I keep seeing it framed as we are the unreasonable purists because he "didn't know it was a Nazi symbol" and "he has changed from those Reddit comments", and people can change. Despite how this is never extended to actual progressive candidates that the establishment doesn't like and completely ignores the most damning part of his record, which is that he did multiple tours in Iraq and worked for Blackwater. Though I know libs don't see that as damning because the troops are good and brave war criminals, it is just that Bush and Trump made them do more war crimes than they would have done otherwise.

And I am reasonable. I just don't think that someone running for public office is owed being elevated or praised or given benefit of the doubt. If he was a normal person that earnestly changed and made real, tangible actions to show it, he can be welcomed back into society. But just because he said he changed after running for office, he shouldn't be automatically given forgiveness. If you are in Maine and vote for this asshole, I mean the Republican is likely a fascist too, and the party will force him to be about as much of a fascist as any other Democrat, his personal beliefs be damned. So I wont really hold it against you more than voting for a Republican or Democrat. My main issue is the extreme selectiveness of these people in saying "well he may have said and did those things, but he said he's sorry. We have to give people room to learn and change their minds" despite the fact that this is the most sure indicator that he is not meaningfully Left or Progressive. If the Democrat establishment wasn't on his side we would never hear the end of things about how he expressed Antisemitism that is unforgivable by implying a killed Palestinian was human and their killing a crime back in the 1990's or because he expressed some socialist views he wants to nationalize your toothbrush.

Also, Platner is the perfect example of these Soc-Dem losers (I am looking at you Jacobin) confusing something being adjacent to blue collar work with "working class". This guy is the most slam-dunk case of petite bourgeois, but because his business involves farming clams he has to be working class.