There was a lot of noise last week when The New York Times published a lengthy article accusing Maine Democrat Graham Platner of emotional abuse, as he plans to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the fall. However, this is a circus—a relentless stream of scandal that’s putting intense pressure on Democrats regarding their support for this guy, a fake oyster farmer with Nazi tattoos. From a broad perspective, was this really the best Maine Democrats could find?
If you’re Collins, you can stay under the radar, conduct normal retail politics on the campaign trail, and watch this man become the focus of Democrats’ problems as their chances of retaking the Senate fade away. Platner is everything they think Trump is, except Graham does have Nazi tattoos, allegedly abused women, and seems all-around unhinged: the guy once said he would rape home intruders, but not in a gay way. Who says that?
We’re going to review these texts as well, and if they’re anything like his Reddit posts, it’s going to be a nightmare. These stories are from Democrats, by the way. This is all liberal opposition research, which one does before jumping into the chaos that is public life. What horrors await us this summer? A strategist is quoted in the New Yorker suggesting that leaked pictures of Platner’s genitals are a possibility.
If there was anyone capable of taking the mantle, like in California, no doubt, Platner would have dropped out by now. But Democrats are stuck. They need this seat to reclaim the upper chamber, and they want to impeach Trump, so they will act like the Japanese on Okinawa. No doubt Trump derangement syndrome is the only thing holding this together; Democratic voters in Maine have nowhere else to go. So yes, it's not surprising that the media is finding these crusty lefty boomers saying they will vote for the Democrat no matter what.
Everyone’s vote is their business, but the fascism talk and anything Me Too-related that Democrats try to bring up in the election is now moot. War on Women throwback lines are also torched.
Platner has a Nazi tattoo, and we’ve learned he was fully aware of its meaning in the piece and elsewhere—his Reddit posts also suggest he knew it had SS ties. Then there’s the sexting fiasco and the looming questions about the girls' ages he interacted with, along with recorded threats from his top adviser, Morris Katz, which were documented and made his colleagues uncomfortable. Sometimes you accept defeat and move on—that’s not what’s happening right now.
Also, the Times really did a disservice by focusing on one of Platner’s ex-girlfriends while ignoring serious allegations against him, like sexual assault, which the publication backed away from due to lack of corroboration. They had sources to verify these claims. They chose not to, likely for reasons you already understand. And no, it wasn’t solely because Platner’s lawyers got involved.
Platner is going to get beaten badly. Maine had quality candidates with no baggage, like this one, who went up against Susan Collins—she beat them all easily. I expect the same in November.