Graham Plattner demonstrated why I had trepidation regarding his run for the Senate.

[yellow dahlia]

I never saw him as Senatorial. He proved I was right.

His 11 minute speech to say he was suspending operations was selfish and lacking in statesmanship, sophistication, and class.

He didn't apologize to his voters. He didn't say he would do everything he could to help unseat Susan Collins.

He made it all about him. He blamed a conspiracy against him. He trashed the Democratic party.

Our Democracy is on the line, and he likely made it more at risk.

I was afraid he wouldn't rise to the job. I feared another Fetterman.

A narcissist is a dangerous thing, no matter which policies they promote.

[LisaL]

1. Someone with that many skeletons in the closet

should have realized it's all going to come out if he runs for a Senate seat.

[yellow dahlia]

3. Too selfish. Too high on his own supply.

[Skittles]

5. or run as a repuke

there he could be Secretary of Defense or president

[LisaL]

6. Isn't that the truth?

[Iggo]

69. ...or Supreme Court Justice.

[FascismIsDeath]

2. It should've been over after the tattoo thing came up.

I'll be honest, if I was a person living in Maine, pulling the level for him at all would've been very difficult. And I'm a "vote blue no matter who" 99.9% of the time. But we all have our limitations.

[yellow dahlia]

4. Agreed. Senator is a serious job. He didn't match up to it.

[blue_jay]

18. His Reddit posts are anti fascist, I think the tattoo was just youthful military idiocy or tribalism

Just saying I think the tattoo thing is over blown.

[FascismIsDeath]

25. It was the first of many red flags that were on full display before the primary even happened.

I could tell this guy was trouble pretty quickly.

[LisaL]

31. It was really obvious that he

had a lot of skeletons in his closet and republicans were just waiting until he got nominated and couldn't drop out to talk about all these skeletons.

[LisaL]

32. If it was youthful military idiocy he could have covered it up many years ago.

He seemed to be very proud of it, running around without his shirt on.

[moonscape]

36. He was either lying about

not knowing what he was wearing on his arm for decades, or he was to stupid to know. Either one is disqualifying in my book..

[TheProle]

45. "His Reddit posts are anti fascist"

Please point out the anti-fascist nature of this one:

[blue_jay]

68. That's not the post I was referring to, clearly not about fascism

Also, I don't understand why saying if you don't want something bad to happen, like rape, when you are around people you are not interested in being with or don't know, suggesting it's stupid to get that f'd up and act like an adult just seems like common sense advice to me. Again not fascism.


Here's a searchable link. Type nazi in the search bar and see what you get. And read though all 10 and see what you think. There's also a summary in the main article.
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/05/13/politics/elections/maine-graham-platner-reddit-comments-archive/

[Skittles]

70. he's saying if women drink it's their fault if they are raped

but of course alcohol use is used as an EXCUSE by men for why they rape

[Nixie]

75. Such irony in his opinion about rape and responsibility since he's

the one who claims to be too intoxicated to remember his own sexual assault behavior.

[MichMan]

76. How about "Why don't black people tip?"

Platner responded to a 2013 post on Reddit entitled “What is one question you have always wanted to ask someone of another race,” writing, “Why don’t black people tip?” He worked as a bartender at Tune Inn on Capitol Hill, where he was a guest bartender last month.

“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is,” he wrote. “Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”

When asked about it last year....

"I was legitimately asking the question," Platner said. "I've re-read a lot of the comments for obvious reasons… That one, I must say, like, I mean, I was legitimately curious and it was certainly not meant in any malicious way."

https://www.aol.com/articles/graham-platner-stands-concerns-black-161304571.html

[niyad]

54. It SHOULD have been over when those rape apologist posts came up.

Instead, we had people on social media and elsewhere ignoring, dismissing, even defending those posts with all sorts of excuses. The fact that those posts were NOT the end of his campaign was a depressing eye-opener for many of us.

[FascismIsDeath]

56. If that happened first, I agree, the timeline isn't clear in my head because the red flags were so numerous.

I didn't really know anything about the guy until the tattoo story broke so thats the first thing I remember.

