Graham Platner isn’t a scandal. He’s a case study in what happens when an organization falls in love with its own product and fires the quality inspector. No B.S. Let’s do the autopsy.
This has been my feeling all along with this particular candidate. I was a bit awe-struck that people were so receptive to him, and by not recognizing that his past exists within him still.
Agreed, Stacey. My read had been that this campaign would go down in a blaze of "not-so-glory." The patterns and warning signs were there for anyone willing to look...instead of looking away.
Platner made me uneasy from the start…he sounded too good to be true…Veteran, oyster farmer and good looking guy standing up to fight the system for the people. I wanted to like him, to trust him but then the drip, drip, drip of info began leaking out…that tattoo rang my warning bell right away, and the excuse that he didn’t know what it was didn’t wash for me. The first woman’s accusation, which he seemingly explained away, the text messages and now this, a bridge much too far, the accusation of non-consensual sex. The failure of the Democratic Party to truly vet this candidate, to put the work into looking under every possible “rock,” checking out every whisper has put us here! I am so angry…this is without a doubt, and I am tired of saying this but it is true, the most consequential, critical election of our lives…and to fall down on the job in doing the necessary background checks is inexcusable! Hey Democratic Party…get your shite together, do what is necessary, however tedious and unexciting it is, to bring QUALIFIED, winnable candidates to voters!!! Voters may be turned off by Republicans, but they can just as easily lose confidence in the Democratic Party, too…do the necessary work, so we can vote for great candidates and save our country!!
Christie...your unease was the vet the party never ran, my friend.
"Too good to be true" is the oldest alarm bell in the building...and you heard it while the professionals were busy admiring the "vibe."
Your last point is the sharpest: voters don't just reject bad candidates...they lose confidence...in the outfit that keeps handing them over. Keep that line...and use it often...because it's true.
Trust is the WHOLE inventory. The checking is tedious...unexciting...and non-negotiable...EXACTLY like everything else that keeps a house standing.
It beggars belief that no one in the DNC thought to do oppo research on this man. This is yet another unforced error on the part of the Democratic Party.
Lydia..."Unforced error" is EXACTLY the right scorekeeping.
Forced errors happen against good opponents; this was a whiff at a ball on a tee.
Public posts, a searchable repository...a tattoo his own political circles discussed for months. The file assembled ITSELF.
The pattern worth your anger: parties spend MILLIONS studying the opponent ...and pocket change auditing THEMSELVES. So the mirror gets held up by Fox News...in OCTOBER...instead.
Shit. Shit. Who missed THIS one? The point is, this is the Democratic Party. You can get over a lot of stuff when you're running with the good guys. You can't run past rape, even rape allegations. That's the Republicans' wheelhouse. Not ours. Now we're back in jeopardy.
Once I heard that he had the Nazi tattoo I pretty much turned off, but. I wasn’t really paying much attention to the race.
Now, as I look at more information,when he got the tattoo he made the comment he doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a Nazi
There were allegations by a couple of a couple of women he formally dated he didn’t treat them well. Something about being scared and possibly roughed up
That was followed up by sex texting. I think something like three women a few years ago when he was married. I don’t think he’ll lay that on his posttraumatic stress syndrome. His wife back her man.
Evidently, there’s a number of poorly thought out texts or posts. I haven’t read those. But it’s not good.
Finally, the allegation of rape. I read the political article today and I watched a good part of the victims interview with Jake Tapper. I have a couple of issues or questions about it, but when taken together, with everything else-IMO he needs to get out by next Monday.
He’s lost the state democratic machine. He’s lost the national democratic people. He won’t be getting any money from those sources. A number of people are calling for him to resign.
I know a little bit about redemption, but I’m not roaring for the US Senate. Anybody seeing my tweets since 2015 would seriously doubt I should be running for dog catcher. I’ve been staunchly on the left and a democrat all my life.
He should move out and let the Democrats pick somebody who doesn’t have the kind of issues he carries around.
