mildly, outraged. Too many alarm bells going off in my head, even if Sen. Warren endorsed him.

Grrr

no matter who the nominee is.

If he was non white those comments would have ended it for him .

Collins will be beat Planter if he is the nominee

The type of voters that would be turned off by him are more likely to be democrats . After the primary there will be more voters that care less about these things.

If Collins uses the oppo that I have seen, Collins will be able drive down Democratic turnout. In my opinion, Planter is not a good candidate and I believe that Collins will defeat him. I think that Governor Mills is the stronger candidate and can beat Collins

The bigoted stuff isn't hurting him and actually helping him.

As Trump is like a talk radio host. Familiar, comfy.

That's why I say these things that he has said and done are why he is getting the support he is.

I have seen a great deal on this. This is just one example that Collins would use against Platner in a general election campaign.

Link to tweet

if it doesn't hurt among Democrats how will it hurt him among general election voters who are less liberal ?

So far Governor Mills has focused on Platner’s views on women and minorities. As a Jew, I have been focused on the Nazi issue. There is more out there on this issue that is very offensive to me.

If Platner is the nominee, Collins will have a good number of attacks. Republicans are good at negative attacks. I really do not believe that Platner is electable.

Just because Maine seems to constantly fall for her being a supposed moderate. She should have lost last time.

But this time gas prices and the war could sink her.

Funding for things that she is able to get from serving in the SEnate for so long.

If his words cost us an election, that's a lesson to learn about someone with an incredibly problematic background continuing in a primary.

All of these things were dug up I think by someone supporting another candidate before Mills entered the race. They have all been out there for months while he has become stronger in both the primary and general election. As a 75 year old, whose favorite candidate was the very honorable John Kerry, it surprises me that none of this sticks.

So, I have tried to consider what his attraction is. The only insight I can conjure up was that in 2016, in NH there was a significant number of people uncertain whether they wanted to support Bernie in the Democratic primary or Trump in the general. As a politician and a person Bernie is almost the opposite of Trump. The common ground might be both reject mainstream politicians.

Could that be what is happening here? Could that explain why so many things that have been uncovered have no impact? Consider he created an image of being an oysterman, obscuring he was from a prominent family, went to an elite school and was greatly helped by his family in his business. When that was pointed out, no one cared.

On the darker things, his tattoo and his misogynistic, homophobic, racist comments, it's almost like the GWB " I was young and irresponsible" so nothing before age 40 or so counts. Yet everything Al Gore said was used ( or in the case of having led on funding the program that led to the internet, misused) ( or why Access Hollywood didn't end Trump's run, though every word Hillary had ever said seemed to matter.)

I live in VT, not Maine, so I haven't seen anything showing what he says he stands for. If I was in Maine, I would vote for Mills. As to the difference in the general election polls, I wonder if there is more of a tendency for Platner voters to claim they would not vote, were undecided or even would vote for Collins than there is for the more mainstream Mills voters.

Right?

Leaving a mark. He is having trouble addressing his issues when asked about them.

Time will tell, Mills knows how to hit him, primary is in June I think.

I was once told by a vereran service officer that women were to blame because they get drunk and bring it on. I don't care what anyone says, especially a man, no means no.

until they are intoxicated.

intoxicated.

Not sure how far removed from them he is yet, and that's a major concern. I'd like to see his explanation beyond "they were shit posts"

See my post 20.

One of which says "when misused, may derail all future political ambitions."

something is out there, be it print, or video, speech, online, whatever, SOMEBODY SKMEWHERE has a copy, no matter what one thinks one has erased or destroyed. (waving at agent freddie!).

Was that comment part of a pattern, a one-off, were there behaviors and publics stands along these same lines, etc.?

So far there isn’t a great answer.

The tattoo was an obscure Nazi symbol, not obvious like a swastika. His life after that has not been marked by right-wing racism and misogyny, or any signs that the tattoo represented a core belief. I'm more impressed by his progressive political stands than by a Reddit post from 10 years ago and a tattoo from 20 years ago.

