I feel burnt by Fetterman. But I'm not worried about Platner. He's so much more than Susan Collins. I think 'harm reduction' exactly frames Platner's best case both to Mainers and to the rest of us.
Brian- I’ve been following your writing from beginning TPM days and dithering about whether I really want _another_ paid subscription on my card, and this piece decided it for me. Good on you.
I'm having a really hard time with the moral comparisons of Platner to what Republicans now embrace (Trump).
As far as I've read, aside from the Ladies for Kavanaugh republican operative who may or may not be telling the truth, he has not been accused of anything that even resembles a crime. Yes, some of his behavior from years ago is gross but he seems to have owned it, apologized and seems to have, and continues to, work on himself a lot. That is something that very, very few politicians do.
I think a lot of the "discourse" coming from Democrats and the corporate media is because they do not like his politics. No one should care what Republicans think of him.
Maybe more of his past comes out and some of it turns out to be actually disqualifying but until then, unless every single politician gets the NYT deep, invasive dive on their dating history and comments the media should just shut up about it.
O/T, but interesting, I think. Looking at how the MSM are posturing Platner this morning, and reading of his 83 townhalls & his outreach to BIPOC, it struck me that he's running a Peter Magyar campaign: Money & power, controlling the media, are going to do their best to crush him; his only chance is to immerse himself directly among the people, day after day. Hopefully that is his strategy & it continues. (Note: I'm not a Platner stan, but I recognize that his victory over Collins is imperative. And, in fact, he has a great platform, if he should turn out to be both sincere & effective.)
She is also the person who claims that Platner knew about the alleged origins of his tattoo as of August of 2025, for a couple of months longer than he has said. I say alleged, because there are a great many US military related tattoos that also have skulls. https://www.pinterest.com/ideas/green-beret-skull-tattoo/918256256776/. I have never seen his tattoo before he had it changed into something else.
In any event, the idea that a 20-21 y/o drunk marine who decided to get a tattoo was likely to have had much education about Nazi symbology or skull symbolism is ridiculous. Would he recognize that THIS skull has a Nazi origin, but THAT skull originates with Frederick the Great's Hussars in the 1740s, which, by the way, is where the Nazi's stole their Totenkopf, from Frederick's Totenkopfhusaren. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_crossbones
I'm a civil rights lawyer, since 1988. I have no patience for Nazi or other fascist apologists. I am far more concerned about the Crusader origins of Pete Hegseth's tattoos - which, as part of his Christian Nationalist ideology, were the reason he got them - than I am Platner's. And, the fact that Susan Collins got permission, where her vote didn't matter, to vote against Hegseth is typical of her history. She expresses concerns, tests the wind, determines if her vote will make a difference, and only votes against Trump's desires where her vote will not affect the outcome.
Platner is bucking not just the Republicans, but also the corporate backed wing of the Democratic Party. He very clearly understands - and has directly said - that the middle and working classes have been losing a class war for the past five decades. He has put him self firmly on the progressive side on that and other issues. If I lived in Maine, I would vote for him. We have to stop looking for historical purity in candidates who have not lived the well planned, well funded, and well protected lives of the Epstein class. He has lived a messy, complicated life, including service as a marine in 4 combat tours, and is someone who actually works for a living. The fact that he appears to have learned and grown and come through all of that to become the good man he is today is a benefit. It's a reason to vote for him, not against.
As far as Platner goes, he’s either a beacon of light and part of the path out of this mess and the Democratic Party should take a page or he’s going to make trump look like a choir boy. I choose to land in the first camp because I think we’ve gotten a pretty good look at who he is and how he handles things in the here and now. And because of the alternate is true about him there is no hope for humanity and we’re all doomed! As for Susan Collins, how is anyone who isn’t morally challenged still debating weather or not she’s a good choice? She showed this country a long time ago and many times over who she is to her core! It’s time we started collectively doing the work and put people who genuinely want to be CIVIL SERVANTS (isn’t that actually what the job is) into elected office. Then put term limits on those positions and finally holding their feet to the fire every step of the way. Then we must expect each and every one of us to do our civic duty because as Americans isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Do the homework, be engaged, pay attention, participate every damn time…isn’t that what was intended, what was expected of us? It’s time to make Civics part of education again! I’d argue that it is just as important if not more so than math and science!
I'll say first that, yes, there are real red flags around Platner and real reasons for concern. But I'll add that some of that appears to have been blown up to cartoonish and dishonest dimensions by lots of people who are not interested in countervailing narratives.
First, let's note that Platner's primary win wasn't even close. Maine Dems OVERWHELMINGLY chose him. Since the scandals have come to light, Platner hasn't hidden from the public. He's done numerous events across the state throughout the campaign, meeting thousands of voters. There's something insulting and belittling from many of his most caustic critics in saying, essentially, that all those Maine Democrats are suckers for a Nazi.
