Democrats trying to find “men” candidates is like scientists or aliens trying to make a man in a lab based off of TV stereotypes. There are literally 100 million men in America they could just ask rather than put forth caricatures like Walz, Platner, and Talarico. They’re astonishingly clueless.
Very challenging to reach out to a block of voters that one, your party absolutely despises, and two, that block instantly sees through the DNC fog of lies.
Aww..c'mon Epaminondas (love your name) Actually --asking the customer what they like and want? That is way beyond the pay grade of any present day Dems.
It's just baffling to me why they continue to hold the unpopular side of key issues, then wonder why they can't attract the voters that they want. Do they really think someone opposed to illegal immigration is going to change their votes because of someone like Platner?
Yes it's baffling for sure. Especially to this history-loving octagenarian. The conclusion for me is that the Dems know they can bamboozle enough gullible, poorly educated people by offering free stuff. The Dems also know that enough of the group that they reach do not have the capacity to ask questions--and definitely are not able to think beyond the moment with a bright shiny object in front of them. They can't say..."then what" or "what's next?" About loving your name--I listen to VDH when I walk and he has sent me on the most intersting trips to ancient history to learn about people who changed the trajectory of history. I love learning by following the most interesting intros from VDH. Epaminondas was tryly a great guy.
For the second time in as many election cycles, the "Party of Democracy" has vetoed the democratically chosen nominee of their party as soon as the polling went south and will parachute in a bait-and-switch candidate that nobody voted for. Great job, "defenders of democracy."
a complete phony. a nazi curious, lying scumbag rapist phony at that. "lives off disability and his oystering is a hobby. They called him a working-class man of the people though he went to elite private schools and is the son of a rich lawyer and grandson of a famous designer."
The thing about this is why was I expecting progressives to not be total hypocrites about their own stated morals/ethics when it comes to beating the Red team in Congress? Why did I expect that middle aged liberal white women would be angry their party had nominated a Nazi alcoholic sexual predator?
When in fact it turns out this demographic was the majority of his support?
It all makes sense in light of almost complete TDS among the college educated liberal white wing of the party. Beating Trump is the number one agenda, so that one Senate seat is more important to them than the character of the Democrat who takes it for them.
But it’s still incredible to me that women who have spent much of their lives fighting and voting for the rights of women and against all the “isms” would give this guy a pass on sexism, facism, racism because they “support his agenda”? Amazing.
And the idea that Democratic voters yearn for working class candidates who are rough around the edges is a typical elitist misread of a group of voters they have become completely out of touch with since the union building days of the party.
I’m one of the people they are trying to win back: a fisherman (and a real one, not a quasi-salt of the earth poser like Platner). And it’s insulting and a serious miscalculation to think we would support a candidate who we would nether respect as “one of us” or would ever simply dismiss his mistreatment of women in order to win a seat in Congress.
In case you think I’m talking out if the side of my neck, I actually know more than a few Maine lobstermen. In fact, I had a few on my boat a couple weeks ago who were out on the West Coast to check out how some of us are doing our new whale safe pop-up crab gear longline fishery. Commercial fishing is a big deal in rural Maine and it is still a mainstay of its coastal economy. And, like on the West Coast, nowadays most of the commercial fishing families and the wider seafood industry are solidly conservative and primarily Republican.
This is what the Dems fail to grasp: they lost most of the salt of the earth awhile ago, and they are doing a good job of losing the rest of us now.
Most of the people the Dem operatives think they can woo with a candidate who is rough around the edges like Platner are people who have church and family centric values. Platner is the type of guy who gets beat up by the girl’s older brother or dad for being a creep. He gets ostracized by the town after his past is revealed. He gets ridiculed by real fishermen for being a poser.
That’s the world I live in, anyway.
The Democratic operatives should be doing a serious reckoning post-Platner. But they won’t. Just like I doubt liberal, Trump hating women and “woke men” will take a deep breath and look at how far TDS has skewed their own deeply held ethical and moral compasses? But they ought to be doing their own inventories now, IMO.
My own wife was disgusted by Platner from the start, and even though she hates Trump and his circle with every fiber of her being, she wouldn’t compromise her beliefs to support a candidate like him. “You had me at Nazi tatoo” (her husband also happens to be a proud Jew who had a survivor bubbe — and like Batya, knew exactly what the symbol meant the first time it came up).
In fact, she has the moral clarity to say if she became a Never Trumper due to the sexual assault and infidelity claims against DJT, she would be a Never Any Candidate who had similar claims against them. It’s not even a question for her.
