The Platner files
After spending a decade calling Trump a coarse and vulgar misogynist, bigot, and Nazi, it’s somewhat ironic that Democrats are about to nominate a truly coarse and vulgar misogynist, bigot, and Nazi – in Maine. Also a self-described Communist, although that hardly rates much controversy these days.
I wonder what the Democrat voters of Maine will decide to do. So far, Democrats are defending him with the argument that he’s changed since he wrote charming things like this:
Among the newly unearthed posts from Platner’s now-deleted “P-Hustle” Reddit account, one from March 2017 in the r/Military forum addressed what he considers a favorite pastime in the portapotty:
“I still have to jerk off every time I sit in a porta-s***ter… that blue water smell conditioned me.”
And then there was this:
… using the same “P-Hustle” account, [Platner] mocked U.S. Army Pfc. Ted Daniels who was seen in a video being shot by the Taliban.
“This video never gets old. Dumb motherf***er didn’t deserve to live,” he allegedly wrote of Daniels, a father of two and Purple Heart recipient who had deliberately drawn enemy fire to protect his squad.
“At least his stupidity and fat a** wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt,” he continued. “Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s*** decision possible when it comes to small unit combat.”
More at the link, including:
He’s engaged in victim-blaming of sexual assault survivors. Posted homophobic jokes. Called rural white Americans racist and stupid. Oh, and referred to himself as a card-carrying Communist.
That’s in addition to the Nazi tattoo. And yet the Democrats are faced with defending him and needing to vote for him to defeat the evil Republicans.
I am left wondering whether most Maine Democrats will hold their noses and vote for him, and what Independents will do. If polls are any indication, Platner could end up gracing the US Senate; however, there haven’t been any polls taken since late March, according to RealClearPolling. All the polls on their list show Platner ahead of Collins, but none show him cracking 50%.
Then again, look at this from Collins’ last Senate run, which took place in 2020 [emphasis mine]:
The race became the most expensive in Maine history, with Collins spending $23 million and [her opponent] Gideon nearly $48 million. It also had national implications, as defeating Collins was a key part of the Democrats’ strategy to achieve a Senate majority. Gideon led Collins in nearly every public poll of the race. Nevertheless, Collins defeated Gideon, 50.98%-42.39%, on election day. Collins outperformed Republican President Donald Trump, who lost the state to Democratic nominee Joe Biden by more than nine percent. Maine was the only state to elect a senator of a different party than the winner of its presidential contest in the November 3 election.
Maine used a ranked choice voting system in the 2020 U.S. Senate election, as established by a 2016 referendum. Because Collins won a majority of the first-place votes cast, no additional vote tabulation rounds were needed.
That was six years ago, and a lot can change in six years. Also, Gideon – a woman – was a more conventional politician than Platner (not a difficult bar to clear). However, note that the 2020 polls were consistently wrong, and that the final result wasn’t even close, despite the fact that – just as today – the race was seen as key to the Democrats’ hopes of a Senate majority. Note also that Collins’ victory was achieved despite Biden winning the state by nine percent, and that she got more than 50% and therefore avoided a runoff.
The fact that Platner is highly likely to be the Democrats’ nominee in a state such as Maine – which, though quite blue, is not entirely so – would be shocking if I still had the capacity to be shocked by something like that. His election would be even more shocking, although I believe it is definitely possible. The Overton Window has moved that far, and what was inconceivable just a short while ago is no longer beyond belief, although it remains both mind-boggling and depressing.
Proud Nazi?
Unapologetic Communist?
Coarse dingbat?
Churlish clown?
Upstanding Democrat?
Seems to me that the Overton window hasn’t shifted so much as been fundamentally transformed into a plexiglas Möbius strip….
Collins brings in pork that adds up to about 20% of Maine’s state government receipts. Collins chairs the Appropriations Committee. Platner would not be able to do either of those things, even if the Dems did eke out a Senate majority. Doesn’t mean she can’t lose, but the vested interests in Maine are not going to be with Platner. Platner’s victory would do nothing for people in Maine.
To me Platner looks like “Beto” O’ Rourke or Wendy Davis in Texas. Lot of hype, lot of money thrown at them. Would the Dems be happy to have any of them win? Sure. But it’s basically to please the base in other states.
