A woman who previously dated Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop, according to a Politico report released Monday, leading prominent supporters to pull their endorsements and throwing a must-win race for the party into turmoil.
Platner denied the allegation, but said he would be considering next steps for his campaign.
“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 said in a video released on social media.
Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn’t consensual. A voicemail left at a number listed for Racicot seeking comment did not receive an immediate response.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to an email and phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in his video.
Still, the allegation sparked a flight away from a candidate who has long been controversial. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who’d stood by Platner even as the insurgent candidate was hit with prior allegations, said Monday’s was enough. “I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”
Edit: holy shit, these comments are insane.
Regardless of what you believe with this, Platner likely cannot win anymore. He has a week to do the right thing and drop out before he’s fully locked in. If he actually gives any sort of a shit (and doesn’t just want power, like rapists seeking office tend to), he needs to drop out yesterday.
This is the nail in the coffin for his campaign. It’s not time to defend him no matter what, because there’s still a week where a new candidate can be put into place. Instead of being mad at people not wanting to vote for him, you should start vocally supporting another candidate.
So all veterans, if they want to redeem themselves in the eyes of MLs, must do what’s the equivalent of community service in dissuading the youth from joining the military, providing mutual aide for other veterans, and maybe 10-20 other things before they get moral consideration from the left.
Any veterans that don’t immediately do that after leaving military service after as little as 1 tour and instead go on to do other normal economic things with their time like oyster farming, trucking, construction, whatever makes their living is not good enough for doing anything associated with political office.
Do these same purity tests apply to normal folks, the peasantry class, that have no military experience? What if some of those peasants do crimes like arson or domestic violence or murder? Do they also get banned from political office forever, even if they give back to their communities? How much do they have to give back? Are the requirements in years? Or should we measure people’s emotions and cognitions to see if they’ve really learned their lesson? Do all leaders need to be pure, untainted lab rats grown into wealthy families that see no hardship?
Purity tests are the cancer of the left. There needs to be space for people to recognize their wrongs, and try to do better about it. Saying whether HOW they do better is right or wrong is arbitrary. Veterans that see how bad the MIC is would be best suited to know how to dismantle it. Former inmates that see how bad the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) is would be best suited to know how to dismantle it.
Obviously it’s better if vets, former inmates, etc. do all of the above. But I don’t think we should rule out people if they don’t, especially if there’s no better alternative. The best thing to do in these dilemmas is find better candidates and support them. Without that, viability and policies is the only way forward.
What does “moral consideration” mean here, exactly? The only thing I’ve talked about is leadership positions. Apparently, in your mind, saying I don’t want someone in a leadership position is the same as saying I don’t mind if they’re taken out and shot.
Correct. Although, to be clear, in this case, we’re talking about someone who did four terms and then signed up as a killer-for-hire with Blackwater.
Yes? Duh, why wouldn’t they? Are there a lot of arsonists holding office where you live? Do you think we should be electing ICE agents?
The only double standard you can find here is that the same crimes that would be obviously and automatically disqualifying if committed domestically are somehow excused, if not admired when committed abroad.
That’s exactly what I am doing! Obviously, if you fuck up then continue seeking power for yourself, you haven’t learned shit. Saying “I’m sorry” when it’s politically advantageous is meaningless.
Which they can absolutely do. From a non-leadership position.
Who is Graham Platner’s campaign manager? Can you name them without Googling? If Platner were in a role like that, I wouldn’t really care. But apparently that means I think he’d “unworthy of moral consideration” in your ridiculous framing.
Moral consideration includes whether the person has attractive morals to be considered a leader.
Anybody that commits a crime, that rehabilitates and demonstrates social behavior and not a social behavior, should be given the chance to run for public office. Lifetime bans from public office can be abused.
ICE agents that change their minds, leave the force, and show rehabilitated behaviors should absolutely be considered for public office.
None of what I’m saying that we should pick these folks over others that have the same policy views WITHOUT this same baggage. In my view the baggage shouldn’t be deal breakers, because baggage is nuanced and deserves contextual understanding.
People demonstrate whether they’ve learned about their past wrongs through their actions. Speaking truth to power is an action, and it’s better than nothing when the political parties in USA are rotten to the core. Maybe you Euroids and third worldists have better choices in political candidates. In the US, our choices for some races are Zionists, rapists, white supremacists, etc. The best we can do (in certain areas of USA) in the big dystopian 226 is rally behind people who do say the right things. Until someone better shows up, which wasn’t the case in Maine until this Platner rape crisis and the alternative, Troy Jackson.
Who is Platner’s campaign manager? Who is Bernie’s? Zohran’s? AOC’s? I have no fucking clue because I’m not a political autist masking as an ML.
That’s not what the phrase “moral consideration” means. “Moral consideration” means, like, if they’re in a trolley problem next to an empty track, it’s wrong to kill them. If there’s a mosquito on one track, it probably doesn’t warrant moral consideration, so it’s not important to save it.
Hard disagree. Why are you so deadset on getting people with questionable loyalties and character into leadership roles? It’s self-sabotage.
Completely ridiculous.
Yes, exactly!
What the fuck? Absolutely not!
People demonstrate their character by actual actions. Which is why, someone whose character has been demonstrated as bad through bad actions should be expected to redeem themselves through actions and not just saying nice things.
I mean, seriously? “People demonstrate their character through actions” means nothing if you’re counting “talking” as an “action.” The whole point of that phrase is that talk is cheap!
I have absolutely no idea where you pulled that one from. I’m an American.
That’s literally the point, dumbass. The campaign manager could be murderer or rapist (as you are so intent to allow into high-level positions for some bizarre reason) and it wouldn’t cause nearly as many problems. Like, tbh it wouldn’t be great to have such people in such roles, but Jesus Christ, at least keep them out of the top positions! It’s like you’re trying to tank the campaign or get co-opted!