As of this morning, I have no idea if Graham Platner will drop out of the Maine senate race in time for Maine Democrats to appoint someone else. But maybe the next time there’s a Democratic candidate with a constant trickle of right-wing adjacent–or just right wing–statements and actions, listen to the ‘HR ladies‘ and other supposed hysterics who tell you that’s a sign of poor character and also of worse to come.

What it says about the Professional Politics Knowers who thought otherwise is left mostly as an exercise for the reader, though I would add that the subset of professional supporters who could be characterized as self-loathing college-educated middle-aged men who are handling aging poorly should not be listened to ever again.

While we’re at it, unless one is a professional interviewer, meeting candidates in person usually makes it harder rather than easier to observe the reality–superfically charismatic people can often hoodwink you over short periods of time or in ‘set piece’ encounters.

What a clusterfuck.