Below is my column in The Hill on the Democratic establishment and media rallying around Graham Platner. As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly stressed, Platner is needed for them to retake power. The allegations of domestic abuse, the Nazi tattoo, and other controversies are secondary to that single overwhelming goal. The question is, when they take power by any means necessary, what will they be other than the majority?
Here is the column:
“Are we the baddies?”
That line from a famous comedy sketch came to mind this week as Democrats struggled to embrace Graham Platner, the Nazi-tattooed, Hamas-praising, veteran-bashing, sex-texting, self-described Communist who was just nominated to be the next U.S. senator from Maine.
The hilarious sketch from the British show “That Mitchell and Webb Look” portrays two Nazi soldiers suddenly questioning whether they might be the bad guys in World War II. Among other things, they notice the telltale death head or “Totenkopf“ insignia on their caps and uniforms. At one point, an officer asks his friend: “Hans — are we the baddies?”
It is a question that more Democrats should be asking as their leaders from House Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) back Platner.
For years, Schumer and others have been calling their political opponents “Nazis.” With help from an enabling media, they even fueled outrage over a false claim that Elon Musk had given a Nazi salute at an inauguration celebration.
Yet presented with a man who paid to have an actual Nazi death head tattooed on his chest, Schumer would only repeat the same mantra to reporters, that a Platner victory means Democrats will “win back the Senate.”
The co-host of ABC’s “The View” was cheered by the studio audience after declaring that Democrats have to abandon “the moral high ground. … Let’s get some power!”
Former Biden aide Ron Klain dismissed Platner’s tattoo as “a skull and crossbones to remember his fallen comrades.” But the SS-Totenkopfverbände was not a grief support group, and the Nazi Totenkopf is not a Jolly Roger symbol. Rather, it is the well-known symbol of Adolf Hitler’s Third SS Panzer Division, famous for committing multiple war crimes and massacres during World War II.
Klain, an aide who helped conceal President Joe Biden’s incapacity, might seem like the worst possible character witness. But he was soon surpassed by Hunter Biden, pardoned by his father to avoid federal prison time related to his years of drug-saturated, prostitute-laden, influence-peddling scandals. In joining Platner’s defenders, Biden the Younger wants the public to know that “I have not heard anything in any way that would say to me that he is an abusive, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, or racist person.” So that settles that.
Both Democratic politicians and the media lined up to repeat Platner’s dubious claim that he had no idea that this was a Nazi symbol. According to Platner, he apparently had no curiosity about the actual meaning of the large tattoo on his chest for years. But this claim (like a number of other claims about his background) was quickly debunked by his former friends.
One woman insists that he knew it was a Totenkopf and spoke to her about it, calling it “my Totenkopf.” Lyndsey Fifield told friends in an August 2025 in an email that Platner “has a Nazi tattoo on his chest” and that “it’s a Totenkopf.”
When asked how his former girlfriend could have been discussing the meaning of his tattoo before he announced for Senate, Platner just continued to deny any such knowledge. Then another former girlfriend came forward to say that he is lying and knew the symbol’s significance. She had been attracted to Platner for his leftist politics, but she still shared Platner’s reasoning behind the tattoo: He told her that he had decided to keep it to remind himself “the U.S. was the evil bad guy overseas.”
Platner insists that these are all lies. Democratic leaders are clearly choosing not to believe them. They are also dismissing the accounts of former girlfriends alleging that Platner physically and mentally abused them.
Once again, politicians and pundits are assuring voters that these women, like the tattoo, are not critical to their voting for Platner. This includes figures like Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who previously insisted that “we must believe survivors, not bully them.”
Whitehouse now says he is “unimpressed” by the allegations and the multiple women coming forward “seems like a lot of nothing.” He also reminded voters that one of the alleged victims is a Republican. So “MeToo” is apparently now “meh” in the new Platner party.
The question is whether Democrats will put their rhetoric through a certain denazification. Democrats have repeatedly analogized Trump to Hitler and his followers to brownshirted neo-Nazis. Indeed, defeating Republicans today has been compared to stopping Hitler in 1933.
So, for a party that literally sees Nazis around every tree, the one possible Nazi that they cannot see is the Democrat who had the Nazi tattoo on his chest.
