Democrats Finally Decide Nazi Tattoo Is a Dealbreaker, But Only After Sexual Assault Allegation
Democrats finally decide a Nazi tattoo is a dealbreaker, but only after a sexual assault allegation - because apparently, it takes more than an SS logo to lose their support.
The Senate race in Maine has taken a dramatic turn, and not in a fun, roller-coaster way. Yesterday, Politico reported a credible sexual assault allegation against Democratic nominee Graham Platner. Platner denied it, but his campaign is now exploring the "best way forward," which is political-speak for "we're about to drop out."
Now, the people who once vouched for Platner - Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Representative Ro Khanna, and Pod Save America's Jon Favreau - are suddenly backing away. They've called for him to drop out, presumably because they just now realized that sexual assault is bad. But here's the thing: Platner had a Nazi tattoo. Like, an actual SS logo, which he kept for two decades until it became politically inconvenient. He also had a documented history of posting abhorrent views about women and minorities online, and there were previous allegations of emotional and physical abuse from a conservative woman named Lyndsey Fifield.
But apparently, a Nazi tattoo and a pattern of contemptible behavior weren't enough to disqualify him. It took a sexual assault allegation for his supporters to say, "Okay, maybe this guy isn't great." As one might imagine, this has raised some questions. Like: Why weren't the people targeted by the Nazi ideology whose symbol he wore worthy of the same concern? And why was Lyndsey Fifield, a conservative, less worthy of belief than a liberal accuser?
Platner's defenders spent months spinning his behavior as "nuanced" because he wore Carhartt and had a gruff voice. They attacked Fifield, proving that "Believe women" apparently comes with a political litmus test. Now, as Platner's campaign heads toward its inevitable end, the real postmortem isn't about him - it's about the people who backed him. They either vouched for a candidate they didn't know or lied about one they knew was detestable.
Perhaps next time, they'll think twice before endorsing someone with a Nazi tattoo. But given today's political climate, don't hold your breath. For voters who might need a simple rule: Maybe, just maybe, don't support a candidate with a Nazi tattoo.
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