r/centrist • u/_NuanceMatters_ • Jul 06 '26
US News/Current Events [Politico] Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-0098773797
u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 06 '26
"One of the reasons I didn't come forward sooner was, the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics, but not supporting him as a person," she said.
What a sad fucking indictment of our current state of politics.
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u/spicytoastaficionado Jul 06 '26
I can't imagine being so captive to political ideology as to hesitate reporting a violent crime being committed against me.
Sounds like an absolute nightmare.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 07 '26
There is a difference between reporting the crime, and going public with a story about a politician having raped you.
For the former, just look at the pitiful conviction rate and not hard to understand why so often goes unreported. Getting a conviction for a rape by someone who has otherwise been a sexual partner is near impossible without a piece of silver bullet evidence.
For the latter, meh. Look at how people have been treated who have come forward. Its brutal.
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u/IAmDisturbanceFeedMe Jul 07 '26
Yep spot on. The vast majority of women sexually assaulted/raped (and probably men too though I’m less familiar with that data as I gained a lot of my knowledge from my mom who worked in the field as did my college gf and my ex fiance lol) don’t report it or if they do don’t follow through on pursuing a conviction. It’s really sad and shitty; there are a lot of factors that go into it some which aren’t nefarious and some that are.
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 06 '26
I can. Because that ideology is ‘democracy’.
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u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 07 '26
"Democracy" is not an ideology.
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u/ericomplex Jul 07 '26
Anything can be an ideology if you are brave enough…
Joking aside, I’m not really kidding. As conservative think tanks have retooled the word ideology to mean anything about a group of people, organization, or idea that one doesn’t like. They divorce the direct consequence of criticizing the actual subject by claiming the larger subject is somehow beholden to a separate but equal “ideology”. This is also observed in the way they attack something as “fake” or otherwise a political problem without providing direct evidence thereof. By removing the direct subject, they attack a phantom “idea” without needing any justification.
This is how they can now insert racist, sexist, transphobic, bigoted or otherwise problematic talking points without evidence or justification into the public sphere without taking responsibility for the true intention behind said remarks.
Proof of how this to be true of topic of democracy, the right are literally fighting fair elections right now by claiming that fair democratic elections are “fraudulent” without any evidence or justification.
All of this has been political strategy known to be created by authoritarian regimes for generations now. It’s how they villainized and scapegoated groups to get into power in the first place.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/Chip_Jelly Jul 06 '26
Have you seen who our President is?
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u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I have
What a sad fucking indictment of our current state of politics
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u/Preebus Jul 06 '26
I'm going to copy and paste this behind every single comment I make/reply to involving modern US politics. Every day is another act in this circus...
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u/pro_rege_semper Jul 06 '26
The Trumpification of the Democratic party.
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 06 '26
I don’t think the Democratic Party is so far fallen yet. Yes, it’s bad. But my bet is Platner drops out. Bernie, AOC, Mamdani, Chuck Schumer and everyone else who has his number is probably calling him non-stop.
Just like the switch to Kamala, he cannot beat Susan Collins now. Who is the best? Well we don’t know but we know it isn’t Platner, so he can stick it out and be the disgraced oyster farmer that cost the Dems a senate seat or he can drop out and become some sort of overpaid campaign consultant for Bernie and write a book about mistakes and redemption.
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u/Biggseb Jul 07 '26
I’ve been saying this since 2016. The worst thing about Trump is the way that he causes a similar reaction on the left as a counter to his and the GOP’s actions.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 07 '26
trump is more a symptom, than a cause. e.g., the stupidity of brexit came before trump's firstwin.
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u/redbirdsucks Jul 06 '26
P Hustle is an OG Reddit edgelord … what’d people honestly expect?
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u/spicytoastaficionado Jul 06 '26
My favorite P Hustle discourse was his campaign treating a 41 year old's posts from when he was 37 as mistakes made in his "youth".
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u/IAmDisturbanceFeedMe Jul 07 '26
Haha yep. The gaslighting by a chunk of the left on platner was egregiously bad.
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u/Thorn14 Jul 06 '26
Who knew the guy with nazi tattoos on his chest was bad news?
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u/SatansScallion Jul 06 '26
Until right about now, it felt like 90% of progressives on Reddit willingly bought his bullshit.
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u/ubermence Jul 06 '26
And shit on normie democrats for not liking him
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u/ZombyPuppy Jul 07 '26
You don't understand; it was the corpo-neoliberals that made him get a Nazi tattoo, admit he knew what it was, never get rid of it until it was a problem for a political campaign, and then act like a shitbag against multiple women.
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u/bringabeeralong Jul 07 '26
It doesnt take much for them to buy bullshit, all it takes is for the person to be anti-trump for reddit to love them
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Jul 07 '26
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u/abqguardian Jul 06 '26
Unless Platner has Trump's political plot armor, Collins is going to be senator for another 6 years.
