I've been waiting for this. I have read all of your other pieces on platner. They were all excellent as is this one. I feel like he is a little bit like Icarus; not only that he flew too close to the Sun, but more importantly, that he failed to realize his wings were made of wax. It's a shame that he didn't have the self-awareness- or the friends? - to signal that this was never going to "end well".
Nice comment, Mary-Pat. IMO, Platner suffered mainly from an all-too-common male affliction, that they own women - certainly, ones they've had sex with. 'You did it before, this time's no different' - or if it is, it doesn't matter.
I was impressed by the clarity of Platner's analysis, and am saddened but not totally surprised by his downfall.
For me this puts a laser beam on establishment Dem hypocrisy. They are willing to hand over *enormous* sums of American taxpayer dollars to a supremacist state that uses children for target practice, rapes, tortures, starves, and bombs 80% of all infrastructure of its "enemy's" civilians? And yet they are incensed by this.
Politics is all about perception, and these allegations do not have to stand up in a court of law. But for the sake of the integrity of these establishment Dems, I would like to see them face trial in the court of public opinion.
*What the Netanyahu govt is doing now is different in degree from what Israel has done for decades. And the Democratic establishment indulged it all, and funded it all. Disgusting.
Thank you Mr. Junger!!!! Finally someone speaks to the brilliance AND tragedy of Graham Platner without throwing in all manner of bullshit and blatant mis- representations of aspects of his upbringing.
I never liked him. I think he is a phony. I listened until he started spouting off (alot) about the genocide in Gaza. He doesn’t know what genocide means and neither do a lot of his supporters. I do think the democrats shivved him and there are ONLY allegations from the ex. He doesn’t have to resign, but watch the creeps who vetted him. He could still win if he ran because that’s our politics now. No one would care. Sorry Collins is no Josh Hawley.
Again, I know a lot of vets and a lot of working class men, and they don’t him.
If he does withdraw we will see who gets the nod. There was a great tatted vet from Maine named Jared Golden but he won’t run because he has been abused too much, much of it by these lefty types.
Funny, you mention Jared golden. I would really like to see him run. I think he is a very aggressive, take no prisoners campaigner who doesn't take any BS. He ain't progressive, but I think he could beat Collins because he would be like a Gatling gun up against her.
I agree. Also not progressive, but Susan Rice toyed with running before the last election. I think she grew up on munjoy hill in Portland. I would love her too.
Sebastian, I am grateful for the honesty of this follow-up.
When I commented on your first piece, I argued that a movement which believes in growth must leave room for complicated people to become better. I still believe that. But forgiveness is not the same thing as qualification for power, and the possibility of redemption does not require us to ignore a pattern of harm.
What is striking is that Platner’s supporters have not largely responded by locking shields around him. There has been grief, disappointment, and argument, but not the familiar demand that loyalty to the cause requires loyalty to the man. That distinction matters. Politics becomes dangerous when it turns into a team sport in which every accusation against one of our own must be denied and every failure defended.
Platner may have articulated truths about economic injustice that remain true without him. But he did not pass the moral background check required for public trust. A worthy cause must be able to survive the fall of an unworthy messenger.
Thank you, as always, Grey Pilgrim. Your comments are invariably human and compassionate - and yet unforgiving in their defensive of reality. I am glad that Platner's supporters held out as long as they did, for the sake of their political hopes, and then broke with him when his personal failures began to feel dangerous for us all. (And, obviously, enormously hurtful to the women with claims against him.) Another commenter referred to him as Icarus - flew too close to the sun and didn't realize he was made of wax. If you don't know both your strengths and your weaknesses, you have the potential to become a very dangerous person. That requires a lot of honesty and work on oneself. There is another person in office right now who, in my opinion, exemplifies that kind of dangerous individual as well; I'm glad the Democrats, at least, are able to spot the danger and disable it. I hope Platner and you-know-who eventually achieve the kind of self-knowledge that allows for true sobriety, true strength and true vulnerability. Because that's where a just use of power ultimately resides.
