General Discussion

Sympthsical

(11,162 posts)

12. Honest question

Sun May 31, 2026, 10:26 AM

Sunday

Would you rather:

A politician who sexted and whose marriage seems to have ridden that out?

Or! A politician with a clean personal life who enabled policy that left the employment of new mothers vulnerable, showed abject indifference to unions, supported tax breaks for the rich, etc. etc. etc.

It's a testament to our puritanical roots that we'll get all caught up in what is inconsequential personal behavior between two people while overlooking that the policies certain politicians support, the donations they take, and the lobbyists they give favors to that have far, far, far greater effects.

It feels like "bad character" is always over stupid shit, when the real large scale projects never seem to be down to "bad character." Politician votes for bad policies again and again, but hey, at least their marriage is nice?

When a crime has been committed, someone come find me.

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Highlight:

Republicans vote for a rapist felon while Democrats squabble over imperfections. [View all] dalton99a Sunday OP

We couldnt vote for John Glenn or Gary Hart Johonny Sunday #1

rePUKES are much better at ratfucking wolfie001 Sunday #21

THIS orangecrush Sunday #37

Howard Dean screamed and he was banished. Will Rogers said it best: flashman13 Sunday #51

It's an old story. marble falls Sunday #2

Rape apologists and liars are not exactly "imperfections", in my book, niyad Sunday #3

And definitely not "good" MorbidButterflyTat Sunday #106

Eh, people aren't squabbling over imperfections Sympthsical Sunday #4

+3 Emile Sunday #7

No. We're talking about bad judgment. Quiet Em Sunday #8

Honest question Sympthsical Sunday #12

There is a history of dishonesty, bad actions and bad judgment Quiet Em Sunday #13

Yes, I don't think it's a good idea to nominate someone LisaL Sunday #17

"This is like George Santos level." krkaufman Sunday #53

This claim is George Santos level. mr715 Sunday #65

Let's fix that for you to be more accurate EdmondDantes_ Sunday #117

And he's polling at 76% after all that Sympthsical Sunday #119

And while we're looking for perfection, MAGA and Pukes win time and fucking time again paleotn Sunday #14

I think we are nowhere near perfection with this guy. LisaL Sunday #15

He's nowhere even close to that range, Quiet Em Sunday #19

You want Susan then and more Republican agenda. paleotn Sunday #22

No. I don't want Susan Collins. Quiet Em Sunday #25

At this point, you have two alternatives. paleotn Sunday #27

Your point sounds exactly like Nina Turner's Quiet Em Sunday #31

Life, reality doesn't care what you don't care for. paleotn Sunday #33

how is she wrong? Skittles Sunday #105

She would be correct if she had applied it to this situation - Maine Quiet Em Sunday #109

ahh, OK Skittles Sunday #110

Right. NT was comparing PEDO to Biden... she was Cha Yesterday #124

He's polling 9 points ahead of her. If we don't shoot ourselves in the feet, our odds are quite good. Scrivener7 Sunday #86

Unfortunately polling isn't votes. Quiet Em Sunday #90

I hate that I really don't care about him sexting someone not his wife. Once upon a time I think I would have. But Scrivener7 Sunday #91

I care about him being a rape apologist and a liar. The sexting garbage niyad Sunday #108

No shit. Did you read the rest? paleotn Sunday #20

BUT, with this guy, we ARE near to getting rid of Susan Collins. Scrivener7 Sunday #85

So, someone has to be "perfect" to run as a Democrat? Bettie Sunday #93

Nobody is asking for perfection Quiet Em Sunday #18

Welcome to an imperfect world. You damn sure better get use to it. paleotn Sunday #26

Nobody finds six more years of Susan Collins appealing Quiet Em Sunday #48

Mills could not wrangle enough support to keep the lights on so questionseverything Sunday #56

Few of her supporters seem to recognize this mr715 Sunday #67

Are you telling me that there was nobody else in Maine the recruiters could have found? Quiet Em Sunday #72

Nobody found him, he decided to run and started talking to the people of Maine questionseverything Sunday #75

At this point, that's moot. They didn't find someone better. And this guy is way ahead in the primary polling. Scrivener7 Sunday #87

I have yet to speak to a Mainer who doesn't love the guy. Akakoji 17 hrs ago #131

Yeah, who said anything about wanting "perfect"? Cha Yesterday #127

Yep indeedy RetiredParatrooper Sunday #49

Unfortunately, I think you are right. Reality sucks sometimes for sure. But we nevetheless KPN Sunday #58

Question SocialDemocrat61 Sunday #29

A rare opportunity to disagree with you! yardwork Sunday #57

I don't disagree with you at all Sympthsical Sunday #83

Well said, Sympthsical mr715 Sunday #63

to be fair Skittles Sunday #100

Is it okay if Mainers vote first? MorbidButterflyTat Sunday #107

'Imperfections'? sheshe2 Sunday #5

Or Susan and the Republican agenda. Our choice. paleotn Sunday #16

You should tell that to sheshe2 Sunday #38

Maybe if Janet Mills was a good candidate, she would've done some oppo. mr715 Sunday #64

