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sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 07:45 PM 18 hrs ago

How a Rich Kid Politician Was Spun as a Working Class 'Oysterman'

Then there’s the real Graham Platner, son of a prominent local attorney, grandson of a major modernist architect, whose business was funded by a nonprofit grant meant for black people.

And by his mother who owns multiple businesses.

While he’s been billed as an outsider candidate with no interest in professional politics, he’s actually the activist son of a council candidate and the husband of a town selectwoman, as well as a local official whom the media had regularly turned to for quotes since at least 2009.

Media write-ups about the Maine Senate candidate’s oyster business typically mention that he grew up in the area leading to the impression that he came from a working-class family from some of the traditional trades, but nothing could be further from the truth about the Platners.


https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2025/09/how-rich-kid-politician-was-spun-as.html
90 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How a Rich Kid Politician Was Spun as a Working Class 'Oysterman' (Original Post) sheshe2 18 hrs ago OP
Thank you Keepthesoulalive 18 hrs ago #1
I think he's done. mr715 17 hrs ago #2
Oh? Has Trump pardoned him for something? Orrex 15 hrs ago #38
Nazi tattoo is the new get out of jail free card nt mr715 15 hrs ago #39
why is this guy a Dem? Skittles 17 hrs ago #3
I've been wondering that. yardwork 17 hrs ago #5
I've been wondering that. yardwork 17 hrs ago #6
Is he? Really? herding cats 17 hrs ago #10
Good question. sheshe2 17 hrs ago #16
It's not unusual for Repug donors to back a spoiler candidate as a Dem, Green or Independent. hedda_foil 14 hrs ago #60
Damn it....... a kennedy 17 hrs ago #4
I'm glad he's been weeded out, or hope he has. babylonsister 17 hrs ago #7
Billed as an "oyster farmer' ... sheshe2 17 hrs ago #11
I found this editorial on him earlier Quiet Em 17 hrs ago #8
Woah. sheshe2 17 hrs ago #12
Some of those defending this candidate might as well be saying "well, boys will be boys". Behind the Aegis 17 hrs ago #17
Maybe not in so many words, but that is what is being said. sheshe2 16 hrs ago #22
But he was drunk. herding cats 16 hrs ago #29
You are absolutely correct. sheshe2 16 hrs ago #30
Yeah, right? herding cats 15 hrs ago #32
He was ahead in polls apparently. Heck, the Dem governor is running. What's wrong with her? Silent Type 17 hrs ago #9
Her age is the only thing mainer 16 hrs ago #21
Thanks. Sounds like my kind of candidate. And she's won before. Silent Type 15 hrs ago #40
What's wrong with her??? sheshe2 15 hrs ago #34
Absolutely nothing, at this moment in our country's history. ReRe 13 hrs ago #74
She just joined the race last week mcar 11 hrs ago #90
a well known politician from Vermont is ok with all this so who are we to nitpick lol nt msongs 17 hrs ago #13
IKR?! sheshe2 17 hrs ago #14
I still don't understand why Bernie endorsed Platner in the first place. PeaceWave 17 hrs ago #15
I think Planter said something about not taking corporate money iemanja 17 hrs ago #18
Bernie is not very good at picking people Keepthesoulalive 15 hrs ago #42
Gabbard. He was one of Fetterman's earliest supporters. W_HAMILTON 13 hrs ago #72
Bronson Platner, Graham's father, was a major donor to Democrats, including ... Bernie Sanders, Abolishinist 13 hrs ago #78
So WHY are those pushing Planter Cha 17 hrs ago #19
It plays better than rich kid who was educated in prestigious schools. sheshe2 16 hrs ago #24
Too Bad.. I'm So Sick of the Gaslighting! Better to Cha 16 hrs ago #27
Now that is interesting, signed NDAs. 🤔 sheshe2 15 hrs ago #35
It's Telling.. It's Here in RandySF's OP... Cha 14 hrs ago #54
Ah... sheshe2 14 hrs ago #56
Right? Everybody needs Cha 14 hrs ago #63
I thought he was the real deal. OAITW r.2.0 17 hrs ago #20
That's right, you are from Maine! sheshe2 16 hrs ago #28
Well. thank you sheshe2 OAITW r.2.0 15 hrs ago #33
It's been decades since I have been up there. sheshe2 15 hrs ago #36
Platner is a plant. Kingofalldems 16 hrs ago #23
Good one! sheshe2 16 hrs ago #25