A few days before the rape accusation hit, I watched Graham Platner’s July 2, Scarborough Town Hall on C-Span. He clearly articulated his policies and was an excellent and empathic communicator during the Q and A. The audience was so silent that I wasn’t entirely sure how well he was being received until the end when he received an immediate standing ovation. At the time, I thought ‘This guy is too effective, he’s going to be stopped.’ He said he had a 4 hour drive to get home. I honestly worried for his safety. Platner fought in both Fallujah and Ramadi, a rarity according to George Black at The Washington Spectator. Not every vet struggles with the same Demons. As a nurse I’ve seen too many vets fall victim to those demons. I remember an elderly Iwo Jima vet telling me that “Once you are in a battle like that, you never really get out.” Platner sees a psychiatrist, he is in counseling with his wife. He deserves credit for facing his internal battles and working to become a better person.
Platner at first appeared to be the candidate Democrats have long dreamed of: a blue collar guy who does honest work with his hands and has a lot of rough real-world experience -- a man who looks like he'd be a red cap MAGAt, but was actually a progressive with good ideas to make our country a better place.
Did he rape that woman? She says yes, he says no, so I'll believe it if and when he's charged and convicted in court -- until then it's just another allegation. Our political process has become a launch-on-warning, take-no-prisoners hanging judge in the court of public opinion where a well-timed sensational claim can end a campaign ... unless the candidate happens to be tRump, of course. People called Reagan the "teflon President," but Ronnie's non-stick armor pales in comparison to the total immunity enjoyed by tRump. At this point, I really do think he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and get away with it.
Maybe Platner is guilty and a bad guy at heart, and thus a terrible choice for high office -- maybe the Democrats dodged a bullet -- or maybe he's just another imperfect human who's made mistakes in the past but could have done a good job for Maine and our country. We'll probably never know.
Given that I live in California, far from his home state, I hadn't taken a good look until you published your interview with him ... and what I heard, I liked. At this point, all I know is that this sordid affair feels like a re-run of the Biden/Harris debacle that brought us another catastrophic four years of tRump, and now seems likely to allow Collins six more years of enabling the GQP destruction of America.
Insightful, honest and compassionate writing, as always, Sebastian, and much appreciated. Though I don’t live in Maine (I’m a little to the south, on the Cape), I supported Mr. Platner, in the belief that at long last we had a chance at true representation in the US Senate by a Democrat who not only claimed to stand up for people who work with our hands, experience life at street level, and live the challenges that most Democrats only talk about, but who actually is OF the people he aimed to represent. Here was a Democrat who actually works with his hands, spoke the language of those of us who also do so, who – in another slap at Democratic party orthodoxy, owns firearms and does not support the statist/corporatist trope of “gun control-“ another hill Democrat politicians love to die upon. Each attack he endured strengthened my belief that this was a great pick; the criticisms centering on his (brief) boarding school experience, claims that he isn’t a “real” oysterman (I live in and serve a community whose economy centers on oysters, a working community in which he would fit perfectly), the tattoo, etc. seemed to me the work of corporatists of both major parties circling the wagons for their own survival. When the allegations of sexual improprieties began surfacing, what first came to mind was a military proverb I heard many years ago: “once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.“ However, a sister-in-law reminded me of something which I myself had seen in the past, in relation to former female classmates from my grade school/junior high school years. It is not uncommon for women who have suffered sexual abuse to remain silent until they feel emboldened after one or two have come forward; there can be a “snowball“ effect in the course of which they feel more empowered to bring their stories to light once others have done so. True, or not, this has become an insurmountable obstacle, which unfortunately – again, true or not – played perfectly into the hands of the corporatist establishment of the Democratic Party, the ones who gave us the idiocy of the Biden presidency and the debacle of the Biden/Harris non-primary of 2024, which ultimately gave us the epic disaster of the Trump presidency and the ongoing unraveling of our Republic. At this point, I can only hope that Mainers can find another standard bearer who will take Platner’s grass roots, beautifully articulated platform, and run with it. The last thing the nation needs is another six years of Susan Collins’ enabling of the worst administration in our nation’s history, and another six years of a Trump-controlled Senate.
Great writing as always Sebastian. When the voter only considers the message, the voter gets a Trump or a Platner. Maybe the bar is finally being raised from the dirt.
I believed in Platner after reading of your interview with him but somehow new he was doomed because he said all the things that terrify the establishment order..Good insight Sebastian with fair and honest reporting,this is not a victory for the “people”,but another sad defeat,keep punching bro,Cheers
I've been waiting for this. I have read all of your other pieces on platner. They were all excellent as is this one. I feel like he is a little bit like Icarus; not only that he flew too close to the Sun, but more importantly, that he failed to realize his wings were made of wax. It's a shame that he didn't have the self-awareness- or the friends? - to signal that this was never going to "end well".