[yardwork]

74. It's good that he stepped aside.

We have a much better chance of winning the Senate majority now.

[Raftergirl]

7. He reminds me of someone, but I just can't put my finger on who. /s

[yellow dahlia]

8. Exactly!

[Keepthesoulalive]

20. Was it the clearing brush on his ranch?

[Raftergirl]

33. No. It's not the shrub.

[appmanga]

10. I said many times I got Fetterman vibes from him...

...and I'm not unconvinced he would have been the same type of Manchurian candidate.

[yellow dahlia]

11. Agreed!

[Nixie]

12. Agreed

[littlemissmartypants]

13. ...

Characteristics of Psychopaths
1. Aggressive, callous, and cunning
2. Completely void of conscience and empathy
3. Adept at manipulating others
4. Willing to engage in immoral, criminal conduct
5. Willing to take what they want and do as they please, regardless of who is hurt or wronged
6. Deceptive ability to appear outwardly benevolent
7. Deceptive ability to behave in superficially charming ways to hide purely selfish motives
8. Willing to use force, intimidation, and violence to control others in order to satisfy their own needs
9. Willing to intentionally violate the basic inherent human rights of others
10. Completely lacking any sense of guilt or remorse for the harm their actions cause
11. Rationalize their own immoral behavior
12. Attempt to lay blame upon someone else for their own bad conduct
13. Will deny their own wrongdoing outright
14. Display utter contemptuousness toward the feelings and desires of others
15. Exhibit pathological lying, will compulsively say anything without any concern for the truth to advance their own agendas
16. Able to fake normal human emotions and empathy with the exception of joy, laughter
17. Have a distorted sense of the consequences of their actions
18. Totally fail to accept any responsibility for their own socially irresponsible ways
19. Strongly believe that they will never be brought to justice for their criminal behavior

[ahnakneemoose]

15. Have Copied :: Will Plagiarize

[littlemissmartypants]

16. 👍❤️

[Skittles]

14. so essentially

he AGAIN showed us exactly who he is

IMAGINE THAT

[yardwork]

59. Over and over again.

[Cirsium]

17. Give it a rest

It is a catastrophe for the party. Saying "I told you so!" doesn't help.

[yellow dahlia]

19. Actually - I never told anyone other than Mr. Dahlia about my concerns.

[Cirsium]

34. OK

You are just saying that you had reservations all along, not that you were right and others were wrong. My bad for jumping to conclusions.

I had reservations, too.

[Keepthesoulalive]

21. Perhaps we won't continue to make the same mistake

Stop falling in love and vet who you support.

[yellow dahlia]

24. Exactly! A teaching moment is evident here.

[Skittles]

28. OK here's the LESSON

DON'T NOMINATE SOMEONE WITH A NAZI TATTOO AND A HISTORY OF DISRESPECT TOWARDS WOMEN

ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A "DEMOCRAT"

[Cirsium]

37. Voters

Voters chose him. As far as who defended him and who didn't I think that all of us were put in a very difficult position. The people who "created" the fake working class hero persona played us and the voters. I didn't find any of the p;layers in this soap opera to be very credible.

[MichMan]

40. Voters chose him after prominent influential progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came on board

[Cirsium]

43. Absolutely

So? I think using this as an opportunity to bash one wing of the party is a big mistake.

Besides, you are saying that the voters of Maine listened to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, yes? That means that there is authentic support for progressive politics. The fact that Platner is not an appropriate leader for progressives does not invalidate the legitimacy and importance of that wing of the party.

[MichMan]

44. Sanders and Warren were fooled the same as everyone else apparently

[Cirsium]

46. Unusual case

Strange times.

[yellow dahlia]

48. And should we even have to say this? Right?

[Skittles]

61. no, we SHOULDN'T

an utter disgraceful chapter

[Cirsium]

35. I agree

I think we were hoodwinked. Why are we so vulnerable to this sort of nonsense? It is highly destructive.