I should have realized early on and, mea culpa, believed the women. I married more than one man in my younger years with the same charisma, the same line of what turned out to be lies or major holes in their back story. Those in the upper dem ranks have a lot to answer for. The Maine voters best send him back to the lobster pots.
Goes back to your recent post on how quickly one can lose their reputation after many small missteps add up. In this case many small checks missed lead to one large fail.
Jack.. Enough has been said here about the sexual assault and well… all of it. What strikes me now is that the Democratic Party is often its own worst enemy.
This is an incredibly unfortunate example. This wasn’t something we could afford but here we are.. again!
I’m pissed off too… pissed off and very concerned.
And the part that pisses me off the most; why do you wait 5 years to report an assault. This recurring scenario keeps playing out like a broken record. If you are assaulted report it immediately; get our justice system involved immediately on the record...Platner is FUBAR, a dead man walking, and I have no fucks to give about his political future, but, this recurrence of this wait 5 years to use a political dagger is becoming unacceptable to believe...
You're right: immediate reporting is better for everyone...and late drops timed for maximum damage are usually strategic. Nobody serious denies it.
But "report immediately" assumes reporting is free. It's the most EXPENSIVE thing an accuser can do...name dragged...history litigated...motives suspected.
DOJ data has shown for decades...that delayed reporting is the NORM...not the red flag.
The key distinction: WHEN a claim surfaces tells you about the operatives releasing it...nothing about whether it's TRUE. The timing can be a dagger AND the wound REAL. Both, often.
Keep your suspicion of the operatives. Just don't hand it to the accuser by default.
I am not angry at the claimant, and I agree with the statements of many of the women that have responded. My nuclear family was pretty much destroyed by a predator within my family years ago and I’ve spent decades repairing the damage; perhaps that is the root of my anger. I do not suffer being blindsided and business for better or worse should be attended ASAP. My comments are not directed at victims so much as those who willingly would blindside us at a late moment, be they operatives of the political system or just another yellow journalist…
It is very common to wait years to report a sexual assault.
Here is what Chat GPT has to say:
"Sexual assault victims often wait years to report because reporting requires a lot of emotional, practical, and social “risk,” and many of the things that happen to a person right after assault make immediate reporting feel impossible.
Common reasons include:
• Fear of not being believed or being blamed (self-doubt or concern about how others will react).
• Shame, guilt, or stigma (especially when the assault involves someone known, dating, or family).
• Trauma responses like shock, dissociation, freeze, panic, or numbness that can delay any action for months or years.
• Threats or pressure from the perpetrator (blackmail, intimidation, retaliation, or fear of contact).
• Loss of a sense of safety/control (the body and mind may go into survival mode, making “telling” feel dangerous).
• Processing time: some people only later realize it wasn’t their fault or that it fits the definition of assault.
• Fear of consequences (for themselves—family conflict, immigration/employment issues, losing housing—or for someone they care about).
• Complex relationships with the perpetrator (partners, friends, coworkers, authority figures), which can make reporting feel like it will unravel their whole support system.
• Practical barriers: navigating police/jurisdictions, needing documentation, taking time off work, finding childcare, transportation, or support to attend interviews.
• Delay in remembering details or intrusive memories that come and go. Some people can recall clearly, but also feel overwhelmed by the need to recount it.
• Prior negative experiences with institutions (even unrelated ones) that increase the likelihood of avoidance.
Importantly: waiting does not mean it wasn’t serious, or that it didn’t happen. A delayed report is extremely common and can reflect the aftermath of trauma and the real-world risks of disclosure."
I had some pretty bad things happen to me from sexual predators as a child. By three different men over a period of about 4 years.
I told no one until I was well into adulthood. Different situation, since it happened when I was a kid? Sure. Kids aren't yet usually ready to confront the world. But...did some of those same factors apply? You bet.
Jack - Thank you for sharing this. The strength it takes to acknowledge and process these horrible things that happened in your childhood is nothing less than a miracle. I truly hope that you've been able to make some sense of all that happened to you, and that any negative effects that may still raise their ugly heads do so minimally, and depart quickly.
Comments like yours are part of why I decided...years ago...that the silence protecting my abuser wasn't going to get one more day of free rent.