If we criticize Hegseth's tattoos and Young Republicans's slurs RandySF 16 hrs ago #26
This. sheshe2 15 hrs ago #37
But do you criticize those, or only the Dem violations? Prairie Gates 15 hrs ago #45
That is a stupid question. RandySF 14 hrs ago #51
Maybe Prairie Gates 14 hrs ago #55
Take a minute or two to look at HIS bio! nt cliffside 14 hrs ago #50
What does that have to do with anti-gay slurs? RandySF 14 hrs ago #52
One needs to know the source - His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left cliffside 14 hrs ago #59
Dan Greenfield, author of your OP's article, is a RW MAGAt racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, Democratic Party-hating POS Celerity 15 hrs ago #31
Well he sounds nice n/t leftstreet 15 hrs ago #41
Did you forget the sarcasm tag? :) nt cliffside 14 hrs ago #48
Shill-man fellow sounds about right (wing). TommyT139 15 hrs ago #43
Just looked at the website myself, this is BS that many do not care to spend a minute or two to look at the source ... cliffside 14 hrs ago #49
Fetterman-esque Prairie Gates 15 hrs ago #44
Glad they outed him. I'm from South and have spent my life explaining to racists/bigots Silent Type 14 hrs ago #46
About Daniel Greenfield from the link - I have appeared on the shows of Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and ... cliffside 14 hrs ago #47
Okay, so is lying or has he done the dig up real dirt on democrats Keepthesoulalive 14 hrs ago #53
Seriously, a little more - His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left ... cliffside 14 hrs ago #58
And? sheshe2 14 hrs ago #61
Please. His article about Platman is dripping with biased phrasing and word choices. LearnedHand 12 hrs ago #82
I prefer to look at the totality of what one says and does instead of one writing, Sanders backed him initially ... cliffside 12 hrs ago #86
You lose credibility by posting items from right wing sources at DU. PufPuf23 14 hrs ago #57
Exactly! And thank you, it only takes a minute or two to look at Daniel Greenfield's bio and their agenda. nt cliffside 14 hrs ago #62
What part isn't true? sheshe2 14 hrs ago #66
Let's play 'What part isn't true?' games w/ some of your OP author's (Dem-hating MAGAt Daniel Greenfield) other articles Celerity 12 hrs ago #83
You are admonishing me? sheshe2 14 hrs ago #65
You haven't "lost any credibility".. That's Ridiculous.. Cha 14 hrs ago #67
Oh, I know. sheshe2 14 hrs ago #68
I Thought David Horowitz Was a Joke--but He Foreshadowed the Trump Coalition Celerity 14 hrs ago #69
Kick dalton99a 14 hrs ago #64
The Editorial Board's John Stoehr is the real deal. summer_in_TX 13 hrs ago #70
Mahalo, summer_in_TX.. I read that... Cha 13 hrs ago #71
Yep. summer_in_TX 13 hrs ago #76
I believe it with all the other revelations Cha 13 hrs ago #79
Yes, no sign of remorse or any awareness of how hurtful his slurs were to vulnerable people. summer_in_TX 13 hrs ago #80
Excellent point about "no sign of remorse or Cha 12 hrs ago #87
Democratic Reawakening: With Al Franken's resignation, Democrats are holding their politics accountable to their values Celerity 13 hrs ago #75
Interesting. summer_in_TX 13 hrs ago #77
United States Senate election in Maine, 2026 - There are other candidates which we need to focus on ... cliffside 13 hrs ago #73
How Trump Can Bust The Dem Money Machine Funding Antifa & Mamdani Will Unleash Violence Against Women cliffside 12 hrs ago #81
I love the OP but check the provenance of that editorial. DemocratSinceBirth 12 hrs ago #84
I have no opinion about Graham Platner - I don't live iin Maine, so, not my circus, not my monkey - Ocelot II 12 hrs ago #85
I thought this Platner guy seemed a bit shrill LuvLoogie 12 hrs ago #88
Typical for such candidates, there's a working class, no political experience purity requirement. betsuni 11 hrs ago #89

mr715

(2,152 posts)
2. I think he's done.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 07:56 PM
17 hrs ago

Shine a little light and he isn't ready for the gig. Shades of George Santos.

herding cats

(19,915 posts)
10. Is he? Really?
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:11 PM
17 hrs ago

The new game is to set us up with a fake Progressive who isn't.

