Adam Fortier-Brown

public policy | Maine Law ‘26 | @kalimildrum’s biggest fan | views are my own

[Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke]

Periodic reminder that the claim that if you want to be represented by working class people or military veterans then you have to put up with the sort of flaws that Platner has on display represents a terrible libel of working class people and military veterans.

[Dominic Pino @DominicJPino]

Before it gets memory-holed, here are some of the politicians who were perfectly happy to stand with Platner when we "only" knew he had a Nazi tattoo, posted a bunch of crazy misogynistic stuff online, and had allegations of mistreatment of women short of sexual assault.

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

This is a guy and campaign that has gotten too comfortable threatening others to get its way. Needless to say, @grahamformaine cannot have a say in his replacement. There needs to be a complete break, and the party needs to work through its process to figure out what comes next

[Shane Goldmacher @ShaneGoldmacher]

NEW: Platner has not made a decision on dropping out — and no guarantee he does, according to a person familiar with internal campaign discussions.

On NYT live blog —>
https://t.co/H3lGniotdo

[Joe @JoePostingg]

I think if you read Platner's tattoo as being indicative of the fact he was a drunk shithead with bad judgment that set you up to understand him much better than if you read it as being indicative of the fact he was a Nazi

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

It never should have taken this long. It should have been over after the tattoo. Or the misogynistic and racist comments on Reddit. Or the first sexual assault story. We deserve better in a candidate.

[Amy Walter @amyewalter]

The winner of the Maine Senate race will not be determined by those on this platform, young folks in Portland, or Dem primary voters. How older, white women who live in Kennebec or York Cty, who aren’t engaged right now in this, will determine it.

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

trump, nearly assassinated just a year ago, doing his damnedest to make democratic lawmakers equally vulnerable.

an intolerable statement from the elected president.

[Ezra Klein @ezraklein]

In the last few years we've seen:

- The plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer
- The Storming of the Capitol and pipe bombs left at the RNC and DNC
- The break-in to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and the brutal on Paul Pelosi
- Multiple assassination attempts against Trump
- The assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of on State Senator John Hoffman and his wife
- Luigi Mangione's assassination of Brian Thompson
- The assassination of Charlie Kirk

Political violence is contagious. It is spreading. It is not confined to one side or belief system. It should terrify us all.

The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in it without fear of violence. Political violence is always an attack against us all. You have to be so blind not to see that.

[Holly Otterbein @hollyotterbein]

The takeaway per one Mamdani World source: It's the economy, stupid.

Voters "have been screaming for people to be laser-focused on costs and affordability and making people's lives better and communicate in an authentic voice. Period. He did that."

"This is so fucking simple."

[Natasha Bertrand @NatashaBertrand]

Exclusive: Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, according to four people familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue.

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

whether or not you’re a fan of president zelensky, the united states trying to force an election in a foreign democracy during wartime–when it can’t be held safely and securely–against most ukrainians’ wishes (including much of zelensky’s opposition) and in violation of the ukrainian constitution is unacceptable.

doing this not to advance american interests but to further putin’s agenda is an abdication of american leadership in nato and on the global stage.

[Ben Rhodes @brhodes]

What is happening to USAID will cost untold lives around the world, devastate America's standing, and massively empower China and other countries. There's no excusing it - it's a shameful, stupid, self-own without excuse and a harbinger of even worse to come.

[Sarah Longwell @SarahLongwell25]

In two weeks Trump has:

-Released the J6 prisoners who violently assaulted cops to overturn an election.
-Started a trade war with allies, but gave China a light touch.
-Turned over the entire government to the unelected billionaire who ruined this platform—including the Treasury payment system.
-Nominated the most unqualified cabinet in modern history, several of whom are actual national security risks.
-Blamed a horrific crash on DEI without any evidence.
-Added billions to his personal wealth by launching a scam crypto meme.
-Purged the FBI of anyone who worked on the J6 investigations.
-Randomly wasted a bunch of water in CA and nearly flooded out farmers just so he could act like he was turning on water for the state.

What’d I miss?

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

Not really sure how putting a tariff on 60% of the oil we import is going to help.

It’ll increase the cost of gas at the pump, and make manufacturing goods more expensive here

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

suddenly relevant stat:

the united states imports about 4m barrels a day of oil from canada

[Sen. Susan Collins @SenatorCollins]

After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.

Our military is under tremendous pressure right now. Active conflicts in the Middle East and Europe combined with escalating threats in the Pacific, all against a backdrop of severe financial challenges and four years of ineffective leadership by the Biden Administration, make this an especially critical time for those who lead our military. The next Secretary of Defense will be responsible for managing a massive bureaucracy that includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion. In addition, our next Secretary faces long-standing procurement and supply issues that continued to worsen under the Biden Administration.

In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability. I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.

I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military. He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.

Women comprise nearly 18 percent of our active-duty military. They continue to make critical and valuable contributions to our national defense. I have long advocated that women who wish to serve in and can meet the rigorous standards of combat roles should be able to do so. And numerous women have proved that they can accomplish this difficult feat.

Currently, thousands of women are serving in combat roles and many others serve in non-combat functions. Their service is essential to the success of our military.

Mr. Hegseth also appears to lack a sufficient appreciation for some of the policies that the military is required to follow because they are codified in the laws of the United States of America. While I understand his points on the importance of up-to-date and workable rules of engagement, our prohibitions against torture come from American laws and treaties ratified by the United States, including the Geneva Conventions.

Therefore, I will vote against the nomination.

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

@ASFried I guess… but each of those races only over-performed by 1-2 points in places that were all in play.

Jared’s was 5, in an R+7 district.

This is a big deal and we should say so.

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

Watch the people who win.

Jared outperformed the top of the ticket by 5 points. He build a bipartisan, diverse group of supporters.

This is the direction the party needs to be going in. #mepolitics

[Decision Desk HQ @DecisionDeskHQ]

Decision Desk HQ projects Jared Golden (D) wins the US House election in Maine's 2nd congressional district.

#DecisionMade: 1:25 PM EDT

Follow live results here:
https://t.co/EhRoTATRxH

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

@CollinsWatch I think when he’s won a Trump-voting district four times in a row, maybe people should take notice. Plenty for dems to learn from this place and replicate elsewhere - and it has been happening.

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

One of the most important dynamics to consider is that the Senate and House are now filled with pro-Trump lawmakers. Very, very different from 2017 when he took office. These people were elected running with Trump and are not skeptics. a much different governing dynamic

[Adam Fortier-Brown @AFB_ME]

Love what I’m seeing from the @Patriots today