Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Sebastian Junger: I just had breakfast with Graham Platner [View all]
An excellent interview.
It’s received wisdom that under-served working-class voters propelled Donald Trump to victory in 2016, so I find it encouraging that working people in Maine seem to support Platner. I’m encouraged by that not because Platner is a Democrat or because he’s Graham Platner, but because I believe that a system where people cross party lines to vote their interests and values brings us one step closer to a true democracy. Is it possible that a candidate with left-wing social values could appeal to conservative workers with a message of economic reform that some say borders on socialism? Is it possible that the culture wars that have been exploited by both conservatives and liberals to consolidate power can be overcome by a category-defying candidate like Platner?
(snip)
One of the things that makes Platner appealing to some and threatening to others is that he is almost impossible to categorize. His worry about Trump’s capacity for full authoritarianism is rivaled only by his disappointment with the Left, which he sees as performative and weak. This concerns him, he says, because he believes the moment to save America is now.
“Establishment Democrats and normie liberal types love talking about fascism and authoritarianism,” he says. “They use the words and then nobody does anything to prepare. I do believe these people [in the Trump administration] are fascists and will try to maybe interfere in the elections come November, weaponize or militarize federal law enforcement as a political tool. So, that’s why you have to fucking organize now…just saying so on MSNBC isn’t enough. Talk to the labor unions, talk to the community organizers, start building the mechanisms that we’re going to need. Resistance isn’t magic; it requires time and discipline and energy. The Trump administration is full of incompetent morons; of all the versions of this we can beat, it’s this version. What I’m very much worried about is if we don’t resist and defeat this version now, then the next version is actually competent.”
(snip)
One of the things that makes Platner appealing to some and threatening to others is that he is almost impossible to categorize. His worry about Trump’s capacity for full authoritarianism is rivaled only by his disappointment with the Left, which he sees as performative and weak. This concerns him, he says, because he believes the moment to save America is now.
“Establishment Democrats and normie liberal types love talking about fascism and authoritarianism,” he says. “They use the words and then nobody does anything to prepare. I do believe these people [in the Trump administration] are fascists and will try to maybe interfere in the elections come November, weaponize or militarize federal law enforcement as a political tool. So, that’s why you have to fucking organize now…just saying so on MSNBC isn’t enough. Talk to the labor unions, talk to the community organizers, start building the mechanisms that we’re going to need. Resistance isn’t magic; it requires time and discipline and energy. The Trump administration is full of incompetent morons; of all the versions of this we can beat, it’s this version. What I’m very much worried about is if we don’t resist and defeat this version now, then the next version is actually competent.”
https://open.substack.com/pub/sebastianjunger/p/i-just-had-breakfast-with-graham?r=930pp&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read