And getting a Nazi tattoo 20 years ago was bad, keeping it for 20 years is 10 times worse IMO

Versus 3 tours of combat duty in Iraq, 8 years overseas, PTSD - and calling oligarchs the enemy and etc. Seems to me like some powerful buzzwords are getting linked to him, and are triggering a strong enough reaction to jeopardize the candidacy of one of the few politicians who is clearly a pro-working class social democrat.

And he hired on AFTER they gained widespread notoriety for the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20.

I'm not immersed in the world of tattoos, but I've been around the block and I doubt this was common knowledge.

imagery sneaking into the mainstream, I've been familiar with it for years.

If you're online at all, you've probably seen it yourself:



The man prides himself on his knowledge of military history. He knew what he was doing.

attention to symbols.

Of course, my dad was a WWII vet, and I live in Germany, so it’s hard to find anyone in my circle of acquaintences who would NOT immediately recognize that symbol.

It is in the top three of Nazi symbology though.
Basically the swastika, followed by the SS lightning bolts followed by this.

maybe reddit that he referred to it as my Totenkopf sometime before any publicity about the tattoo, the comments on Reddit, etc.
I should have said that I didn't have a link, just remembered reading it. Apologies.

The guy is a complete jerk. Basically, he appears to have the same personality and message as Trump.

I would trust the guy with the tat

Wild hysterical fear of anything related to Israel is an emotional response compatible with being ok with Nazis. Maybe even pro-Nazi, as Platner appears to be.

Actually not particularly surprising.

He knew exactly what it was and he thought it was hilarious.

If he gets elected to the Senate, ask yourself if you'll trust him to vote with Democrats when crucial decisions come down to one vote.

See: Fetterman. Sinema. Manchin.

Anyone can say things that progressives want to hear (see Fetterman, John).

10 years ago when he was spewing his filth about women he was a 31 YO grown ass man. Why are we so quick to ignore disgusting statements - whenever they are made?

It's amazing the amount of support he has! He reeks of fake Democrat to me. Team Mills all the way even though I'm not from Maine.

Drags on Women in the Military about being "drunk" and what happens to them..

deleted them when someone questioned him indicates he KNEW they were wrong. Also indicates that he is not very bright if he did not understand that people had copies. Third, havin looked at his platform, the sexist language is still there.

I'm appalled that people here are excusing them.

rape and traffick unknown numbers of girls, lie pathologically, be a convicted felon, a failed, corrupt piece of shit, etc., and "win" the presidency, twice.

Hardly toast, sadly.

remarks about rape, and sexual assault in the military, and his general sexism, by saying he was suffering from PTSD. Now, having dealt with many PTSD vets as a counselor, and having been around them all my life, I never heard that kind of talk from them when they were in crisis.

Excusing and defending those remarks by saying PTSD is appalling.

of all who suffer from PTSD that he would say anything like that.

"But he's autistic..."

of work on every level.

He'd be getting fileted on here. Too many defending him.

He's a shit candidate and we dont need him.

Bernie sucks at picking candidates to endorse.

Watch Mill’s town hall from last week on YouTube! She’s a grumpy ole politician who doesn’t want to be told she’s wrong or needs to do better! She’s Aloof and indifferent to any feedback to the point of discomfort. As the viewer it was like watching a slow motion wreck. Multiple people in the zoom town hall told her that her first pol add against Plantner was divisive and would only help Collin’s. I’m pro working class, not perfect, know how to admit when I make a mistake then move forward. We all have said regrettable things we wish we had never uttered. She’s got baggage too!

Whether people like him or not, he's a pretty overwhelming favorite to win the primary at this point.

Same poll showed him beating Collins by 8 in the general.

Lots of Americans - including lots of Democrats - are fine with racism, misogyny, and antisemitism. They think it's perfectly fine. Maybe they even agree with it.