I'll be straight with you, because that's the deal here: it's not a finished project.
The ugly heads still rise on occasion...even at 60 years old; old wiring doesn't come out of the wall just because you found the fuse box.
But they visit less often...stay shorter...and leave quieter than they used to. Turns out the funeral technique I wrote about wasn't just used in a seminar. It was also used in the work of surviving my own history.
What I know for certain: the boy who couldn't speak...became a man who won't shut up. That's not a miracle. That's just what healing looks like when it's given enough years and enough stubbornness.
I'm sorry Jack. I can't begin to imagine how devastating it must have been to be subjected to sexual abuse as a child. It's harder for me to imagine what kind of low life could do that.
And I'm sorry, James, about what you and your family went through.
Thank you for sharing--it couldn't have been easy.
Again, a given…Platner is a dead man walking and I don’t care; what pisses me off is this recurring theme of the political dagger being used at the last moment…is this a failure of leadership? political operatives seizing an opportunity?…anyway you look at it I am angry at being blindsided by another of these scenarios…I agree with your reasons listed, but, it doesn’t assuage my anger…if I wait five years to report an assault or any crime against my person it would just be laughed at…
I am embarrassed for you and angry with you. Was the information coming from the survivors of Epstein and company and the #MeToo movement too unbelievable for you to pay attention to?
Every single woman in your life has at least one SA story if not 5 or 6. Ask them, and then ask why they didn't report, or what happened if they did.
Every law enforcement jurisdiction in this country has thousands, multiple thousands of rape kits that are untested going back decades. One Epstein victim reported to the FBI in 1996. They believed her. They did nothing. In recent cases that went to court, the convicted assaulter was given months or no prison time because it would 'ruin their lives'. Justice rarely happens.
This has been my feeling all along with this particular candidate. I was a bit awe-struck that people were so receptive to him, and by not recognizing that his past exists within him still.
Agreed, Stacey. My read had been that this campaign would go down in a blaze of "not-so-glory." The patterns and warning signs were there for anyone willing to look...instead of looking away.
-Jack
Platner made me uneasy from the start…he sounded too good to be true…Veteran, oyster farmer and good looking guy standing up to fight the system for the people. I wanted to like him, to trust him but then the drip, drip, drip of info began leaking out…that tattoo rang my warning bell right away, and the excuse that he didn’t know what it was didn’t wash for me. The first woman’s accusation, which he seemingly explained away, the text messages and now this, a bridge much too far, the accusation of non-consensual sex. The failure of the Democratic Party to truly vet this candidate, to put the work into looking under every possible “rock,” checking out every whisper has put us here! I am so angry…this is without a doubt, and I am tired of saying this but it is true, the most consequential, critical election of our lives…and to fall down on the job in doing the necessary background checks is inexcusable! Hey Democratic Party…get your shite together, do what is necessary, however tedious and unexciting it is, to bring QUALIFIED, winnable candidates to voters!!! Voters may be turned off by Republicans, but they can just as easily lose confidence in the Democratic Party, too…do the necessary work, so we can vote for great candidates and save our country!!
Christie...your unease was the vet the party never ran, my friend.
"Too good to be true" is the oldest alarm bell in the building...and you heard it while the professionals were busy admiring the "vibe."
Your last point is the sharpest: voters don't just reject bad candidates...they lose confidence...in the outfit that keeps handing them over. Keep that line...and use it often...because it's true.
Trust is the WHOLE inventory. The checking is tedious...unexciting...and non-negotiable...EXACTLY like everything else that keeps a house standing.
-Jack
It beggars belief that no one in the DNC thought to do oppo research on this man. This is yet another unforced error on the part of the Democratic Party.
Lydia..."Unforced error" is EXACTLY the right scorekeeping.
Forced errors happen against good opponents; this was a whiff at a ball on a tee.
Public posts, a searchable repository...a tattoo his own political circles discussed for months. The file assembled ITSELF.
The pattern worth your anger: parties spend MILLIONS studying the opponent ...and pocket change auditing THEMSELVES. So the mirror gets held up by Fox News...in OCTOBER...instead.