The Dems continue to lower the bar in their quest to win the limbo contest. And the real working people of this country aren’t impressed.
I think you answered your questions---It is definitely TDS. Evidently a disease --paranoa so invasive that all common sense is lost in the emotional reaction to the lies of MSM and liberal politicians.
I'm neither fisherman nor a liberal. Politically, I call myself a thinking person who is no longer a Democrat. I despise Trump and Co, but the Democrats are worse. The stench of their hypocrisy trails them wherever they go. A multi-millionaire “socialist" Senator is their grand leader. A NYC Mayor who's the son of multi-millionaires, has never held a real job, channels and champions terrorists, and also claims to be a “socialist" is now the Party's kingmaker.
I learned from my father, an actual working man, Holocaust survivor, Z"L, and refugee, not only how to build a life from scratch with hard work, but to do so with bone-deep, uncompromising integrity.
The Democrats are such a disgusting array of posers, hypocrites, dirtbags, rape deniers, and other assorted dreck that they deserve to lose by a wide margin. I actually hope both parties crash and burn so we can build something better from the ashes.
P.S. And let's stop calling the a-holes driving the country off a cliff “progressives". “Stalinists" or at least wannabees, is way more accurate.
And thank you, finally, for your spot on analysis. Too bad the morons in the Democratic Party would never believe you…
Yes! I was also taught (by example) what your father showed you. Uncompromising integrity and putting in the actual hard work is the path to success and happiness. The Dem party and its voters have lost this. And they are dragging the character of a nation down with them.
If you have time, please discuss Rahm's so-called "tough love" speech in Israel. Why is it that some (many?) Jews seem to be embarrassed about being Jewish and supporting Israel? It seems like ever other religious, ethnic, racial an/or minority group is proud of their identity. Yet Jews, with an incredibly rich history of accomplishments, lack that sensibility. Maybe you could write an article or book about that?
Image for article: Democrats Quietly Add 'Have You Raped Anyone?' To Questionnaire For Aspiring Candidates
U.S. — According to sources, the Democrat Party quietly revised their process for vetting prospective candidates by first asking them if they've ever raped anyone.
Following the surprise implosion of would-be senator Graham Platner, Democrats reportedly added a new question to the typical questionnaire they give every prospective candidate: Have you ever raped anyone?
"Forgetting to ask about the rape thing is really coming back to bite us," said Ken Martin, head of the Democratic National Committee. "It always catches us off guard. I really think adding a brief screening to see if potential candidates have committed felonious sexual assault might be wise. I think we can learn a lot from that."
Political strategists applauded the DNC for finally asking candidates if they'd ever raped anyone, but warned that some people — especially politicians — lie. Without at least performing a cursory investigation, it's likely a rapist could still become the nominee for a major political office. But not to worry, said DNC officials, because they've included a follow up question: If your answer is no, why not? Please answer in complete sentences.
At publishing time, Republicans had quietly updated their vetting process to ask candidates if they are clinically dead.
Also thank you Elizabeth Warren--not quoted or noticed as often as Bernie or AOC...but a lovely walking, talking example of brainless, no moral compass, blathering whichever way the wind is blowing--for recognition.
They may get Alaska with their "Dan J. Sullivan" gambit. With Alaska's ranked choice system, if the fake candidate makes the general election ballot (which he probably will), he is almost sure to swing it to Mary Peltola. Remember, anyone voting for a "Dan Sullivan" won't be making a 2nd choice, and this is guaranteed to be a very tight race.
While the Democrats yearn to recapture masculinity, they make the same critical error time and again - they only look at the phenotype of what they believe to be a "man" rather than learning what men actually respect as a culture. It's not a secret; in fact, it's broadcast every night after every sports event. The losing team will promptly admit their flaws, take responsibility for their shortcomings, and identify what they need to do to improve. It's humility, accountability, and unconditional respect for their opponent's fair play - "Tonight, they were the better team". It's tough to say, but objectively, that's what everyone needs to hear. It allows the fans of the losing team to remain loyal because they did the hard thing. Sometimes that's what being a "man" is all about - doing the hard thing, without condition, without expectation - because freedom is accepting responsibility and we all want to live as free men.
Platner is a faker, plain as day to the target audience. He would not have won this election just because of that. However, I agree with you that some of the populist themes that he promoted require serious care and feeding by Republicans.
Insightful, Batya, as always. I'm a huge fan. However, as the US economy and foreign policy implode, crushing the working class because of an utterly mishandled war from a president who brazenly self-dealt to the tune of $2b in his first year, is Platner important? Is he different than so many others on the Right? Have you looked at Trump's past?? It is much much WORSE, and far less debated. Please don't become one of the hypocrites you've always called out and held to account. Counting on you to be a beacon of truth, and drop the clickbait punditry. Please.