[QueerDuck]

29. It's about learning the lesson, not gloating.

No one is celebrating this catastrophe, and acknowledging a bad feeling isn't a personal attack.

The reality is that many voters felt something was fundamentally off with this campaign's manufactured presentation long before the breaking headlines dropped. When multiple voters have a nagging sense that something isn't right with a candidate's presentation or narrative, that isn't petty gloating... it is a data point. Political instincts are often shaped by seeing these exact kinds of structural flaws play out in the past.

Looking back at why those initial instincts were right is just basic political analysis. We need to understand how a flawed candidate got this far so we can establish an honest vetting process and make sure it never happens again.

Discussing and posting why those instincts were correct isn't about scoring points... it is a necessary part of the post-mortem.

If the party wants to rebuild and protect must-win seats moving forward, we have to listen to those gut feelings early on, rather than ignoring them until the clock runs out.

[Cirsium]

38. Agreed for the most part

There has been some gloating and "grave dancing," and some have used it as an opportunity to beat up on people in the party they disagree with. Not the OP though, so I was wrong there. I do agree we should learn from this.

There most definitely was something fundamentally off with the campaign and I do think it was a phony manufactured presentation. However, we can't overlook the fact that the voters - unlike the candidate and his team - did support the progressive policy positions he was talking about, and they are supporting those policies in elections around the country.

It is almost as though the entire drama was orchestrated to cause the most damage to the party. -

"Instincts?" His flaws were always right out in the open. There was no need for instincts was there? I think that is just a fancy way to say "we were right and you were wrong." Both the support for and the opposition to Platner were weak in my view.

[yardwork]

60. How is it a catastrophe for the party?

If you mean the Democratic Party, I don't see Platner's stepping aside as a catastrophe.

I see it as a second chance for us. I felt sure that more dirt would come out about him, but I figured it would happen right before the GE, guaranteeing his loss.

The woman who came forward now did democracy a favor. Now Maine can replace Platner with another candidate.

[Cirsium]

66. Not his stepping aside, no

Of course he had to step aside. I am afraid the whole Platner clusterfuck is adding fuel to the ongoing feud between different factions in the party. Also, a lot of people got taken for a ride, which suggests some problems with the party that need to be addressed. Sinema, Fetterman, Swalwell, Platner... enough already. I'm ready to call for going back to the "smoke filled rooms" of that means vetting the damned candidates. We can't afford this nonsense.

[yardwork]

67. I agree, and I'm glad it's coming out now.

Maybe something can be done. I didn't know that selecting candidates and vetting them is now relegated to consultants.

[Skittles]

73. we all wonder about people who cannot see through Donald Fucking Trump

well, now we can wonder the same about Platner's fans......UGH

[NJCher]

22. I didn't read about him, discuss him

or have anything to do with this story. I had an overwhelming bad vibe from him.

Outside of that, I would just say a guy like this has no business going after a senatorial seat. He lacks the requisite experience.

[yellow dahlia]

23. That was what I said to Mr. Dahlia - you need to earn your chops.

Start out by serving on Town Council or something, and work your way up from there...a state office...and then set your sights.

But I never thought he was Senatorial...maybe a representative...maybe.

[Sea Turtle]

26. Best comment of the thread!

All candidates should have a tangible track record. There should be a list of accomplishments that people can judge. character matters. We need to get away from this mentality of will win it all costs even if it means we put up a really evil person. We should never hand power to bad people, even if we think they’re on our team. Bad people are never on your team. They are only on their own sociopathic team.

There were so many red flags with this guy. His openly saying he wanted to join the military because he wanted to legally kill people is top of the list. His death camp tattoo fits right with that mentality.

“When someone tells you who and what they are. Believe them the first time. They know themselves better than you do.”
Maya Angelou

[yellow dahlia]

49. Hear! Hear!

[allegorical oracle]

30. Yep I was leery of him, too. Blamed it on expecting a usual political process. Most

candidates start at a local level, move to a state office, then to the U.S. House, and finally to U.S. Senate or higher.