In the meantime, Democrats keep openly cultivating hatred. This week, during protests in San Antonio against the Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit, one organizer called on protesters to be “obnoxious” and “make sure they know we hate them.” As he spoke, a man dressed as death chopped the air with a sickle. Another protester mimicked Charlie Kirk being assassinated, to the delight of the crowd.
All of this still leaves Democrats in the same position as the characters in the skit where Hans (like Klain) tries to say that maybe a Totenkopf is just like a harmless skull and crossbones. After all, he notes, pirates have skull symbols, and “Pirates are fun!”
But his friend then asks if that is really “how it comes across?”
The same question could be asked of fellow Democrats as speakers call for hate, as a guy dressed as the Grim Reaper hacks at invisible Republicans.
When you start dismissing Nazi tattoos, alleged female abuse victims, and calling for abandoning any moral high ground, you might want to ask, “Are we the baddies?”
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.“
I’m Graham. I am like you, just with a Nazi SS Concentration Camp Guard Tattoo.
https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/im-graham-i-am-like-you-just-with
This whole thing with Platner reminds me of the one criticism I have toward a growing tendency of referring to our Republic as a “democracy.” This invokes ideological imagery of a tribalistic “majority rule” and mob power–clearly defeating the intended effect of creating a “democratic Republic.”
So we have many people potentially voting for Platner ONLY to help the Democratic Party regain control.
Platner “voters”. They is “all good little Nazis”.
Calling Al Franken. How you can lay off this absolute joke?
Professor Turley’s article and the Comments are about Platner’s character. That is exactly what Democrats want. What Democrats don’t want is a factual conversation about Platner’s poiicy positions. Democrats understand that a culture that gives awards to Cardi B’s “WAP” is a culture that doesn’t care about character.
Democrats understand that [our] culture doesn’t care about character.
True. Bill Clinton taught us in the 1990s that character doesn’t matter.
Stephen, you are half right. Talking exclusively about this creep’s indiscretions does avoid discussion of his “Manhattan”, California, Massachusetts policy positions, but they should both be at issue, not one to the exclusion of the other.
Maine may be in NE and it may be blueish, but it isn’t the places I cited above.
Stephen B. Benisch, Esq.,
That is a very interesting observation.
Although I had to look up the Cardi B and “WAP” reference.
His policies appear to be similar to DSA, Mamdani, Wilson, and Sanders. He also appears to be something critical of mainstream Democrats.
Rather interesting he got voted “most likely to start a revolution” yearbook as a senior at John Bapst in 2003 suggesting he was a budding progressive as a senior. Rather odd someone who protested the Iraq war, saying, “I started yelling, ‘Don’t attack Iraq. If our best generals tell us not to go to war, why should we?'” during a GW Bush visit to Bangor International Airport when he was 18.
And then joined the military.
He seems to be all over the place. Not necessarily a character flaw but insight into his mind. Perhaps disorganized as it may seem. That may be more concerning. His past references for political violence and armed resistance I find also concerning.
I would be interested in his fitreps or Fitness Reports of how well a Marine does or does not do. I still have my last two. Curious we have not seen Marines who have served with him come forward with their observations. Also like to see his, “I love me,” file. It is a folder with all his awards, promotions, letters of accommodation etc. I still have mine, with all my other professional records.
Sure, defense contractors made a lot of money in Afghanistan compared to troops. When you are in the military, you are property of the US government. That is a contract you sign when you join. It is not some kind of secret. Everyone knows this.
In my honest opinion, USAID were by far worse than defense contractors.
It will be interesting to see if the DNC spends the money on his campaign to actually win the seat or not. If their own polling shows he will not win as moderate Democrats see him as repulsive and Independents do too, that could be a whole lot of money for nothing.
Democrats must ask: “Are we the baddies?”
Why would a tribe that is based on the completely amoral premise of winning at any cost ask themselves that question, or attempt to make any self-evaluation that would involve similar value judgments? The only questions they are capable of pursuing after the next two elections are “why did we lose” (I’m hopefully optimistic that will be the case) and “what should we do about it”? Frankly, I think they lack sufficient intellectual and moral integrity to answer even those questions with any degree of objectivity.
I don’t understand the big hullaballoo over Platner’s tattoo. This is not the EU where Nazi memorabilia is illegal and causes paroxysms of fear and prison sentences. He has every right to get whatever tattoo he likes.
On the part of voters, all you need to do is look at the guy and judge for yourself if he is worthy of your vote.