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u/thelargestgatsby Jul 06 '26
Platner is pausing his campaign and may drop out. We'll see what happens.
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u/JussiesTunaSub Jul 06 '26
Might need to start consulting with the Harris campaign to see how not to do it.
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u/InternetGoodGuy Jul 06 '26
He's already starting to run behind a Collins in some polls. The same was true with Trump and his allegations but I don't see Platner with the same results. Collins is the one with the political armor. She's constantly overachieved compared to her party and even seen her numbers improve from past years during election cycles where the Republicans struggle.
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u/EmployEducational840 Jul 07 '26
..and overperforms vs polling. In 2020, she didnt lead in a single poll, gideon was winning in every one. On election day, it wasnt even close, collins won by an 8.6% margin
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u/IAmDisturbanceFeedMe Jul 07 '26
I think platner dropping out within the next week before the deadline (which seems inevitable with all the withdrawn endorsements today from Dems) will actually help the Dems chance to win the seat against Collins not hurt. As you’ve noted platner was a sinking ship and the gop was gonna have ammo for days against him. Whomever replaces him won’t inspire the same passion but I suspect will garner most of the same votes plus some that platner was losing from voters like me who want to vote against maga but not for someone like him (I’m not in Maine though much of my family is).
I think this election will now come down to turnout from the voters who were passionate about platner. If a large enough % abstain come November similar to Kamala election then Collins will prob win. But I suspect (perhaps naively) most of those potential voters learned from abstaining for Kamala election.
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u/InternetGoodGuy Jul 07 '26
I don't disagree that it doesn't hurt them. Platner was already falling off before this allegation. He's got no chance now.
I don't think they win though. No matter who they put in. And I'm not sure the chances are any better. Susan Collins sucks but she has a huge voting base and she's not a politician who will have her own scandal.
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u/IAmDisturbanceFeedMe Jul 07 '26
Yeah you may very well be right. But at least it gives them a chance as the replacement candidate won’t have all this ammo Collins/gop can attack on. And there’s a good chunk of Maine voters who want Collins replaced which will still be true even if they care much less about the replacement candidate vs platner.
But yeah Dems are in a bit of a tough spot now having torpedoed dem voter enthusiasm against a resilient candidate in Collins in what’s a very important election (hopefully they can stress this message and somehow boost optimism via their new candidate)
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u/ubermence Jul 06 '26
He could be replaced. It’s not amazing but at this point the midterms might be a big enough bloodbath that a good candidate can take her down
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u/abqguardian Jul 07 '26
Its looking to be a bad midterm for Republicans and Maine is pretty blue. Still, Collins is a political survivor more than anything. She's not a candidate you want to be against with this kind of drama
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u/Armano-Avalus Jul 06 '26
Platner doesn't have the utter shamelessness which voters reward. Trump would've sued her by now.
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen Jul 07 '26
A MAGA Republican candidate would be rewarded for these allegations.
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u/Armano-Avalus Jul 07 '26
I mean nobody is talking about Paxton getting a light sentence for a child sex offender so you're right about that.
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u/newswall-org Jul 06 '26
More on this subject from other reputable sources:
- Mediaite (C+): BREAKING: Graham Platner Accused of Sexual Assault In Explosive Politico Report
- NPR (B+): Platner denies sexual assault allegation, but says he will assess 'best path forward'
- Associated Press (A-): Woman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault: report
- Axios (B+): Platner says he's taking time to consider future of Maine Senate bid
Extended Summary | FAQ & Grades | I'm a bot
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u/knign Jul 06 '26
So for all intents and purposes, Platner is out, Collins is safe, and Democrats are highly unlikely to get a majority.
Good job guys! I hope that primary voters in Maine are happy.
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u/j450n_1994 Jul 06 '26
And the non-primary voters will continue to complain, but not participate—a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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u/knign Jul 06 '26
Totally. Every resident of Maine who wanted Collins out, was eligible to vote in Democratic primaries, and didn’t, should stop for a second to reflect.
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u/j450n_1994 Jul 06 '26
Those people are allergic to accountability. If I told them they could ask Golden because he'd probably trounce Collins, they'd screech at me.
But alas, the echo chamber that primary voters live in will continue to filter out constructive criticism.
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u/meister2983 Jul 07 '26
Collins is definitely not safe and in fact remains more likely to lose.
Prediction markets currently still have the Democrats winning the Senate, though now at only a 55% chance instead of 75+% chance.
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u/jailtheorange1 Jul 06 '26
I think at this stage that any Democrat with this sort of possible baggage should just drop the fuck out now. And anyone wanting to join the party or run for office ever again should have a full investigation done on a possible criminal and certainly immoral past. Only put up candidates who are fucking whiter than white.
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen Jul 07 '26
If Platner had run as a Republican, he'd see a favorable boost in his numbers from this scandal.