Many of his critics either opine that Maine Dems should have happily gone along with Chuck Schumer's choice of their elderly governor (I'm 70) or that Platner was jumping the line ahead of hundreds of more qualified Maine Dems serving in municipal or state legislative offices. As to Mills, from what I've read, many Maine Dems were tired of her and her centrist politics. As to the other option, any one of those hundreds of officials could have run—neither Platner nor his backers could have stopped them. They could have tried to make a more compelling case than Platner. Why didn't they? Were they afraid of taking on Mills or Schumer? If they couldn't fight in a Dem primary, why should voters have believed they'd fight the fascists?
I suggest folks who have an open mind on this read a few online pieces about Maine, Platner, and this race. The first two are by Maine-based Black woman anti-racism activist Shay Stewart-Bouley who, after meeting with all the Dem candidates but Mills—the governor was a known quantity to Stewart-Bouley—came to support Platner. She explains why. The third, by NYT columnist Michelle Goldberg, addresses the lie that some of Platner's most harsh critics toss out—that he didn't just have Nazi tattoo but actually is a nazi.
"A bad senator can be voted out of office." ...but you might have to wait as long as 6 years to do that.
The people should not have to wait 6 years to correct a mistake... to correct a Sinema-like mistake. It would take an amendment to the Constitution, but it would be worth the effort.
Perhaps after marinating in Trumps depravity for 10 years we are ready to put “questionable”behavior in some perspective. Speaking from faraway California, I hope Platner hangs Kavanaugh around Grandma Susie’s neck like a stinking albatross every single day til November.
Scolds like Auchincloss and Dean need to get real if they want a hope of governing.
Everyone needs to red Rick Perlstein’s recent piece.
I appreciate your discussion you had with yourself.
Democrats need to have compassion and empathy. I didn't fight in a war or suffer PTSD., but I can respect how Graham is working on his health. Dems are too quick to judge. NO ONE IS PERFECT. Let's work together, Dems.
He just reminds me of Fetterman, in his background. But Fetterman had a bad health issue which a friend of mine in Pennsylvania says caused his current attitudes. Either way, you have to vote for Platner.
Here's the thing, I'm one of the hundreds of millions of Americans who don't live in Maine. My interaction with this race going forward is one as a possible donor, and I'm getting regular pleads to donate regardless of not living in Maine.
This race stinks like McGrath/McConnell.
I don't feel Maine would be one of the top three most likely pickups even with a perfect candidate. At this point I respect Collins too much. I don't see why my finite dollars should go there instead of Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio, or even Texas. All of which seem much more likely to flip this cycle.
Probably not the same judgment I would make, but perfectly valid; donations and voting decisions are very different calculations. Also, FWIW, I am confident all of these candidates will be well funded basically no matter what.
My thoughts exactly. And one more thing - Collins was probably "allowed" to vote no on OBBB, because they had the votes. I bet if they didn't have the votes, she would have voted for it.
One of the best writers I know, Sebastian Junger, interviewed Platner. Here are excerpts from two of his articles that convince me Platner is SUCH an improvement over the perennially "concerned" Susan Collins:
"Revolutions ...are started by people who have known great difficulty, succumbed to great temptation, sunk to great depths. If you’re hoping for revolution, don’t expect purity. If you’re hoping for purity, don’t expect revolution... "
“To be honest, Platners background could be 90% of the guys in Hancock County,” one person wrote in the Times comment section. “Life is messy when you are scraping together a life…I just don't understand why news reporters never add how people can change.”..
Junger goes on to say: "The heart and soul of what Platner had to say to me - and to voters - is that American politics are deeply corrupt, and that Democrats are often as bad as Republicans. He went on to say that the true division in this country isn’t between liberals and conservatives but between economic elites and everyone else. These elites, in his opinion, have fomented political divisions to stay in power because their main goal is economic monopoly; politics simply serve that purpose. If he wins office, he said, it would be in part because conservative working-class voters saw themselves in him and trusted him to represent their interests.
This article should be an op-ed in the Portland Post Herald.
I feel burnt by Fetterman. But I'm not worried about Platner. He's so much more than Susan Collins. I think 'harm reduction' exactly frames Platner's best case both to Mainers and to the rest of us.
This is a very well reasoned and stated piece.
Brian- I’ve been following your writing from beginning TPM days and dithering about whether I really want _another_ paid subscription on my card, and this piece decided it for me. Good on you.
I hope your writing is read far and wide.
🥹
I'm having a really hard time with the moral comparisons of Platner to what Republicans now embrace (Trump).
