The trap is making progressives argue over whether women’s concerns matter, while the right keeps surviving conduct that would end almost any candidate outside protected power.
Graham Platner is one of millions of human casualties of war.
My own father went ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, he came home an alcoholic prone to violence and then disappeared. Many of my friends were forever changed by the Vietnam War, both physically and emotionally. Now several are dying from their exposures and injuries.
More recently, the Gulf wars have taken their toll on service members like Platner who deployed on his first of 3 tours in Iraq when he was 19.
Then later a 4th tour in Afghanistan.
Nineteen years old, with a brain still maturing, his sense of self still forming, thrust into war as an infantrymen and gunner. He was just a boy.
So yes, he came home with PTSD, a drinking problem and emotional wreckage.
My heart goes out to the women who bore the brunt of that wreckage. My heart also goes out to Platner who now carries the shame and guilt of his behavior along with the physical, moral and emotional injuries that come with combat.
When America asks their sons and daughters to fight wars for us, we owe them compassion and care and acknowledgment that they are carrying our collective sins for us all. They are carrying our wounds in their bodies and minds.
Platner is struggling to heal and find a new way to be of service to his country. The truth of his injury is painful and ugly, but, it shouldn’t disqualify him.
What matters now is can he do the job? I think he can and believe we owe him the opportunity.
Do we all remember Al Franken? That was yet another pearl clutching by Democrats - one of my senators (?) was first up to want him to resign - Gillibrand. Over a JOKE! Years earlier. Franken was a really good effective DEMOCRATIC Senator! Well, got rid of him. Easy peasy.
I'm not making light of these accusations - but sure is convenient at this time.
Now if there really is all this "concern" and I'm sure there will be - media wise etc - now is the time to look into say Paxton? Gomez? or maybe even tdump! LONG LONG list! (what aboutism!)
The thing is, these accusations - whether true or not - put him and his campaign on the defensive
and take the spotlight off the policies he has been talking about - cant imagine what this is doing to his family right now - with frankly, media vultures all over it.
The correct headline: Susan Collins will continue to cause harm because "a thoughtless incompetence while committing political malpractice" is the GOP brand whereas Graham Platner will do no harm and will instead create something of lasting value because "the competent practice of politics" is his brand.
Why am I replying to comments at 7 in the morning after working on this all night? Somebody send help.
But yeah James, this is exactly the buried headline. Collins gets to represent permanent harm as “experience,” while Platner gets treated like a national emergency for having a complicated past and an actual politics of repair.
That’s the whole double standard. The GOP gets incompetence normalized as brand identity. Progressives have to prove moral cleanliness, administrative competence, emotional maturity, electability, and sainthood before breakfast.
Epic sleaze & corruption of MAGA's Chosen One & Co is so far worse that the comparison is shameful. But MAGAs have no shame.
Trump, a convicted fraudster & acknowledged sexual predator, punishes public virtue, rewards corruption & criminality; pardons ~1,500 convicted cop beaters, pedophiles & other violent insurrectionists while enriching himself, his family & "friends" by Billions...
Please, no more feigned quest for a "sacred canopy” (R Douthat NYT 06/02/26) while turning a blind eye to trump & co's corruption of the highest order.
I knew it would take a cop to figure this out. Why? Because I'm a cop's widow & I think like he did. THANK YOU for exposing ALL of this! This is Awesome work!
I think the ability of the right to enforce double standards in this way comes down to who gets to play cultural arbiter.
I don't know how we change this, because it seems like the wealthy elites, who buy all of the platforms, get to assign the benefit of the doubt. They even get to tell the population at large that they aren't the wealthy elite, because they are talking about people like Stephen Colbert, and the people who used to be on the Kennedy center's board of trustees, before they were replaced by Trump.
There is a real shift in power happening, and if the people want change, they have turn their back on the people who waged a real culture war against their cultural centers. Keeping up with them may make some feel left behind, and change averse, but convincing people to go backwards as a way of ignoring what our society needs to change shouldn't be this easy, especially when it means making masked mobsters the cultural police.
Although I initially was stoked to hear about Platner’s candidacy, it was really depressing to hear about the sexting and the Nazi symbol tattoo. Decorum is a thing, Sir. At age 71, I am a forgiving person, having made lots of dumb mistakes myself, HOWEVER, we do not know this fellow, and I now feel that he needs to show a bit more effort towards being accepted and voted into public service, given how bad things have turned out with Fetterman, Trump, Santos, Sinema, and a whole lot of other dishonorable wannabes. Let him start a bit closer to home with State or City service before running for the US SENATE. Janet Mills, please, Mainers. Pretty Please. Let us cease repeating and suffering from the same dumb mistakes.
Graham Platner is one of millions of human casualties of war.