I love the Icarus comparison - that's beautiful. Those Greek myths get to the heart of our common struggles. Thank you for that.
Nice comment, Mary-Pat. IMO, Platner suffered mainly from an all-too-common male affliction, that they own women - certainly, ones they've had sex with. 'You did it before, this time's no different' - or if it is, it doesn't matter.
Sad, but true. I think for many men.
I was impressed by the clarity of Platner's analysis, and am saddened but not totally surprised by his downfall.
For me this puts a laser beam on establishment Dem hypocrisy. They are willing to hand over *enormous* sums of American taxpayer dollars to a supremacist state that uses children for target practice, rapes, tortures, starves, and bombs 80% of all infrastructure of its "enemy's" civilians? And yet they are incensed by this.
Politics is all about perception, and these allegations do not have to stand up in a court of law. But for the sake of the integrity of these establishment Dems, I would like to see them face trial in the court of public opinion.
*What the Netanyahu govt is doing now is different in degree from what Israel has done for decades. And the Democratic establishment indulged it all, and funded it all. Disgusting.
The vessel was clearly flawed; but let us hope the contents can find a newer and stronger one.
Well put.
Thank you Mr. Junger!!!! Finally someone speaks to the brilliance AND tragedy of Graham Platner without throwing in all manner of bullshit and blatant mis- representations of aspects of his upbringing.
I never liked him. I think he is a phony. I listened until he started spouting off (alot) about the genocide in Gaza. He doesn’t know what genocide means and neither do a lot of his supporters. I do think the democrats shivved him and there are ONLY allegations from the ex. He doesn’t have to resign, but watch the creeps who vetted him. He could still win if he ran because that’s our politics now. No one would care. Sorry Collins is no Josh Hawley.
Again, I know a lot of vets and a lot of working class men, and they don’t him.
If he does withdraw we will see who gets the nod. There was a great tatted vet from Maine named Jared Golden but he won’t run because he has been abused too much, much of it by these lefty types.
Funny, you mention Jared golden. I would really like to see him run. I think he is a very aggressive, take no prisoners campaigner who doesn't take any BS. He ain't progressive, but I think he could beat Collins because he would be like a Gatling gun up against her.
I agree. Also not progressive, but Susan Rice toyed with running before the last election. I think she grew up on munjoy hill in Portland. I would love her too.
Sebastian, I am grateful for the honesty of this follow-up.
When I commented on your first piece, I argued that a movement which believes in growth must leave room for complicated people to become better. I still believe that. But forgiveness is not the same thing as qualification for power, and the possibility of redemption does not require us to ignore a pattern of harm.
What is striking is that Platner’s supporters have not largely responded by locking shields around him. There has been grief, disappointment, and argument, but not the familiar demand that loyalty to the cause requires loyalty to the man. That distinction matters. Politics becomes dangerous when it turns into a team sport in which every accusation against one of our own must be denied and every failure defended.
Platner may have articulated truths about economic injustice that remain true without him. But he did not pass the moral background check required for public trust. A worthy cause must be able to survive the fall of an unworthy messenger.
Thank you, as always, Grey Pilgrim. Your comments are invariably human and compassionate - and yet unforgiving in their defensive of reality. I am glad that Platner's supporters held out as long as they did, for the sake of their political hopes, and then broke with him when his personal failures began to feel dangerous for us all. (And, obviously, enormously hurtful to the women with claims against him.) Another commenter referred to him as Icarus - flew too close to the sun and didn't realize he was made of wax. If you don't know both your strengths and your weaknesses, you have the potential to become a very dangerous person. That requires a lot of honesty and work on oneself. There is another person in office right now who, in my opinion, exemplifies that kind of dangerous individual as well; I'm glad the Democrats, at least, are able to spot the danger and disable it. I hope Platner and you-know-who eventually achieve the kind of self-knowledge that allows for true sobriety, true strength and true vulnerability. Because that's where a just use of power ultimately resides.
Excellent piece.
