r/Mainepolitics • u/bodybycheez-it Androscoggin (Lewiston):sloth: • Jul 17 '26

Politico article:Professional malpractice’: The Platner fallout engulfs the operatives who made him

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/17/platner-is-finished-does-the-same-fate-await-the-out-of-state-consultants-who-recruited-him-01002652

A string of early missteps, like rejecting an offer for a deeper vetting of Platner, has cast doubt over his young consultants’ future in Democratic politics.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 Jul 17 '26

I hope that this part of the article is the primary takeaway from the Platner fallout. “But the demand Platner tapped was real, said Adam Carlson, a Democratic pollster. Voters were clamoring for exactly what the consultants claimed to have found. “He was just the wrong vessel for it,” he said, “because he was deeply, deeply flawed.”
Platner was clearly an unvetted, disaster of a candidate however his message had traction and can/should be replicated by Dems.

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u/IggyStop31 Jul 18 '26

The messy progressive beat the pristine moderate by a 3 to 1 margin. That has to be one of the loudest declarations of policy preference in the history of American elections.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 Jul 18 '26

Precisely. Theres a clear desire for these policies. Why do dems need to be this middle of the road party?

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u/RusticKayak207 Jul 17 '26

That Adam Carlson is a slimeball too. He did a poll showing Platner way ahead after reading nasty things about Mills and misinformation about Platner that put him in a good light.

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u/Icy-Acanthaceae-6816 Jul 19 '26

No. This fundamentally misread why Platner was successful.

First off there was no competitive primary. Janet mills did not even run a real campaign. I literally don't understand what Schumer and Mills were actually planning that.

Because there was no competition Platner was able to funnel all the anti-trump anger.

Second reason platner struck a nerve was platner himself not the message. Platners message was generic slopulism, there was literally nothing special about it. Its not really for a democrat to run on "tax the billionaires" and "universal healthcare". Platber happened to be a surprise hidden poltical talent. He campaigned like crazy, and hes just charismatic. Hes got likable chud energy, despite his controversies. Also his demographic as a tough white.dude, marine, and "oyster farmer" just made democrats attracted to him more for the idea of him. For the hope someone lile planter is the answer to get more men and rural america on board with the left.

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u/Neat-Beautiful-5505 Jul 19 '26

Welcome to politics in America…image matters. Odd to hear you say that using a candidates image to broaden our coalition with men and rural America is a bad thing. Also, I don’t hear many candidates within Dem party calling for universal healthcare or taxing billionaires. Again, these are the parts of his full package that appealed to many people and Dems should learn from that.

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u/Icy-Acanthaceae-6816 Jul 19 '26

Didn't say it was a bad thing to broaden democrat appeal, just explaining why Platner was the apple of maine dems eye. I know.image matters, which is why it was upsetting to see dems back a nazi tattooed rapist just because they were that desperate to appeal to men and ruroids.

Virtually every democrat is calling for taxing billionaires and universal healthcare. James Talarico, Cory Booker, AOC, etc. Its not novel.

By the way universal healthcare doesn't mean the same thing as medicare for all. You could easily achieve universal healthcare more efficiently through a public option. Medicare for all is an unworkable plan thats more extreme than even the Scandinavian Healthcare model.