As far as I've read, aside from the Ladies for Kavanaugh republican operative who may or may not be telling the truth, he has not been accused of anything that even resembles a crime. Yes, some of his behavior from years ago is gross but he seems to have owned it, apologized and seems to have, and continues to, work on himself a lot. That is something that very, very few politicians do.
I think a lot of the "discourse" coming from Democrats and the corporate media is because they do not like his politics. No one should care what Republicans think of him.
Maybe more of his past comes out and some of it turns out to be actually disqualifying but until then, unless every single politician gets the NYT deep, invasive dive on their dating history and comments the media should just shut up about it.
Double snap, Brian. Post this to every Maine publication, print and online.
O/T, but interesting, I think. Looking at how the MSM are posturing Platner this morning, and reading of his 83 townhalls & his outreach to BIPOC, it struck me that he's running a Peter Magyar campaign: Money & power, controlling the media, are going to do their best to crush him; his only chance is to immerse himself directly among the people, day after day. Hopefully that is his strategy & it continues. (Note: I'm not a Platner stan, but I recognize that his victory over Collins is imperative. And, in fact, he has a great platform, if he should turn out to be both sincere & effective.)
This concern is also why I post this information whenever people are likely to be discussing Platner and what he did or didn't do.
The only woman to accuse Platner of physical abuse is Lyndsey Fifield, a Republican operative who denies she is a Republican. https://www.newsweek.com/who-is-lyndsey-fifield-platners-republican-ex-girlfriend-what-we-know-12038091
Lyndsey Fifield was also the Social Media Manager for the Heritage Foundation. https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/177495/Lyndsey_Fifield.html.
She co-founded Ladies for Kavanaugh, an astroturf group that was created to give cover to Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. https://zeteo.com/p/did-the-new-york-times-just-run-an
She is also the person who claims that Platner knew about the alleged origins of his tattoo as of August of 2025, for a couple of months longer than he has said. I say alleged, because there are a great many US military related tattoos that also have skulls. https://www.pinterest.com/ideas/green-beret-skull-tattoo/918256256776/. I have never seen his tattoo before he had it changed into something else.
In any event, the idea that a 20-21 y/o drunk marine who decided to get a tattoo was likely to have had much education about Nazi symbology or skull symbolism is ridiculous. Would he recognize that THIS skull has a Nazi origin, but THAT skull originates with Frederick the Great's Hussars in the 1740s, which, by the way, is where the Nazi's stole their Totenkopf, from Frederick's Totenkopfhusaren. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_crossbones
I'm a civil rights lawyer, since 1988. I have no patience for Nazi or other fascist apologists. I am far more concerned about the Crusader origins of Pete Hegseth's tattoos - which, as part of his Christian Nationalist ideology, were the reason he got them - than I am Platner's. And, the fact that Susan Collins got permission, where her vote didn't matter, to vote against Hegseth is typical of her history. She expresses concerns, tests the wind, determines if her vote will make a difference, and only votes against Trump's desires where her vote will not affect the outcome.
Platner is bucking not just the Republicans, but also the corporate backed wing of the Democratic Party. He very clearly understands - and has directly said - that the middle and working classes have been losing a class war for the past five decades. He has put him self firmly on the progressive side on that and other issues. If I lived in Maine, I would vote for him. We have to stop looking for historical purity in candidates who have not lived the well planned, well funded, and well protected lives of the Epstein class. He has lived a messy, complicated life, including service as a marine in 4 combat tours, and is someone who actually works for a living. The fact that he appears to have learned and grown and come through all of that to become the good man he is today is a benefit. It's a reason to vote for him, not against.
As far as Platner goes, he’s either a beacon of light and part of the path out of this mess and the Democratic Party should take a page or he’s going to make trump look like a choir boy. I choose to land in the first camp because I think we’ve gotten a pretty good look at who he is and how he handles things in the here and now. And because of the alternate is true about him there is no hope for humanity and we’re all doomed! As for Susan Collins, how is anyone who isn’t morally challenged still debating weather or not she’s a good choice? She showed this country a long time ago and many times over who she is to her core! It’s time we started collectively doing the work and put people who genuinely want to be CIVIL SERVANTS (isn’t that actually what the job is) into elected office. Then put term limits on those positions and finally holding their feet to the fire every step of the way. Then we must expect each and every one of us to do our civic duty because as Americans isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Do the homework, be engaged, pay attention, participate every damn time…isn’t that what was intended, what was expected of us? It’s time to make Civics part of education again! I’d argue that it is just as important if not more so than math and science!
I'll say first that, yes, there are real red flags around Platner and real reasons for concern. But I'll add that some of that appears to have been blown up to cartoonish and dishonest dimensions by lots of people who are not interested in countervailing narratives.