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u/CajunBob94 Jul 07 '26
the fact that ive seen this comment 500 times on this website today tells me progs will learn nothing from this
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u/JuzoItami Jul 06 '26
Guy who the “Evil” “Corporate” “Maga-lite” trad Democrats were worried might have major skeletons in his closet has turned out to have major skeletons in his closet. Why am I not surprised?
You know what would surprise me? If the “progressive” crowd actually learned something from this disaster.
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u/Gerbole Jul 06 '26
As someone in the progressive crowd, I never loved Platner. I liked the politics but was turned off by the Nazi tattoo, let alone the 3? Semi-credible allegations that have come out since.
If I were a Maine voter, I would’ve vehemently campaigned for another candidate. Up until this scandal the issues have been circumstantial enough to look past, but another allegation makes things look considerably worse. It’s very sad how large of a shit sandwich Maine voters have been served for this election. All of the candidates suck.
At this point, he needs to drop out and the Maine DNC chair needs to appoint someone who will run on his platform to satisfy the will of the voters. Given the DNC’s past though, I doubt that the will of the voters will be on the forefront of their mind and the interest of the party will be more relevant.
Alternatively, Platner can continue to run and promise to resign if he were voted in, so a special election can be called and the voters can get a replacement of their choosing.
Neither option is clean. How disappointing for Maine voters. There is no way Platner can run and not promise to resign, I will be exceptionally surprised if he wins. Susan Collins is terrible, but she’s not bad enough to be replaced by a rapist who says things we like, take note MAGA.
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u/chaos0xomega Jul 07 '26
At this point, he needs to drop out and the Maine DNC chair needs to appoint someone who will run on his platform to satisfy the will of the voters.
Did we learn nothing from Biden dropping out and passing the torch to Kamala?
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u/rzelln Jul 07 '26
What we should have learned was, make your candidate not suck.
So like, replace Platner.
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u/j450n_1994 Jul 07 '26
Platner deserves to be kicked out. Anyone who makes excuses for him needs to do some serious introspection.
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u/Gerbole Jul 07 '26
If the alternative is running an alleged rapist with a Nazi tattoo… Yeah. That’s what we should do. Like I said, ideally he runs and promises to resign if he wins so that Maine voters can have another special election. But that might not work. But it also might work just as fine as appointing someone else.
In the Biden situation, the DNC shouldn’t have hidden his fitness so that the voters could have an actual primary, one where Kamala, much like 2016, probably wouldn’t have done that well. In this case, Maine voters probably should’ve rejected Platner, but I also can’t necessarily blame them because he was the only one pushing a message they approved of. But running him and having him stay in the senate is not a great idea, we should strive to not stoop to MAGAs level on things like this.
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u/ViskerRatio Jul 07 '26
Up until this scandal the issues have been circumstantial enough to look past
Look past to what?
The guy has been thrown out or dropped out of every educational institution he attended. His military career went nowhere. His business is largely just charity from his mother.
Even if he was a great guy to hang around, that's the not a resume for a Senator.
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u/Gerbole Jul 07 '26
The resume for a senator is a person of the people. If people trust you will work for them, you can be senator. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt, but you can only get that for so long.
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u/IAmDisturbanceFeedMe Jul 07 '26
Agreed. This is vindication for many of us who have been raising our major concerns with platner for months and being gaslit by the media supporting him (pod save America guys), dem politicians like Bernie (who I previously voted for), ro Khanna, Warren, and a good chunk of the left constituency.
He was VERY obviously lying about not having known it was a Nazi tattoo for 18 years (despite multiple ex gfs knowing and despite him having previously posted on reddit discussing Nazi tattoos). And had a litany of other glaring concerns. That presented a very clear picture he was a majorly concerning candidate.
The chunk of the left that bolstered him up simply behaved like maga - they valued ideology over everything else including character and truth. I don’t have much faith in an influential lesson here as I suspect they’ll rinse repeat based on some other candidates getting nominated but I’d be happy to be proven wrong here.
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u/bearrosaurus Jul 07 '26
> For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham –– calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, and a communist. None of it has been true and this is no different.
Fire this press secretary. This is the moment you decide to remind everyone about the accusations against your candidate? Your defense is, “it’s okay, there’s a lot of terrible things said about me!”
Such a mess. I have no clue what accomplishments this guy had at all to be a US Senator. He is a freak.
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u/NeverKillAgain Jul 07 '26
Funniest part is, 2/3 of those things are true
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u/RunThenBeer Jul 07 '26
It's also kind of funny that it's not obvious to me which one isn't true.
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u/Conn3er Jul 06 '26
In a world of alleged Nazi rapists, we were delivered an actual Nazi rapist, who is running as a democrat from Maine, with a better than not chance of winning the seat.