It think we might have caught this one in time. At least I hope so.

hedda_foil

(16,854 posts)
60. It's not unusual for Repug donors to back a spoiler candidate as a Dem, Green or Independent.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:37 PM
14 hrs ago

I'm not sayin' that's the case here but I'm not sayin' it's not.

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
11. Billed as an "oyster farmer' ...
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:12 PM
17 hrs ago

However:

(Tourism at $95 a person appears to form a significant part of Platner’s business.)

Quiet Em

(2,363 posts)
8. I found this editorial on him earlier
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:04 PM
17 hrs ago

I posted it in a different thread but want to post it here too because it perfectly describes the vibe I'm getting from him.

https://www.editorialboard.com/a-nazi-tattoo-cant-keep-a-good-white-man-down/

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
12. Woah.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:15 PM
17 hrs ago

The title alone says it all.

That is a good article, Quiet Em. Thanks for posting it here.

Behind the Aegis

(55,677 posts)
17. Some of those defending this candidate might as well be saying "well, boys will be boys".
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:30 PM
17 hrs ago

I wish I could say I was shocked, but I am not. Between the homophobia and the Nazi tattoo, now all of this about his background does not bode well. Oh course, as soon as this all cropped up, so did the conspiracy theories, some which are actually being treated as "fact".

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
22. Maybe not in so many words, but that is what is being said.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:56 PM
16 hrs ago

He is well educated and went to very prestigious schools. He knew what the tattoo meant.

herding cats

(19,915 posts)
29. But he was drunk.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:44 PM
16 hrs ago

Just like Kavanaugh. It's not something they can be held accountable for. It's just an indiscretion due to their youthful alcohol consumption. That makes it ok now, right? Boys will be boys and all that.

herding cats

(19,915 posts)
32. Yeah, right?
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:02 PM
15 hrs ago

And every dumbass thing he has said or done shouldn't be held against him because he's given a hat tip and said, whoops, my mistake! And his high profile endorsements just turned their heads. Like it never happened! As if they're not even pretending to be serious about picking a viable candidate anymore.

Silent Type

(11,576 posts)
9. He was ahead in polls apparently. Heck, the Dem governor is running. What's wrong with her?
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:09 PM
17 hrs ago

mainer

(12,458 posts)
21. Her age is the only thing
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:55 PM
16 hrs ago

Otherwise she's a great candidate. But she stood up to Trump and she's a mouthy gal and I like that.

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
34. What's wrong with her???
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:13 PM
15 hrs ago

Absolutely nothing. She has every right to run and she is more than qualified.

As for the polls that just came out, I doubt they had a chance to factor in the issues that have been raised about Platner's past, and Mills only entered the race last week. Also, the election is 8 months away.

ReRe

(12,118 posts)
74. Absolutely nothing, at this moment in our country's history.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:19 AM
13 hrs ago

Her only drawback might be her age. But there's no contest between her and Platner other than that. IMHO.

mcar

(45,413 posts)
90. She just joined the race last week
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 02:53 AM
11 hrs ago

and he's been the darling of the Bernie set. Give it a little time.

msongs

(72,700 posts)
13. a well known politician from Vermont is ok with all this so who are we to nitpick lol nt
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:16 PM
17 hrs ago

iemanja

(56,997 posts)
18. I think Planter said something about not taking corporate money
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:33 PM
17 hrs ago

and that sold Bernie.

W_HAMILTON

(9,726 posts)
72. Gabbard. He was one of Fetterman's earliest supporters.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:07 AM
13 hrs ago

I hate to say it, but it seems like all it takes to get the Sanders stamp of approval is them giving Sanders their stamp of approval.

Seems very "you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back."

Abolishinist

(2,807 posts)
78. Bronson Platner, Graham's father, was a major donor to Democrats, including ... Bernie Sanders,
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:39 AM
13 hrs ago

donating thousands to the Vermont socialist who would later endorse his son.

Cha

(315,216 posts)
19. So WHY are those pushing Planter
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:40 PM
17 hrs ago

saying he's "working Class" when it's Not true.

Is not his Background good enough? All this was bound to come out... So WHY?

Thanks, she..

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
24. It plays better than rich kid who was educated in prestigious schools.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:12 PM
16 hrs ago

I wonder who helped build his resume.

