Scandal-plagued Graham Platner clinches Dem Maine Senate primary: ‘I’ve made mistakes’

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 6, 2026

Bradskii said:
But by referring to her as a victim, you are already assuming that she was victimised. My point is that if she was the only person to complain then it wouldn't be enough as there is very obviously a possibility of bias in her case. Let's face it, if she took Platner to court then her testimony would be ripped to shreds by any half competent lawyer.

There are a couple of other women who have made statements, but nothing like as serious as Fifield's. As it stands at the moment, unless something else comes up, I've no reason to change my mind about the guy.

That is, effectively, an admission. He didn't deny he was a bad boyfriend.

They are very obvious reasons. I think it would be naive not to consider them. You'll find that all reputable news outlets mention her connections as a matter of course. Because they are relevant to the story. But did you know who didn't? The New York Post, which was linked to in the OP. They didn't mention them at all. Any reasonable person should ask themselves why that was.

Any time the NYP is quoted then it's a cast iron certainty that you need to spend a few minutes checking the background to the story because it's a certainty that they have either included something that isn't true or has omitted something which is.

You do know that he is in the news today again because another woman has accused him of rape? I doubt all of them are lying to multiple sources. I just saw that one first.

A woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.

The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO in three interviews over the past two weeks. POLITICO also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office.

Maine Woman Tells Politico a Blacked-Out Platner Raped Her; Platner Denies

Graham Platner, the ex-Marine with a Totenkopf tattoo and an oyster hobby whose Icarus-like rise in American politics saw him endorsed by progressive icons such as U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct. According to...

www.themainewire.com

FreeinChrist · Jul 6, 2026

He needs to drop out of the race. The sooner the better.

Bradskii · Jul 6, 2026

RestoreTheJoy said:
You do know that he is in the news today again because another woman has accused him of rape? I doubt all of them are lying to multiple sources. I just saw that one first.

I've literally just been reading that on my news feed myself. It's news that just broke this morning.

I'll agree that this claim should be taken seriously. It doesn't change my opinion on why Fifield's comments should be discounted, but I see no reason to reject these new accusations.

I can't now offer any support for Platner. He should withdraw.

Edit: Which I think he will. From here: Democrats begin withdrawing endorsements of Graham Platner after Senate candidate is accused of sexual assault – live

'While Platner deemed the reporting inaccurate, he said that his campaign was “mindful of the political reality” that the accusation “will inflict”.

“We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to,” he added.'

Bradskii · Jul 7, 2026

A follow up...

I've just been listening to a political podcast that I follow, presented by a couple of Brits: The Rest Is Politics. One guy from the left of politics (worked closely with Blair for many years) and one from the right (one of the youngest cabinet ministers in a Conservative government). You get a balanced view. And they were talking to Ben Rhodes, one of Obama's speech writers. And the discussion headed off into where the Dems go from here. This is taken from the transcript:

'I mean Platner's been...I don't know if you've guys covered this but like...and I spent hours talking to the guy like and and look he's got plenty of flaws, but what what he has is authenticity. Nobody thinks that that guy's bought and paid for you know, and like I would take that over you know some candidate who looks like they're designed in a laboratory by the Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, you know the Democratic senatorial campaign committee.'

It was recorded yesterday, before the last information had been reported.

How things change. And so quickly. I'm pretty certain that whatever happens with Platner will be discussed at some point on the podcast. When it comes up I might link to and quote from what they say.

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 9, 2026

Bradskii said:
I've literally just been reading that on my news feed myself. It's news that just broke this morning.

I'll agree that this claim should be taken seriously. It doesn't change my opinion on why Fifield's comments should be discounted, but I see no reason to reject these new accusations.

I can't now offer any support for Platner. He should withdraw.

Edit: Which I think he will. From here: Democrats begin withdrawing endorsements of Graham Platner after Senate candidate is accused of sexual assault – live

'While Platner deemed the reporting inaccurate, he said that his campaign was “mindful of the political reality” that the accusation “will inflict”.

“We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to,” he added.'

He did withdraw- obviously grudgingly, if you saw the video. Democrats had noticed the polling had been falling for Platner by July 1 because Collins had pulled ahead before this recent rape accusation - by a Democrat, if that matters (which it should not - but seems to in some settings). So the pressure to boot him was on.

Bradskii · Jul 9, 2026

RestoreTheJoy said:
He did withdraw- obviously grudgingly, if you saw the video. Democrats had noticed the polling had been falling for Platner by July 1 because Collins had pulled ahead before this recent rape accusation - by a Democrat, if that matters (which it should not - but seems to in some settings). So the pressure to boot him was on.

Which seems to be you saying that if his numbers were fine then whatever he had done would be overlooked. That's not the way the world must work.

ThatRobGuy · Jul 9, 2026

Bradskii said:
Which seems to be you saying that if his numbers were fine then whatever he had done would be overlooked. That's not the way the world must work.

I hate to break it to you, but...

As I noted in the other thread, in a rigid two-party system that's heavily polarized, the political tunnel vision is strong among hyper-partisans.

