# 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:** 15
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/281 "2026-07-06T21:44:23Z")
Your hypothetical, unfalsifiable fantasies are indeed right here for all to see. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/282 "2026-07-06T21:50:16Z")
> [@2024 US general election prediction thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-us-general-election-prediction-thread/1007585/9): > > Harris picks up every state Biden won in 2020, plus North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and (possibly) Texas. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/283 "2026-07-06T21:52:17Z")
Khanna and Gallego have withdrawn endorsements. It’s over. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/284 "2026-07-06T21:56:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If Biden had stayed in the race he would have won, but he was sabotaged by the Democratic establishment. > > If Platner stays in the race he will win, but he’s being sabotaged by the Democratic establishment. > > The parallels are right there for anyone to see. This is conspiratorial lunacy on a par with “Trump staged his assassination attempts”. Cancelling campaign appearances and “taking time to reflect” are sure signs he’ll drop out, and hopefully a viable candidate will emerge from the wreckage.\* \*are there any lobster fishermen or clam diggers with progressive bona fides who’ve been vetted just a little bit more carefully? ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/285 "2026-07-06T22:00:17Z")
Yeah, the mistake I made there was that I doubted my first instinct. > [@Can the Democratic party nominate someone other than the incumbent President at their convention?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-democratic-party-nominate-someone-other-than-the-incumbent-president-at-their-convention/1003428/17): > > If Biden drops out, Trump wins. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/286 "2026-07-06T22:02:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > This is conspiratorial lunacy on a par with “Trump staged his assassination attempts”. No, it’s an established fact. The Democratic party leadership have been doing everything they can to stop progressives from winning elections ever since Obama had the audacity to win the nomination when it was Hillary’s turn to run and then forced them to actually pass legislation that benefitted ordinary people instead of their corporate donors and AIPAC. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/287 "2026-07-06T22:02:34Z")
Troy Jackson is a logger! And former Maine state senator. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/288 "2026-07-06T22:03:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The Democratic party leadership have been doing everything they can to stop progressives from winning elections I agree with you on this and you’re still posting like a lunatic. He’s going to drop out and hopefully the replacement wins. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/289 "2026-07-06T22:04:30Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Let’s go Troy Jackson! He’s a Bernie Sanders Democrat, which means Schumer will find some way to ratfuck him too, and you’ll fall for it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/290 "2026-07-06T22:05:58Z")
Schumer sucks but his best attempt in this race, Mills, was a pathetic failure. Face it - this is a credible accusation, Platner is probably a drunken rapist, and we’ll probably have a different candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/291 "2026-07-06T22:06:31Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > He’s definitely dropping out. You don’t “take time to reflect” on a campaign and then stay in. I can think of a few cases where a candidate “took time to reflect” and still stayed in a race. Bill Clinton did exactly that after the Jennifer Flowers scandal broke. There are others. So that phrase isn’t the automatic death sentence people are treating it as. That said, hopefully this particular dumbass makes the right choice and steps aside. And honestly, this thread — like most Pit threads — has drifted away from the actual arguments and turned into a referendum on the posters themselves. It’s a good reminder to me that wandering into the Pit is usually a bad idea on my part. The dynamic here just isn’t really my cup of tea. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/292 "2026-07-06T22:07:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Schumer sucks but his best attempt in this race, Mills, was a pathetic failure. His best attempt was recruiting a woman to falsely accuse him of being a drunken rapist. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Face it - this is a credible accusation About as credible as the accusation that Biden raped his granddaughter. The only reason you believe this one is because you want to. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/293 "2026-07-06T22:11:54Z")
I think you’re a moderately disturbed person who has trouble regulating your feelings about politics, and I recommend you step back and get some help with your mental health. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/294 "2026-07-06T22:13:58Z")
> [@Calder](#): > > It’s a good reminder to me that wandering into the Pit is usually a bad idea on my part. The dynamic here just isn’t really my cup of tea. I spend a lot of time in the Pit. While this thread isn’t the worst one you’ll see, it’s up there. Not everything is this bad. Most of the time, if a Pit thread is oriented toward other posters (as this one is), it’s going to be nasty. Other threads that primarily target things outside of the board itself **can be** very productive discussions. (Far from always, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/295 "2026-07-06T22:23:29Z")
You’re fucking nuts. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/296 "2026-07-06T22:33:20Z")
Tell me that when we’re watching Collins’ victory speech four months from now. We’re watching the only chance we had at a Senate majority evaporate in real time, because the party has chosen permanent minority status over working with progressives YET AGAIN, and I’m the one who’s nuts for being upset about it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/297 "2026-07-06T22:34:51Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think you’re a moderately disturbed person who has trouble regulating your feelings about politics, and I recommend you step back and get some help with your mental health. Just because he disagrees with you does not make him mentally ill. His emotion level is not any different than several other people in this thread. It’s a pretty normal reaction to being antagonized. And his position that Biden could have won if he’d stayed in is not remotely rare, let alone psychologically delusional. Please do not use mental health as means to antagonize people, no matter how wrong you think they are or how much you hate them. And, no, I don’t actually agree with him. I just have my sharp lines and call out people who cross them. **It’s not okay.** ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/298 "2026-07-06T22:36:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > We’re watching the only chance we had at a Senate majority evaporate in real time and I’m the one who’s nuts for being upset about it. They’re neck-and-neck in polling. This assumption that Platner is a guaranteed win and needs to be supported at all costs, and must be backed because of that is ignoring reality. Once again, you can’t claim that if Collins wins, it’s only because Platner was not available to be elected. That’s not how things work in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/299 "2026-07-06T22:38:18Z")
@Smapti has a long history of disturbed posts. He’s improved but regularly (IMO) relapses back to lunacy (like on this and on Israel/Gaza). It’s not his political positions that are nuts. It’s his black and white, doom and gloom posting, and compete disregard for any contrary facts. YMMV, but your disapproval means nothing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/300 "2026-07-06T22:40:00Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I spend a lot of time in the Pit. While this thread isn’t the worst one you’ll see, it’s up there. Not everything is this bad. Most of the time, if a Pit thread is oriented toward other posters (as this one is), it’s going to be nasty. Other threads that primarily target things outside of the board itself **can be** very productive discussions. (Far from always, of course.) Sorry — that came across more negative than I meant. I wasn’t trying to take a shot at people who like the Pit. I get that some folks genuinely enjoy a space where they can argue, vent, or cut loose. That’s a valid use of a forum. For me, though: 1. The signal‑to‑noise ratio in threads built around poster‑to‑poster conflict is basically zero. 2. I’m not good at emotion‑driven argument - I default to trying to sort things out logically, and that never lands well in the Pit. 3. I don’t like the way I feel when I try to participate in heavy emotional back‑and‑forth. It’s just not a mode that works for me. So my comment wasn’t meant as a judgment of the Pit or the people who enjoy it — just an acknowledgment that it’s not really where I function well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=16)