Why is so much effort being spent defending a Nazi symbol?

[pat_k]

97. I see no one defending the symbol.

I see people standing up for a candidate who got the Nazi symbol tattoo 18 years ago and had it transformed into a Celtic knot in Oct last year.

I see people standing up for a man for whom Nazi "values" are abhorrent.

I see people standing up for a candidate who has proven himself to be a very effective advocate for progressive values.

I see people standing up for a candidate that was recruited by unions for good reason -- he is a good candidate.

I see people making the case that if he is our democratic nominee, however flawed one may think him. Even a problematic D that enormously increases our our chances of becoming the majority in the Senate needs our full-throated support because the consequences of continued Republican leadership are monumentally more dire than the consequences of having someone who could perhaps turn out to be involved in ongoing scandalous behavior. (An outcome I don't think is likely but what do I know?)

People who realize many don't recognize the symbol for what it is are pointing out that that fact makes Platner's assertion that he is one of the people who did not recognize the symbol for what it was very believable. That is NOT a defense of the Nazi symbol itself.

Fortunately, human beings have the capacity to learn and grow. The countless examples of former hate group members (who did FAR, FAR worse things) who have become incredibly effective advocates against racism and hate proves that.

People who continue to believe in this man -- and I am one of them -- are making judgments based on what they see in him NOW. The unions that recruited him are frustrated with the distractions, but they are sticking by him. Their judgment in that bolsters my own.