Current Events > Does homophobia get us a Platner bigotry bingo?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Smashingpmkns posted...

What goalpost did I move? The guy with the SS tattoo isnt the pro-genocide candidate here.

Show me one vote Janet Mills has ever made, over the course of her career, "in favor of genocide."

One vote.

Jagus posted...

Oh so he may have been innocent, but because he would've lost to the jury, it was better to take a plea deal?

Yes. More cases go to plea than trial in the US because the risk reward is skewed against trial + the costs and life disruption of awaiting trial. That's before accounting for systemic bias / racism

Doe posted...

Yes. More cases go to plea than trial in the US because the risk reward is skewed against trial + the costs and life disruption of awaiting trial. That's before accounting for systemic bias / racism

What was he looking at if convicted VS if he took the plea deal?

Jagus posted...

Maine's choices are so awful it's comical.

You have Susan Collins.
You have someone who pardoned a rapist, who may be innocent, maybe not.
And you have someone who is possibly a Nazi sympathizer/right-winger who worked for Blackwater.

Just lol. I don't know what the right answer is now.

There's only the one option (Mills) but unless you live in Maine it's out of your hands anyway.

Jagus posted...

Oh so he may have been innocent, but because he would've lost to the jury, it was better to take a plea deal?

Yep. Another attorney commented in that article saying they didn't feel he'd have a fair trial.

Again, she didn't let a child molester out of prison. The alleged crime happened in 2001 and he plead to a misdemeanor (Which by definition is less than a year). She pardoned him in 2025.

In some states, people submit requests to the governor for those who were convicted or plead to crimes on the basis it wasn't fair, they've reformed, etc. Because a pardon gives one a clean record and it's a symbolic gesture even for people who have been out for ages.

LightSnake posted...

Show me one vote Janet Mills has ever made, over the course of her career, "in favor of genocide."

One vote.

She has not been shy about her stance on sending more funding to Israel for the war. If she gets elected you know 100% how she will vote. That doesnt bother you whatsoever.

all I have to say is that oh my god

if you are honest-to-goodness batting for guys that were in Blackwater with Nazi tattoos who, have at least some point, expressed homophobic and rape-sympathetic views, what the actual fuck is wrong with you

What should be happen as mentioned is a progressive without loads of (potentially still applicable) right-wing edgelord trash behind them should primary Mills. Maybe that one doesn't beat Mills. Would Mills being challenged by them make me feel more comfortable than her being challenged by Platner? Yes.

(other disclaimer: I live in North Carolina, a state that quite famously had a actual neo-Nazi run for governor last year on the R ticket. You don't give anything that even smells funny of this shit a chance.)

Smashingpmkns posted...

The difference is these are things he said years ago that he is actively distancing himself from after personal growth.

Personal growth isn't doing something simply because you've been caught.

But I can see that you are a fanboy of his so you will excuse it all and just use "Space for personal growth" as your golden parachute for everything shitty this asshat has done.

"Better than Susan Collins" is one hell of a set of morals.

Smashingpmkns posted...

She has not been shy about her stance on sending more funding to Israel for the war. If she gets elected you know 100% how she will vote. That doesnt bother you whatsoever.

One vote, Smash. Just one. One single vote to this effect.

Also, you support a Blackwater mercenary with an SS tattoo.

I am skeptical he has changed anyway. Perhaps he has but there isn't any way to know for sure. I mean in the 5 years since he made those comments, has he been doing anything progressive in terms of actions or volunteering?

LightSnake posted...

Also, you support a Blackwater mercenary with an SS tattoo.

I was gonna say, Smashy might want to ease up on the pearl-clutching, that spot's gonna be tender for a few days.

Jagus posted...

I am skeptical he has changed anyway. Perhaps he has but there isn't any way to know for sure. I mean in the 5 years since he made those comments, has he been doing anything progressive in terms of actions or volunteering?

He was an oyster farmer and harbor worker. To my knowledge, he's done some local activism but nothing big

So far I'm gonna have to go with Mills on this one. Even if she supports Israel, that's just one vote in what's a massively changing demographic. It's not like every political race has options this bad.

also, you gotta love this.