People can choose to believe that Democrats were just too darn moral and principled to fall into the same kinds of traps that the MAGA people did, but that would be wishful thinking.

But on a lighter note, at least the satire world has been entertaining today

Bradskii · Jul 9, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
I hate to break it to you, but...

As I noted in the other thread, in a rigid two-party system that's heavily polarized, the political tunnel vision is strong among hyper-partisans.

Which doesn't change what I said. You even highlighted it so that everyone was in no doubt about what I meant.

ThatRobGuy · Jul 9, 2026

Bradskii said:
Which doesn't change what I said. You even highlighted it so that everyone was in no doubt about what I meant.

"Lesser of two evils voting" and having to make moral compromises is inescapable in our current election system.

CGP Grey does a pretty good job of breaking down what a better system of voting would be that could alleviate some of it.

"Sexual deviant who happens to agree with me politically" vs. "Guy who may be squeaky clean, but who has the polar opposite viewpoint from me on abortion, guns, climate, separation of Church and state, and healthcare" is a moral trade off that people have to make at the ballot box far more often than people would like to think in US politics.

If you put yourself in the shoes of a US progressive (while I know you have the parliamentary system down there, so you're not stuck with those kinds of decisions quite as often, pretend for a moment you're stuck in our system).

There's a guy who shows real promise in accomplishing all of the things you wanted for years -- raising the min wage, single-payer healthcare, paid family leave, green new deal, assault weapons ban, pro-union, billionaires tax... the whole package. You find out late in the game that he's a sexual deviant and abusive. He's running against Mike Pence (who holds the opposite views on all of those aforementioned issues), but is squeaky clean in the "sex abuse scandal" department. And it's amid the backdrop of other progressive candidates in that race being lackluster and almost certain to lose to Pence. How are you voting in that situation?

Bradskii · Jul 9, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
"Lesser of two evils voting" and having to make moral compromises is inescapable in our current election system.

CGP Grey does a pretty good job of breaking down what a better system of voting would be that could alleviate some of it.

"Sexual deviant who happens to agree with me politically" vs. "Guy who may be squeaky clean, but who has the polar opposite viewpoint from me on abortion, guns, climate, separation of Church and state, and healthcare" is a moral trade off that people have to make at the ballot box far more often than people would like to think in US politics.

If you put yourself in the shoes of a US progressive (while I know you have the parliamentary system down there, so you're not stuck with those kinds of decisions quite as often, pretend for a moment you're stuck in our system).

There's a guy who shows real promise in accomplishing all of the things you wanted for years -- raising the min wage, single-payer healthcare, paid family leave, green new deal, assault weapons ban, pro-union, billionaires tax... the whole package. You find out late in the game that he's a sexual deviant and abusive. He's running against Mike Pence (who holds the opposite views on all of those aforementioned issues), but is squeaky clean in the "sex abuse scandal" department. And it's amid the backdrop of other progressive candidates in that race being lackluster and almost certain to lose to Pence. How are you voting in that situation?

You are repeating yourself constantly. I'm not sure why. You know my exact position. It doesn't change from post to post. So why bother asking a question to which you know the answer?

One thing I've mentioned which you still haven't addressed is how you would vote. Whether your principles would overide your personal desires and political affiliations.

ThatRobGuy · Jul 9, 2026

Bradskii said:
One thing I've mentioned which you still haven't addressed is how you would vote. Whether your principles would overide your personal desires and political affiliations.

I have answered that question...I wouldn't vote, I'd stay home and order a pizza like I did in 2024.

Now, if you're asking about a "gun to your head, you have to vote" hypothetical, I'd vote for the person who shared my political views, because then it becomes a question of "past damage that we can't go back and do anything about now whether this person wins or not" vs. "future damage that can still be prevented by making sure the other guy doesn't win"

Hans Blaster · Jul 9, 2026

RestoreTheJoy said:
He did withdraw- obviously grudgingly, if you saw the video. Democrats had noticed the polling had been falling for Platner by July 1 because Collins had pulled ahead before this recent rape accusation - by a Democrat, if that matters (which it should not - but seems to in some settings). So the pressure to boot him was on.

Are you saying that the GOP/Collins would have pulled out their oppo pile of other examples next week when it was too late?

Pommer · Jul 9, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
I have answered that question...I wouldn't vote, I'd stay home and order a pizza like I did in 2024.

While abdicating your right to help pick our President is not disqualifying as to having opinions, said views can be taken with a grain of salt.

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 10, 2026

Bradskii said:
Which seems to be you saying that if his numbers were fine then whatever he had done would be overlooked. That's not the way the world must work.

I agree that candidate selection should not work that way.

But it was working that way here, out of desperation. The Democrats deliberately overlooked the Nazi tattoo, a fake background (he was a rich kid who attended prep schools, not working class), his business was not "recovering from the pandemic (funded by Mom), the naked online photo with towel, the Reddit posts, the sexting to other women/girls while married, numerous allegations from other women and finally, this rape allegation on camera.

I stand by my statement. IF they stood with him through all that until some woman went public with her rape allegation because she was bothered by how the other woman on record was dismissed "as a conservative", they stood by too much for the wrong reasons.