-Jack
Amen to that!!
Democrats who dumbfucked the ball into their own end zone twice are still running with the same play book
Buck...it's maddening.
-Jack
Shit. Shit. Who missed THIS one? The point is, this is the Democratic Party. You can get over a lot of stuff when you're running with the good guys. You can't run past rape, even rape allegations. That's the Republicans' wheelhouse. Not ours. Now we're back in jeopardy.
Once I heard that he had the Nazi tattoo I pretty much turned off, but. I wasn’t really paying much attention to the race.
Now, as I look at more information,when he got the tattoo he made the comment he doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a Nazi
There were allegations by a couple of a couple of women he formally dated he didn’t treat them well. Something about being scared and possibly roughed up
That was followed up by sex texting. I think something like three women a few years ago when he was married. I don’t think he’ll lay that on his posttraumatic stress syndrome. His wife back her man.
Evidently, there’s a number of poorly thought out texts or posts. I haven’t read those. But it’s not good.
Finally, the allegation of rape. I read the political article today and I watched a good part of the victims interview with Jake Tapper. I have a couple of issues or questions about it, but when taken together, with everything else-IMO he needs to get out by next Monday.
He’s lost the state democratic machine. He’s lost the national democratic people. He won’t be getting any money from those sources. A number of people are calling for him to resign.
I know a little bit about redemption, but I’m not roaring for the US Senate. Anybody seeing my tweets since 2015 would seriously doubt I should be running for dog catcher. I’ve been staunchly on the left and a democrat all my life.
He should move out and let the Democrats pick somebody who doesn’t have the kind of issues he carries around.
George or D. Mac @worldflood1 on X
I should have realized early on and, mea culpa, believed the women. I married more than one man in my younger years with the same charisma, the same line of what turned out to be lies or major holes in their back story. Those in the upper dem ranks have a lot to answer for. The Maine voters best send him back to the lobster pots.
Goes back to your recent post on how quickly one can lose their reputation after many small missteps add up. In this case many small checks missed lead to one large fail.
I’m with you on this Jack
Jack.. Enough has been said here about the sexual assault and well… all of it. What strikes me now is that the Democratic Party is often its own worst enemy.
This is an incredibly unfortunate example. This wasn’t something we could afford but here we are.. again!
I’m pissed off too… pissed off and very concerned.
#Holdfast (by my fingernails right now)
~Susan
Once again, the Dems have formed a circular firing squad. *sigh*
And the part that pisses me off the most; why do you wait 5 years to report an assault. This recurring scenario keeps playing out like a broken record. If you are assaulted report it immediately; get our justice system involved immediately on the record...Platner is FUBAR, a dead man walking, and I have no fucks to give about his political future, but, this recurrence of this wait 5 years to use a political dagger is becoming unacceptable to believe...
James...half agreement...then pushback.
You're right: immediate reporting is better for everyone...and late drops timed for maximum damage are usually strategic. Nobody serious denies it.
But "report immediately" assumes reporting is free. It's the most EXPENSIVE thing an accuser can do...name dragged...history litigated...motives suspected.
DOJ data has shown for decades...that delayed reporting is the NORM...not the red flag.
The key distinction: WHEN a claim surfaces tells you about the operatives releasing it...nothing about whether it's TRUE. The timing can be a dagger AND the wound REAL. Both, often.
Keep your suspicion of the operatives. Just don't hand it to the accuser by default.
-Jack
I am not angry at the claimant, and I agree with the statements of many of the women that have responded. My nuclear family was pretty much destroyed by a predator within my family years ago and I’ve spent decades repairing the damage; perhaps that is the root of my anger. I do not suffer being blindsided and business for better or worse should be attended ASAP. My comments are not directed at victims so much as those who willingly would blindside us at a late moment, be they operatives of the political system or just another yellow journalist…
It is very common to wait years to report a sexual assault.
Here is what Chat GPT has to say:
"Sexual assault victims often wait years to report because reporting requires a lot of emotional, practical, and social “risk,” and many of the things that happen to a person right after assault make immediate reporting feel impossible.