Cha

(315,216 posts)
27. Too Bad.. I'm So Sick of the Gaslighting! Better to
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:27 PM
16 hrs ago

tell the Truth in the Beginning. Now not only does Planter have all these revelations slurring :LGBTQ, Blacks, Women, and a Nazi Tat...

He's not even "working class" and has his Staffers sign NDAs...

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
35. Now that is interesting, signed NDAs. 🤔
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:19 PM
15 hrs ago

I missed that part, Cha. Seems he has some really heavy hitters supporting his run. Interesting for a newbie, very interesting indeed.

Cha

(315,216 posts)
54. It's Telling.. It's Here in RandySF's OP...
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:20 PM
14 hrs ago
ME-SEN: Platner reshuffles campaign and sends out NDAs as he struggles to get ahead of controversies

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220744640

Cha

(315,216 posts)
63. Right? Everybody needs
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:42 PM
14 hrs ago

to Shut Up about me now.. I want it in writing! Show me your loyalty. Was it because of his Political Director quitting?

Genevieve McDonald

Genevieve McDonald, the political director for Graham Platner's Senate campaign, has resigned following the resurfacing of controversial social media posts made by Platner. These posts included racist and offensive remarks, which led McDonald to resign, stating that the views expressed were not values she could stand behind. The controversy has significantly impacted Platner's campaign, which had previously gained momentum and raised nearly $5 million since its launch

OAITW r.2.0

(30,798 posts)
20. I thought he was the real deal.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 08:53 PM
17 hrs ago

Now, I know better. I'll be voting for the real Democrat in the primary.

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
28. That's right, you are from Maine!
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:33 PM
16 hrs ago


OT; Thank you for all the help you gave to our fellow DUer, 2naSalit. I never moved states before; will they be able to register to vote in June?

Thanks, you are a good guy, OAITW.

OAITW r.2.0

(30,798 posts)
33. Well. thank you sheshe2
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:06 PM
15 hrs ago

I like to think I'm a good guy, at least 93% of the time,

The other 7%, only God knows.

If you happen to find your way to the middle of nowhere, contact me!

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
36. It's been decades since I have been up there.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:27 PM
15 hrs ago

It's a lovely place. I doubt I will get there again, though if I do, I will look you up.

You are indeed one of the good guys.

RandySF

(78,712 posts)
26. If we criticize Hegseth's tattoos and Young Republicans's slurs
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:18 PM
16 hrs ago

Then we should also police our own violators.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
59. One needs to know the source - His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:35 PM
14 hrs ago
https://www.jns.org/writers/daniel-greenfield/

"Daniel Greenfield is an Israeli-born journalist and columnist with nearly 20 years of experience writing for conservative publications. His work spans national and international stories, covering politics, history, and culture. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with industry legends like David Horowitz, interviewed senators and congressmen, and shared the stories of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenges. His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left, explores the forgotten struggles that shaped America’s early history"

Do a little digging IMHO




Celerity

(52,709 posts)
31. Dan Greenfield, author of your OP's article, is a RW MAGAt racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, Democratic Party-hating POS
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 09:57 PM
15 hrs ago
Dismaying to see this fucking RWNJ posted here.

https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2005/03/about-daniel-greenfield.html

About Daniel Greenfield



My name is Daniel Greenfield. I am a Shillman Journalism Fellow and the Executive Vice President of Programs at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. My beat at Front Page Magazine, its blog, The Point, and my own blog, DanielGreenfield.org also known as SultanKnish covers everything from the Left's war on America at home to Islamic terror abroad.

I was named a "hate group of one" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC may not have been too happy that I caught them faking statistics.

From exposing Biden's theft of money from 9/11 victims to fund the Taliban to surveying the Most Corrupt Village in America to racial quotas in the military to being among the first to break the story of government mandates causing widespread COVID deaths in nursing homes, I cover everything.

I delved into Jihadists in the Biden administration, showed Facebook uses UN regulations to censor conservatives, including President Trump, how the CDC Deputy Director helped cover up COVID deaths and documented how Biden's funding of terrorism killed Israelis. Including money sent before the Oct 7 attacks.

