and my moral character is fine thank you very much.

Who I vote for, the organizations I spend my time with, the friends I keep, all need to reflect my values. If for example, I say I value a woman's right to abortion as health care, and then I vote for an anti-abortion candidate, I can't see how I can say I value a woman's right to an abortion.

Part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which really helped me is learning that actions and values need to be aligned.

You have a chance to have a Democratic majority.

None of the shit that Retrumplicans have shoved down Americans throats would have made it out of committee, let alone to the floor, even if you personally voted for a flawed, but Democratic, candidate

To ask a very blunt question, how many women can a man rape because you like his politics? To me, it's 0.

Women lost the right to an abortion because we live in a society that doesn't care about women whether it's their right to abortion or defending rapists. It's a pretty easy line to draw if you fundamentally value women instead of throwing them under the bus.

I guess you have already convicted him of rape.

This reminds me of my very good friend and progressive Democrat.

I have two daughters. During the me-too movement, I was; "rah-rah, me-too"! My friend has two sons...he was justifiably concerned that his son's lives could be ruined by an accusation.

Here's the cool thing. We're both still staunch Democrats, because we know that the core values of the Democratic Party will protect both my daughters, and his sons.

That bolded statement has never been true for the Retrumplican party...at least not in My 7 decades on this spinning orb.

Women lost the right to abortion, and now are governed by a pedophile nazi creep, because enough people stayed home, or voted third party, to give a party with NO ethics and NO morals complete control over all three branches of government.

I am glad you can sleep at night, but my LGBTQ Child waits everyday to be erased, and my straight child worries she might bleed out in a hospital parking lot because she lives in a red state.

Thanks! Sweet Dreams!

You might believe that it is, but when you're willing to look right past rape because someone else might be worse, we don't share that core value. Like I said, there's no number of rapes he gets a pass on because he says other things I might like. You're telling yourself you believe in x, y, z, but then moving right off those values. If you aren't willing to stick with values when it's inconvenient, you don't actually hold those values as anything other than an aspiration. Talk is easy, actions matter.

Since you didn't answer the question I'll ask it once more. How many rapes do we get to commit because of the shield of our claimed moral values before it stops being a shared core value? My number is zero. I can't see how it can be any higher to be an actual value. If it gets discarded for convenience, it's not a value.

And yes between the fact that virtually no victims lie, the victim having told multiple people in 2023 what happened (and we've got screenshots), and Platner's admitted entire adult history of not respecting women from blaming them for rape, to mistreating multiple girlfriends (even if you want to discount the one who he was physically abusive towards because she was a Republican, Platner has admitted to not treating his partners well), to sexting a bunch of women right after getting married, to throwing the former staffer under the bus for that getting out, he simply doesn't respect women and yes it's exceedingly likely he did exactly what she said.

Should be saving our Democracy - or we do not have a chance of advancing on ANY ISSUE!!!

He gets no rapes excused, so let me know when he's been convicted of one.

That whoever is in charge of recruiting Democratic candidates has completely fallen down on the job. Isn’t there some sort of committee at the Senate level that is supposed to do this other than Chuck Schumer?

Apparently, they did a lot better at advocating for a U.S. Democratic Senate candidate for Maine, than anyone else did......

Warren is already on the record as favoring he withdraw. They hitched their wagon to the wrong horse.

what repukes tolerate?

It doesn't mean we have to set a low bar in our personal lives.

...when seeing Trump and his ilk get away with pretty much any bad thing you can think of.

Democrats are always held to a higher standard. We have to stay squeaky clean. Not that I have a problem with that, thats what I want from our candidates anyway. But the fact that the other side gets away with being terrible doesn't mean we should think that we can ignore the same kind of baggage when its someone running on our side.

Its really stupid that we allowed Platner to progress any further after the Nazi tattoo thing came to light. That should've been the end of him right then and there. I'm sure others can say that more artfully but "stupid" is really the best word I got for it.

to me, not supporting and / or excusing rapists and nazi tattoos isn't so much a "higher standard", it's just simply BEING A DECENT HUMAN BEING - surely these folk can't be THAT hard to find to run as candidates

I'm just saying, Republicans get away with the kind of shit Platner has going on. They do it and they get elected.

I think some folks on "our side" have decided that we can make excuses for it and bury our heads in the sand just like Republicans tend to do and still get our candidates elected even if they are THAT BAD because they have some kind of "working class" appeal.

Of course its a moral failure on our part to support or excuse rapists and Nazis. Platner should never be spoken of or heard from again. but by "higher standards", I was speaking to the notion that the GOP can get away with these sorts of scandals and Democrats can't. No one should be able to of course. Being a decent human being should be the starting benchmark for everything.

Is because voters like you and me hold them to that standard....I'm OK with that.

If Platner, or ANY Dem is elected to the Senate, it will be up to the Maine voters that put them in office, to ensure that he serves and governs under the Democratic Party's core values.

One thing is for sure. Retrumplican voters will NEVER hold Susan Collins accountable. They have no core values except the pursuit of power.

republicans are treated like white men, whereas Democrats are treated like women and POC - we have to be twice as good to be considered half as good (aw heck, black women? they have to be TEN TIMES AS GOOD).....that double standard has ALWAYS been there

I'm glad we don't go by their yardstick.
It was meant as criticism of the GOP solely!!
I do see now, how you could read it that way!!.
I'm sorry for that!
I have deleted the post!

alas, that sentiment is not unknown here

I wish I knew why some Democrats are Democrats?