To me he looks like a complete αss
Kudos to those exposing candidate details to the voters.
He has every right to get whatever tattoo he likes.
Nobody is denying that. The question is whether it is relevant to him seeking elective office.
Seek office? Where is it stated as a requirement that a candidate has to pass some personal muster? Trump for example, a convicted for sexual assaults among many other questionable sexual based accusations and activities. By your delusional standard he should have ran for POTUS. Right?
Comparing the legitimate complaints against Platner to the false and illegitimate complaints included in all the Democrat lawfare waged against Trump does not help your cause.
Nice try DB…
Trump has NEVER been convicted of any sexual offense.
Not true says. He was not convicted of rape, but he was convicted of sexual abuse. No matter how dicey the conviction was, denying it exists doesn’t help.
He was not convicted in a criminal court of an assault. He lost a civil case in a biased NY court to a now evidenced lying whack job. That is NOT a criminal conviction dumbazz. You obviously are not an esquire, think OJ Simpson the murderer. Not convicted of a crime yet lost in the Civil wrongful death suit against him. Try again
As you might recall, the United States fought the Nazis as well in WWII costing hundreds of thousands of American lives. It is a complete slap in the face of those that gave their lives defending the freedom of this country. To me, it’s traitorous.
totally98, I understand your sentiment but I think your view on symbolism is a bit too simplistic, too literal.
Here is another point of view to expand the subject. Like him or not, Platner did 3 tours in Iraq as a marine and another tour in Afsuckistan. Two of the world’s lovely garden spots. I’d bet there were times he was scared. One way of dealing with that is to use symbols of badassery as a totem against the fear. What could be more badαss than a Nazi Death’s Head tattoo? I bet he’s not the only marine with that tag. It doesn’t necessarliy make him an actual Nazi. Would I ever vote for him? Nope, he seems to lack judgement in too many other areas.
Hey Oldfish, nice straw man you created. Can you name one person who said the tattoo is or should be illegal?
hullbaby, you of limited reading comprehension, again.
Reread. Nowhere did I write what you claim I did.
“What could be more badαss than a Nazi Death’s Head tattoo?”
How about NOT getting one?
Nazi Death’s Head tattoo is not ‘badass’ unless you’re 12.
In fact, it’s disgusting and represents murderous socialists. 12 year olds don’t know that.
No such thing as “good” and “bad” in this game: only win, lose, and $$$
Need to stop thinking of it in outmoded, classical, terms.
America loses every time one of these Marxist Democrats gets elected.
So is a KKK tattoo ok? How about images of a lynching? No such thing as good or bad???? What the heck are you trying to say?
What am I trying to say? Not trying, said. 🤣
Any tattoo is fine. We get to judge for ourselves if a person is worthy of our vote. We get to choose our friends. Clearly, as the Left plays the game, good and bad are irrelevant, winning is all that matters.
Sure, Any tattoo is fine. I just have a policy to not vote for nazi’s.
After reading, “He [Platner] told her [his former girlfriend] that he had decided to keep it to remind himself “the U.S. was the evil bad guy overseas”, I found myself rolling on the floor laughing. Guys will say anything, even and especially moronic completely illogical statements, to keep their, in this case socialist, girlfriend in the mood for a tryst. Now extend that idea to the situation of Platner courting the public’s vote. Platner is as genuine as a $3 bill.
He’s about as real as Buttigeig’s milk bags🤣
People that want to regulate every aspect of business like fascist, restrict free speech like kings, steal the nations wealth like communist and seize and hold power forever like dictators while eliminating every opposition like executioners perfectly describes the Democratic party of today.
They are not the good guys.
Exactly.
It’s why he wears loose fitting boots.
When you scour the news for ‘organized crime in the US’ not much comes up anymore…because the dnc is now the largest organized criminal organization on earth (another reason they hate Putin – he’s their competition for CCP $$$$).
Does this mean that Bernie Sanders is a Nazi?
No, he’s a Jew hating communist.
Yes I know he is Jewish, he’s a self hating Jew.
Graham Platner is well suited to be grand marshal in a Chile military parade.
Germany and Japan are rearming.
“they take power by any means necessary,”
The CA elections prove that.
“When you start dismissing Nazi tattoos, alleged female abuse victims, and calling for abandoning any moral high ground, you might want to ask, “Are we the baddies?”’
