Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Ben McCombe

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 19h

“He was very strong on congratulating me.”

Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 6h

24 anecdotal data points are useless, especially if it seems likely he was asking people at the platners town halls.

The polls are where to look.

And if you really think no one has changed their mind after the SS tattoo or the bigoted Reddit posts, you're a terrible reporter.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 20h

ADHD hyperfocus and a topic that ticks all my boxes might be a factor too.

But it's mostly:

"He has had an SS totenkopf tattoo for 18 years and is running for Maine Senator in his first campaign ever? Wtf is going on?!"

That's worth 10 days of research and debate if anything is.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 20h

A guy with a wealthy, politically connected family, cosplaying as working class with an SS tattoo for 18 years that he is lying about not knowing its meaning of is not authentic.

He can act authentic, but hasn't Tulsi, Fetterman and Sinema taught us to look closely at candidates?

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 20h

Every single Senate candidate has a team of professional consultants/strategists behind them. That's normal and to be expected.

That's not my main criticism of Platner's team.

It's their poor choice of candidate, terrible vetting and bad management.

Viral videos don't cover up cracks for long.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 20h

Mamdani is great. He has substance, zero baggage and a great team behind him.

And yeah ever since the SS tattoo new broke I've been astounded at people defending him.

It's a swing US senate seat.

Too important for a first-time candidate with a backpack full of red flags, including an SS Totenkopf

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Reposted by Ben McCombe

Joe Walsh @walshfreedom.bsky.social · 1d

Too many Americans either didn’t care or didn’t believe. Hopefully they do now.👇

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Reposted by Ben McCombe

Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 1d

I think about this piece of shit pretty often.

smiling middle-older-aged lady holding mass deportation now sign

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 21h

He's giving me Alex Jones vibes here with the overacting, silly voices and fake outrage.

Very few comedians turned political pundits impress me.

Will always love Jon Stewert, but The Daily Show has always been comedy first.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 23h

It kinda is.

One less vote for Harris means trump effectively gains one net vote.

Of course if they vote for trump he gains two net votes, which is worse.

Not voting is half as bad voting for Trump.

Half a Trump is still terrible.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 23h

Here you go, I suspected she might do that so screen shotted it.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 23h

Which is why they probably added the extra question which informed the respondents about it, to try and measure it's potential impact.

22 point drop in a week is massive regardless, and it's likely his support has fallen further as more people become aware of the tattoo and other issues since.

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Ben McCombe @benmccombe.bsky.social · 23h

And that poll wasn't a couple of weeks after the contoversies. It in the field from 20-25 Oct.

The Reddit posts emerged on the 16th - 17th. SS Tattoo on the 20th. SoCall put the poll in the field the day the SS tattoo broke.

It's likely underestimating the impact significantly.

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