I can tell you why I am. It's because the Core Values of the Democratic Party align with mine, despite there being some flawed humans elected as Democrats.

I know that me, and other Democratic voters will hold Democratic office-holders feet to the fire. I know that if Donnie Dipshit was a Democrat, he would have been run out of town on a rail by his own party, way before he had an opportunity to incite a violent coup attempt.

So, YES! The bar is set by "what Retrumplicans tolerate".

That's why I am a Democrat.

because they stand up for civil rights especially for women and minorities. They are also generally not as enthralled by nepo-babies as the righties. That myth that "you too can be billionaire, if you work hard enough is one of the most insulting and erroneous beliefs that I've ever heard. Most of them are only rich because one of the ancestors got wealthy and kept willing it to the next generation. Golfing and business luncheons are not work.

My Dad worked from age 14 through 79 and a lot of overtime hours. My sister worked from age 16 to age 65 with a lot of overtime too. My Mom was a nurse until she had my sister and I. I worked until my anxiety and depression disabled me. We made it to the middle class, working harder than a lot of those billionaire hypocrites and systems ever did, and oh yeah we always paid our taxes and our bills.

We also didn’t try to sell our faith like a commodity to gain wealth & status, and always were taught as long as people didn't purposefully harm other people or pets, live and let live.

Very few repukes even come close to sharing any of the values I was taught to honor or hold close to my soul.

I'm sorry, but this is what gets people to skip a vote. Especially women who have been victims in their past.

But it is true regardless.

Who is protecting epstein rapist billionaires everywhere.

But just to be clear. Let's not vote for rapists or support them. K?

With sketchy morals and respect for others seems rather foolish to expect they would vote against legislation that would hamper rapists. I don't want someone who will have me worrying that they could possibly vote to either take away more of my rights as a woman or whether they would vote to restore those taken and advance legislation to further empower women. If they won't do that for women, they won't for all the other identities out there because they lean toward male dominance. I can't vote with that being a question as to whether I can vote for someone whatever they identify as, to represent me in that capacity.

I've never sexually harassed, intimidated, groped or raped anyone.

It's not that fucking hard to behave yourself.

that went right over my head...

Your moral character is rarer among the class of people that would become national politicians.

keep Maine red. Has anyone investigated the accuser
or her income ? I presume she has been paid very well
for coming forward now.

Voting for someone seriously accused of rape or sexual assault because a republican would get away with it. This does not seem like the democratic party that I have come to know. Sinking to the level of republicans to win - ugh!

I am not fighting simply to win. I am fighting for decency. Perhaps I need to find a different route.

How many of you who think Platner isn't qualified were on a war front? How many were able to completely defy the norms society was pushing on you to be a certain way because you are male or female? Donald is a serial rapist, torturer of anybody weaker than himself, he has killed people he has killed children. And he is in power and about to completely destroy this country. I think we can vote for the lesser of the evils when that person has changed and got help and is living his best life now and he wants to serve again for this country. We're the only ones that are going to make us lose this election if we keep this in fighting. Plattner is no monster, but a monster is in the White House now, at least what's left of the white house. In the words of Cher from the movie Moonstruck. Snap out of it!

There is no infighting that I can see.

Haven't you learned yet that this is how dirty they play? They don't care who gets hurt if they win. They don't care if we live or die. Look, I have been raped and I am willing to allow the courts to proceed. Not my job.

his chances of winning have already been damaged by the accusations. It's not like Collins' campaign won't use that. It's also not likely that most repuke's would see the hypocrisy of that tatic , given who their supreme leader is.

Planter has also had a lot of endorsements rescinded. That coupled with womens' uncertainty about voting for someone who may have done what he was accused of makes him more vulnerable to a loss.

I hope he understands that and withdrawals before the deadline, to choose someone with less clouds hanging over them. He may cost us, our chances at unseating the perpetually concerned, but still votes to do the wrong thing, "Collins," no matter what.

and impose its preferred candidate. They did that already with Mills and were solidly rejected. Warts and all Platner won the primary because people believed in his platform.

Bottom line is, no matter the outcome, I have a problem with an internet channel choosing who gets to run in the election. Mainers are capable of making that decision.

Platner is now facing criminal sexual assault charges now. He’s not fit for office.

I do think he needs to drop out immediately.

then I support that, if he does it. If he stays in, he has my support.

Taking out Susan Collins should be a fucking slam dunk this year. The R's have probably sat on dirt until Platner comfortably had the nomination; there could be more.

He could sail past it like Bill Clinton with Gennifer Flowers, but that's not usually how these things play out, and Susan Collins manages to hang around like herpes.

And I care about rape victims. Right now, it's an allegation. If it becomes more than that and he was elected, a Democratic governor would choose the replacement.

Best option now may be for him to step aside before the election, which may happen.

is that the adjudicated rapist in the White House has as little control of the government as possible.

Do you know why they (they being Republicans and I'm sorry to say some Democrats) are doing everything they can to dirty him up is because he scares the shit out of them.

He is an honorable man that owes nothing to anyone other than Maine voters. He is on a mission. I donated to his campaign for that reason.

That said, I will vote for whatever Democrat is up against Susan Collins.

The things you talk about in your OP are frequent gripes I have with the party. But when you get into alleged rape it is a bridge too far for most people and that has to be respected. If it were just about anything else I’d be inclined to agree but it’s not and here we are. It’s time for him to bow out and for Maine Dems to come up with a Hail Mary and try and put the heat back on Captain Concerned.

Listen to your constituents, not the pundits.

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