# Are there any reasons to reject Graham Platner in Maine (campaign suspended July 8, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179 "2026-03-04T03:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/603 "2026-05-08T21:00:46Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Unless you’re claiming to be the Official Antisemitism Arbiter, that statement is literally meaningless. I’m claiming to be the Official Arbiter of What I, Babale, Consider Anti-Semitic. If you were worried that my opinions would be legally binding on you, I can assure you, they are not. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > It seems like you’re semi-implying that opposition to spiraling wealth inequality is _inherently_ an antisemitic dog whistle, No, of course not; spiralling wealth inequality is a huge problem that we should do far more to address as a society. The thing is, spiralling wealth inequality is caused by preverse incentives throughout the system, not a nefarious cabal of evildoers bent on world domination. The idea that systemic issues lead to spiralling wealth inequality is well accepted by economists around the world. The idea that this is the result of the intentional machinations of a secret cabal is in the realm of conspiracy theories and almost every time it does turn out in the end that the cabal that these conspiracy minded folks have in mind is indeed Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/604 "2026-05-08T21:05:22Z")
OK, fair enough. Now can you point to quotes that demonstrate Platner is clearly thinking on the “secret cabal” level rather than the “systemic issues” level? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/605 "2026-05-08T21:17:46Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > I would not have recognized the skull that the Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner had tattooed on his chest as a Nazi symbol. Well, yeah, particularly because the tat is blurry and the only picture showing it isnt very good. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/606 "2026-05-08T21:44:04Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > OK, fair enough. Now can you point to quotes that demonstrate Platner is clearly thinking on the “secret cabal” level rather than the “systemic issues” level? For one, he went on the podcast of a guy who peddles exactly those kinds of conspiracy theories and said he was a “longtime fan” of his. I know you like to point out the single claim that guy made about Israel killing Charlie Kirk or whatever, but he goes far beyond that, with all the usual dog whistles: “globalists” like George Soros put Mamdani in office in order to orchestrate a 9/11 style attack to provoke islamophobia: > **[Platner sat for lengthy interview with antisemitic conspiracy theorist, said...](https://jewishinsider.com/2026/02/graham-platner-maine-senate-nate-cornacchia/)** > > Podcaster Nate Cornacchia has said that Israel was behind John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the global war on terror > [@](#): > > In addition, Cornacchia has suggested that the global war on terror was conducted “on behest of Israel” and claimed Israel would benefit if another 9/11-style attack were carried out during the tenure of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying it would help to drum up Islamophobic sentiment and lead to another foreign military entanglement in the Middle East. > > The Jewish state “got exactly who they wanted” in Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor whom the Israeli government has accused of antisemitism, he argued on his own show in November. “That’s their candidate, guys. You got to pay attention.” > > The conservative YouTube commentator has also questioned why George Soros’ son Alex was seen posing for a photograph with Mamdani on the night of his election. “You may immediately be thinking, ‘Oh, well, of course, that’s because Soros funds all the socialists,’” Cornacchia said of George, a Jewish billionaire donor to left-wing causes and a Holocaust survivor who is often a target of antisemitic attacks. > > “No, no, no, no, that’s surface level,” he told his viewers, claiming that the philanthropist “moves in coordination with our greatest ally,” a term he uses to sarcastically allude to Israel. There’s “criticism of Israel” and there is “George Soros put Mamdani in power as part of a long term plan to cause a 9/11 style attack while New York has a Muslim mayor securing Israel’s control over America for generations”. This is the guy that Platner is a “long time fan” of. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/607 "2026-05-08T22:14:09Z")
OK, that guy’s clearly whack (you missed the bit about how the Mossad killed JFK). But is there evidence beyond a single pro forma pleasantry that Platner is actually a “big fan” of the guy? Was he saying this sort of crazy stuff during the interview and Platner failed to push back on it? ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/608 "2026-05-08T22:26:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I know you like to point out the single claim that guy made about Israel killing Charlie Kirk or whatever, but he goes far beyond that, with all the usual dog whistles: I think you have me confused with someone else? I don’t recall ever posting on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/609 "2026-05-08T22:29:25Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > OK, fair enough. Now can you point to quotes that demonstrate Platner is clearly thinking on the “secret cabal” level rather than the “systemic issues” level? In the sycophantic interview Jon Stewart did of him, Platner spoke about systemic issues. Not about a cabal, secret or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/610 "2026-05-08T22:33:54Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > For one, he went on the podcast of a guy who peddles exactly those kinds of conspiracy theories and said he was a “longtime fan” of his. What would you _expect_ him to say at the beginning of an interview where he’s trying to win hearts and minds? “You suck and your podcast is shit”? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/611 "2026-05-08T22:36:05Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > OK, that guy’s clearly whack (you missed the bit about how the Mossad killed JFK). But is there evidence beyond a single pro forma pleasantry that Platner is actually a “big fan” of the guy? Was he saying this sort of crazy stuff during the interview and Platner failed to push back on it? You can choose to give that level of charity in this situation to someone with a Nazi tattoo; I will not be doing so. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I think you have me confused with someone else? I don’t recall ever posting on this topic. Fair enough, someone earlier claimed this guy wasn’t Anti-Semitic because “all he did” was claim Israel killed Kirk but if it wasn’t you that’s my bad. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/612 "2026-05-08T22:37:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > What would you _expect_ him to say at the beginning of an interview where he’s trying to win hearts and minds? “You suck and your podcast is shit”? Well, I’d expect him _not to go on_ that kind of podcast for a friendly chat. This isn’t Joe Rogan, odious as he has become. If you’re going to enter those kinds of spaces, you should be antagonistic. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/613 "2026-05-08T22:39:15Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > but I don’t see where he makes the leap to something Nazi like. It’s like people take every single thing individually instead of as a body of evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/614 "2026-05-08T22:56:19Z")