With the Democrat Party’s vocal, almost universal support for Platner, the Democrats are signaling again for all to see what they really are. And as they have admonished the rest of us in the past that when a woman accuses a man, especially a man in a position of power over a woman, of abuse, “they must be believed”. Well, when the Democrats openly support a Nazi tattoo-bearing, female abusing, veteran-bashing, sexting loser in life like Platner, and dismiss clearly behavior that should easily disqualify him from public office, they are telling everyone who Democrats really are. “They must be believed”.
But wait, wasn’t this the Party that lionized Sen. Ted Kennedy (married, with children) in the years after after he drove off the road and into a pond while driving with 28 year old Mary Jo Kopechne after a party and who fled the scene of the accident on foot, likely to sober up, leaving her to drown without any attempt to rescue her? You mean that political Party that then re-elected him to the Senate for the following 20 years? That political Party?
Trump has done much worse, like trying to get a blow job from a 13 year-old girl.
This is what you support: blow jobs from minors.
Trump has committed a myriad of sins. Why does the left feel the need to constantly make new ones up? That one was investigated ten years ago and found not to be credible. You guys are constantly trying to tie Epstein and Trump, but the evidence just isn’t there. The Biden administration wouldn’t have leaked it in the four years they had control over the DOJ if there was anything there. They were pulling out all the stops and trashing all previous precedent in their quest to stop Trump at all costs. The idea that Biden was just too genteel to leak a Trump/Epstein link, or even just to include it in the lawfare is absurd.
The evidence is there when you don’t turn a blind eye to it.
And yet, you never provide any evidence. Just keep repeating the same old lie.
And whatever happened to that hotel meeting before Jan 6th that was supposed to be such a bombshell it would get Trump impeached and in a orange jump suit?
And yet, you never provide any evidence. As do you. Or some link to a rightest news site. You just keep repeating the same old lies and delusions you stupid old man.
You made the assertion. You made the claim.
So, back it up with credible evidence.
Where is the evidence?
Where are the accusers?
Where are the charges?
What is that? You have nothing?
We are not surprised.
Just remember, this so-called old man, will retire with more money than you ever will. You are still living at home, dependent on your parents, likely my age. You are a failure to launch. Your entire life strategy is not to work, be a productive member of society. But to be a parasite on your own parents. For them to support you till they die. And then, if they pass down any wealth to you, you will blow it all in short order. And blame them.
Anon knows he has no evidence and has run away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paq6sVkkEg0&pp=ygUPd2h5IGFyZSB5b3UgZ2F5
As the video asks, why are you ghey? Because you seem to spend all of your time thinking about another man and what he does with his junk.
That Kool-Aid you are drinking is very strong.
“Look the other way as we commies elect a nazi”
Classic modern politics. Make an accusation, keep making it even when there is no proof, and treat it as an established fact. It’s reminiscent of the old LBJ story about spreading a rumor that his opponent had had sex with barnyard animals. When asked if it was true he said “No, but I want to see him deny it”. it’s trash argument.
I heard you bugger stray dogs and puppies. Everyone says so in their Social Media comments and emails. It’s in code words and I have a talking dog that will testify to it. His name is Beau, he use to live in the Whitehouse, he’s a carry your Water Dog.
See how stupid you are?
It is a problem to choose between one who has a Nazi decoration and one who has voted for Nazi outcomes.
Please dumocrats, choose the nazi! Your appeal CAN go lower!
WHAT American voter will vote for a guy with a nazi tat? an un-American!
Oh and AOC2028 too please!
Overlook Nazi to win control of senate? Dumbocrats say ‘Yes we can, We’ve done it before!’
George Santos, a Republican from NY, fabricated his biography and employment. He was expelled from the House by Republicans and Democrats. Graham Platner is running for the U.S. Senate in Maine; he demonstrates sympathy with the Nazis and womanizing with violence. Yet, the Democrats just voted to put him on the ballot as their official nominee rather than get another candidate.
Do Democrats see the difference between proper action and what is wrong?
S. Meyer,
In this case, as by Schumer’s rhetoric, similar rhetoric by The View’s co-host, with a Senate seat on the line, power, then the difference does not matter.
Suddenly doing what is right or wrong becomes flexible.
On October 17, 2025, President Donald Trump commuted Santos’s sentence, resulting in his immediate release from federal prison.
