is a Republican tradition going back to Gary Hart and John Dean. Even earlier. The Ratfucker Playbook.

Pubs were afraid of Muskie so they did their dirty work

I'm a fan of McGovern but he just shouldn't have been the candidate. He won the nomination because the Ratfuckers destroyed the frontrunner. In those days, a man crying over a slanderous letter about his wife was enough to ruin a whole campaign.

Man, look how long we've been falling for their scams, double standards, and superficial complaints having no bearing on the issues that matter.

NT

All politics are local, after all.

Howard SHOULD have gotten the nomination in 2004, except that, by his own admission, "we didn't know what the hell we were doing." I first met him at the end of 2001, when I was introduced to him, being told "he was thinking of running for president." I had never heard of him, but after sitting down and talking with him, I thought, "yeah, he say all the things I have been thinking!" We have been friends ever since.

Help me out here.......

I’m hardly immune myself.

has a big hand in it too.

Please back up that statement with facts - it would be greatly appreciated.

I personally don't want show links to centrist aipac.

The apples to apples false equivalences.
The "does this negate the Dems campaigning on corruption?"
"Why is this a problem with both parties?"

If this were the reverse situation, faux propoganda would be blasting 24/7 the accuser as a Dem operative if they donated 10 bucks to Obama in 2008.

n/t

until after the primary.

Is Jeet Heer's theory that Republicans are such devious masterminds that they planted these women ahead of time in case he ever ran for office? Or is Heet selling you a bullshit theory by only bringing up the one who was a Republican? One of those seems way more likely.

"It's politics!", "Why didn't they go to the cops!", "Why'd they wait so long!", "They're paid off!". All tried and true tactics that sexists use to attack women when they find the bravery to speak up about the abuse they suffer at the hands of men.

drank heavily.

Never hit or otherwise cause injury or bruises.

The GQP operative said he once grabbed her wrist to pull her out of a car and it hurt.

A Democrat said he showed up at her house drunk. It made her feel unsettled.

An anonymous Democrat said he made her FEEL like " collateral damage".

One of them said he was a "womanizer".

And made him get a nazi tattoo.

I believe Rick Wilson....

Just sayin'

Oh and since she lives in VA Spanberger gets a lot of hate. Example - did you know Virginia Democrat gubernatorial nominee Spanberger worked at Saudi school known for Hamas links, jihadi grads

Oh and trans people shouldnt be allowed guns because of mental illness. Just trans people mind you because they are mentally ill.

They really are insidious!

Link to tweet

?s=20

Only considerate that he did since she worked hard on discrediting their accuser.

Platner’s ex- girlfriends. Is that something that they normally do with most Senate candidates? For instance have we heard from Ken Paxton’s soon to be divorced on “biblical grounds” wife or mistresses to see what he was like?

Not sure of the timestamp:

When someone repeatedly says "i think" before commenting it's not PROOF

but this does remind me of recent MEET THE PRESS episode

nt

Graham Platner’s anti-Israel fixation in the Maine Senate race
Marc Rod; Jewish Insider; September 2, 2025

Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is putting anti-AIPAC and anti-Israel messaging front-and-center in fundraising appeals he’s circulating on social media.

Platner is currently running a series of Facebook and Instagram advertisements soliciting donations for his campaign that highlight his opposition to AIPAC and accuse Israel of committing genocide. The pitches indicate that Platner is treating the issue as central to rallying support for his campaign.

“My opponent has already been endorsed by AIPAC — an endorsement I will never get. Because what is happening right now in Gaza is a genocide,” Platner says in one direct-to-camera video ad focused specifically on his opposition to AIPAC. “I need your help because we refuse to take money from AIPAC, and we refuse to take money from the billionaires who support it.”

Every one of the eight active ads that Platner is running on Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta’s political advertising library tool, includes a repudiation of AIPAC, and around half accuse Israel of genocide. In most of Platner’s other ads, that language comes alongside comments on a range of other issues.

More at: https://www.nrsc.org/uncategorized/jewish-insider-graham-platners-anti-israel-fixation-in-the-maine-senate-race-2025-09-03/

Meanwhile...........

The vast majority of Democrats:

1. No longer favour Israel over the Palestians.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/702440/israelis-no-longer-ahead-americans-middle-east-sympathies.aspx



2. They are anti-AIPAC.

https://www.semafor.com/article/06/01/2026/democratic-primaries-get-an-even-bigger-aipac-problem

3. Surveys consistently show that somewhere between 67% and 77% of Democratic voters believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

https://www.imeupolicyproject.org/polls/democrats-sanctions-israel

https://theintercept.com/2026/06/04/democrats-israel-voters/

More background:

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/04/09/democrats-clash-over-influence-of-pro-israel-lobby_6752272_4.html

That the astro-turfing dirty tricks attacks on Platner are tied to his strong anti-Israel, anti-genocide stance. Which the Jewish Insider, though RW and biased towards Israel, just happens to lay out "nicely"

Just my 2 cents, perhaps the poster can clarify soon.

Even understood why I used the Jewish Insider that is RW and biased towards Israel.

Thought the Jewish Insider explained the thinking of many criticizing Platner here.

Platner is in the crosshairs of pro-Israel Democrats every bit as much as the GOP. Look at DU and how much DU is talking about Platner.

Suggested to the OP that the Platner smears were because Platner concurs with #1, #2 and #3 and has said will not accept AIPAC or similar funding.

Posted that to shine light on the thoughts and motivations of anti-Platner voices among Democrats.

DU would not be discussing Platner so much nor would there be so many negative reports on the internet if Platner were expected to vote in favor of continued funding and unqualified support of contemporary Israel in actions toward their neighbors.

I would say taking huge contributions from AIPAC and then taking a hard pro-Likud line might qualify as a fixation for a U.S. Senator. Or is it only a fixation when it takes the form of supporting the “other guys?”

Why wouldn’t they keep it up?

Start with a drip drip, then pile on everything you can possibly dig up without looking past the surface. Release in rapid succession so there's no time for individual reports to be scrutinized. Cue outrage at "nothing terrible in isolation, but look at the number of them!"

The goal is to incite a mob mentality. Cue the pitchforks and torches.

Should be very familiar to anyone who has read this:

New Yorker
The Case of Al Franken
Jane Mayer
July 22, 2019

https://web.archive.org/web/20190829044

You saved me the trouble!

And far too many here on DU bought right into it. I'm sorry, but we need to be more cautious about such things on DU.

CANNOT BE CRITICIZED FOR VARIOUS AND SUNDRY REASONS?

MOREOVER, THE SMELL OF ANTI-SEMITISM IS WAFTING HERE.