I would think body of evidence would involve his campaign statements, as opposed to rorschach tattoo tests. Here’s Platner on trans people: > Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer who [launched](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/graham-platner) his Democratic primary campaign in August in hopes of ultimately challenging Sen. [Susan Collins](https://www.commondreams.org/tag/susan-collins) (R-Maine) for her seat in 2026, answered that he firmly believes “that every single American has the right to live the life they want to live in their own body as they see fit,” and emphasized what he views as his “responsibility” as a straight, white, cisgender male, to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ people. > “I get to put myself out there in ways that other people don’t,” said Platner. “I’m doing this because I know that I can say things, I know that I can have conversations, I know that I can knock on doors in places that a lot of other people can’t have access to, that a lot of other people won’t feel safe in.” > “Yes, I will absolutely stand next to you, and if we ever have to go knock doors together, I’m happy to stand by your side,” he added. Jacobin Magazine: > In the clip, a woman in the audience asks him how he plans to deal with the alleged horde of “illegals” getting “free benefits” in Maine. The crowd of Platner supporters reacts with impatience and starts heckling her. Platner interjects to defuse the situation. “If you listen to what she was saying,” he says, “at its core, she’s angry about the same things you are,” only that anger was being channeled in the wrong direction. > Discussing the clip with hosts David Griscom and Matt Lech, Platner said that “when economic systems fail people” and the lives of working-class Mainers get worse as a result, then “right-wing populism arises” to provide misleading answers and “always blames marginalized communities, immigrant groups, those who are weakest.” The solution is to give a better answer, rooted in “left-wing populism, or progressive populism, a populism that is there to address the underlying economic failures.” > As he warmed to the theme, he dredged up something he vaguely remembered hearing several years earlier. “I forget whose quote this is but . . . be forgiving with people, be brutal with systems.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/615 "2026-05-08T22:59:39Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > It’s like people take every single thing individually instead of as a body of evidence. The body of evidence shows that he is not a Nazi, secret or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/616 "2026-05-08T23:04:23Z")
It’s 100% like that, because conspiracy theories are founded on bodies of evidence, when each individual piece of evidence is weak and falls apart under scrutiny. If no single piece of evidence is strong enough to draw a conclusion, the body of evidence is not strong enough to draw a conclusion. Curious, by the way, whether you concede that the sleeve tattoo issue was accurately represented by Platner, and was likely the reason he was not allowed to enlist? I feel like the conspiracy take on that has been thoroughly refuted, but I have not seen any of its proponents concede the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/617 "2026-05-08T23:20:38Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Well, I’d expect him _not to go on_ that kind of podcast for a friendly chat. This isn’t Joe Rogan, odious as he has become. If you’re going to enter those kinds of spaces, you should be antagonistic. Well, now we’re getting somewhere. I agree, BUT do we know Platner realized what kind of space it was? I just googled Nate Cornacchia and checked out his YouTube homepage, and I see no overt signs of Naziism. He obviously peddles lowbrow polititainment and conspiracy theories, which seem to be generally anti-MAGA. Mostly he seems to talk about his military experiences and the awesome workout techniques he learned there. There’s no mention of Jews or Israel at all. Either the antisemitic craziness is a fairly recent development or he’s smart enough to not make it obvious in his public-facing persona. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/618 "2026-05-08T23:36:20Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Well, I’d expect him _not to go on_ that kind of podcast for a friendly chat. This isn’t Joe Rogan, odious as he has become. Why? It took you and others quite a bit of time to dig up all the “dirt” on the blogger, I had checked and couldnt find any cites at all before the Platner interview. In other words- AFTER the Platner interview, Platner haters dug up all that dirt on the guy. Platner couldnt have known that stuff before he went on the interview, and remember, that guy has done tonnes of stuff, it took time for people to dig that stuff up. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I just googled Nate Cornacchia and checked out his YouTube homepage, and I see no overt signs of Naziism. He obviously peddles lowbrow polititainment and conspiracy theories, which seem to be generally anti-MAGA. Yep, so did I. And if he was a _well known_ antisemite and bigot, YouTube would have taken his channel down. So how was Platner to know? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/619 "2026-05-08T23:43:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It took you and others quite a bit of time to dig up all the “dirt” on the blogger, Wat? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Platner couldnt have known that stuff before he went on the interview, As a long time fan, of course he could have. > [@DrDeth](#): > > And if he was a _well known_ antisemite and bigot, YouTube would have taken his channel down. 🤣 That’s a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/620 "2026-05-08T23:53:15Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > As a long time fan, of course he could have. You’re still taking a bog-standard platitude as an irrefutable statement of fact, which is rather odd since you refuse to give anything else Platner has ever said that level of credence. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/621 "2026-05-08T23:56:35Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > As a long time fan, of course he could have. Nope. > [@Babale](#): > > Wat? > [@DrDeth](#): > > I had checked and couldnt find any cites at all before the Platner interview. In other words- AFTER the Platner interview, Platner haters dug up all that dirt on the guy. Platner couldnt have known that stuff before he went on the interview, and remember, that guy has done tonnes of stuff, it took time for people to dig that stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/622 "2026-05-09T00:21:10Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > As a long time fan, of course he could have. > > You’re still taking a bog-standard platitude as an irrefutable statement of fact, which is rather odd since you refuse to give anything else Platner has ever said that level of credence. Yes, of all his claims that seems one of the most likely to be a lie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=32)