The Left can’t sit out the 2028 Democratic primary. If AOC chooses not to run for president, Eric Blanc argues that socialists should run a working-class candidate — even an unknown one — who can inject anti-billionaire politics into the race.
The main lesson of the Graham Platner fiasco isn’t that we should never run outsiders for office (the momentum he generated proves the exact opposite), but that they need proper vetting and roots in democratic membership organizations like DSA or a union.
Planter was vetted…
By the Maine state party, it went so far that “vetted” is a poor word choice, they picked him.
Then when he said things about Israel they didn’t think he would, they took their own pick out and replaced him with someone more conservative.
If the Maine state party wasn’t filled with idiots from Florida’s party who have shown they completely incompetent…
A cynic would say they picked Platner with the intent from day one to throw him under a bus after a primary so they can make a candidate.
But if that was actually their plan, they would have fucked it up somehow.
People need to understand now that we’re back to a bottom-up power structure, we really need to work on state parties
Planter was vetted…
By the Maine state party, it went so far that “vetted” is a poor word choice, they picked him.
Then when he said things about Israel they didn’t think he would, they took their own pick out and replaced him with someone more conservative.
If the Maine state party wasn’t filled with idiots from Florida’s party who have shown they completely incompetent…
A cynic would say they picked Platner with the intent from day one to throw him under a bus after a primary so they can make a candidate.
But if that was actually their plan, they would have fucked it up somehow.
People need to understand now that we’re back to a bottom-up power structure, we really need to work on state parties