I'm less concerned about whether Platner or Trump is the worse human being than I am about the Democratic Party's clear hate of whites, men, Jews and workers
“But then Platner committed the gravest of sins to the Democrats…”
He was credibly accused of rape?
“… he started to slip in the polls”
I get that this isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but for anyone who’s curious, the slip in the polls was modest and practically within the MoE. Compare that to a poll last week that showed 75% of voters in Maine would want Platner to quit if another scandal came out.
Yeah, that’s probably in the MoE for most of those polls, right? Probably not the 11-point one.
Edit: wait, which poll are you looking at? You shouldn’t point to the Fox poll as evidence of a significant decline unless you have another Fox poll to compare it to. Otherwise you’re not even just dealing with sampling error, you’re dealing w selection bias.
Anyone who remains a Dumocrat after this political own-goal, cannot be mentally competent (unless they’re getting paychecks directly from the party or one of its shady NGO‘s).
"But then Platner committed the gravest of sins to the Democrats: He started to slip in the polls"
What a great line!
Democrats trying to find “men” candidates is like scientists or aliens trying to make a man in a lab based off of TV stereotypes. There are literally 100 million men in America they could just ask rather than put forth caricatures like Walz, Platner, and Talarico. They’re astonishingly clueless.
Very challenging to reach out to a block of voters that one, your party absolutely despises, and two, that block instantly sees through the DNC fog of lies.
What Democrats never consider as a way to "reach out" to working class voters is to actually change their policies.
Aww..c'mon Epaminondas (love your name) Actually --asking the customer what they like and want? That is way beyond the pay grade of any present day Dems.
It's just baffling to me why they continue to hold the unpopular side of key issues, then wonder why they can't attract the voters that they want. Do they really think someone opposed to illegal immigration is going to change their votes because of someone like Platner?
Yes it's baffling for sure. Especially to this history-loving octagenarian. The conclusion for me is that the Dems know they can bamboozle enough gullible, poorly educated people by offering free stuff. The Dems also know that enough of the group that they reach do not have the capacity to ask questions--and definitely are not able to think beyond the moment with a bright shiny object in front of them. They can't say..."then what" or "what's next?" About loving your name--I listen to VDH when I walk and he has sent me on the most intersting trips to ancient history to learn about people who changed the trajectory of history. I love learning by following the most interesting intros from VDH. Epaminondas was tryly a great guy.
Perfect summary of Dems search for a real man.
For the second time in as many election cycles, the "Party of Democracy" has vetoed the democratically chosen nominee of their party as soon as the polling went south and will parachute in a bait-and-switch candidate that nobody voted for. Great job, "defenders of democracy."
a complete phony. a nazi curious, lying scumbag rapist phony at that. "lives off disability and his oystering is a hobby. They called him a working-class man of the people though he went to elite private schools and is the son of a rich lawyer and grandson of a famous designer."
love you madly batya!
Easy now buddy, as Michael Jackson once sang to Paul McCartney: “the doggone girl is mine!”
Let's nor forget his poor boy background, honed at Hotchkiss…😂😂😂
The thing about this is why was I expecting progressives to not be total hypocrites about their own stated morals/ethics when it comes to beating the Red team in Congress? Why did I expect that middle aged liberal white women would be angry their party had nominated a Nazi alcoholic sexual predator?
When in fact it turns out this demographic was the majority of his support?
It all makes sense in light of almost complete TDS among the college educated liberal white wing of the party. Beating Trump is the number one agenda, so that one Senate seat is more important to them than the character of the Democrat who takes it for them.
But it’s still incredible to me that women who have spent much of their lives fighting and voting for the rights of women and against all the “isms” would give this guy a pass on sexism, facism, racism because they “support his agenda”? Amazing.
And the idea that Democratic voters yearn for working class candidates who are rough around the edges is a typical elitist misread of a group of voters they have become completely out of touch with since the union building days of the party.
I’m one of the people they are trying to win back: a fisherman (and a real one, not a quasi-salt of the earth poser like Platner). And it’s insulting and a serious miscalculation to think we would support a candidate who we would nether respect as “one of us” or would ever simply dismiss his mistreatment of women in order to win a seat in Congress.
In case you think I’m talking out if the side of my neck, I actually know more than a few Maine lobstermen. In fact, I had a few on my boat a couple weeks ago who were out on the West Coast to check out how some of us are doing our new whale safe pop-up crab gear longline fishery. Commercial fishing is a big deal in rural Maine and it is still a mainstay of its coastal economy. And, like on the West Coast, nowadays most of the commercial fishing families and the wider seafood industry are solidly conservative and primarily Republican.