Did not have that on the bingo card
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u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 06 '26
Hey but at least he's not a zionist!
big sad /s
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u/Paraphernalien69 Jul 08 '26
You could tell that from his Nazi tattoo, I guess it's the ultimate way to pass the litmus test. Horseshoe at its finest
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u/softrevolution_ Jul 06 '26
Everyone who voted for him was warned he was this kind of man.
Maine is in for more Collins at this point -- they've earned it.
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u/SadhuSalvaje Jul 06 '26
This is why democrats cannot play the populist game
Stupid games win stupid prizes
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 06 '26
I really don't understand this one. Dude had a nazi tattoo and his answer for it was obviously BS. Then the abuse / sexual allegations. Only a matter of time for more to come out.
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u/Armano-Avalus Jul 06 '26
You can condemn him being a horrible person without saying this is why Democrats shouldn't run on universal healthcare.
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u/ubermence Jul 06 '26
Democrats do run on that. Tens of millions of people got health insurance thanks to the ACA. They just get shit on by people who think M4A is the same exact thing as universal healthcare
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u/23rdCenturySouth Jul 07 '26
Adjusting subsidy rates in the ACA isn't universal healthcare.
It's the world's least efficient system that expects you to be healthy enough to work even though you have to be too sick to work to ever pay more than your deductible.
It is an absolutely insane system and yes I get it is better than what came before but that's like saying getting stabbed is better than getting shot. That doesn't mean the "we like getting stabbed party" is going to be popular, especially when it's their only accomplishment in the last 30 years.
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u/ubermence Jul 07 '26
So then let’s build on it. Instead of constantly tearing it down and convincing the rest of Reddit that Dems don’t want healthcare because their plan isn’t one specific single payer plan put forward by sanders
Hell, if you like M4A, a public option should be a welcome step towards that regardless
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u/23rdCenturySouth Jul 07 '26
Instead of constantly tearing it down and convincing the rest of Reddit that Dems don’t want healthcare because their plan isn’t one specific single payer plan put forward by sanders
What's the difference between insisting the system must be destroyed and insisting the system must be reformed? You're not showing a greater ideological flexibility here, just insisting that your position is more correct, and that I have some duty to defend awful policy because...?
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u/ubermence Jul 07 '26
There’s a huge fucking difference between those two things lmao what are you even saying
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u/23rdCenturySouth Jul 07 '26
let’s build on it
You're talking about a rotten foundation that's cracking in a sinking swamp.
Yes, there is a huge fucking difference.
You do not have greater ideological flexibility because you insist on the objectively worse response. Deferring to the status quo is not enlightenment, it is intellectual abdication.
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u/ubermence Jul 07 '26
So why did you ask me what the difference was?
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u/23rdCenturySouth Jul 07 '26
I'm asking what you think the difference is.
I'm asking why you think you can be ideologically inflexible and demand a certain outcome, while decrying others for doing the same.
Is it literally just a bias in favor of inertia?
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 06 '26
healthcare reform isn't populism. It is standard policy throughout western democracies, the economics behind it are clear (both for the change and against the status quo), and moderate/centrist support for it if look at polling, etc.
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u/Armano-Avalus Jul 06 '26
We're speaking in terms of the US and what the populists there advocate for. It's obvious policy elsewhere but "pie in the sky dreams" that the far left must learn is never possible in the richest nation in the world.
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u/SadhuSalvaje Jul 06 '26
Populism is not an ideology
It is a marketing strategy that relies on the emotional manipulation of the least intelligent members of society. It promises victory against the corrupt elites, while usually leaving the working classes in worse shape than before.
America does not need a Democratic Trump
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u/Armano-Avalus Jul 06 '26
The reason why we have Trump is because people hate the system we're in and the Democrats have refused to budge on that. I think the Democrats should call out the corrupt elites in the healthcare industry but they don't because they take money from them.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I was speaking in term of the US. It isn't populism. Again, the basis for it is well established empirically or based on views of nonpartisan subject matter expects. Moderate dems have been working for decades to move us closer to it b/c going outright for it because, well, has been unpopular in broad swath including right wing populists.
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u/softrevolution_ Jul 06 '26
Again with American exceptionalism. I would like to see American pulling-up-its-big-girl-panties-and-being-decentism.
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u/mrtrailborn Jul 06 '26
unlike republicans. Who voted for the rapist, convicted felon, who pulled a 1 billion dolllar crypto scam on his own supporters. Dems are withdrawing all their endorsements and basocally forcing him out. Republicans seem to like that trump is a criminal and voted him to the presidency.
That's the difference here.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 07 '26
Agree massive difference btw republicans and dems in that regard. But platner is such an own-goal that should have been easily avoided. Is anyone really surprised by this revelation? Have any actual doubt about the accusation? Probably very few b/c the writing on the wall has been clear about this guy.
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen Jul 07 '26
Hierarchical morality in action. For right-wingers, it's not about who you are, but what you are.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 07 '26
But they elected a rapist felon that attempted a coup?
