More thoughts on the Graham Platner allegations

I don’t have any particular insight on the end of Graham Platner’s Democratic Senate candidacy in Maine. As of this writing, he has “suspended” his campaign and says he will formally end his campaign on Monday the 13th, the last day he can formally end his campaign and not appear on the ballot.

It’s safe to say that Platner has led a “colorful” life so far: prep-school kid, Marine veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Army National Guard reservist, a security contractor guarding the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, local government activist, PTSD sufferer, an SS-Death’s Head tattoo, and troubled relationships with girlfriends.

His history of “sexting” other women when he was married obviously wasn’t the most discrete thing to do.

“Both-sides-do-it arguments” are often fairly tacky even when they are legitimate. But it’s also important to note that the current President and Republican cult leader Donald Trump is an adjudicated sex abuser (via the E. Jean Carroll civil case). And he himself claimed to have been the best friend of a guy named Jeffrey Epstein who is infamous for, well, everyone knows why he’s infamous.

The Nazi (?) tattoo

I’ve searched online for an image of Platner’s SS Totenkopf (“death’s head”) in its original form before he had it altered. I’ve come up blank so far.

This is the image that Platner himself displayed to the CNN affiliate WGME of the altered tattoo:

The only image I’ve found – a very blurry one -was this one of a screenshot from a Pod Save America report in a 2025 report from the Portland Press Herald: (1)

This is an image of an SS-Totenkopf from a newly-published Austrian book on rightwing extremism, which notes that it's a prohibited image under Austrian anti-Nazi laws: (2)

The dark image above of the earlier version of his tattoo vaguely looks like the same shape as to the image banned in Austria. But I honestly can’t tell. Before this controversy, I would have thought the image was creepy, and I would have wondered if it might be some kind of far-right political symbol. But I wouldn’t have immediately identified it as neo-Nazi image like, say, a swastika. When I think skull-and-crossbones, it’s more the classic pirate’s jolly roger image that comes to mind:

If anyone has a link to a clearer image of Platnner’s original tattoo, please post a link in the comments.

Euronews last year reported, “Platner said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 when he was in his 20s and in the Marine Corps.” (3) Not being a connoisseur of far-right symbolism, I would have thought the banned SS-Totenkopf image above would have looked with a “skull with hands” rather than a skull-and-crossbones. But it’s creepy, as one might expect of banned Nazi symbols.

The abuse allegations

In a recent post, I linked to a discussion by Ryan Grim and Saagar Enjeti on the significance of the rape accusation from a former girlfriend of his that effectively ended his candidacy and quoted a mea culpa Bluesky post from Noami Klein for not having done “due diligence” on the earlier claims about Platner. Ken Klippenstein also posted what he a deliberately non-apologetic “apology” on his Substack, in which he wrote:

The allegations published yesterday that Senate nominee Graham Platner sexually assaulted a woman are different from the previous scandals.

For one, they’re credible, based on Facebook messages from well before Platner entered politics. They’re also the first time Platner has been publicly accused of sexual assault. That crosses a line that tattoos, sexting and Reddit posts just do not. (4)

My reaction was very similar, based on the fact that the assault allegations included contemporary documentation in the form of electronic messages, including to her therapist, who declined to comment to reporters on the matter.

Klippenstein also wrote about people apologizing for their earlier skepticism about the accusations against Platner:

All of these people took the present accusations against Platner seriously and promptly addressed them (and good on them for that). But it’s unclear to me what exactly they’re apologizing for other than not being clairvoyants able to foresee this week’s accusation before it happened.

I wrote earlier this year about publication accusations of rape that had been made against the late union organizer and Latino leader Cesar Chavez:

[C]ertainly the charges by Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas deserve to be taken seriously, as well. It’s also the case that claims of such crimes that emerge decades later are more difficult to evaluate than ones formally investigated immediately after the event. Murguia and Rojas were minors at the time they report the abuse began.

It’s worth remembering that Chavez teamed up in the late 1970s with the authoritarian Synanon cult headed by Charles Dederich, which was known for encouraging psychological and physical abuse. Not that it diminishes Chavez’ responsibility for his own actions, but it would be interesting to know if the claimed sexual assaults occurred before or after Chavez teamed up with the Synanon cult.

But the fact is that “oppo research” – looking for negative things to say about political opponents – is very much a part of today’s politics. And yesterday’s, too. In his 1884 Presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland had to deal with charges that he had fathered an “illegitimate” child by raping a woman, which the Republicans used as the basis of their campaign slogan, “Ma, ma, where’s my pa?” (5)

The accuser, Nan Britton, later wrote a memoir. And Cleveland’s paternity has apparently been confirmed by DNA studies. (3)

Cleveland’s Presidency is remembered for instituting the federal civil service system, which was a good idea. But otherwise, he was a really reactionary President.