She was run off...on that we can agree! sheshe2 Sunday #74

I don't think we agree. mr715 Sunday #76

I know we don't, I was being facetious. sheshe2 Sunday #82

DURec leftstreet Sunday #6

We also knife incumbents in the back. nt. BootinUp Sunday #9

"We are oft to blame in this... Torchlight Sunday #10

But look where this felon got us. LisaL Sunday #11

Ugh wolfie001 Sunday #24

Platner isn't a felon. Scrivener7 Sunday #89

..... wolfie001 Sunday #95

Vote for Platner or shoot yourself in the foot. Again wolfie001 Sunday #23

The latest "foot shooting" incident if you been keeping track as they go by. paleotn Sunday #28

I have to be careful. I really don't want to offend anyone here wolfie001 Sunday #94

Fetterman. nt sheshe2 Yesterday #123

Platner ain't runnin in California. And I'm glad he ain't. Iggo Yesterday #125

I'm in Maryland wolfie001 19 hrs ago #130

Exactly SocialDemocrat61 Sunday #30

Every election cycle. The same thing. paleotn Sunday #32

This happened early in the marriage orangecrush Sunday #34

"This happened early in the marriage" They only been married 2-1/2 years EX500rider Sunday #77

So we won't marry him. He doesn't seem to be very good at marriage. But he's polling ahead of Collins. Scrivener7 Sunday #88

We hold ourselves to a higher standard because we can and we should Grim Chieftain Sunday #35

We're going to hold ourselves to losing a majority orangecrush Sunday #40

So, you don't think we should hold ourselves to a higher standard? Grim Chieftain Sunday #97

Ah, let me think orangecrush Sunday #99

Okay, so we disagree Grim Chieftain Sunday #102

I wonder if she feels we should go high with Trump orangecrush Sunday #104

Yep... They'll say, B.See Sunday #111

Explain How That Strategy Succeeds ProfessorGAC Sunday #96

You show them Renew Deal Sunday #98

We all want the perfect candidate. Guess what? There is no such thing. Platner is flawed, like all the others. Fil1957 Sunday #36

This message was self-deleted by its author Skittles Sunday #103

Much of this controversy is astroturfing by the usual suspects: the same who smeared Mamdani Ponietz Sunday #39

"The usual suspects"? sheshe2 Sunday #112

Republicans are goal oriented and the ends justify the means, any means dlk Sunday #41

We can bask in our purity orangecrush Sunday #43

The gloves came off a long time ago dlk Sunday #46

It's pretty obvious orangecrush Sunday #52

Should We Also Have A Low Bar? Your Definition Of... ColoringFool Sunday #42

Why Are Some Of You Convinced You Know To Whom The OP.... ColoringFool Sunday #44

Yep perfect example is Graham Platner oldmanlynn Sunday #45

That's not the problem. yardwork Sunday #59

Independents might might the tattoo and the XXX pics mr715 Sunday #68

The rules of politics have been re-written a long time ago. Scandals are normalized now. TheSphinx Sunday #47

Just doing everything I can in my home state of Texas limits my time to worry about Maine. walkingman Sunday #50

If you're talking about Platner or Swalwell, I see it differently. yardwork Sunday #54

The people of Maine get to decide, thank goodness questionseverything Sunday #71

We are on the verge of troops in the streets nationally hadEnuf Sunday #55

In a way, we do. ananda Sunday #60

That's what we all have to kinda do. hadEnuf Sunday #66

The big learning curve has been how not to be nice and civil... ananda Sunday #70

Purity tests will be the death of our Democracy. What I am 100% certain of is that the NoMoreRepugs Sunday #61

that's very true samsingh Sunday #62

Here's the thing about Republicans and Trump agingdem Sunday #69

Just Remember Deep State Witch Sunday #73

Fetterman was a completely different person before his stroke questionseverything Sunday #78

It's frustrating MustLoveBeagles Sunday #79

"Republicans vote for a rapist felon" J_William_Ryan Sunday #80

no one is "perfect" Skittles Sunday #116

Is that where the bar is now? RandySF Sunday #81

100% Blue Full Moon Sunday #84

Is there a line short of rapist sarisataka Sunday #92

yup.....literally being compared to Donald Fucking Trump Skittles Sunday #115

ah, OK Skittles Sunday #101

I guess you didn't think the O/P was about Platner. AloeVera Sunday #113

so he doesn't have a nazi tatto? Skittles Sunday #114

... AloeVera Sunday #118

That's been the case for decades. Orrex Sunday #120

Sorry, but I don't use how Republicans act Boo1 Sunday #121

Democrats are afraid to run Women or Gays but donheld Yesterday #122

Hey! LuvLoogie Yesterday #126

This message was self-deleted by its author RandySF 22 hrs ago #128

Suddenly, getting the majority is important. Math makes a return! betsuni 21 hrs ago #129