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
Are you saying that the GOP/Collins would have pulled out their oppo pile of other examples next week when it was too late?

I am saying what I said. Your speculation is noted but not backed with evidence.

Bradskii · Jul 10, 2026

RestoreTheJoy said:
I agree that candidate selection should not work that way.

But it was working that way here, out of desperation. The Democrats deliberately overlooked the Nazi tattoo, a fake background (he was a rich kid who attended prep schools, not working class), his business was not "recovering from the pandemic (funded by Mom), the naked online photo with towel, the Reddit posts, the sexting to other women/girls while married, numerous allegations from other women and finally, this rape allegation on camera.

I stand by my statement. IF they stood with him through all that until some woman went public with her rape allegation because she was bothered by how the other woman on record was dismissed "as a conservative", they stood by too much for the wrong reasons.

I'll agree that the more we know about him, the less likely we are to support him. But nobody is perfect. We all have skeletons in the cupboard. Everything I knew about him up to the latest claim wasn't enough for me personally to ditch him. Everyone will have a point where they'll say 'I'm out. He's crossed a line'. That point was reached earlier for you than it was for me. And that will be the case for everyone.

But we're now in agreement. Now both of us can ask 'How can you still support this guy?' Which is a question we can ask in regard to others. And the trite answer will often be something along the lines of 'Well, we didn't vote for a pastor'.

ThatRobGuy · Jul 10, 2026

Bradskii said:
I'll agree that the more we know about him, the less likely we are to support him. But nobody is perfect. We all have skeletons in the cupboard. Everything I knew about him up to the latest claim wasn't enough for me personally to ditch him. Everyone will have a point where they'll say 'I'm out. He's crossed a line'. That point was reached earlier for you than it was for me. And that will be the case for everyone.

But we're now in agreement. Now both of us can ask 'How can you still support this guy?' Which is a question we can ask in regard to others. And the trite answer will often be something along the lines of 'Well, we didn't vote for a pastor'.

Ultimately, that will likely come down to something resembling the political version of the "crazy/hot" matrix (popularized by the show "How I met your mother"), and will vary by individual.

In the political version "Crazy" translates to "How many skeletons are in their closet" and "Hot" translates to "How many of my political ambition wish list items can they help make into a reality".

In real world terms. If it's a lackluster candidate who's kind of wishy-washy, and doesn't show a tremendous amount of promise at getting things done, the tolerance for skeletons in the closet is very low.

For example, Ralph Northam was pressured to get out by fellow democrats in 2019 because he went to a Halloween party in Blackface in 1984. There was no "yeah, well, that was a long time ago, and he's repented" sort of talk, it was "you did this moderately offensive thing 40 years ago, you're gone"

But he was a lackluster politician who wasn't going to move the needle or "shake things up" in any big way.

In the case of Platner, they were willing to tolerate a lot of skeletons (some of which were very recent), and it wasn't until it reached "full blown rape" that it passed the tipping point in his case.

And it should be known, sometimes that political tunnel vision lasts decades.

How long were people propping up Cesar Chavez as some sort of "folk hero for the working class" and turning a blind eye to his misdeeds involving underage girls (and being physically and verbally abusive to other people) that spanned decades? The NY Time investigation found that his abuses (sexual, verbal, and physical) were well known, but efforts were made to downplay things because he was seen as being important to the movement, and "the folk hero" turning out to be a sexually abusive jackass could damage the the labor organizing movement efforts of the 70's. It was literally just this year when he got officially "cancelled" (30 years after he died)

There's some parallels here...

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 11, 2026

Bradskii said:
I'll agree that the more we know about him, the less likely we are to support him. But nobody is perfect. We all have skeletons in the cupboard. Everything I knew about him up to the latest claim wasn't enough for me personally to ditch him. Everyone will have a point where they'll say 'I'm out. He's crossed a line'. That point was reached earlier for you than it was for me. And that will be the case for everyone.

But we're now in agreement. Now both of us can ask 'How can you still support this guy?' Which is a question we can ask in regard to others. And the trite answer will often be something along the lines of 'Well, we didn't vote for a pastor'.

But those are some serious "skeletons" and a whole lot of them that were just ignored...until the rape accusation in person on camera (not some "sources say" nonsense).

That's entirely different than 20 years ago he failed to pay some bill, had a fling and his wife forgave him, or filed bankruptcy, or had some bookkeeping error caught by the IRS. Still wrong - illegal, but not the same kind of thing.

RestoreTheJoy · Jul 11, 2026

RestoreTheJoy said:
I generally agree. But those are some serious "skeletons" and a whole lot of them that were just ignored...until the rape accusation in person on camera (not some "sources say" nonsense).

That's entirely different than 20 years ago he failed to pay some bill, had a fling and his wife forgave him, or filed bankruptcy, or had some bookkeeping error caught by the IRS. Still wrong - illegal, but not the same kind of thing.

Scandal-plagued Graham Platner clinches Dem Maine Senate primary: ‘I’ve made mistakes’

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