It also tells me that lots of Americans will support a candidate who promises all kinds of things - even when they have zero experience in government and no likelihood whatsoever of accomplishing those promises. And this is particularly true if the candidate is a white man running against a woman.

It tells me that lots of Americans will reject a woman who has extensive experience in government in lieu of any white male candidate, no matter how inexperienced he is, or how bad his behavior has been.

So when people complain about Pete Hegseth running our military, I have to conclude that he's what a lot of Americans want.

Pretty sad.

about women, Black people and gay people. He has at least one offensive Nazi tattoo. He seems to follow right wing, antisemetic, white supremacists on Elon's cesspool. He has horrible judgment, his apologies do not seem sincere, he has no experience or qualifications for the role of Senator and frankly he's not very bright.

I don't know who recruited him or why but it really irks me. Maine is a seat we have a chance to flip. This guy is not going to win against Susan Collins. Being angry with Chuck Schumer, AIPAC, Democrats or thinking Mills is too old are horrible reasons to push this unvetted guy with all this baggage. Really sad that people will ignore all that baggage or make excuses for it just because he's a white guy.

Janet Mills is a Democrat. She's tough, smart, she's a fighter and she has won State wide elections. She is the candidate who could defeat Susan Collins.

Platner is being promoted by the same people who funded attacks on Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden and Harris in 2024. The online propaganda supporting Platner uses similar language to promote him and to attack Janet Mills.

Even here on bland DU we're seeing the same attacks and language. Yesterday some DUers were accusing Janet Mills of "taking AIPAC money" but when asked for evidence, they were unable to come up with any. She's not taking AIPAC money. It's a lie.

Look at the posts supporting Platner. Same rhetoric as in 2016 and 2024. Same types of false accusations against a female Democrat - who's been the governor of Maine, but is cast as some kind of old witch. (I'm using that phrase deliberately.)

Wake up people. The billionaires are at it again.

His campaign rhetoric has been unmistakably anti-oligarch.

Your post is an example of the rhetoric I'm taking about.

What the hell is an "anti-oligarch?"

No, really.

Here's a quote from his first campaign video: "I did four infantry tours in the Marine Corps and the Army. I'm not afraid to name an enemy. And the enemy is the oligarchy. It's the billionaires who pay for it, and the politicians who sell us out. And yeah, that means politicians like Susan Collins."

His political stand seems pretty clear, and his rhetoric seems appropriate to his stand. So again, where's the evidence that he supports billionaires? And what's wrong with the term "anti-oligarch"? I think the meaning is pretty evident.

Last edited Thu Mar 26, 2026, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1)

because "an element of the party ... doesn't want to fight that power," Platner says, repeating the usual both-sides-corrupt anti-Democratic :attack. TEH ESTABLISHMENT .

Let me tell you what's going to happen, because I've seen this show at least twice before.

Janet Mills, who's been a decent and courageous governor of Maine, will lose the primary. She's being accused of a lot of garbage, the usual: "She's an oligarch who's been anointed!!! She's responsible for genocide in Gaza!!!! She doesn't CAAAAAAARE about you!!!!!" And so forth. So she'll lose.

As the general election approaches Susan Collin's campaign will unleash a bunch of stuff on Platner. Maybe they'll release documents showing he was a buddy of Epstein, or something. (It won't have to be true. The falser and more outrageous the better. Big lies work.)

Susan Collins will be reelected and the Republicans will hold control of the Senate by a vote or two. Another lifetime loser will be appointed to the Supreme Court. Nobody will impeach or even investigate Trump. The oligarchs will remain firmly in control.

I'm not from Maine, but I was getting the sense that they're fed up with Collins and they're not so readily swayed by scandalous headlines. We shall see....

I wish there was a better third option in the race.