First, let's note that Platner's primary win wasn't even close. Maine Dems OVERWHELMINGLY chose him. Since the scandals have come to light, Platner hasn't hidden from the public. He's done numerous events across the state throughout the campaign, meeting thousands of voters. There's something insulting and belittling from many of his most caustic critics in saying, essentially, that all those Maine Democrats are suckers for a Nazi.
Many of his critics either opine that Maine Dems should have happily gone along with Chuck Schumer's choice of their elderly governor (I'm 70) or that Platner was jumping the line ahead of hundreds of more qualified Maine Dems serving in municipal or state legislative offices. As to Mills, from what I've read, many Maine Dems were tired of her and her centrist politics. As to the other option, any one of those hundreds of officials could have run—neither Platner nor his backers could have stopped them. They could have tried to make a more compelling case than Platner. Why didn't they? Were they afraid of taking on Mills or Schumer? If they couldn't fight in a Dem primary, why should voters have believed they'd fight the fascists?
I suggest folks who have an open mind on this read a few online pieces about Maine, Platner, and this race. The first two are by Maine-based Black woman anti-racism activist Shay Stewart-Bouley who, after meeting with all the Dem candidates but Mills—the governor was a known quantity to Stewart-Bouley—came to support Platner. She explains why. The third, by NYT columnist Michelle Goldberg, addresses the lie that some of Platner's most harsh critics toss out—that he didn't just have Nazi tattoo but actually is a nazi.
https://blackgirlinmaine.com/current-events/musings-on-the-political-and-graham-platner-reflections-on-a-conversation-part-1/
https://blackgirlinmaine.com/commentary/platner-is-the-presumptive-candidate-but-is-he-the-right-person-my-final-thoughts/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/opinion/graham-platner-nazi-tattoo-maine.html
"A bad senator can be voted out of office." ...but you might have to wait as long as 6 years to do that.
The people should not have to wait 6 years to correct a mistake... to correct a Sinema-like mistake. It would take an amendment to the Constitution, but it would be worth the effort.
Perhaps after marinating in Trumps depravity for 10 years we are ready to put “questionable”behavior in some perspective. Speaking from faraway California, I hope Platner hangs Kavanaugh around Grandma Susie’s neck like a stinking albatross every single day til November.
Scolds like Auchincloss and Dean need to get real if they want a hope of governing.
Everyone needs to red Rick Perlstein’s recent piece.
I appreciate your discussion you had with yourself.
Democrats need to have compassion and empathy. I didn't fight in a war or suffer PTSD., but I can respect how Graham is working on his health. Dems are too quick to judge. NO ONE IS PERFECT. Let's work together, Dems.
He just reminds me of Fetterman, in his background. But Fetterman had a bad health issue which a friend of mine in Pennsylvania says caused his current attitudes. Either way, you have to vote for Platner.
Here's the thing, I'm one of the hundreds of millions of Americans who don't live in Maine. My interaction with this race going forward is one as a possible donor, and I'm getting regular pleads to donate regardless of not living in Maine.
This race stinks like McGrath/McConnell.
I don't feel Maine would be one of the top three most likely pickups even with a perfect candidate. At this point I respect Collins too much. I don't see why my finite dollars should go there instead of Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio, or even Texas. All of which seem much more likely to flip this cycle.
Probably not the same judgment I would make, but perfectly valid; donations and voting decisions are very different calculations. Also, FWIW, I am confident all of these candidates will be well funded basically no matter what.
My thoughts exactly. And one more thing - Collins was probably "allowed" to vote no on OBBB, because they had the votes. I bet if they didn't have the votes, she would have voted for it.
One of the best writers I know, Sebastian Junger, interviewed Platner. Here are excerpts from two of his articles that convince me Platner is SUCH an improvement over the perennially "concerned" Susan Collins:
"Revolutions ...are started by people who have known great difficulty, succumbed to great temptation, sunk to great depths. If you’re hoping for revolution, don’t expect purity. If you’re hoping for purity, don’t expect revolution... "
“To be honest, Platners background could be 90% of the guys in Hancock County,” one person wrote in the Times comment section. “Life is messy when you are scraping together a life…I just don't understand why news reporters never add how people can change.”..
Junger goes on to say: "The heart and soul of what Platner had to say to me - and to voters - is that American politics are deeply corrupt, and that Democrats are often as bad as Republicans. He went on to say that the true division in this country isn’t between liberals and conservatives but between economic elites and everyone else. These elites, in his opinion, have fomented political divisions to stay in power because their main goal is economic monopoly; politics simply serve that purpose. If he wins office, he said, it would be in part because conservative working-class voters saw themselves in him and trusted him to represent their interests.