I have appeared on the shows of Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and many others. "You are one of many people who have given me feedback that my reading and interpretation of that piece by Daniel Greenfield was of profound enlightenment," Rush Limbaugh said of my writing.

snip

My investigative pieces have included the story of Obama and Pfleger, which I broke months before the mainstream media. I also broke the story of many of Obama's radical clergy ties, including Farrakhan supporters, I revealed that the Vice-President of the Center for American Progress and the former senior adviser for Nancy Pelosi had participated in terrorist fundraising

snip

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
49. Just looked at the website myself, this is BS that many do not care to spend a minute or two to look at the source ...
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:08 PM
14 hrs ago

thank you for doing so!

Silent Type

(11,576 posts)
46. Glad they outed him. I'm from South and have spent my life explaining to racists/bigots
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:01 PM
14 hrs ago

why Democrats into 1970s weren’t today’s Dems. Don’t want to do it again over a “Democrat” with a Nazi tattoo.

I will say I find Hegseth’s Crusader and rifle tattoos equally disgusting.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
47. About Daniel Greenfield from the link - I have appeared on the shows of Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and ...
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:04 PM
14 hrs ago
https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2005/03/about-daniel-greenfield.html

"My name is Daniel Greenfield. I am a Shillman Journalism Fellow and the Executive Vice President of Programs at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. My beat at Front Page Magazine, its blog, The Point, and my own blog, DanielGreenfield.org also known as SultanKnish covers everything from the Left's war on America at home to Islamic terror abroad.

I was named a "hate group of one" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC may not have been too happy that I caught them faking statistics.

From exposing Biden's theft of money from 9/11 victims to fund the Taliban to surveying the Most Corrupt Village in America to racial quotas in the military to being among the first to break the story of government mandates causing widespread COVID deaths in nursing homes, I cover everything..."

Keepthesoulalive

(1,954 posts)
53. Okay, so is lying or has he done the dig up real dirt on democrats
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:19 PM
14 hrs ago

I want the truth about our candidates and let the voters decide if it is relevant.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
58. Seriously, a little more - His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left ...
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:30 PM
14 hrs ago

I do not want to be duped by anyone.

https://www.jns.org/writers/daniel-greenfield/

"Daniel Greenfield is an Israeli-born journalist and columnist with nearly 20 years of experience writing for conservative publications. His work spans national and international stories, covering politics, history, and culture. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with industry legends like David Horowitz, interviewed senators and congressmen, and shared the stories of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenges. His first book, Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers' Fight Against the Left, explores the forgotten struggles that shaped America’s early history."

sheshe2

(94,484 posts)
61. And?
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:39 PM
14 hrs ago


Please point out what he said is untrue. There are many publications that have posted the same things. Much of this is from Planters own statements and of his family's history.

His Wiki page states his education and wealth. So...



LearnedHand

(5,079 posts)
82. Please. His article about Platman is dripping with biased phrasing and word choices.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:59 AM
12 hrs ago

This guy is not a credible source.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
86. I prefer to look at the totality of what one says and does instead of one writing, Sanders backed him initially ...
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 01:15 AM
12 hrs ago

and that has played a role in the replies over many different threads.

I know not everyone likes Sanders, I've been here since 2004, that being said, Daniel Greenfield has a slew of prior writings/posts which I find offensive and would not use him as a source, JMHO.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
62. Exactly! And thank you, it only takes a minute or two to look at Daniel Greenfield's bio and their agenda. nt
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:40 PM
14 hrs ago

Celerity

(52,709 posts)
83. Let's play 'What part isn't true?' games w/ some of your OP author's (Dem-hating MAGAt Daniel Greenfield) other articles
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 01:01 AM
12 hrs ago

Celerity

(52,709 posts)
69. I Thought David Horowitz Was a Joke--but He Foreshadowed the Trump Coalition
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:55 PM
14 hrs ago

As an undergrad, I mocked the radical leftist turned reactionary. But with his cruel, vindictive politics taking over the government, he had the last laugh.