I suppose it is remotely possible that this avalanche of revelations about Platner will cause Democrats to vote for Mills anyhow, and there is another candidate. However, we are talking about Democrats here, and very many of them are now off the edge of any common sense these days. Maine uses a ranked-choice ballot, I think; things could get interesting if Platner doesn’t get a majority.
Maine used to be a fine vacation place but I’ll never set foot in it again. Miss the lobsters.
Related (somewhat);
Is the jury still out on Fetterman?
If so, it shouldn’t be, that is, if the following article is reliable…
“The Democrats Are About To Destroy John Fetterman”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/democrats-are-about-destroy-john-fetterman
Short version:
He refuses to hate…and therefore must be hated.
I’m wagering Mona Charen will assiduously refuse to notice.
@Barry Meislin:If so, it shouldn’t be, that is, if the following article is reliable…
Judging from Fetterman’s website he’s still the leftist he ever was. Zerohedge has been shilling hard for him for some time, and I don’t work there so I don’t know why. He’s even still getting donations through ActBlue.
I think given how much mendacity there is online, if you want to know what someone thinks, you can’t just rely on some third person to tell you, you’d best go back to the source.
The Coverup Party at its tortured-logical finest:
“House Democrats Join Fight to Release DNC 2024 Internal Report”—
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/05/house-democrats-join-fight-to-release-dnc-2024-internal-report/
Platner’s tattoo now spiritually connects him to the San Diego shooters, who apparently carried a gas can marked with a symbol of the same group. People have been commenting about the fact that very little information about their identities or motives has been released — maybe that would lead to asking Platner even more uncomfortable questions.
Yes, I know, I know.
You’re not a fan.
And it’s ALWAYS good to be skeptical…
To be sure, even HE says he’s not a Republican.
What I don’t quite understand is why he thinks that leaving the Democratic Party would be a bad career move…since I would assume that a significant number of the state’s citizens—likely to be aware that the Democrats have truly gone off the deep end—would continue to support him (moreover respect him for going against the insane current and sticking to his guns).
But maybe I’m not reading this right. And certainly the Democrats—and their awesome machine—are neither forgiving nor compassionate. (But who was it that won PA IN 2024? And AFAIC in 2020, as well.)
P.S. Occam might opine that the hooded one may well not have updated his website in donkeys’ ears…
Don’t discount the Somalis for Platner vote.
Just the News, ma’am…
(IOW, where would we be without John Solomon?)
“Left’s election fraud denials crumble as DOJ exposes two-decade-long California cheating scheme”—
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/lefts-election-fraud-denials-crumble-doj-exposes-two-decade-long
Opening grafs:
A Diversitist, Pro-Choice liberal, and a National Socialist, too. Abort, sequester, and progress no further.
I wondered what those runes were on about of course the islamic center has some interesting ties going back 25 years to the nine eleven high jackers and as recent as december of last year
Fetterman is like those peculiar creatures from doctor doolittle the puyallup in the political menagerie
Something i didnt expect four years ago at this time
But a lot of figures and commentators have been found wanting in that interval evolution they call it
@Barry Meislin:Yes, I know, I know.
You’re not a fan.
That’s only part of it. If Fetterman changed his views I might become a fan of him. But I’m also not a fan of being gaslit about Fetterman, which is what Zerohedge is doing, in my opinion.
As a fairly new Mainer, six year anniversary next month, I hope that the Democrat voters here will do what I suspect they did in the Collins v Gideon election of 2020: affirm in public that they plan to vote for Collins’ challenger but then in the solitude of the voting booth vote for the candidate that has and will best represent the state.
The phrase “yellow dog Democrat” goes back to at least 1892. Hardly a new phenomena.
What happened to the rock-ribbed, laconic, conservative New Englander stereotype?
Stephen King?
Long gone Huxley. Not sure it has existed in my lifetime (I’m 68 yrs old).
“His election would be even more shocking, although I believe it is definitely possible.” neo
His election would reveal that a majority of the citizens who voted suffer from “suicidal empathy”.
Hold their noses? They’ll probably bottle the stink and huff it in their porta potties.
What do you expect of course they’ll nominate him.
Paul lePage fmr governor running for the second district
Fetterman is more sane than most villaraigosa seems to have inherited that position out of office
Hmm. Platner is an unpleasant yob with the intellect of an undisciplined 13 year-old schoolboy. How can anyone take him seriously as a Senate candidate? His election, if it occurs, will say a lot about the Demmies’ morals and aspirations.