Graham Platner has denied the rape allegation publicly made against him. But his decision to drop out of the race could be taken as a tacit admission on his part. Although it is important to note that his accuser did not file rape charges at the time. That doesn’t mean her claim is false. It just means it has not been formally adjudicated.

Remembering the Al Franken case

It’s worth remembering that former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken denied sexual harassment accusations against him by a woman who had performed with him on a USO tour. (None of which involved rape accusations.) Franken even asked the Senate Ethics Committee to do a formal investigation. His fellow Senate Democrats Kirstin Gillibrand severely criticized him over the allegation. Franken decided to resign his Senate seat (2017), a decision he later said that he “absolutely” regretted. As the BBC reported:

"Differentiating different kinds of behaviour is important," [Franken] said. "The idea that anybody who accuses someone of something is always right -that's not the case. That isn't reality."

Ms Tweeden declined to comment to the New Yorker.

As pressure from his colleagues escalated, Mr Franken recounted a late-night meeting with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in which Mr Schumer issued an ultimatum: Mr Franken must quit or the minority leader would rally the entire Democratic caucus to call for his resignation. (4)

Franken had distinguished himself in the Senate as a “fighting Dem.” As Jane Mayer wrote in a long 2019 profile:

Only two years ago, Franken was being talked up as a possible challenger to President Donald Trump in 2020. In Senate hearings, Franken had proved himself to be one of the most effective critics of the Trump Administration. His tough questioning of Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, had led Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election, and prompted the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel. [my emphasis]

And she notes the perils of a public rush to judgment in such cases:

Franken’s fall was stunningly swift: he resigned only three weeks after Leeann Tweeden, a conservative talk-radio host, accused him of having forced an unwanted kiss on her during a 2006 U.S.O. tour. Seven more women followed with accusations against Franken; all of them centered on inappropriate touches or kisses. Half the accusers’ names have still not become public. Although both Franken and Tweeden called for an independent investigation into her charges, none took place. This reticence reflects the cultural moment: in an era when women’s accusations of sexual discrimination and harassment are finally being taken seriously, after years of belittlement and dismissal, some see it as offensive to subject accusers to scrutiny. “Believe Women” has become a credo of the #MeToo movement. [my emphasis]

Mayer’s article makes it very clear that not only did the accusations made against Franken fell far short of anything that most people (or prosecutors) would call physical abuse or even sexual harassment.

The point of all this is that facts matter. For the individuals involved on both the accused and accuser’s sides.

Notes:

(1) Billings, Randy (2026): Graham Platner says he will remove a Nazi-linked tattoo. Bernie is standing by him. Portland Press Herald 10/21/2025. https://www.pressherald.com/2025/10/21/graham-platner-addresses-tattoo-linked-to-nazis/> (Accessed: 2026-10-07).

(2) Kranebitter, Andreas et. al. (2026): Handbuch Rechtsextremismus in Österreich, 65. Falter: Vienna.

(3) Guilbert, Kieran (2025): US Senate candidate Graham Platner gets new tattoo to cover one with Nazi links. Euronews 10/22/2025. <https://www.euronews.com/2025/10/22/us-senate-candidate-graham-platner-gets-new-tattoo-to-cover-one-with-nazi-links>(Accessed: 2026-10-07).

(4) Klippenstein, Ken (2026): My Graham Platner Apology. Ken Klippenstein Substack 07/07/2026. <https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/my-graham-platner-apology> (Accessed: 2026-09-07).

(5) Serratore, Angela (2013): President Cleveland’s Problem Child. Smithsonian Magazine 09/26/2013. <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/president-clevelands-problem-child-100800/> (Accessed: 2026-09-07).

(6) Dotinga, Randy (2015): Warren Harding: the world takes another look at scandalous claims. Christian Science Monitor 08/19/2015. <https://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/chapter-and-verse/2015/0819/Warren-Harding-the-world-takes-another-look-at-scandalous-claims> (Accessed: 2026-07-09).

(7) Ex-US Senator Al Franken regrets resigning over sexual misconduct claims. BBC News 07/22/2019. <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49074194> (Accessed: 2026-07-09).

(5) Mayer, Jane (2019): The Case of Al Franken. New Yorker 07/29/2019, 30-45.

Quick hits: current politics, radical-right Catholicism, immigration, J.D. Vance and theocracy

Ryan Grim and Saagar Enjeti have a very good discussion on the latest turn in Graham Platner’s scandal in the Maine Senate election. They discuss the issues in evaluating the latest sexual assault claim against him and why there are good reasons to take it seriously, including how Platner himself responded to this latest development. (1)

Naomi Klein posted this on Bluesky the latest twist with Platner:

Woody Guthrie documentary

There is a recently-released documentary narrated by Rosanne Cash called “Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today.” The PBS link says it will be available there until 2029. TRIGGER WARNING: It’s very sympathetic to immigrants. Near the end we even see a banner that says, “God loves immigrants.” If you adhere to whatever the opposite of “woke” is supposed to be these days – Asleepism? – I promise you won’t like it! (1)

Russian saber rattling

This is part of the “new normal” with Russia and Europe:

In Swedish defence plans for 2025-30, a surprise attack on Gotland – either by air or sea aimed at setting up air and naval defence zones in the vicinity of the island – was named as one of seven potential situations that require prioritised planning. According to Swedish defence chiefs, from Gotland it is possible to control sea and air operations in the Baltic sea region and to control the entrance of reinforcements to Baltic states.