Trump broke that pattern -- went from no political experience whatsoever to POTUS. That's not working so well.

[questionseverything]

39. Ted kennedy drove off a bridge and left his trapped passenger under water for 10 hours before reporting it

He went on to serve 40 more years in the senate

///////

So I am rolling my eyes at platner being less “ senatorial “ than required

[hlthe2b]

41. I don't argue the point except to remind all that whatever happened on that bridge & water

that night and whether or not Kennedy should have been prosecuted (for 'something'--whatever actually happened) it was a defining moment in his life and yes, those 40 years were full of meaningful attempts to improve the lot of the average person--despite his being from an (fully) entitled family. His culpability is on a continuum and I won't argue either extreme. Still, he was not unaffected by it and sought to be a better person as a result. Not something you can say for all who experience something so horrific and with some personal responsibility. Ted was not a sociopath and nor was he not impacted by that tragedy. Believe what you will, but I believe THAT fully.

[questionseverything]

42. You actually made my point, politicians don't need to be saints to do good work

[yellow dahlia]

58. Thank you.

Ted was flawed and drank a lot, but he was not a sociopath. I believe he wasn't allowed to counter the "official story".

[yellow dahlia]

50. You're assuming the official story about Chappaquiddick was accurate.

[questionseverything]

53. Any version of the story ends with a dead woman last known to be with a senator

I hope I’m wrong but I feel maine is no longer in play

W/o Maine we can’t control the senate

I would vote for the devil himself to get a democratic majority but I seem to be the minority

So it’s time to start hoarding water and canned goods and get ready for the 23% ss cut because that’s where we are headed

[yellow dahlia]

57. Actually, Mary Jo was last seen at the party, not with Ted K. I have wonked out on this in my past.

But meanwhile, after seeing the interview with the Executive Director of the Maine Democrats with Lawrence O'D last night, I have hope that the Maine Dems got this. They have a plan in place, and it will done with transparency.
https://democraticunderground.com/100221362489 (My OP from last night.)

Here is the full video, courtesy of our DU pal, Rhiannon. https://democraticunderground.com/100221362489

[MichMan]

77. Wasn't it his car that her body was in?

[yellow dahlia]

78. Yes. One theory is she had gone out to his car to lie down, and he drove away from the party,

not knowing she was there. Her body was found in the back seat. Mary Jo had left her purse at the party.

And then when he went off the bridge and into the water, he left the car because he had been drinking. He went back to his hotel. He didn't find out Mary Jo had been in the car until the next day, when they pulled the car out of the pond.

There are many books that document the goings on that night which don't match up with the official story. I've read a few of them - some may be out of print.

I believe, that the next day when Mary Jo's body was found, Ted's "handlers" took over and started spinning an "official story" that was worse than the truth.

[mvd]

47. Have to say so did I

I didn’t like Mills’s positions as much, but still thought Platner had too much baggage. The list of replacement candidates looks quite solid to me.

[yellow dahlia]

51. There are some much better candidates on the current bench.

[CrimsonBight]

52. Congratulations on your newfound sense of superiority.

[niyad]

55. Seriously? Belatedly, what flavour pizza do you like?

[CrimsonBight]

62. Yes, seriously.

Beyond pointing out (dubiously, I might add) that one had knowledge of Graham Platner's abusive behaviors before they were made public, these posts serve no purpose whatsoever.

Thanks to GERD, a low calorie diet, and living in a non-north eastern state, I don't eat much pizza these days. But when I did partake: pepperoni.

[niyad]

63. Who on DU claimed knowledge before the posts were made public?

A fascinating statement.

[CrimsonBight]

64. As with pizza, I don't partake in pedantry.

If you believe these posts serve some purpose beyond gloating about being right, feel free to make your case. Otherwise, I'm out.

[niyad]

65. Do keep trying, we could all use a moment.

[Quiet Em]

72. What purpose does continuing to defend him serve?

[Cha]

71. What are you talking about? This

is a Discussion board... Personally attacking someone is uncalled for.

We respect our members.