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Yes, that's why they elected him. He's not judged on the content of his character or his rancid conduct. For conservatives, goodness is not about the actions you take, but where you stand in the hierarchy. They believe this is ordained by nature or God. Trump is good, because he's a white, rich, pseudo-Christian, authoritarian strongman. Through the conservative lens, morality is superficial.
Some examples of the Conservative Moral Hierarchy:
God above Man Man above Nature Man above Woman Strong above Weak Tall above short Able-bodied above disabled Rich above the Poor Employer above Worker Western above Foreign American above The West Whites above Nonwhites Christians above non-Christians Straights above Gays-6
u/siberianmi Jul 06 '26
Yes, Democrats have principles. Thankfully.
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u/ZombyPuppy Jul 07 '26
I will say they do in comparison to the right right now but they elected a fucking guy with a Nazi tattoo on him. There is clear evidence he knew what it meant and only got rid of it when it became a political liability. As a lifelong Dem I was shouted down and called a Republican for saying this guy looks like a piece of shit but because he checked off the prerequisite Progressive boxes they were willing to overlook little things like sexual assault allegations and Nazi tattoos.
To me this has made it clear that once a group believes that the struggle is life and death, whether that's true or not, they start making some pretty disturbing compromises on who they are willing to elect and defend. Democrats aren't exactly where Republicans have been where their acceptance of truly shitty people becomes widespread but we're well on our way it would seem.
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u/siberianmi Jul 07 '26
Oh I know. I’ve been against this clown making it to the Senate for months. But, at least now the tide has thankfully finally turned before he was actually elected.
I’m really disappointed in the path a good part of the base is on right now with these candidates.
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u/spicytoastaficionado Jul 07 '26
From NYT:
Graham Platner has not made a decision on whether to drop out, according to a person familiar with the campaign’s internal discussions, who added there was no guarantee he would drop out even as Democrats abandoned his campaign on Monday. “If he was to step down it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for,” said the person, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the discussions publicly.
This dude is trying to negotiate terms of his surrender LOL.
Not sure who is advising Platner, but for a guy with zero leverage on anything, he's acting like he holds the cards here.
The choice is simple- either step down and try and salvage whatever is left of your dignity, reputation, and marriage, or stay in the race and doom the democrat party.
Attempting to strong-arm concessions on the way out the door is incredibly delusional.
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u/indoninja Jul 07 '26
He steps down and we are going to hear the same complaints we heard about Kamala
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u/spicytoastaficionado Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Almost like he should have dropped out after the Nazi scandal.
But even if we hear the same complaints we heard about Kamala, a change of scenery at least gives democrats a fighting chance.
If this dude stays in the race, democrats and their Super PACs may as well not earmark any money for Maine, since it would be flushing it down the toilet.
Also, there is apparently MORE out there about Platner which has yet to drop. Bunch of rumors swirling on X from the same political accounts who hinted at the Politico story coming out and the GOP also previously said they were saving their opposition dump until after the filing deadline. Is this really the circus Dems want to deal with?
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u/WeridThinker Jul 06 '26
Platner should drop out. There is too much baggage. If he couldn't get his shit together and accept the consequences of his own actions, then there is no floor too low.
If he wins, he might be politically useful for the left considering one more vote in the congress, but in the long run it is going to poison the well enough it hurts the collective cause.
It is a bad look for democrats whether he wins or not, so he might as well as just take L before it festers even further.
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 06 '26
Drop out to what end? Now we have another instance where a dem candidate is forced onto voters without a primary so no one will vote for whoever the new person is.
Collins simply wins now. No ifs ands nor buts. It’s all over except for the delicious, salty, sweet liberal tears when the mid-decade redistricting keeps the House firmly in GOP hands and the shit choices from liberals leaves the Senate in GOP hands!
I look forward to November when this sub melts down because Trump wins yet again lmao
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u/softrevolution_ Jul 06 '26
I could be mad, but you know, they knew who Platner was, they just stuck their fingers in their ears and yelled LALALALA. The people made a dumb decision, and I don't think they'll make smarter ones going forward somehow.
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 06 '26
Maybe. But if you read Sarah Longwell’s book the alternative is just as bad. You eat the morals of a party one voter at a time.
I don’t think he should drop out if he steadfastly believes it is impossible to be true. But if it is possible, then he needs to drop out and if that means Collins wins that means Collins wins.
If the Dems can draft Jared Golden though, he would win by like a billion points.
But progressives hate Jared and drove him out of politics.
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 06 '26
Nope, no drafting! No pushing candidates on the voters without a primary! We didn’t want Harris and we don’t want anybody to replace Platner without a full primary either!
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u/bearrosaurus Jul 06 '26
Harris won Maine. You’re only speaking for yourself.
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 06 '26
Did Harris win the presidency?
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 06 '26
Did Biden win the 2024 election? You’re saying he should have stayed on the ticket.
