty neglected by the national party, good for him.
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u/noguchisquared 18h ago
I don't think it was neglected. They raised $40 million more dollars than their opponent. People in Maine wanted Collins or didn't care. The national party can't do shit about that.
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u/jellyrollo 17h ago
People in Maine voted for their home-town girl Susan because they viewed Sarah Gideon as a carpetbagger from Rhode Island. Maine is very suspicious of outsiders. Graham Platner won't have that problem.
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u/rodimusprime119 12h ago
I have to agree with him on this.
The other thing is there can not be a blanket forgiveness. We need to go after the MAGAS hard. Root out the traitors. There is no mercy here. No bandaid. Full court press and then gaurd rails put in place to prevent this happening again. National emergency blocking. Say 48 hours or until congress is in sessions which ever is greater. Congress votes on it and can extend it but no longer can it be dance around.
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u/Vaaaaaaaape 13h ago
The Democrats are actually the only ones doing anything significant against fascism, like trying to redistrict blue states so the Democrats can take back the House and restrict Trump's actions and impeach him. Meanwhile, the far left is screaming about how the Democrats don't do anything. Stop demonizing the Democrats and start helping them by sending them donations. Attacking the Democrats only helps Trump. One of the reasons Trump won the election is the far left's constant demonization of Biden and Harris.
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u/Silly-Airline124 18h ago
Honestly curious what the folks cheering this guy think Democrats should be doing that they aren’t or haven’t done after 10 years of MAGA the failure of the resistance movement to mobilize voters to the polls to win in 2024?
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u/Shifter25 18h ago
Lots of metaphors about fighting and making a stand, silence when you ask them what they're actually supposed to do.
That or absolutely short-sighted stuff like getting arrested/shot by the fascists to make a point
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u/seriousofficialname 15h ago
He could vote against Trump nominees rather than for them, that would be one thing
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u/Shifter25 13h ago
I wasn't aware Trump's nominees were all unanimously approved.
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u/seriousofficialname 15h ago
Well for one, Democrats shouldn't nominate Republican stooges to be in charge of investigating Trump
That one's kind of a no-brainer
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u/DDDingusAlert 17h ago
Embrace populists. Run leftists. Censure the Democrats who are enabling fascism by voting for Trump nominees and giving away the power of the purse. Maybe stop worshipping the rules so goddamn much and stop putting "peace and quiet" over actual justice.
Republicans somehow always got what they want even when they were in the minority. I refuse to believe Democrats somehow have zero power in the minority.
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u/RobotSifl 17h ago
You're absolutely right - we should continue doing / changing nothing. No new viewpoints - everything has been working fine. Don't rock the boat, let's continue enabling fascism.
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u/Ohrwurm89 6h ago
How long before high ranking Democrats try to destroy his campaign? A week? Two weeks?
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u/milelongpipe 16h ago
Good for him. Let the message spread. Get to work Dems or be replaced. But more importantly, vote the GOP out!
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u/amoshart 15h ago
Based on that platform point alone. I'd vote for him if I could (I'm not a Mainer).
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u/ExplosiveBrown 9h ago
At this point I don’t know how anyone walks away with a conclusion other than the Dems are complicit in the downfall of America.
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u/glitterandnails 18h ago
The old guard of the Democratic Party is full of enrichers, people who got into their position to milk it financially and for prestige. They lack the passion for anything else than furthering their career and enlarging their bank account. And even more important, their intentions makes them spineless disappointments. They are the wrong people for the job and even more so in these times.
The Democratic Party’s old guard needs to be kicked out and replaced with people that actually care about their job, the people that they represent, and the country.
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u/PeopleB4Profit Wisconsin 18h ago
He is having a volunteer meeting tomorrow night, go to the website and volunteer. Remote is ok, meetings, calls..... if 125 million Americans voted for every democrat on 11/3/26 and the dems had an overwhelming victory, Graham most likely may be the only dem that wants to solve the problem and hopefully inspire others! (they have demoted AOC and Bernie to fund raisers not legislatures!)
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u/Anxious-Dig-5736 15h ago
What does he expect Democrats to do when voters voted for fascism.
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u/Daedalus81 12h ago
His victory would remove Susan Collins from power. That's already a massive improvement.
We also need leaders to fight fascism and I bet he's up to the challenge.
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u/seriousofficialname 15h ago
Probably like, advocate popular policies
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u/highandloaded23 14h ago
Yeah that means a lot as a minority party.
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u/seriousofficialname 13h ago
Can't tell if you're being sarcastic but it really does
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u/highandloaded23 13h ago
Maybe you’re considering a different scenario than I am, bc I’m assuming that GOP keeps control of the Senate so Democrats remain the minority. How do they stop fascism or enact legislation as a minority party by simply advocating popular policies? Sanders, AOC, Warren are all advocating for popular policies and yet fascism is still here. So how would it be any different?
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u/naththegrath10 12h ago
And yet national Dems are waiting and hoping for the 77 year old govern to get in the race. Smh
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u/darth_wasabi Texas 10h ago
he's god damn fucking right!
The Democrats apart from a handful are doing what the rich donors tell them to do
the Robber Barons control both parties. It's absolute Kabuki Theatre
Wait till one of these Robber Barons hits a trillion dollars. if we don't have a democratic socialist in power backed by a strong base of other democratic socialists. It's game set match for America. you won't have a government anymore you won't even be voting anymore. It'll be 3 men just picking government for us.
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u/KrankyKoot 17h ago
The Democratic party absolutely needs more progressives like this. Lets flood the zone. And to those that say they can't get elected I say you also said the electorate is too smart to elect a fascist. Democrats have lost the working and middle classes by not distinguishing themselves from Republicans. Progressive ideas are what's going to get the job done.
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u/No-Kings-2025 19h ago
Does he have any suggestions for what Democrats should be doing? *checks notes*
No. It’s just feels.
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u/PotentialLandscape52 18h ago
He supports Medicare for All, lifting the income cap that exempts income over $176,000 from Social Security taxes, repealing Citizens United by Constitutional amendment, passing the PRO Act (something the Dems failed to do despite having control of the House, Senate, and Presidency for two years), ending US funding, raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation, decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level (another one of Biden’s broken promises), and ending US funding and involvement to foreign wars in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
All of this is wildly popular among the base of Democratic (and independent) voters, but keeps getting neglected by Democratic politicians because it goes against the financial interests of their big money donors.
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u/sonofchocula 15h ago
I’m cautiously optimistic but Jared Golden is terrible and would hate to see Platner have a similar arc.
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u/National_Big_9508 9h ago
Hardworking, heart in the right place, old enough to have been around the block and young enough to give a few more gos round. Even handsome, too! He’s lovely, let’s get one approximately like this everywhere.
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u/Quansett 6h ago
I personally know graham and his family and they are salt of the earth people. This guy is one of the most special people I have ever met in my life if anyone can change things for the better it is him. He farms the best damn oysters I have ever eaten also.
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u/CheatsySnoops 4h ago
It's the polar opposite of everyone's least favorite rotten oyster, Elon Mollusk.
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u/LLMBS 2h ago
Jesus Christ, another r/politics Hopium article about this guy?? He may be a hardworking, salt-of-the-earth type but also has zero chance of flipping the US senate seat.
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u/PoliticsModeratorBot 🤖 Bot 17h ago edited 17h ago
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