Common reasons include:
• Fear of not being believed or being blamed (self-doubt or concern about how others will react).
• Shame, guilt, or stigma (especially when the assault involves someone known, dating, or family).
• Trauma responses like shock, dissociation, freeze, panic, or numbness that can delay any action for months or years.
• Threats or pressure from the perpetrator (blackmail, intimidation, retaliation, or fear of contact).
• Loss of a sense of safety/control (the body and mind may go into survival mode, making “telling” feel dangerous).
• Processing time: some people only later realize it wasn’t their fault or that it fits the definition of assault.
• Fear of consequences (for themselves—family conflict, immigration/employment issues, losing housing—or for someone they care about).
• Complex relationships with the perpetrator (partners, friends, coworkers, authority figures), which can make reporting feel like it will unravel their whole support system.
• Practical barriers: navigating police/jurisdictions, needing documentation, taking time off work, finding childcare, transportation, or support to attend interviews.
• Delay in remembering details or intrusive memories that come and go. Some people can recall clearly, but also feel overwhelmed by the need to recount it.
• Prior negative experiences with institutions (even unrelated ones) that increase the likelihood of avoidance.
Importantly: waiting does not mean it wasn’t serious, or that it didn’t happen. A delayed report is extremely common and can reflect the aftermath of trauma and the real-world risks of disclosure."
Ellen...yes.
I had some pretty bad things happen to me from sexual predators as a child. By three different men over a period of about 4 years.
I told no one until I was well into adulthood. Different situation, since it happened when I was a kid? Sure. Kids aren't yet usually ready to confront the world. But...did some of those same factors apply? You bet.
-Jack
Jack - Thank you for sharing this. The strength it takes to acknowledge and process these horrible things that happened in your childhood is nothing less than a miracle. I truly hope that you've been able to make some sense of all that happened to you, and that any negative effects that may still raise their ugly heads do so minimally, and depart quickly.
Thank you, Chris.
Comments like yours are part of why I decided...years ago...that the silence protecting my abuser wasn't going to get one more day of free rent.
I'll be straight with you, because that's the deal here: it's not a finished project.
The ugly heads still rise on occasion...even at 60 years old; old wiring doesn't come out of the wall just because you found the fuse box.
But they visit less often...stay shorter...and leave quieter than they used to. Turns out the funeral technique I wrote about wasn't just used in a seminar. It was also used in the work of surviving my own history.
What I know for certain: the boy who couldn't speak...became a man who won't shut up. That's not a miracle. That's just what healing looks like when it's given enough years and enough stubbornness.
Your kindness landed. Thank you for it.
-Jack
I'm sorry Jack. I can't begin to imagine how devastating it must have been to be subjected to sexual abuse as a child. It's harder for me to imagine what kind of low life could do that.
And I'm sorry, James, about what you and your family went through.
Thank you for sharing--it couldn't have been easy.
Again, a given…Platner is a dead man walking and I don’t care; what pisses me off is this recurring theme of the political dagger being used at the last moment…is this a failure of leadership? political operatives seizing an opportunity?…anyway you look at it I am angry at being blindsided by another of these scenarios…I agree with your reasons listed, but, it doesn’t assuage my anger…if I wait five years to report an assault or any crime against my person it would just be laughed at…
I would never argue with your felt emotions, James.
We all feel what we feel...and words can never fully translate those emotions ...in a way that lets someone else truly experience them as we do.
-Jack
I am embarrassed for you and angry with you. Was the information coming from the survivors of Epstein and company and the #MeToo movement too unbelievable for you to pay attention to?
Every single woman in your life has at least one SA story if not 5 or 6. Ask them, and then ask why they didn't report, or what happened if they did.
Every law enforcement jurisdiction in this country has thousands, multiple thousands of rape kits that are untested going back decades. One Epstein victim reported to the FBI in 1996. They believed her. They did nothing. In recent cases that went to court, the convicted assaulter was given months or no prison time because it would 'ruin their lives'. Justice rarely happens.
Abject apologies…I abase myself…das end