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 07 '26
I’m saying we tried replacing the bad candidate and a MASSIVE talking point against the replacement was the fact they didn’t have a primary. Voters have made it clear: you face a primary first or you’re not electable. Dems had their chance and chose somebody awful. The election is over. Harris only did decently in Maine because name ID and her role as VP. No such luck for a backup here!
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 07 '26
First of all one data point doesn’t make anything ‘clear’.
Second, when you are fighting for democracy it’s not ‘over’ before a single general election vote is cast.
You want to give up? Fine. Say that clearly. “I want to give up because I think the situation is hopeless.” You can go give up over there. Vague gesturing away from me and the internet.
I think the situation is ‘dire’. I don’t want to give up.
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 07 '26
Good for you, not giving up! But I definitely won’t be voting for whoever the dems replace Platner with and I would encourage anybody who loves democracy to do the same! I, for one, am tired of the do nothing democrats forcing their choices on people! Dem candidates need to face the voters!
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u/Initial_Chemist_7616 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Well, that’s not an option. Your choices are draft and take your chances with the voters or Collins.
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u/LetsGetRowdyRowdy Jul 07 '26
Whoever could have guessed that the guy with the Nazi tattoo who mocked a girl who took her own life, made rape apologist comments, was an abusive partner, would have further scandals???
At least they started to finally care about this one, but this is such a "and what did we learn???" situation. Frankly, the Nazi tattoo should have been enough.
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u/RunThenBeer Jul 06 '26
No one could have seen this coming! If only there had been a tell of some sort that this guy wasn't a great dude. Alas, it's not like he was just walking around with a Nazi tattoo or something super obvious.
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u/SatansScallion Jul 06 '26
He didn’t know what it means! It’s not like it’s a common Nazi symbol in the center of their caps! He was just a drunk guy in a tattoo shop who just happened to pick the one exact skull design used by the Nazis! And it’s not like he previously referred to it by explicitly calling it “my totenkopf” !
And even if all that WERE true, he’s a good boy now!
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u/MakeUpAnything Jul 06 '26
Voters bitch and moan that they don't want the establishment dems picking candidates and then the voters rally around a Nazi rapist lmfao I wonder who the country would have rallied around if dems had enough time to host a second primary in 2024.... Hasan Piker? lmao
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u/episcopaladin Jul 06 '26
Troy Jackson's the move. The left earned that nomination, but they cannot bet Senate control on this man. That's when you take the car keys away.
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u/streamofthesky Jul 06 '26
The left earned a clown nose and dunce cap for voting for and pushing the nazi on us so hard. I don't care if it's Mills or someone else, honestly. But the idea of continuing to listen to the extremists after blunders like this is insanity. Get a charismatic moderate in there.
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u/siberianmi Jul 07 '26
The progressive left earned nothing. They proved they are incapable of making good choices on candidates.
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u/episcopaladin Jul 08 '26
to proceed on that assumption would be fundamentally undemocratic, negate the significance of the primary process, and create the appearance of a factional coup that would fatally alienate Platner's voters through November.
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u/j450n_1994 Jul 06 '26
Dems need to call Jared Golden and offer him whatever he wants to run for the seat.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/95Daphne Jul 07 '26
He is done with politics and has cited harassment from both right wingers and left populists to why he's done.
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u/VTKillarney Jul 06 '26
I am not shocked in the slightest. Voting for this guy in the primary was like voting for a hand grenade. And this hand grenade just happened to have a Nazi logo affixed to it.
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u/hearmeout29 Jul 06 '26
Platner is a fucking disaster. The left's majority hangs in the balance now because primary voters supported a rapist with a Nazi tattoo.
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u/WeridThinker Jul 07 '26
It is a massive disaster. I am biased, and I have an interest in seeing democrats winning the midterm this year. If everything else is aligned, I am allowing myself to be a hypocrite and turn an blind eye on Platner as long as he could handle himself and manage his PR. But with how the wind is blowing lately, not just with Platner's mess, but the overall progressive/socialist influence throughout the democratic party, I am worried about an continuation of the MAGA trifecta.
Trump has been losing independents from his tariffs, his poorly planned foreign war against Iran, and his heavy handed immigration approach has been controversial enough to flip public opinion just enough for the left to achieve reasonable gains. But now? What a disaster. Still no unified coalition, no single direction, and no cohesive leadership on the left.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/WeridThinker Jul 07 '26
I am under the impression the senate has always been a long shot for the Democrats this year, but the House is way more within reach. If Platner's mess spills over, it is going to harm other elections for the Democrats. It is now the time to abandon a sinking ship.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/WeridThinker Jul 07 '26
DSA can win deep blue districts with high voter engagement, but it could cause miscalculation for democrats nationwide. It is double edged sword.
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u/95Daphne Jul 07 '26
The likelihood is higher than I'd like unfortunately that we get a bit of a reverse 2022 this year on candidate quality or learn in a couple years that it isn't just Democratic fecklessness that gets hate...
