What politicians admit it when they are wrong, apologize for mistakes, and are committed to becoming a better person? Not many.
But Graham Platner does these things. With him there’s no denial. No excuses. No blaming someone else.
The personal attacks on Platner are coming hard and fast. But he continues to respond with the truth. He responded to one attack by saying, “This campaign isn’t about me. It’s about working Mainers.” I’d love to see that line in a TV ad.
Platner’s message and platform are refreshing. He wants to return our country and government to one that serves people who work for a living. As most people sense, our country is currently being run by the owners of capital. An “ownership class” of billionaires and wealthy corporations have seized our executive, legislative and legal branches of government.
Platner’s agenda and platform confronts this head on: it includes building an affordable and accessible healthcare system, making housing affordable, addressing the childcare crisis, defending the right to choose, passing a billionaire minimum tax and more. His message is resonating with voters—he won the Maine democratic primary with over 70% of the vote.
Platner’s opponent Susan Collins is running for her sixth term. She’s counting on older Mainers and independents to keep her seat. I voted for her in the past. She seemed thoughtful and has seniority which benefits Maine. But she won’t get my vote in November.
Since Trump was elected, Collins has moved to the right. She has stood with him and other Republicans as they slash healthcare funding, cut medical research, go to war with no plan, detain people with no due process, and spend billions to cancel wind projects that could have saved Mainers millions in electric rates. Collins is well known for crossing the aisle---but only when she knows her vote isn’t needed by the Republican caucus.
Platner comes from a hard-working Maine family. I knew his mother well when I lived in Bar Harbor years ago. She has owned and run several successful restaurants. Platner’s father served as a prosecutor in Hancock County, has a private law practice and is a writer.
Yes, Platner is inexperienced as a politician. In ordinary times, I would find this disqualifying. But now that corporate lobbyists and private money have taken over national policy making, I don’t weigh political experience the same way.
Graham Platner’s experience growing up in a working-class town, serving in the military, and recovering from PTSD, now seem like strong qualifications. Stronger than experience meeting with corporate lobbyists and serving on do-nothing investigative committees. In fact, my hope is that Platner will remain connected to his local roots—even while serving in the US Senate.
I know that Senators—namely Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Angus King and others----will mentor Platner. They will educate and guide him. In fact, if he’s elected, a powerful coalition to stop the chaos and bring order to our government becomes a real possibility.
And then there are Platner’s old social media posts. I remember doing and saying dumb things in my twenties and thirties. But there are two important differences between me and Platner, differences which allow me to forgive him.
One is that there was no social media recording and archiving my youthful stupidity. Another is that I’ve never experienced the trauma of war. Platner has tackled head on what can be a life sentence of depression, violence and nightmares. In so doing, he’s set a positive example for the rest of us.
If you watch or read a Platner interview you will learn that he’s a well-read student of US history. He understands the two World Wars and what it took to make the latter half of the twentieth century the most democratic and prosperous period this country has ever known. He wants to bring that prosperity back and extend it to all Americans (not just white males).
The best interview I’ve seen with Platner is one with former Daily Show host Jon Stewart. I encourage you to watch it. If you’re unsure about Platner, it will clarify who he is for you.
Can people grow and change? Or do past actions reveal permanent character flaws? Can our government be transformed to serve ordinary people?
Graham Platner’s campaign is pushing us to answer these questions. Your answer is critical. It could change the course of our country.
Environmental activist Bill McKibben was speaking in Maine recently, and I had the privilege of joining a small gathering with him. Bill founded Third Act, a national movement of older climate activists.
Bill told us winning the Senate this fall is critical if we want to stop the corruption, foreign wars, and hollowing out of key government programs like environmental protections, medical research, and pandemic prevention.
Our most important work he said, is to get out the vote and support progressive candidates. He pointed out that Third Act members have credibility with older, conservative voters. He urged us to reach out and talk with these voters. With the fall elections too close to call, every vote matters.
Bill also urged me to write the above piece on Graham Platner. I’d never written about a candidate before but he was persuasive, so I got to work. Bill was headed to California first thing in the morning to support state and national candidates there.
The status quo is not an option! Elections at all levels are important this year. If you want to have some say over how your country, state and town is run, you must vote. Even if you don’t like everything about a candidate, your voice is critical in November.
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