# 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:** 18
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/341 "2026-07-07T01:11:32Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Said Nazi tattoo could be written off as just a dumbfuck trying to be a badass edgelord while young and stupid in the military and then ignoring it thereafter until it became politically inexpedient. There is the shallow issue of “did he know it was a Nazi tattoo” which is debatable (though a not particularly winnable debate). But that was never the only thing. It was the icing on the pattern of a military guy who went onto be a military contractor, who later had a number of red flags surfaced by women in his life, and posted some of his own online, including weird stuff about raping home intruders, blaming women for getting too drunk to consent, all kinds of things. The Nazi tattoo is simply what ought to have been the most undeniable sign that this man has poor impulse control, poor judgment, and questionable character. The tattoo was never the only issue, it was part of a pattern of a toxicially masculine abuser type who showed numerous separate flags about that. It is totally wild to me that we’re sitting here going “okay, so maybe he’s got a credible rape allegation and maybe he lied about doing that and lied about the victim’s allegations, but I still totally buy that the Nazi tattoo was an accident.” And to be clear, I don’t think he’s a mustache-twirling Nazi carrying around a copy of _Mein Kampf_ and plotting to invade Poland. I think he’s a toxic asshole who knew he was getting a Nazi tattoo simply because he enjoyed seeing himself as the kind of guy who could get away with having a Nazi tattoo. Or a little mild domestic violence, or even a little sexual assault. He’s been lying to you this whole time. He thought you’d buy it, and he was right. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/342 "2026-07-07T01:11:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > There’s room for “Keep an open mind. We don’t have all the facts.” There’s even room for “I find the accusations suspicious.” And yet everyone in the thread has jumped to “the accusations are absolutely true and he should drop out because he’s a proven rapist”, when the timing and the source make it clear that what’s happening here is the Surrender Caucus saying to itself “Calling him a Nazi didn’t work, we need to try something else”. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/343 "2026-07-07T01:12:14Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t need the people fighting for me to be saints Cool! Do you need them not to be rapists who call their victims liars? Setting aside whether you think that’s the case here, is that a standard you hold? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/344 "2026-07-07T01:12:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Decency and morality don’t win elections in this country. You’re not entirely wrong. But I don’t care to be a supporter of a party, nor a candidate, which has chosen to ignore decency and morality in order to win elections. And if you feel that winning at any cost is worth it, then, I’m sorry for you. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/345 "2026-07-07T01:13:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > And yet everyone in the thread has jumped to “the accusations are absolutely true and he should drop out because he’s a proven rapist”. Who. Has. Said. That? ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/346 "2026-07-07T01:13:33Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > 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. He’s nuttier than a squirrel’s turd. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/347 "2026-07-07T01:14:06Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The Nazi tattoo is simply what ought to have been the most undeniable sign that this man has poor impulse control, poor judgment, and questionable character. The tattoo was never the only issue, it was part of a pattern of a toxicially masculine abuser type who showed numerous separate flags about that. This, absolutely. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/348 "2026-07-07T01:17:03Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Do you need them not to be rapists who call their victims liars? If it will impact their ability to legislate and there is a better alternative available, then yes. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/349 "2026-07-07T01:17:49Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Who. Has. Said. That? Everyone not named Smapti who’s posted to this thread in the last several hours. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/350 "2026-07-07T01:18:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Everyone not named Smapti who’s posted to this thread in the last several hours. Cite? ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/351 "2026-07-07T01:18:16Z")
This thread is my cite. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/352 "2026-07-07T01:19:08Z")
You aren’t worth the electrons to talk to any longer. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/353 "2026-07-07T01:28:21Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > And that’s why Democrats can’t win. Democrats win about half the time. As for who the state Democratic Committee could name as a Platner replacement, some mention Troy Jackson, who came in third in the 2026 Maine gubernatorial primary. Nariv Shah. who came in second, might have a better chance at winning median voters – although I may be influenced in saying that because of personal preference for such competent technocrats: > **[Nirav D. Shah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirav_D._Shah)** > > Nirav Dinesh Shah (born 1977) is an American epidemiologist, economist, attorney, and politician. He worked as an economist and epidemiologist at the Cambodian Ministry of Health. Shah was appointed as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health in 2015 and served in that role until 2019. He served as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2019 to 2023, leading the state through the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2023, he was appointed as the princ H... ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/354 "2026-07-07T01:30:49Z")
Well, if they placed second and third in a primary they planned on running in, the sky’s the limit on what they can accomplish when they’re flung into a race they weren’t interested in with four months to go and no primary mandate! If I were a Mainer and one of them replaced Platner I’d vote for them in a heartbeat, but I’d do so expecting them to lose. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/355 "2026-07-07T01:32:33Z")
@Smapti, is this “Democratic Party Establishment” in the room with us right now? Seriously, if the word “establishment” is to have any meaning whatsoever, it has to include the friggin’ President himself. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/356 "2026-07-07T01:32:46Z")
Platner is clearly done. There isn’t any point in talking about further support for him, but rather who is going to replace him. He can’t win with absolutely no support from Democrats. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/357 "2026-07-07T01:33:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > He can’t win with absolutely no support from Democrats. Then Democrats need to get their heads out of their asses and support him unless they want Collins to win. Which it’s been clear for awhile that some of them do. ---
**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 7, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/358 "2026-07-07T01:37:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > if the word “establishment” is to have any meaning whatsoever, it has to include the friggin’ President himself. Obama wasn’t part of the establishment. Trump’s not part of the Republican establishment. Biden stopped being part of the establishment when he sided with Obama over the candidate whose _turn_ it was ito run for president n their machine. Platner also stole someone’s turn. That’s why he had to be destroyed - to keep the “kids” from stepping out of line and daring to claim the votes they’re entitled to. It’s why they picked a man who was dying of cancer for leadership over AOC. It’s why they had no problem endorsing a sex pest when his opponent was a 30-year-old progressive. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/359 "2026-07-07T01:40:07Z")
Collins would have loved to hold on to this (along with the 10 other things we all know she has) until it was legally too late for the nominee to be changed. Getting it out now is only going to help the Democrats in this election. Of course, some people don’t want just any electable _Democrat_ to win the election and would prefer a choice between “a far-left DSA person ranting about Netanyahu controlling America” and “getting to complain for another six years about how The Billionaires stole the election” to sending a normal Janet Mills type to the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839/360 "2026-07-07T01:48:59Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > He can’t win with absolutely no support from Democrats. And with absolutely no money from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. Which they and the chair of the party have said they will pull from the Maine Senate contest if Platner is the nominee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-defending-graham-platner-are-pathetic-and-intellectually-bankrupt/1030839.md?page=19)