This is what the Dems fail to grasp: they lost most of the salt of the earth awhile ago, and they are doing a good job of losing the rest of us now.
Most of the people the Dem operatives think they can woo with a candidate who is rough around the edges like Platner are people who have church and family centric values. Platner is the type of guy who gets beat up by the girl’s older brother or dad for being a creep. He gets ostracized by the town after his past is revealed. He gets ridiculed by real fishermen for being a poser.
That’s the world I live in, anyway.
The Democratic operatives should be doing a serious reckoning post-Platner. But they won’t. Just like I doubt liberal, Trump hating women and “woke men” will take a deep breath and look at how far TDS has skewed their own deeply held ethical and moral compasses? But they ought to be doing their own inventories now, IMO.
My own wife was disgusted by Platner from the start, and even though she hates Trump and his circle with every fiber of her being, she wouldn’t compromise her beliefs to support a candidate like him. “You had me at Nazi tatoo” (her husband also happens to be a proud Jew who had a survivor bubbe — and like Batya, knew exactly what the symbol meant the first time it came up).
In fact, she has the moral clarity to say if she became a Never Trumper due to the sexual assault and infidelity claims against DJT, she would be a Never Any Candidate who had similar claims against them. It’s not even a question for her.
The Dems continue to lower the bar in their quest to win the limbo contest. And the real working people of this country aren’t impressed.
I think you answered your questions---It is definitely TDS. Evidently a disease --paranoa so invasive that all common sense is lost in the emotional reaction to the lies of MSM and liberal politicians.
I'm neither fisherman nor a liberal. Politically, I call myself a thinking person who is no longer a Democrat. I despise Trump and Co, but the Democrats are worse. The stench of their hypocrisy trails them wherever they go. A multi-millionaire “socialist" Senator is their grand leader. A NYC Mayor who's the son of multi-millionaires, has never held a real job, channels and champions terrorists, and also claims to be a “socialist" is now the Party's kingmaker.
I learned from my father, an actual working man, Holocaust survivor, Z"L, and refugee, not only how to build a life from scratch with hard work, but to do so with bone-deep, uncompromising integrity.
The Democrats are such a disgusting array of posers, hypocrites, dirtbags, rape deniers, and other assorted dreck that they deserve to lose by a wide margin. I actually hope both parties crash and burn so we can build something better from the ashes.
P.S. And let's stop calling the a-holes driving the country off a cliff “progressives". “Stalinists" or at least wannabees, is way more accurate.
And thank you, finally, for your spot on analysis. Too bad the morons in the Democratic Party would never believe you…
Yes! I was also taught (by example) what your father showed you. Uncompromising integrity and putting in the actual hard work is the path to success and happiness. The Dem party and its voters have lost this. And they are dragging the character of a nation down with them.
If you have time, please discuss Rahm's so-called "tough love" speech in Israel. Why is it that some (many?) Jews seem to be embarrassed about being Jewish and supporting Israel? It seems like ever other religious, ethnic, racial an/or minority group is proud of their identity. Yet Jews, with an incredibly rich history of accomplishments, lack that sensibility. Maybe you could write an article or book about that?
I recommend David Mamet's essay "Belonging"
www.tabletmag.com/section/arts-letters/articles/belonging
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour just wrote that:
https://critiqueanddigest.substack.com/p/the-will-to-manage
Gotta love the Babylon Bee
Democrats Quietly Add 'Have You Raped Anyone?' To Questionnaire For Aspiring Candidates
POLITICS
·
Jul 8, 2026 · BabylonBee.com
Image for article: Democrats Quietly Add 'Have You Raped Anyone?' To Questionnaire For Aspiring Candidates
U.S. — According to sources, the Democrat Party quietly revised their process for vetting prospective candidates by first asking them if they've ever raped anyone.
Following the surprise implosion of would-be senator Graham Platner, Democrats reportedly added a new question to the typical questionnaire they give every prospective candidate: Have you ever raped anyone?
"Forgetting to ask about the rape thing is really coming back to bite us," said Ken Martin, head of the Democratic National Committee. "It always catches us off guard. I really think adding a brief screening to see if potential candidates have committed felonious sexual assault might be wise. I think we can learn a lot from that."