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/david-horowitz-radical-son/

https://archive.ph/0DzXr


David Horowitz, who died in April, spoke on the CU Boulder campus on February 14, 2005, about what’s wrong with various professors in US universities today.(Brian Brainerd / The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The first time I thought about David Horowitz was in 2006, when I was a 22-year-old senior at Horowitz’s alma mater, Columbia University. A friend—like me and Horowitz, a Jewish David—had commissioned me to review Horowitz’s latest book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, for the Columbia Political Review. As a snotty undergraduate, I agreed to do so on the condition that I wouldn’t have to read the book and that I would admit that I hadn’t upfront. Rather than an actual review, I wrote a generalized attack on Horowitz as a “once-radical hack,” accusing him of producing a McCarthyist screed and of libeling nine Columbia professors among his chosen 101—but I also reduced his life, or what I assumed without any research to be the broad outlines of his life, to a cliché:



It’s embarrassing to revisit some of my earliest writing, but still, I was pretty close. Horowitz was born in January 1939, eight months before World War II broke out in Europe (arguably, it had already begun in Asia). He grew up in Sunnyside, Queens, about five miles from Morningside Heights as the crow flies. He was indeed a second-generation American on both sides, and his parents really were Stalinists, though it was Nikita Khrushchev’s “secret speech” in 1956 rather than the earlier Doctors’ Plot that broke them. He did at some point socialize with Kristol and Podhoretz, he did protest the Vietnam War (not sure about ROTC), and the rest of that second paragraph is essentially accurate too.

summer_in_TX

(3,882 posts)
70. The Editorial Board's John Stoehr is the real deal.
Thu Oct 23, 2025, 11:56 PM
13 hrs ago

Thanks for sharing that, Quiet Em.

His was the first online publication I sprang for. (Of course once the dam broke I found a number of other excellent, ethical journalists and writers to support.)

summer_in_TX

(3,882 posts)
76. Yep.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:31 AM
13 hrs ago

The quote from someone from Graham Platner's past who said he called it his "little Totenkopf" way back shows he absolutely knew what he had done, that he put on his body permanently.

Cha

(315,216 posts)
79. I believe it with all the other revelations
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:40 AM
13 hrs ago

that have come out about the LGBTQ, Blacks, and Women he's slurred.

And, now after all this time and it's Exploded he says he's "covered it".

summer_in_TX

(3,882 posts)
80. Yes, no sign of remorse or any awareness of how hurtful his slurs were to vulnerable people.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:48 AM
13 hrs ago

That plus the tattoo, not to mention the NDAs, are pretty damning to me.

I see the Maine primary is not until June. I suspect these are the beginning of the revelations.

Cha

(315,216 posts)
87. Excellent point about "no sign of remorse or
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 01:24 AM
12 hrs ago

awareness on how he could have hurt vulnerable people.. "

Especially now when they and so many people are getting Extremely Hurt by the Neo Nazi in the Gold Demolished house.

Oh and the NDA's for his staffers.. possibly brought on by his Exit of his former Political Direcor.. Genevieve McDonald... and any further revelations..

Genevieve McDonald, the political director for Graham Platner's Senate campaign, has resigned following the resurfacing of controversial social media posts made by Platner. These posts included racist and offensive remarks, which led McDonald to resign, stating that the views expressed were not values she could stand behind. The controversy has significantly impacted Platner's campaign, which had previously gained momentum and raised nearly $5 million since its launch

Celerity

(52,709 posts)
75. Democratic Reawakening: With Al Franken's resignation, Democrats are holding their politics accountable to their values
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:28 AM
13 hrs ago
By John Stoehr

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-jefferson-street/articles/2017-12-12/sexual-misconduct-reckoning-is-opportunity-for-democrats-to-reinvigorate

Dec. 12, 2017


Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., leaves the Capitol after speaking on the Senate floor, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Franken said he will resign from the Senate in coming weeks following a wave of sexual misconduct allegations and a collapse of support from his Democratic colleagues, a swift political fall for a once-rising Democratic star. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)


I lost count of the number of people last week who said, with the air of arch authority, that the Democrats were playing a sucker's game in pressing U.S. Sen. Al Franken to resign. "This is why Democrats lose," some left-liberals said while anti-Trump independents said, "This is why I am not a Democrat." The complaint is that the GOP would never eject one of its own over sexual misconduct, so why should the Democrats? Typical, critics said. The Democrats choose purity over politics.

Some people can't see that Franken's resignation stems from values as well as politics. The Democrats are signaling to every women who ever faced sexual discrimination (which is a lot) that the party is their home, and they are creating conditions in which President Trump's past lechery has the potential to be as threatening to him as past entanglements with Russia. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the leading Democrat in the Franken purge, said Monday he should resign.

