# People defending Graham Platner are pathetic and intellectually bankrupt **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839 "2026-06-12T02:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/1 "2026-06-12T02:58:03Z")
Go ahead and say you should vote for him because 1 more in the senate is more important than a Nazi tattoo, that’s defensible. However, there are many people in P&E saying “oh no, that’s not a totenkopf, that’s just a smudge…” Fuck you. You’re disgusting, you have no integrity. You’re really going on after many hundreds of posts denying everything that we can all see with our own eyes?! People showing their whole ass and letting the board know who they are. Don’t particularly want a conversation here, but I’d get banned saying this over there, so here I am. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/2 "2026-06-12T03:09:55Z")
Yeah, that’s how I feel too. I am totally sympathetic to the argument of “When MAGA is 1000 points worse, why are you criticizing Platner who is only 200 points bad” or “Platner already said he regretted that tattoo and he wouldn’t do it again.” But to claim that totenkopf isn’t a totenkopf, is gaslighting. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/3 "2026-06-12T03:28:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But to claim that totenkopf isn’t a totenkopf, is gaslighting. I agree with this. He might end up doing well in the job if he gets elected, but this will always be a taint on him as it should be. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/4 "2026-06-12T03:47:56Z")
Thing is, as the years roll by, LOTS of tattoos turn into smudges. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/5 "2026-06-12T09:13:36Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > However, there are many people in P&E saying “oh no, that’s not a totenkopf, that’s just a smudge…” This is the pit, you’re allowed to name specific posters. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/6 "2026-06-12T09:18:59Z")
Were there many posters saying it wasn’t a totenkopf? I can recall one, but my memory is now suspect. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2026, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/7 "2026-06-12T10:24:18Z")
Yeah, I think China Guy is the only one who’s denying it’s a totenkopf, and even there I’m not entirely clear what the argument is. It’s motivated reasoning for sure, just as surely as “Platner was texting underage girls, and it’s going to come out before the election” is motivated reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/8 "2026-06-12T10:46:04Z")
Since you insisted - one more senator is more important than a nazi tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/9 "2026-06-12T11:34:39Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, I think China Guy is the only one who’s denying it’s a totenkopf, That was what I understood from reading that thread, so I was wondering who else @Snarky_Kong was calling out with their “many people”. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/10 "2026-06-12T11:48:43Z")
Couldn’t even get past the first sentence before they contradicted their title. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/11 "2026-06-12T11:55:11Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > denying everything that we can all see with our own eyes?! If it’s so obvious on sight then explain why Rep. Gill’s photo needed help? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k5v4H8AtqWA/maxresdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k5v4H8AtqWA/maxresdefault.jpg) Oh, that’s right, because without the prompt, or already knowing what it is, all you can see is a black blob with two white spots. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/12 "2026-06-12T12:13:59Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > If it’s so obvious on sight then explain why Rep. Gill’s photo needed help? “We can all see with our own eyes” doesn’t mean it’s “obvious on sight.” It means that the evidence is there, and with the education of what a totenkopf looks like, it’s unambiguously supposed to be a totenkopf. You agree that’s what it is, right? A badly drawn, blurry, blobby Nazi symbol? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/13 "2026-06-12T12:17:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > You agree that’s what it is, right? A badly drawn, blurry, blobby Nazi symbol? Yes . . . because I know what it’s supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/14 "2026-06-12T12:20:09Z")
A German military symbol that has been used by the German military for centuries, (which includes the Nazi era) that is not iconic enough that very many people recognise it at all? Yawn. ---
**Author:** ![JoePockets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8dc957/32.png) [@JoePockets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoePockets)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/15 "2026-06-12T12:27:05Z")
He’s better than Collins and that the choices! It’s not a perfect world we live in and never will be ! Collins had her swings at the plate! No more! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/16 "2026-06-12T12:31:52Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > A German military symbol that has been used by the German military for centuries, (which includes the Nazi era) that is not iconic enough that very many people recognise it at all? Yawn. Platner’s is, supposed to be, a Nazi era totenkopf. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/17 "2026-06-12T12:35:21Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Yes . . . because I know what it’s supposed to be. Right. I think but am not sure that China Guy is still suggesting there’s doubt that’s actually what it is. I don’t think there’s any reasonable doubt. Where there’s doubt is whether Platner knew what it is prior to his campaign. I certainly don’t think that I can draw a confident conclusion, and I side-eye anyone who is confident in their conclusion, unless that person is Platner or heard firsthand from Platner prior to his campaign that it was a totenkopf. (And don’t come at me with cites of people who heard that firsthand; because they could be mistaken or lying just as Platner could be, I still don’t have confidence) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/18 "2026-06-12T12:39:39Z")
Sometimes you have to make unpleasant choices. I personally am more troubled about the sexual allegations than by a tattoo that a drunken serviceman got overseas. I’m infinitely more troubled by a president that is the evillest person in US history, mind-numbingly stupid, cruel, incompetent, and corrupt than I am about 1% of the Senate having an objectionable tattoo. If voting for Platner is the difference between having a Republican-controlled Senate aiding and abetting the destruction of democracy and having a Democratic-controlled Senate resisting the end of the American experiment, then I would hold my nose and vote for Platner. He’s far from perfect, but he would do more than furrow his brow at the abuses of the criminal-in-chief. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/19 "2026-06-12T13:07:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I personally am more troubled about the sexual allegations than by a tattoo that a drunken serviceman got overseas. Much more troubling than the tattoo are [Platner’s embrace of neo-Nazi/white supremacist figures](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/platner-sat-lengthy-interview-antisemitic-075439570.html). But his personal problems can be overlooked because he’s right when it comes to policy. Oh wait, that’s what a prominent Republican said recently about Ken Paxton. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/20 "2026-06-12T13:15:53Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Oh wait, that’s what a prominent Republican said recently about Ken Paxton. I’m sure most Texas Republicans will happily vote for Paxton, a man so corrupt that his fellow Texas Republicans impeached him. I mean, you have to be pretty corrupt for other Republicans to impeach you, especially Texas ones. I don’t think the two are remotely comparable. I’m not defending Platner, but I would definitely vote for him if I were a Maine voter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=2)