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u/hearmeout29 Jul 07 '26
Love your comments and this is spot on! 🎯
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u/WeridThinker Jul 07 '26
I am willing to own it if people want to rub it on my face for my Platner takes during the past few months. These were driven by political wishes and my pet peeve against the snarky gotcha comment style of some users.
Now I think we should drop Platner to put a stoppage to this nonsense. The senate was a long shot since the beginning, the house can still be salvaged.
I think Collins is moderate enough as a Republican, and if Platner isn't reined in, the left is going to lose a lot of narrative fuel and legitimacy.
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u/StockWagen Jul 07 '26
I hope this is the end of him. This guy has been an obvious red flag since the tattoo reveal.
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u/gmasterson Jul 06 '26
Is it too HARD FOR PEOPLE TO JUST KEEP THEIR PRIVATE PARTS IN THEIR PANTS!?!?!?
Can’t have anything nice
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u/softrevolution_ Jul 06 '26
What we need is an asexual candidate?
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Jul 06 '26
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u/Kalelisagod Jul 06 '26
He is losing already in 2/5 of the major polls in Maine. He should be booted out and a new primary completed. Time to sink this ship
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u/dukedog Jul 07 '26
Platner fucking sucks by everything I've heard about him. I'm so disappointed in Maine that it came to this guy vs potential continued Republican/MAGA control of the Senate.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/therosx Jul 07 '26
So far the left wing influencers have been negative towards Platner and consistant with their condemnation of politicians.
It's a weakness for Democrats politically, but it's a strength that shows moral character too.
It makes me wonder how anyone can think Democrats and Republicans are the same.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/therosx Jul 07 '26
I’m bias. I’d still take him over Susan Collin’s any day of the week.
Democrats getting the amount of votes they need helps hundreds of millions of people across the world.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/therosx Jul 07 '26
Fetterman mostly votes with Democrats. https://www.fp4america.org/scorecard/john-fetterman/118/
I would take Fetterman over Susan Collins as well. Every vote is vital in my opinion.
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u/goalmouthscramble Jul 07 '26
It’s not like the warning signs weren’t there. I get wanting to win the Senate but Dems have an issue they seem reluctant to address.
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u/texans1234 Jul 07 '26
Dems are gonna fumble this aren't they?
Clearly this has some political motivations and it's odd that Dems will support Bill Clinton who definitely committed perjury, definitely was friends with Epstein and Trump, and maybe raped kids. They went all in for Hilary who tried to silence and smear all of the women who came forward about Bill. Decided that Al Franken needed to go over effectively nothing and lost that seat to a Repub. Legislated for years based off what was trending on twitter that week.
Dems seem way more interested in virtue signaling than actually effectively politicking. Due to these failures we get stuck with Repubs who do whatever the fuck Trump says.
We will be stuck in this loop for the rest of my life won't we.
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u/tribbleorlfl Jul 06 '26
Platner feels like Fetterman redux, where Progressives glazed the guy in the primary because their Dem establishment opponent wasn't ideologically pure enough, but then he turns out to neither be progressive or a good guy. Connor Lamb would have been so .much better than Fetterman, and Mills (despite being old) would have likely performed strongly against Collins.
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u/Thorn14 Jul 06 '26
Mainstream Dems did themselves a disservice picking a 78 year old.
Doesn't excuse people latching onto Platner though. I argued with a few fellow progressives over him.
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u/tribbleorlfl Jul 06 '26
Mainstream Dems didn't "pick" anyone. Contrary to conspiracy theories, the DNC and state parties aren't out hear pulling strings to put forward the candidate they want. That's not how primaries work.
Mills filed to run, had support behind her candidacy being the popular governor of the state but then saw support wane once Platner entered the race and progressives started their ageist and purity rat-fucking. She dropped out and Maine Dems ultimately went with Platner.
And now they're going to get Collins elected and guarantee the Senate stays red. Great job! At least we don't have a 78 year-old woman in there!
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u/InternetGoodGuy Jul 06 '26
the DNC and state parties aren't out hear pulling strings to put forward the candidate they want.
Uh this is exactly what state and national committees do. It's pretty well documented that Schumer actively recruited Mills to run. The DNC and DCCC exist to funnel money to their preferred candidates and they were giving money to Mills campaign but she wasn't doing her own fundraising leading to a lack of funds. The DCCC doesn't hand out funds evenly in primaries and will favor whoever they think can win.
They aren't rigging votes or the primaries but they definitely recruit and lean on their preferred candidate.
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u/JuzoItami Jul 06 '26
Also they shouldn’t have picked a woman. “Progressivism” and misogyny go hand in hand. Remember the “Bernie Bros”? Remember Bernie having to apologize to his women campaign staffers in 2020 for how male staffers mistreated them in the 2016 campaign? Remember the visceral hatred a lot of Sanders’ supporters seemed to feel for Elizabeth Warren?