Will Gillibrand's call amount to anything? I have no idea. Given what Trump and the Republicans are willing to do to secure Judge Roy Moore's victory in Tuesday's Senate election in Alabama, I doubt it. But achieving concrete results is only part of the reason for political parties. They exist to provide, as clearly as possible, an expression of the principles they believe serve a majority of Americans in their particular time and place. In this post-Harvey Weinstein moment of reckoning, the Democrats are building a platform from which to say: Freedom is your destiny in the 21st century, and our brand of liberalism is the means of achieving that fate.

snip

I suspect the women driving this moment of reckoning with no end in sight have heard Edsall's reasoning a few times. I suspect they know a thing or two about not speaking up about the man in charge for fear of retaliation. If these women took Edsall's flawed reasoning to heart, we would not be witnessing this renewed liberal moment. Thank God, they didn't.

snip

summer_in_TX

(3,882 posts)
77. Interesting.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:39 AM
13 hrs ago

I wasn't aware of Stoehr back then.

But I did not agree that Franken's conduct as far as I could tell at the time rose to the level that he should be forced to resign. But I didn't get much insight into the details of later accusations from the accounts I read so I may have missed it.

He was incredibly effective in digging into all the Russia connections, and I always figured that was the reason he was targeted. The rush to judgment and not allowing time for a full investigation was deeply sad.

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
73. United States Senate election in Maine, 2026 - There are other candidates which we need to focus on ...
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:11 AM
13 hrs ago

The candidates who have raised at least 100k

scroll down to see money raised, there are three other Dems besides Platner.

https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Maine,_2026

Mills campaign money is not listed as she joined later after being recruited by Dem Senate leaders, see linked article below. I'm guessing she'll have good financial support from some group of people.

https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-14/maine-gov-janet-mills-enters-crowded-democratic-race-to-unseat-susan-collins

Posted here earlier, Jordan Wood is right behind Planter for funds raised, Dem Senate leaders recruited Mills.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220744517

cliffside

(1,447 posts)
81. How Trump Can Bust The Dem Money Machine Funding Antifa & Mamdani Will Unleash Violence Against Women
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 12:57 AM
12 hrs ago

Sounds like a great Dem/liberal guy, but he wrote something against a candidate that Bernie Sanders previously endorsed, so he's our guy?

Forget everything else he espouses.



https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2025/10/how-trump-can-bust-dem-money-machine.html

"On September 22, 2025, President Donald J. Trump designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Now it’s time to cut off their funding and go after those groups that support them.

In 2023, Freedom Center Investigates exclusively reported that Antifa was raising money through the same Democratic Party platform used by the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). When Kamala became the candidate, the Harris-Walz campaign went on to use that same platform. And the DNC and Antifa are both still on it today..."


https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2025/10/mamdani-will-unleash-violence-against.html#more

AND

Mamdani’s Terror Mosque Called For Taking Over America

https://www.danielgreenfield.org/2025/10/mamdanis-terror-mosque-called-for.html

From his website ... and so much more.

Ocelot II

(127,905 posts)
85. I have no opinion about Graham Platner - I don't live iin Maine, so, not my circus, not my monkey -
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 01:10 AM
12 hrs ago

but this article is by one Daniel Greenfield, who is a writer for the David Horowitz Freedom Center. What we should know about the David Horowitz Freedom Center is that it is a very conservative, anti-Islam organization that is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a far-right organization and a hate group. Whether or not there is truth to the allegations in the article, should DU be citing materials from a source the SPLC calls a hate group?

LuvLoogie

(8,359 posts)
88. I thought this Platner guy seemed a bit shrill
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 01:38 AM
12 hrs ago

Like he was trying just a little bit too hard to seem populist rebelly. I was skeptical. Still am, since.

As I remain skeptical of Michael Avenatti

betsuni

(28,482 posts)
89. Typical for such candidates, there's a working class, no political experience purity requirement.
Fri Oct 24, 2025, 02:49 AM
11 hrs ago

Myth that only working class can understand inequality and any political experience means a record of how one works with others, compromise and incrementalism, fundraising and other sins.

Democrats are bashed as out-of-touch wealthy elite establishment incapable of understanding inequality (exception for FDR who was a secret socialist, another myth).

If a candidate comes from a middle or upper middle class background, good schools, university, entrepreneur, worked for a presidential campaign but when deciding to run for office herself turned into a minimum wage working class outsider, then what happens when you want to write a memoir? You can't! The story isn't true. Nothing wrong with middle class! It's silly.

It's so stupid, this working class on a pedestal thing. In solidarity, revolution, okay whatever. Americans don't obsess about class.

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