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Todd's Take
My friends, I want to talk about a hostage negotiation happening in plain sight — except the hostage isn't a person, it's the Democrat Party, and the guy calling the shots is their own Senate nominee in Maine.
Graham Platner is refusing to drop out of the race, even after an ex-girlfriend came forward with a rape allegation, even after his own party's power brokers started pushing him out the door. But he says he’ll go — under one condition: he gets to hand-pick whoever replaces him. Think about that for a second. This is a man accused of something horrific, using his last bit of leverage to make sure his politics survive him on the ballot. That's not principle. That's a power play dressed up as a concession.
Here's what strikes me most: this is almost exactly the same Democrat playbook from 2024, when party insiders shoved Biden out and installed Kamala Harris without a single primary vote being cast for her — and called it protecting democracy the whole time. Now Democrats are starting down the same path again, and I'd genuinely love for someone on the left to explain to me how hand-selecting your own successor, twice in two cycles, counts as democratic. I really mean that. Text me. Email me. Make the case. I'll listen. Reply to this or text me at the number below.
But I want to use this moment to teach something, not just criticize it. Most people were taught that the political spectrum runs from communism on the left to fascism on the right, with "moderate" safely in the middle. That's wrong, and it's wrong in a way that matters. The actual spectrum runs from anarchy — no government at all — on one end, to totalitarian control of every part of your life on the other. Conservatism, rightly understood, isn't the opposite extreme from the left. It's the position that says: government should be as small as possible while still protecting the God-given rights of the individual and defending the nation. That's it. That's the idea upon which our Founders built.
Conservative, not bitter.
Todd
317-785-1030
Quote of the Day
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
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Stack of Stuff
Political Wire: Platner Refusing to Drop Out Unless Can Name Successor — the clearest short summary of the standoff.
The Federalist: Charlie Kirk Assassination Trial, Day 2 — new surveillance video placing Tyler Robinson on campus, undercutting online claims he was never there.
PJ Media: Graham Platner Is Holding His Party Hostage — more color on the internal party maneuvering.
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