How did a dirtbag get this far?
Jenny Racicot slapped fellow progressives back into adulthood.
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Graham Platner is cooked and knows it. Politico published a report Monday in which a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault and rape. In response, Maine's Democratic nominee for the Senate said: "Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward."
He has until July 13 to finish reflecting.
I won't recount the many disturbing details here, but I will say that the woman in question, whose name is Jenny Racicot, was one of the sources in a previous Times report on former girlfriends who recalled Platner's pattern of toxic behavior toward them. Racicot said she did not initially come forward with her allegations, because she agreed with Platner's political project, and wanted it to succeed, but also because the main source of the Times report was accused of being a rightwing plant. “My part of the story was just a read-over,” she told Politico. “And the story was Lyndsey, and the accusations of her being politically motivated.”
Politico's is one of a string of stories about Platner's controversies, but it appears to have landed with the loudest thud. "I have edited a lot of sexual-assault accusation articles," said Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Megan Greenwell, "and this one easily clears every veracity check: contemporaneous emails with her therapist, a boyfriend who knew, a woman she warned — all before Platner ran for office." Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna withdrew his endorsement, as did Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Reuben Gallego. The Democrats' Senate PAC said it would not spend any more money in Maine until Platner dropped out. Hasan Piker, a popular lefty streamer, said "this is a clear-cut instance of verifiable sexual assault allegations. It’s completely irredeemable."
John Stoehr
The Maine Democratic Party called on Platner to quit. That's an important development, as his last defense has been accusing his accusers – whether they are people calling him out for his past behavior toward women or calling him out for his Nazi tattoo – as being part of a conspiracy that is "coached and coordinated" by "out-of-state establishment operatives." Well, the in-state establishment wants him out. He appears to be listening, though he also appears to believe he has enough credibility to be involved in the vetting of his replacement. The Times reported that he will step down if his replacement is someone "who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for."
Platner needs to exit sooner than later. The Maine Democrats can field a new candidate if he drops out by July 13. Control of the Senate may hinge on whether his replacement can beat the Republican incumbent. Some think it's doable, even at this late date. Dana Houle, a veteran campaign strategist, said that "if Platner can be forced out within the next few days, our chances of winning control of the US Senate will skyrocket." He told me that polls are still showing Susan Collins running behind a generic Democrat. "Collins runs seven to eight points above the Republican baseline, but loses by six," he predicted. Monday was a "bad day for Graham Platner and I think this could end up being a very bad day for Susan Collins."
May it be so.
John Stoehr
Meanwhile, I think it's worth repeating that this whole thing is a disaster, because Graham Platner is a disaster. Charming, yes. Charismatic, yes. (He reportedly has the power to spellbind onlookers, especially in small groups.) But the red flags were piling up even before he launched his campaign. He lied about being "a working class Mainer." He lied about his Nazi tattoo. He cheated on his wife repeatedly. He has a history of acting violently toward women. He said repulsive things about minorities, then conveniently blamed it on PTSD. Yet supporters, especially those on the Very Loud Online Left, insisted those red flags were neither flags nor red. It's as if God were calling on Racicot to slap fellow progressives back into adulthood. "I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person,” she said.
The focus is on pushing Platner out and finding a suitable replacement. That's as it should be, but I think it's worth asking influential supporters inside the Democratic Party: what did you know and when did you know it? Elizabeth Warren, in particular, seems to have been aware to some extent that there were skeletons hiding in Platner's closet. On June 4, five days before the Maine primary, Platner had a meeting with Senate Democrats. He assured them that they had seen the worst of the allegations. According to one report, "Platner, in response to a question from Massachusetts's Elizabeth Warren, denied more serious allegations, like sexual assault, would surface. 'It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life,' Platner reportedly said. 'The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true'" (my italics).
They were true. Warren said Monday that Platner should drop out, because there's "so much at stake" and because "there can be no tolerance for sexual assault." (Today, Bernie Sanders said that "recommended [to Platner] that he step aside.") But if there's no tolerance for sexual assault, there was otherwise enormous tolerance for a man whose Nazi tattoo should have been enough to disqualify him. If there's so much at stake, how did a dirtbag get this far?
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