A few days before the rape accusation hit, I watched Graham Platner’s July 2, Scarborough Town Hall on C-Span. He clearly articulated his policies and was an excellent and empathic communicator during the Q and A. The audience was so silent that I wasn’t entirely sure how well he was being received until the end when he received an immediate standing ovation. At the time, I thought ‘This guy is too effective, he’s going to be stopped.’ He said he had a 4 hour drive to get home. I honestly worried for his safety. Platner fought in both Fallujah and Ramadi, a rarity according to George Black at The Washington Spectator. Not every vet struggles with the same Demons. As a nurse I’ve seen too many vets fall victim to those demons. I remember an elderly Iwo Jima vet telling me that “Once you are in a battle like that, you never really get out.” Platner sees a psychiatrist, he is in counseling with his wife. He deserves credit for facing his internal battles and working to become a better person.
Platner at first appeared to be the candidate Democrats have long dreamed of: a blue collar guy who does honest work with his hands and has a lot of rough real-world experience -- a man who looks like he'd be a red cap MAGAt, but was actually a progressive with good ideas to make our country a better place.
Did he rape that woman? She says yes, he says no, so I'll believe it if and when he's charged and convicted in court -- until then it's just another allegation. Our political process has become a launch-on-warning, take-no-prisoners hanging judge in the court of public opinion where a well-timed sensational claim can end a campaign ... unless the candidate happens to be tRump, of course. People called Reagan the "teflon President," but Ronnie's non-stick armor pales in comparison to the total immunity enjoyed by tRump. At this point, I really do think he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and get away with it.
Maybe Platner is guilty and a bad guy at heart, and thus a terrible choice for high office -- maybe the Democrats dodged a bullet -- or maybe he's just another imperfect human who's made mistakes in the past but could have done a good job for Maine and our country. We'll probably never know.
Given that I live in California, far from his home state, I hadn't taken a good look until you published your interview with him ... and what I heard, I liked. At this point, all I know is that this sordid affair feels like a re-run of the Biden/Harris debacle that brought us another catastrophic four years of tRump, and now seems likely to allow Collins six more years of enabling the GQP destruction of America.
Sigh...
Insightful, honest and compassionate writing, as always, Sebastian, and much appreciated. Though I don’t live in Maine (I’m a little to the south, on the Cape), I supported Mr. Platner, in the belief that at long last we had a chance at true representation in the US Senate by a Democrat who not only claimed to stand up for people who work with our hands, experience life at street level, and live the challenges that most Democrats only talk about, but who actually is OF the people he aimed to represent. Here was a Democrat who actually works with his hands, spoke the language of those of us who also do so, who – in another slap at Democratic party orthodoxy, owns firearms and does not support the statist/corporatist trope of “gun control-“ another hill Democrat politicians love to die upon. Each attack he endured strengthened my belief that this was a great pick; the criticisms centering on his (brief) boarding school experience, claims that he isn’t a “real” oysterman (I live in and serve a community whose economy centers on oysters, a working community in which he would fit perfectly), the tattoo, etc. seemed to me the work of corporatists of both major parties circling the wagons for their own survival. When the allegations of sexual improprieties began surfacing, what first came to mind was a military proverb I heard many years ago: “once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.“ However, a sister-in-law reminded me of something which I myself had seen in the past, in relation to former female classmates from my grade school/junior high school years. It is not uncommon for women who have suffered sexual abuse to remain silent until they feel emboldened after one or two have come forward; there can be a “snowball“ effect in the course of which they feel more empowered to bring their stories to light once others have done so. True, or not, this has become an insurmountable obstacle, which unfortunately – again, true or not – played perfectly into the hands of the corporatist establishment of the Democratic Party, the ones who gave us the idiocy of the Biden presidency and the debacle of the Biden/Harris non-primary of 2024, which ultimately gave us the epic disaster of the Trump presidency and the ongoing unraveling of our Republic. At this point, I can only hope that Mainers can find another standard bearer who will take Platner’s grass roots, beautifully articulated platform, and run with it. The last thing the nation needs is another six years of Susan Collins’ enabling of the worst administration in our nation’s history, and another six years of a Trump-controlled Senate.
Great writing as always Sebastian. When the voter only considers the message, the voter gets a Trump or a Platner. Maybe the bar is finally being raised from the dirt.
I believed in Platner after reading of your interview with him but somehow new he was doomed because he said all the things that terrify the establishment order..Good insight Sebastian with fair and honest reporting,this is not a victory for the “people”,but another sad defeat,keep punching bro,Cheers