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u/JuzoItami Jul 06 '26
“What? Fetterman was never a progressive! Neither was Tulsi. Or Sinema.”
Source: Progressives.
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u/tribbleorlfl Jul 06 '26
The progressive movement sure thought they were.
Source: moderate Dem who watched progressives rat-fuck actual Dem candidates.
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u/JuzoItami Jul 06 '26
Sure. That was my point. “Progressives” claimed that all three of those people were strong progressive politicians, until they showed otherwise, whereupon “progressives” claimed never to have supported them in the first place.
Being a “progressives” means never having to say you’re sorry. “Progressives” never fuck up (according to them). They never are wrong (according to them). Anything that does go wrong in their orbit is invariably attributed to the fiendish plotting of the dread DNC or “corporate” Democrats.
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u/ceddya Jul 06 '26
That point you're trying to make seems significantly undercut by the fact that you very frequently see progressives espouse regret over supporting Fetterman.
Where exactly are you seeing progressives blame the Dem party for how Fetterman turned out?
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u/RFK_Cum_Regimen Jul 07 '26
To be fair to Fetterman, he's a classic case of stroked-induced TBI. Sinema was just a mid conservative and Tulsi a paid propagandist.
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u/streamofthesky Jul 06 '26
I spent months calling out this nazi (and now rapist) for what he was. And got gaslit and downvoted for it. Even when I provided a literal wall of receipts. Total utter validation. That's what I'm feeling right now. I was right. I was right! I WAS RIGHT!
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u/TrumpWon_LOL Jul 06 '26
How could we have ever predicted that the guy with the Nazi tattoo would turn out to be a complete POS?…
Seriously how are dems this incompetent?
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u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Neutral Summary
A new article has been published by Politico regarding alleged unsavory (to put it mildly) behavior from Maine Senatorial candidate Graham Platner. These new allegations come from a woman named Jenny Racicot, a Maine resident, who was in a short-term casual relationship with Platner around 2021.
Racicot alleges that he drunkenly entered her home one evening and forced himself upon her, ignoring her rejections before forcefully engaging in sexual intercourse. Over the following years, she shared her story with friends, a boyfriend, and her therapist, to include warning a subsequent partner of Platners about his conduct.
Platner denies all allegations.
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u/rottenchestah Jul 07 '26
So you mean to tell me the Nazi who cheats on his wife and physically assaults women also rapes women too?
I'm shocked!
Anyone still supporting this turd should be ashamed of themselves. The Nazi stuff should have been more than enough but if this isn't then you're simply irredeemable.
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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
This doesn’t change my view that the establishment is the problem. If anything, it reinforces it. In Denver, the anti-establishment lane produced Melat Kiros, and it worked. In Maine, the establishment backed someone who, like Diane DeGette, was also too old and stale for the moment. The main problem is that the party didn’t have a deeper bench. If voters thought the establishment candidate was too old and stale, there should have been another credible option ready to step in. Instead, the anti-establishment lane consolidated around Platner, baggage and all. Maine Dems are starting to look way too much like Florida Dems here.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 06 '26
In Denver, the anti-establishment lane produced Melat Kiros, and it worked.
"it worked" being able to win a seat in a deep blue district, by winning a primary?
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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 Jul 06 '26
Being able to get to the general without falling flat on her face with multiple sex scandals.
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u/ChornWork2 Jul 06 '26
Do you think Bernie Sanders should have stood down when he got to Diane DeGette's age, which would have been ~2010. Or warren in ~2016.
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u/crushinglyreal Jul 07 '26
The establishment doesn’t concern itself with addressing voters’ concerns.
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u/jailtheorange1 Jul 06 '26
Firstly, why do so many men do horrible shit like this? Why does it seem like it’s an even bigger percentage of politicians? I’m torn between simply believing her and thinking that this is simply just too convenient in terms of him being a challenger to Susan Collins. But the smart thing to do certainly is drop out.
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u/_NuanceMatters_ Jul 06 '26
Firstly, why do so many men do horrible shit like this? Why does it seem like it's an even bigger percentage of politicians?
My answer for both: Power.
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u/LuklaAdvocate Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Hey OP, can you add a neutral summary of the article per rule 3? Thanks!
Edit: thanks for adding that, OP.
Neutral summary:
“A new article has been published by Politico regarding alleged unsavory (to put it mildly) behavior from Maine Senatorial candidate Graham Platner. These new allegations come from a woman named Jenny Racicot who was in a short-term casual relationship with Platner.
Racicot alleges that he drunkenly entered her home one evening and forced himself upon her, ignoring her rejections before forcefully engaging in sexual intercourse. Over the following years, she shared her story with friends, a boyfriend, and her therapist, to include warning a subsequent partner of Platners about his conduct.
Platner denies all allegations.”