My own father went ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day, he came home an alcoholic prone to violence and then disappeared. Many of my friends were forever changed by the Vietnam War, both physically and emotionally. Now several are dying from their exposures and injuries.
More recently, the Gulf wars have taken their toll on service members like Platner who deployed on his first of 3 tours in Iraq when he was 19.
Then later a 4th tour in Afghanistan.
Nineteen years old, with a brain still maturing, his sense of self still forming, thrust into war as an infantrymen and gunner. He was just a boy.
So yes, he came home with PTSD, a drinking problem and emotional wreckage.
My heart goes out to the women who bore the brunt of that wreckage. My heart also goes out to Platner who now carries the shame and guilt of his behavior along with the physical, moral and emotional injuries that come with combat.
When America asks their sons and daughters to fight wars for us, we owe them compassion and care and acknowledgment that they are carrying our collective sins for us all. They are carrying our wounds in their bodies and minds.
Platner is struggling to heal and find a new way to be of service to his country. The truth of his injury is painful and ugly, but, it shouldn’t disqualify him.
What matters now is can he do the job? I think he can and believe we owe him the opportunity.
Thank you for posting that. I'll just say: Ditto!!
Do we all remember Al Franken? That was yet another pearl clutching by Democrats - one of my senators (?) was first up to want him to resign - Gillibrand. Over a JOKE! Years earlier. Franken was a really good effective DEMOCRATIC Senator! Well, got rid of him. Easy peasy.
I'm not making light of these accusations - but sure is convenient at this time.
Now if there really is all this "concern" and I'm sure there will be - media wise etc - now is the time to look into say Paxton? Gomez? or maybe even tdump! LONG LONG list! (what aboutism!)
The thing is, these accusations - whether true or not - put him and his campaign on the defensive
and take the spotlight off the policies he has been talking about - cant imagine what this is doing to his family right now - with frankly, media vultures all over it.
The correct headline: Susan Collins will continue to cause harm because "a thoughtless incompetence while committing political malpractice" is the GOP brand whereas Graham Platner will do no harm and will instead create something of lasting value because "the competent practice of politics" is his brand.
Why am I replying to comments at 7 in the morning after working on this all night? Somebody send help.
But yeah James, this is exactly the buried headline. Collins gets to represent permanent harm as “experience,” while Platner gets treated like a national emergency for having a complicated past and an actual politics of repair.
That’s the whole double standard. The GOP gets incompetence normalized as brand identity. Progressives have to prove moral cleanliness, administrative competence, emotional maturity, electability, and sainthood before breakfast.
Epic sleaze & corruption of MAGA's Chosen One & Co is so far worse that the comparison is shameful. But MAGAs have no shame.
Trump, a convicted fraudster & acknowledged sexual predator, punishes public virtue, rewards corruption & criminality; pardons ~1,500 convicted cop beaters, pedophiles & other violent insurrectionists while enriching himself, his family & "friends" by Billions...
Please, no more feigned quest for a "sacred canopy” (R Douthat NYT 06/02/26) while turning a blind eye to trump & co's corruption of the highest order.
I knew it would take a cop to figure this out. Why? Because I'm a cop's widow & I think like he did. THANK YOU for exposing ALL of this! This is Awesome work!
Canceled my 30 yr NYT subscription after the 2024 election because of their political framing that you so astutely analyze.
I think the ability of the right to enforce double standards in this way comes down to who gets to play cultural arbiter.
I don't know how we change this, because it seems like the wealthy elites, who buy all of the platforms, get to assign the benefit of the doubt. They even get to tell the population at large that they aren't the wealthy elite, because they are talking about people like Stephen Colbert, and the people who used to be on the Kennedy center's board of trustees, before they were replaced by Trump.
There is a real shift in power happening, and if the people want change, they have turn their back on the people who waged a real culture war against their cultural centers. Keeping up with them may make some feel left behind, and change averse, but convincing people to go backwards as a way of ignoring what our society needs to change shouldn't be this easy, especially when it means making masked mobsters the cultural police.
Although I initially was stoked to hear about Platner’s candidacy, it was really depressing to hear about the sexting and the Nazi symbol tattoo. Decorum is a thing, Sir. At age 71, I am a forgiving person, having made lots of dumb mistakes myself, HOWEVER, we do not know this fellow, and I now feel that he needs to show a bit more effort towards being accepted and voted into public service, given how bad things have turned out with Fetterman, Trump, Santos, Sinema, and a whole lot of other dishonorable wannabes. Let him start a bit closer to home with State or City service before running for the US SENATE. Janet Mills, please, Mainers. Pretty Please. Let us cease repeating and suffering from the same dumb mistakes.
I have to disagree. He can do Just Fine.