Trump wrote: “At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
If we were to jail criminal Democrats, the House would be half-empty.
Trump did it just to specifically troll you. It’s working. rent-free 24/7. Don’t you just HATE him? Doesn’t he just BURN you up? Can you feel your blood pressure rising with just the thought of him? Can you imagine he’s the President of the USA too! Nothing seems to stop him from pissing you off over and over again until you just can’t take it anymore! Let’s hear your primal screech.
MAGA doesn’t. They voted for a womanizer and a racist for president. Why would it be shocking or surprising if Democrats just did what Republicans and MAGA have been doing for years.
It’s the MAGA philosophy that it doesn’t matter how immoral or corrupt a politician is as long as they deliver on their promises. right?
There is no evidence that Trump is a racist; the evidence is otherwise. Trump has had a couple of marriages but doesn’t beat his women like the Democrats.
So Trump’s no longer a nazi now because that would be like asking dumbocrats to support Trump?
I still have trouble following lefty logic. I don’t get it, tell me again, WHY are dumbocrats voting for a nazi?
WHY is Trump no longer a nazi and now just a womanizer? Is the nazi a womanizer too? He is?!? Are they the same or totally different?
Sincerely, Confused
edit: clarity now, I’m just responding to another useful idiot who likes name-calling.
They never have. The Dems did create the KKK and vote against civil rights.
Listening to sleezebags like Hunter Biden and Klain, along with Schumer declaring that a Platner victory means Democrats will “win back the Senate,” I am struck by the grim resemblance to the political backroom deal where Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg.
Is this what the Democrat Party wants?
Yep!
Political backroom deals is how the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation worked to get their control of the Supreme Court and the Presidency, with a majority of Executive Orders drafted for Trump even before his election, ready for his action as their autopen.
You have Trump mixed up with that other president Mr. Potatohead the politburo puppet who needed the autopen because he couldn’t remember his own name.
The difference is that Trump is working for Americans not selling America out like the Democrats.
They may have decided in some backrooms who should be nominated for the Supreme Court, but it was all legal and in the interests of America. That is quite the opposite of what Democrats do. Democrats cheat and steal, wishing to destroy America.
That’s called ‘organization’. trump had 4 years to plan the dumbocrat takedown.
Vote for the maine nazi please.
Why is this surprising? When the political goal is to gain majority in the house or senate these ‘indescretions’ are ignored. MAGA and republicans have been playing by those rules for a while. Why should it surprising? From the gist of those complaining it seems they expect democrats to behave better than republicans have been.
Really? Santos was expelled from the House. Apparently, you are ill-informed. Being ill-informed is typical of Anonymous creatures.
So which side are you on? the one that’s the same as the other one?
Why’d you pick that one? Sounds fishy.
It makes no sense because Democratic rallies and conventions are multi-racial.
OOPS. Not anymore.
Oh, yes. And, as anyone knows, “Diversity Is Our Strength”.
You mock diversity and being a Nazi at the same time. How odd.
Identity is your crutch. Individuality is our power.
My question is when will “traditional” Democrats start leaving the party. The party has evolved into an openly authoritarian party of violence and hatred. We should all feel threatened by their proclamations. We have many examples of what their governance has wrought and will bring to the country. The Constitution that formed our self-governing, tripartite, capitalist democratic republic wasn’t intended as a suicide pact.
Authoritarian governments usually have images and the name of the leader plastered on buildings all over the capital of the country. Have you recently seen anything like that in the US?
Trump likes to put his name and face on everything he can.
Yes, he does knowing it sends Democrats into a hysterical fits and rage. It is fun to watch!
Would you want the tables to be turned? I doubt it.
You would be enraged if Democratic politicians enjoyed doing things that you didn’t like.
That’s the troll. You KNOW it’s a troll yet it still works on you. 24/7 rent-free. It’s very entertaining.
Meanwhile as you fume and fuss, Trump is getting done the real work of Making America Great.
Please tell us more how ‘Orange man bad’, it works for me!
and vote for the nazi please.
Don’t worry. Those of us with a modicum of sense and decency DO “feel threatened by their proclamations”. They’re worthless sub-humans willing to stop at nothing to win and gain power over everyone else.
“openly authoritarian party of violence and hatred”
similar to all the communist revolutions of old.
How else could the commies get past our Constitution?