Aaron's Bluesky Activity — July 7, 2026

The dominant thread running through Aaron's activity was the Graham Platner saga in Maine. He engaged with multiple takes on the situation, including Jeff Sharlet's sharp critique that Platner's refusal to withdraw unless he approves his replacement reflects "poisonous, masculinist vanity" rather than leftist principle, and a piece by Michelle Goldberg in the Times on the rape accusation. Aaron also reposted commentary pushing back on the media figures who had boosted Platner's campaign, arguing that journalists who spent too much time on X had convinced themselves a Nazi tattoo wouldn't be a political liability — and were now having to walk that back. On the procedural question of how Platner's replacement would be selected, Aaron amplified the view that a state party committee handling the succession is entirely normal and legitimate, and he reposted the Maine Democratic Party's blunt statement shutting down Platner's attempts to influence the process.

ICE and immigration enforcement were another focus. Aaron reposted reporting on the death of an Afghan national — a former U.S. military ally — who died of an allergic reaction in ICE custody after agents refused to let his wife provide his inhaler. He also amplified a call for more attention to the U.S.'s effectively whites-only refugee policy, a FIRE lawsuit over ICE email surveillance, and the Justice Department's threats to prosecute election officials over voter roll maintenance. On trans rights, Aaron reposted news that Illinois Governor Pritzker signed a law shielding testosterone HRT prescription records from out-of-state access — a direct protection against states like Texas — alongside reporting on India's new anti-trans rules disrupting medical care under Modi.

Aaron also engaged with several smaller items: a local Boston story about a waterfront venue violating Chapter 91 public access rules, a critique of the Democrats' failure to simply put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, a UK report finding student loan graduates now bear 95% of degree costs rather than the originally promised 60%, a Portland city council dispute over a billionaire arena deal, and a piece on gender equity gaps in youth cycling advocacy. He also shared a Liberal Currents essay about coexisting in a pluralistic society, noting the headline was annoying but the piece itself worthwhile.