The meteoric rise and torturous fall of Graham Platner in Democratic Party politics may seem perplexing. 

Stuart Creque | July 25, 2026

The meteoric rise and torturous fall of Graham Platner in Democratic Party politics may seem perplexing. How could the Democratic Socialists of America select such a man without due diligence? How could the Democratic Party leave itself open to be put at his mercy when Maine plays such a key role in their quest to regain the Senate?

The story parallels the plot of the 1957 movie, A Face In The Crowd. Written by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan, A Face In The Crowd follows the rise and fall of a media-created Everyman named Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, played by Andy Griffith.

While recording a segment in an Arkansas jail for a local radio show, Marcia Jeffries meets inmate Larry Rhodes, who impresses her with his guitar playing and homespun patter. When Rhodes makes an impression on her audience, Marcia helps him get his own radio show, and his seemingly authentic personality lets him parlay that into a national television show based in New York. His charisma and influence attract the attention of aspiring Presidential candidate Senator Fuller, who asks Rhodes to give the senator a folksy appeal,

But Rhodes develops delusions of grandeur. One night, he brags of his sway over his audience, saying, “This whole country's just like my flock of sheep!”

Rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea-pickers -- everybody that's got to jump when somebody else blows the whistle. They don't know it yet, but they're all gonna be 'Fighters for Fuller'. They're mine! I own 'em! They think like I do. Only they're even more stupid........

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