Welcome to the Party

Old friends and long-time readers know I really enjoy this Bruce Willis/Die Hard meme:

It captures that moment when people suddenly find themselves involved in things they never imagined being a part of. Today, let’s welcome the Democrats of Maine to the party, and of course, their new Senate candidate, Graham Platner!

First off, let’s brush aside the silly objections. This may seem obvious to experienced adults, but no, Mr. Planter should not be disqualified from running for office because of things he posted on Reddit (or other social media). I (like many of my college friends) thank God every day that my young adult exploits were NOT captured for a global audience, nor my every inane utterance immortalized by “the internets.” Perhaps comments about rape victims bearing some responsibility, calling FOR political violence, or using the words r*tard or gay as slurs may give some voters pause, but the candidate takes responsibility and apologizes for things he said “during a dark time” in his life, while suffering from PTSD. End of story.

Nor should anyone be overly concerned about the Totenkopf (“Death’s Head”) tattoo he once had on his chest. Does anybody think Graham is a Maine Nazi? Really? Like many a Marine before him, he got (more than) a little drunk and got a tat he thought looked “badass.” If I thought for a second he supported National Socialism, that would be different. I don’t, because he doesn’t.

What about his more recent infidelity? In this day and age–that being the age of Trump–it’s hard to argue infidelity is disqualifying, even if recent. His wife defends him, and suggests they’re in counseling. Sounds like they are addressing the issue, so what’s your complaint?

Maybe it’s the allegations of boorish or perhaps physically aggressive behavior towards women? These are contested, and while they suggest a not very healthy view of the opposite sex, again, is that even a thing anymore? Now we can lay the #BelieveAllWomen movement to rest once and for all, as #Only BelieveWhenItsPoliticallyConvenient just doesn’t work, does it?

There are many who criticize candidate Platner’s working-man credentials. Yes, he is a member of what passes for royalty in Maine, as his grandfather was and his parents still are, frankly, rich. He went to several exclusive boarding schools, the least expensive of which cost over $10,000 a year. His Dad did indeed “buy” him a house with a cash loan of unspecified terms. His Mom bought him the company (literally an oyster boat) he now runs, and her restaurant is the sole purchaser of his oyster take. He and his wife live off his tax-free, full military disability retirement (currently US $48,000 annually). While he’s in no danger of becoming homeless, he is also not personally wealthy.

He deserves credit for honorably serving his country in war, and suffering PTSD as a result. It would help his case measurably if more of his close war-time Marines came forward to vouch for him, but perhaps that is planned for the campaign. He has undeniable charisma: when he speaks on the stump about the system being rigged against the average citizen, you can see the crowd warming to him. His stated policy positions, while few, are sure to excite the progressive left: Medicare for all, dropping support for Israel, higher taxes on the rich, citizenship for illegal/undocumented aliens. But his personae cracks all the liberal shibboleths: a gravelly-voiced, profane guy with a barrel chest and huge biceps, swearing when necessary and comfortably politically incorrect.

As you can see, Graham Platner has his faults, as any candidate does. So what makes his candidacy so alarming? Democrats respond to all of his questionable traits with a single word: Trump. It’s almost like Platner is running against Trump, not Senator Susan Collins. But he’s not. He’s running against one of the most decent, hard-working, honest Senators in American history. I had the honor of briefly working with Senator Collins when planning an event when I was in the Executive Branch. A mutual acquaintance told me to give her a call, and gave me a number. I called–expecting to get a staffer–but the Senator’s unmistakable voice came over the line instead! She was gracious and helpful and down-to-earth . . . and not just in the political way some can summon, as I was clearly in no position to vote for her or help her. She was, and is, the genuine article.

While Democrats once hailed her as the type of moderate who might limit the damage of the Trump era, her vote to approve Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh led directly to the repeal of Roe vs Wade (which she regrets). Little mentioned is the fact she has voted for all of President Obama’s and Biden’s Supreme Court nominees, too, and against Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett (on procedural grounds). Moderates are valued only moderately, I suppose. Now Collins’ Senate seat is hot, in order to “regain” the Senate for the Democratic party. For what? Will a one- or two-seat Democratic majority have a major influence on Trump’s final two years, when he won’t be impeached and seems intent on ignoring the Congress in toto?

So the Democratic Party has decided that President Trump has reset the bar on politics, morally and ethically. As long as a candidate is not much worse than Trump’s predations, he or she is acceptable. I have long argued that the way to restore honor, to embrace decency, to maintain a shred of dignity is to continue to insist on those standards, not lower them in order to win. It bears repeating: a moral standard is not lost when it is first broken; it is lost when it is at last abandoned. Our laws against murder still stand despite being violated daily. But once we begin to say, “well, it’s not really murder if . . . ” or “someone else did it first” that morality is truly lost.

The people of Maine have a democratic choice. On one hand, they have a proven commodity who made (in some voters’ minds) a bad choice, and one she has admitted to. On the other hand, they have a political novice with a life-long history of bad choices, some very recently. And he hasn’t admitted to them. He denies knowing about the Totenkopf tattoo, despite being a “history buff” whose former date said she learned about it from him. He has never explained why he chose the “dating” site called Kik, which is known as a hang-out for grown men seeking teenage girls (there is no evidence he did so) when there are other, more popular sites for adultery. And when he posted a towel-only clad selfie on that site, he strategically held his cell phone to block the tattoo, why? He said he got his home due to the VA loan program, but he has never taken a VA loan, because his dad loaned him the money. Most of these issues are trivial, until you consider what a serial liar might say in the same circumstances.

I don’t blame Graham Platner for trying. I don’t even blame the Democratic Party for wanting to win the Senate. I do blame anyone who suggests the way to bring American politics back to normal is to win-at-all-costs and accept lower standards. The only solace here is we no longer have to listen to the hypocrisy. The GOP was once the party of family values, but they surrendered that position to win. Now the Democrats have done the same. Welcome to the party!