For now, there is not an immediate threat of a “conventional attack” [by Russia] on Gotland [an island that is part of Sweden], said [Swedish army commander in Gotland] Col. Andreas] Gustafsson, with espionage and sabotage more likely, but it cannot be ruled out. The island could be particularly vulnerable in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal with Ukraine, he said, in which case Russian forces could be quickly redispersed towards Finland and the Baltic states. “The risk is always that Russia becomes desperate. The more pressure Russia is under, the more desperate they can be as well.” (2)

Lincoln Republican Stuart Stevens on the perils of “consultant-itis” for the Democrats

Stuart Stevens, a longtime Republican campaign consultant, is one of the Never Trumpers that encourage the Democrats to use aggressive messaging against Republicans and a framing that doesn’t stay mired in repeating lists of “kitchen table” issues. (3)

As I always say about the Republican Never Trumpers, they encourage the Democrats to be aggressive in their campaigning. That’s because the Never Trumpers are Republicans, and Republicans think it’s a good idea to fight for their own side. So when they switch to supporting Democrats, it seems normal to them that Democrats should also fight for their own side and not get caught up in bland clichés like “No Red America, No Blue America” (Obama) or “The fever will break” (Biden).

J.D. Vance and “Catholic integralism”

One rightwing Christian idea with which our Opus Dei Vice President J.D. has shown some sympather is called “Catholic integralism.” Frank Cocozzelli explains: (5)

Simply put, it is the anti-pluralist belief that the Catholic faith should be the basis for civil law. Taken at face value, its application often violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. Even the conservative writer George Weigel (whom I’ve often criticized) asked the question, “Haven’t we seen this before?” He then observed how this belief embodies the authoritarian of fascism.

Unlike Trump’s running mate, I believe in the separation of church and state. It is not because I am hostile to religion — far from it. I am a practicing Catholic, albeit one that dissents from several Church positions such as reproductive rights, stem cell research and prohibitions against married as well as female clergy. Instead, it is because government should not become the enforcer of any particular creed. That is the true essence of religious freedom.

Like with many such factions, there are variations. In this case “Neo-Integralism.”

This [Neo-Integralism], although itself a manifestation of [Catholic] Traditionalism, is strongly focused on the USA, distinguishes itself from the rest of the Austrian traditionalists in terms of personnel and is characterized above all by a more closed edifice of ideas, at the center of which stands the subordination of secular to spiritual authority - namely the papacy. Accordingly, Catholic Traditionalism is not based on a uniform ideology. But in its fundamentalist form, many of the actors [involved in it] nevertheless overlap, apart from Neo-Integralism in the core contents they propagate. (6)

To emphasize the main point, Neo-Integralism favors not just a “Christian Nation” but want secular governmental authority to be subordinated to the Catholic Church.

Someone should ask J.D. about this. I’m pretty sure there are quite a few American Christian Nationalists who support the Trumpist Republican Party who might have some concerns about making the Catholic Church the supreme governmental authority!

Notes:

(1) Dems ABANDON Platner After Devastating SA Allegations. Breaking Points 07/07/2026. <https://youtu.be/Xd1NfY1oOH4?si=M2G2n-pP1DEt-Quq> (Accessed: 2026-07-07).

(2) Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today. PBS 06/25/2026. <https://www.pbs.org/video/woody-guthrie-and-the-ghost-of-tom-joad-today-ynvxeh/>

(3) Bryant, Miranda (2026): ‘The risk is Russia becomes desperate’: the Swedish Baltic Sea island preparing for invasion. Guardian 07/05/2026. <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/05/gotland-russia-sweden-ramps-up-defence-baltic-sea-island> (Accessed: 2026-07-07).

(4) Stuart Stevens: Democrats Need to Attack Harder. Lincoln Square YouTube channel 07/06/2026. <https://youtu.be/91bWM44ZmFo?si=eG04-vZ1nK6CIl_2> (Accessed: 2026-07-07).

(5) Cocozzelli, Frank (2026): Catholic Integralism, J.D. Vance And Me, (First of Two Essays). Daily Kos 07/21/2024. <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/21/2256324/community/Catholic-Integralism-J-D-Vance-And-Me-First-of-Two-Essays/> (Accessed: 2026-01-06).

(6) Reinfandt, et. al.: Religiöser Fundamentalismus und Rechtsextremismus. In: Kranebitter, Andreas et. at., eds. (2026): Handbuch Rechtsextremismus in Österreich, 359-360. Falter: Vienna. My translation to English.