Platner’s downfall reveals a political culture where character is sacrificed for winning

It’s easy to be cynical about politicians. They’re always coming up with something that makes us cringe. But if you need proof of how bad it can get, consider what so many prominent Democrats were willing to say and do for Graham Platner in his bid to oust Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Before news broke that Platner was accused of raping a woman he had dated — a woman who wasn’t anonymous, who didn’t hide in the shadows, but told her story on national television — the red warning lights were flashing. But most of his fellow Democrats who weren’t named with Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) didn’t want to notice.

Platner, a marine combat veteran was one of the Democratic Party’s newest progressive heroes who ran as a champion of Maine’s working class. But there were a few (let’s call them) complications. He had a Nazi tattoo on his chest for nearly 20 years and covered it up only when he decided to run for office. He said cops are bastards. He used slurs to describe people online. He said war was “the most enjoyable experience of my life.” When he was a bartender, he wondered, “Why don’t black people tip?” He sent explicit sexual text messages to women who weren’t his wife. And speaking about sexual assault, he said, “Rape is a real thing. If you’re so worried about it … you might not get blacked out f–d up around people you aren’t comfortable with.”

Apparently all of that was survivable — because Graham Platner was the guy who might beat Susan........

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