Smash is like "Mills WOULD vote for Israel! So she's enabling genocide!" In some weird pre-crime application.

Platner saying he'd have loved to fight in the Indian Wars and taken some scalps? No red flags!

While I love that people are caring about the Palestinian Genocide now more than ever, I feel like some people aren't approaching the issue smartly.

I had a former friend, who all he cared about was Palestine. He did not vote in elections, and his stance was "burn it all down!" I was like, "Dude, I get that you're pro-Palestine. But you live in the US. Everyone you have ever known or loved lives here. Do you even understand what will happen if it all burns down?"

Didn't change his mind.

Jagus posted...

While I love that people are caring about the Palestinian Genocide now more than ever, I feel like some people aren't approaching the issue smartly.

I had a former friend, who all he cared about was Palestine. He did not vote in elections, and his stance was "burn it all down!" I was like, "Dude, I get that you're pro-Palestine. But you live in the US. Everyone you have ever known or loved lives here. Do you even understand what will happen if it all burns down?"

Didn't change his mind,

So, a lot of Jewish folks have nuanced and complex feelings on Israel to the point where being anti-Israel is completely fair and isn't seen as personal at all. And there's a very broad umbrella of statements considered acceptable by that metric.

There is no leeway on Nazi tattoos. Not like this. It's them or us.

God Gabbard is such a joke. Is she literally a Russian asset or something? Is Russia paying her? Is she blackmailed? How is no one concerned?

LightSnake posted...

So, a lot of Jewish folks have nuanced and complex feelings on Israel to the point where being anti-Israel is completely fair and isn't seen as personal at all. And there's a very broad umbrella of statements considered acceptable by that metric.

There is no leeway on Nazi tattoos. Not like this. It's them or us.

It's straight-up just too much of a risk to support someone like Platner. I don't get people who are so trusting.

Jagus posted...

God Gabbard is such a joke. Is she literally a Russian asset or something? Is Russia paying her? Is she blackmailed? How is no one concerned?

Many of us are. Gabbard has always been super sketch. She was part of a homophobic cult and was a Bashar al-Assad fan.

That she's a Russian asset has been a longstanding point of suspicion

LightSnake posted...

Many of us are. Gabbard has always been super sketch. She was part of a homophobic cult and was a Bashar al-Assad fan.

That she's a Russian asset has been a longstanding point of suspicion

Right, but have any politicians pointed it out? Like if one of my colleagues seemed obviously compromised, I would say something

Jagus posted...

Is she literally a Russian asset or something?

Yes.

Jagus posted...

While I love that people are caring about the Palestinian Genocide now more than ever, I feel like some people aren't approaching the issue smartly.

I had a former friend, who all he cared about was Palestine. He did not vote in elections, and his stance was "burn it all down!" I was like, "Dude, I get that you're pro-Palestine. But you live in the US. Everyone you have ever known or loved lives here. Do you even understand what will happen if it all burns down?"

Didn't change his mind,

Some people apparently think the way to support Palestine is literally to be as extreme, loud and obnoxious as possible.

Then they wonder why it's so difficult to get support for their cause.

I'd like to think these obnoxious types are a small minority, but that seems to be wishful thinking.

EPR-radar posted...

Some people apparently think the way to support Palestine is literally to be as extreme, loud and obnoxious as possible.

Then they wonder why it's so difficult to get support for their cause.

I'd like to think these obnoxious types are a small minority, but that seems to be wishful thinking.

Most pro-Palestine people I've met or spoken to seem to be legit progressives who vote, but sadly there are a lot of dubious people who are either trying to be trendy or are outright antisemitic. It's a sad state of affairs. It really feels like humanity, at least in the US, is falling apart from all angles these days.

Jagus posted...

Right, but have any politicians pointed it out? Like if one of my colleagues seemed obviously compromised, I would say something

Gabbard is a Republican.

Republicans have no standards for other Republicans.

Anything Democrats say about Republicans is instantly dismissed by all Republicans and is also substantially suppressed in the mainstream media.

The issue with Gabbard is she rode her association with Bernie Sanders, progressives positions and veteran status on a wave of populist acclaim to achieve fame and then betrayed them for power.