I'm not supporter of Mills because she vetoed a plan as governor to close a juvenile prison and she is against decriminalization of drugs (I look at drug abuse as a public health issue rather than a criminal or moral failure issue). This is from a quick glance of her wikipedia page.

Graham Platner I oppose on the Nazi tattoo and for things like reddit posts and controversy that this thread is based on though I notice the OP supported Cuomo who was actually a perpetrator while Platner is victim blaming.

Which is why I wish there was a third option. Susan Collins tries to portray herself as a liberal Republican to her constituents so it depends on what works in Maine to defeat a candidate like that. Either way I will support the Democratic nominee.

I’m not a liar but I don’t know how to post a link from my phone

There was a push for maine to divest from investments that supported Israel and she fought that tooth and nail

Today you're back making unsupported accusations.

"Mills is very supportive of Israel." What does that mean, exactly? What role does the governor of Maine play in the Middle East?

"I have read..." Where? Got a link?

Some people say....

Wether I can post a link from my phone or not…. I notice you never provide a link

Any one googling Mills will see she is very pro Israel, are you saying she isn’t?

You're allowed to have your own opinions but not your own facts.

AIPAC spends tons through shadow organizations also so honestly I still think the same and imagine it’s way more than $130,000.

But I suppose that's an answer in itself. But keep moving those goalposts.

command comes up. Then you can navigate to a DU post and hold your finger down until "paste" comes up. Or you could tell us what site your information is at.

300 hospitals and 500 schools

Are you denying the governor has been a very vocal supporter of Israel?

I await the "but he's for Medicare for All so we can just overlook these comments" crowd.

for generations.

Mills is losing ground with what some folks see as a negative campaign. I will vote for her, but I know many liberals who won't.

I don't trust Platner. I hope I am wrong.

Imagine the ads Collins will run against this guy. He has so many red flags that the attack ads write themselves. Sadly when confronted on these issues his explanations seem inadequate at best and accusatory against the party at worst. The vetting process for some of these candidates has to be better. We can’t keep giving so called progressives that have problematic pasts a pass for not explaining past behaviors.

There's not a voter in Maine that isn't aware of Platner's past at this point, it's been plastered everywhere for months. And he continues to beat Mills in primary polling, and then beat Collins in the general, usually by larger margins than Mills polls at.

Either (1) the RNC has worse things to reveal about Platner (or they'll just make stuff up) and he'll lose OR (2) he'll win and we'll have a pro-Nazi, homophobic misogynistic bigot in the Senate who doesn't know anything about how our government works. But this time he'll be on "our" side. How do we think he'll vote?

I expect to see a lot more of these "Democratic" candidates.

He is a Democratic nominee for Senate. At that point, we need to probably extend to him a bit of grace before he has any legislative track record.

He isn't Fetterman, yet.

If he is just a seat in the Democratic caucus, that is better than Susan Collins.

His callous disregard of women and the realities of sexual assault should be a disqualifier in a party that purports to support women.

I am sick and tired of the “in your face” bro culture that is just plain old fashioned misogyny.

What kind of a twisted world celebrates women-haters?

Based on what?

An Emerson poll I saw said Platner matches up better against Collins than Mills does.

This reminds me of the denial of the data that came out in 2016 showing Sanders matched up better against Trump than Hillary.

Platner seems to poll better against Collins than Mills. Whatever Platner's appeal is, it is perhaps cutting into some of Collins' support.

Don't bring the 2016 primary into this because it doesn't help anything. I don't believe Sanders would have beaten Trump. Let's not get into this publically.

Platner responded to a 2013 post on Reddit entitled “What is one question you have always wanted to ask someone of another race,” writing, “Why don’t black people tip?” He worked as a bartender at Tune Inn on Capitol Hill, where he was a guest bartender last month.

“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is,” he wrote. “Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”

That same year, he also responded to a post about underwear designed to prevent sexual assault saying people should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f—-ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”

That's why he has the support that he does.

Remember they had that creep man as Governor before Mills.



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