Political strategists applauded the DNC for finally asking candidates if they'd ever raped anyone, but warned that some people — especially politicians — lie. Without at least performing a cursory investigation, it's likely a rapist could still become the nominee for a major political office. But not to worry, said DNC officials, because they've included a follow up question: If your answer is no, why not? Please answer in complete sentences.
At publishing time, Republicans had quietly updated their vetting process to ask candidates if they are clinically dead.
Considering their view of men, this probably assures every future Dem candidatexwill be a woman
Or a Muslim man. They are running one in the VA-8 Primary, who might take out the incumbent congressman (Beyer).
Physically..or mentally?
BEAUTIFUL! perfect question
"If they can't see the light, at least they will feel the heat"
Maine was the most likely pickup seat in the Senate for the Democrats. North Carolina is still very possible.
Outside of those, Democrats need to pick up Senate seats in Ohio, Iowa, Texas and Alaska, all states that Trump won by an average of about 10 points.
Democrats' lack of moral compass may have cost them their chance to win the Senate in 2026. Thank you, Bernie Sanders!
Also thank you Elizabeth Warren--not quoted or noticed as often as Bernie or AOC...but a lovely walking, talking example of brainless, no moral compass, blathering whichever way the wind is blowing--for recognition.
They may get Alaska with their "Dan J. Sullivan" gambit. With Alaska's ranked choice system, if the fake candidate makes the general election ballot (which he probably will), he is almost sure to swing it to Mary Peltola. Remember, anyone voting for a "Dan Sullivan" won't be making a 2nd choice, and this is guaranteed to be a very tight race.
While the Democrats yearn to recapture masculinity, they make the same critical error time and again - they only look at the phenotype of what they believe to be a "man" rather than learning what men actually respect as a culture. It's not a secret; in fact, it's broadcast every night after every sports event. The losing team will promptly admit their flaws, take responsibility for their shortcomings, and identify what they need to do to improve. It's humility, accountability, and unconditional respect for their opponent's fair play - "Tonight, they were the better team". It's tough to say, but objectively, that's what everyone needs to hear. It allows the fans of the losing team to remain loyal because they did the hard thing. Sometimes that's what being a "man" is all about - doing the hard thing, without condition, without expectation - because freedom is accepting responsibility and we all want to live as free men.
The World Cup is almost over, which I find depressing. On the plus side, only a few more days that I will be seeing pics of this dipshit.
Republicans take note. You also need better candidates that focus on working class issues, and can articulate them. Is the RNC reading Batya?
Platner is a faker, plain as day to the target audience. He would not have won this election just because of that. However, I agree with you that some of the populist themes that he promoted require serious care and feeding by Republicans.
Insightful, Batya, as always. I'm a huge fan. However, as the US economy and foreign policy implode, crushing the working class because of an utterly mishandled war from a president who brazenly self-dealt to the tune of $2b in his first year, is Platner important? Is he different than so many others on the Right? Have you looked at Trump's past?? It is much much WORSE, and far less debated. Please don't become one of the hypocrites you've always called out and held to account. Counting on you to be a beacon of truth, and drop the clickbait punditry. Please.
He might be a rapist commie, but he's my rapist commie.
YUCK --Really --all yours? Barf bag needed
I'm less concerned about whether Platner or Trump is the worse human being than I am about the Democratic Party's clear hate of whites, men, Jews and workers
Interesting framing.
Apparently the Democratic establishment finally discovered "believe women."
Weird.
When allegations threatened Biden, the lesson was evidence, corroboration, context, and due process.
When they threatened an anti-establishment insurgent, the accusation itself suddenly became enough.
What an incredible coincidence.
“But then Platner committed the gravest of sins to the Democrats…”
He was credibly accused of rape?
“… he started to slip in the polls”
I get that this isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but for anyone who’s curious, the slip in the polls was modest and practically within the MoE. Compare that to a poll last week that showed 75% of voters in Maine would want Platner to quit if another scandal came out.
Platner's slip on the polls was far more than margin of error: between March and May all 6 polls showed him winning by between 4 and 11 points.
The latest poll, end of June, showed Platner losing by 3 points.
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/maine/collins-vs-platner
Yeah, that’s probably in the MoE for most of those polls, right? Probably not the 11-point one.
Edit: wait, which poll are you looking at? You shouldn’t point to the Fox poll as evidence of a significant decline unless you have another Fox poll to compare it to. Otherwise you’re not even just dealing with sampling error, you’re dealing w selection bias.
Anyone who remains a Dumocrat after this political own-goal, cannot be mentally competent (unless they’re getting paychecks directly from the party or one of its shady NGO‘s).
You are aware of the fact that 10% of employed Americans work for non-profits, aren't you? 10% !!