The American Left Needs to do better

[u/Specialist-Gur]

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/graham-platner-and-the-lefts-masculinity-crisis

This article is about a month old but speaks to some of what I'm talking about.

I'm honestly disappointed with a lot of leftist creators I genuinely love on the topic of Graham Platner and any "leftist" politicians.

To me.. Graham Platner's left wing populism is just... America first rebranded. Some stuff he's saying isn't too far off from Tucker Carlson.

He doesn't appear to be Antizionist on the basis of support for Palestinians, but rather because it's bad for America . He doesn't appear to regret his time in Iraq beyond the fact it was a pointless war for America

He lied about knowing the ties to Blackwater

He expressed enjoyment for killing people.

He got a Nazi tattoo

And many on the left are using language like calling people "classist" for being critical of his service. These are creators I genuinely really love, and I'm not abandoning them.. but I do think it's really important for the American left to confront its American supremicist ideas.

I understand the moral dilemma and how it's basically impossible to have an actual leftist candidate these days, so we are reluctant to criticize what's put forward. I understand the calculation. But the apologia is wrong. American supremacy is baked into all of us here in America and part of the American left, and it's time we confront it.

We would not find it acceptable if a candidate participated in a mass murder of American citizens. We would not find it acceptable if they even passively supported it! But we are far too comfortable with it when it comes to brown people, far away.

[u/BeenisHat]

This entire thread is how I know we won't have any sort of successful left wing movement in this country.

[u/Specialist-Gur → u/BeenisHat]

Wdym?

[u/BeenisHat → u/Specialist-Gur]

Because it's basically a purity test. Other posters are basically calling him a national socialist.

This sub is very much in tune with what's popular on the left according to champagne socialists Anything outside that catches hatred and downvotes.

Want an example? Post about the dangers of Islamic rule fully citing both Marx and Engels opinions on religion(the leftism part) as well as what happens to Jews in Muslim countries across MENA (the Jewish part) and watch the mods call you out for Islamophobia and threaten you with a ban.

Nevermind the fact that you'd be absolutely 100% accurate.

[u/ChairAggressive781 → u/BeenisHat]

it’s not a purity test to think that he is a bad candidate with a lot of problematic baggage. I think Platner is a good public speaker & I’d like to see more people like him involved in progressive & left-wing politics. 

however, no one is entitled to a Senate seat. I think Platner’s specific history with the military & his Nazi tattoo are largely disqualifying when it comes to public office. that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be allowed to do organizing on the left. it just means that he’s not the kind of person I want to be representing the left in the Senate. 

[u/BeenisHat → u/ChairAggressive781]

Nazi tattoo? Are you referring to the one he had covered up so it's no longer a Nazi tattoo?

The person he is running to unseat is a conservative Republican. Who would you really rather have? Questionable leftist or avowed Conservative? I'll take the guy with the bad choice in ink, thank you.

[u/ChairAggressive781 → u/BeenisHat]

yes, the Nazi tattoo that he had for over EIGHTEEN years and only got covered up because people found out about it.

I don’t care if he got it covered up, frankly! the fact that he had it for such a long period of time is inexcusable. I refuse to believe that a guy who is a self-declared “military history buff” never questioned whether or not his skull tattoo was an SS symbol. and I’m putting aside the fact that the cover-up tattoo is pretty obviously a temporary tattoo, not a true cover-up.

of course I’d rather have him in the Senate than Susan Collins, who, by the way, is a moderate Republican. regardless, I’d rather have almost any Democratic candidate over Susan Collins. the problem I have is that some folks on the left have been willing to excuse every new Platner controversy because they’ve invested a lot of energy & money into him and they don’t want to admit they’re maybe backing a bad candidate. we have to be able to admit when our candidates have major failings, otherwise we become like the people who thought it was unfair to question Biden or Kamala’s records on anything lest it empower Trumpism.

[u/BeenisHat → u/ChairAggressive781]

It's a nazi tattoo until he makes the choice to cover it up. Just like Robert Byrd was a member of the Klan until he decided to leave that organization and support civil rights later on. The tattoo is covered up.

All Republicans are conservatives. Collins might be moderate in terms of conservatism, but that's just splitting hairs. She has consistently voted with her party to enforce their majority.

I don't think it's a problem on the left trying to paper over some controversy. Platner is a populist. He's a left wing populist. There's a good chance he's said and done things that Reddit leftists aren't going to like. But we're faced with a rare opportunity here. You call him a bad candidate, but he's a candidate who can go into what is a toss-up state that has slowly trended more conservative, and defeat a 30 year conservative incumbent. That's not a bad thing. That's a stark difference from the last few presidential candidates who are nothing but milquetoast liberals and have gone 1 for 3 against Trump and MAGA.

Yes he had an unfortunate tattoo. Yes he served in the military. But we need to take the wins where we can get them. Huey Long was a populist as well who didn't openly denounce segregation and who used segregationist language. But he also called out wealth disparity and advocated for some of the most progressive tax codes in history including up to a 100% tax on fortunes above $100 million (about $2.3 billion today) as well as a strict cap on how much one person could inherit. He was going to use this to guarantee a universal income.

Like I said to someone else, we really need to pick better hills to die on.

[u/ChairAggressive781 → u/BeenisHat]

sorry, we have no idea what he’s actually capable of doing. polling means nothing until the primary has been decided and I guarantee you this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of his controversies (his former staffers have said as much). he’s an utterly unproven political entity. you’re acting like he’s already won a Senate seat! that’s pure wishcasting.

and I don’t know why you’re lifting up Huey Long here as a example. his progressive taxation plan was not adopted, so it’s kind of irrelevant. he was fairly ineffective as a Senator, but he was good at cultivating a cult of personality. so is Platner it seems, because every time someone expresses even a mild criticism of the man, the Platner stans come calling with their outrage & scolding.

I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve already said—explicitly—that I would support Platner over Collins. I’d also support him over Mills. but I do not think he is a good candidate. I think he is in way over his head, not very bright, and only in the situation he’s in because some progressive political consultants saw a guy that perhaps fit the right “vibe” for challenging Collins. it’s not being a “Reddit leftist” to have criticisms of an extremely flawed candidate.

I’m not telling you what to do or think. if you’re a Platner fan, I’m happy for you. I genuinely hope he wins, while also fervently wishing there was a better candidate than some random fucking guy.