But that would never happen again. There are no parallels to anything here. Right?

....right?

You would think people like Fetterman would make people more suspicious. Not that I honestly expect people to keep tabs on most things though

Golden_Key33 posted...

He is planning to be another of those "switch to the Republican Party immediately after he's elected" people, isn't he?

Nah those type tend to run with extremely progressive policies

Smashingpmkns posted...

I believe him when he says he didnt know what it was. Clutching your pearls and essentially rooting for Susan Collins to win is wack.

I fully believe that he had no idea what it was when he got the tattoo. He probably saw the skull and crossbones and thought it was a cool pirate symbol. But I seriously don't believe that for the entire next 20 years, he never learned that it was the SS Totenkopf until last week. That isn't plausible. Especially since there are people saying he specially called it a Totenkopf. And also he says he's a military history buff. Doesn't pass the smell test. The most plausible explanation is that he at some point realized it was the SS Totenkopf, yet didn't consider it a big deal to have the literal concentration camp guard symbol on his chest. (And no, in case anybody suggests that, it's not a Prussian hussar totenkopf. They're the same skull and crossbones theme but not the exact same design.)

LightSnake posted...

Many of us are. Gabbard has always been super sketch. She was part of a homophobic cult and was a Bashar al-Assad fan.

That she's a Russian asset has been a longstanding point of suspicion

I've long suspected that Gabbard isn't merely a Russian asset, but an actual on the payroll Russian agent.

Wait, a homophobic cult? Are talking about the Republican Party, or something more specific?

Jagus posted...

Wait, a homophobic cult? Are talking about the Republican Party, or something more specific?

No, Gabbard's father was a member of the Science of Identity Foundation and Gabbard was raised very close to it with strong ties.

LightSnake posted...

No, Gabbard's father was a member of the Science of Identity Foundation and Gabbard was raised very close to it with strong ties.

Reading about this and what the actual fuck lmao. Humanity never fails to innovate on stupidity.

This is concerning.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Gabbard has always been a Republican.

She just lied about it for years in order to get elected in Hawaii.

EPR-radar posted...

Gabbard has always been a Republican.

She just lied about it for years in order to get elected in Hawaii.

I mean, yes. But a lot of people let themselves be fooled.

LightSnake posted...

I mean, yes. But a lot of people let themselves be fooled.

My cousin who voted Green Party last election supported Gabbard too. Sighs...

Jagus posted...

My cousin who voted Green Party last election supported Gabbard too. Sighs...

in US politics, Green is an acronym for Getting Republicans Elected Every November.

EPR-radar posted...

in US politics, Green is an acronym for Getting Republicans Elected Every November.

hahahaha

Seriously, Jill Stein goes back into hibernation after elections

Jagus posted...

My cousin who voted Green Party last election supported Gabbard too. Sighs...

You could probably have just stopped there, it would still count as "getting fooled" without the details.

DrizztLink posted...

You could probably have just stopped there, it would still count as "getting fooled" without the details.

Yeah, anyone that votes Green in the US is officially too stupid for politics.

Also, how is Smash different from JD Vance excusing those GOP group chat guys?

LightSnake posted...

Also, how is Smash different from JD Vance excusing those GOP group chat guys?

Political relevance.

That's about it.

Jagus posted...

There is too much risk in accidentally electing a Nazi into office if were wrong. If he has progressive views now, nice, but hes too risky to give power to.

This. Clearly since we've had multiple people run under democrat banners immediately do a complete 180 upon getting elected, there's no benefit of the doubt any more.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I can be a Republican and run as a democrat. It happens way, way too often in politics. Look up Jeff Van Drew. Guy ran as a Democrat, flipped hard to Republican less than a year later.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I'm not denying that she held elected office as a Democrat.

What I'm saying is that "Democrat" by Gabbard was always a lie for political expedience -- it was easier for her to win elections by pretending to be a Democrat.

Or are you one of those types that thinks the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is any/all of democratic, a republic or for the people.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


And now she works for Donald Trump. Not Donald Trump the outsider, Donald Trump the convicted felon and adjudicated rapist. I can't imagine a true blue, dyed in the wool Democrats opting for that career path.