By Douglas V. Gibbs
Graham Platner has finally dropped out of his Senate race in Maine, but not before exposing the Democratic Party’s stunning hypocrisy. The original choice to challenge Republican Susan Collins in what Democrats deem a “must-win” race for Senate control has been hit with a rolling catastrophe of scandals that would have disqualified any non-Democrat in mere moments. Platner has predictably called the accusations against him “categorically false,” waving them off as “coached and coordinated” attacks by “out of state establishment operatives.”
A pastor once told me that anyone seeking ministry must be blameless. The same standard, in our modern world, seems to apply to politicians. Yes, we’re human, we make mistakes, and we want to believe people can change. And Democrats initially said as much about Platner. While watching this unfold on television, I saw a clip from MS NOW of a woman saying she fell for his message of redemption. They wanted to believe, despite all the character problems emerging during this campaign, that he wasn’t what the evidence suggested.
They looked the other way from the Nazi tattoo. They ignored the sexually explicit texts. They called his physical abuse accusation from ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield merely “unsettling” behavior. They perhaps even internally cheered when Platner called police officers “opportunistic cowards” and advocated for hard-left communist policies. As a result, Platner believed himself untouchable and soldiered on.
Despite mounting controversies, he still won the Democratic Primary, and they claimed to still believe in him…for one reason and one reason only. Because their lust for power is more important than character. The whole episode reveals that the Democratic Party has become a party without principles. The only reason Platner began losing donors, endorsements, and basic support from his own party was because they finally realized his baggage would lead to Democratic defeat.
This is the same Democratic Party that once argued misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh warranted investigation and public scrutiny because we must “always believe all women.” During the 2018 election season, sexual assault allegations plagued Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore in Alabama. Once the Washington Post released a report of allegations against Moore from many decades before, the entire Democratic machine came down hard, despite the flimsy nature of those claims. No consideration of redemption emerged then. But, Platner’s denials were believed without hesitation… at least until the rape charge emerged.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying we should take such allegations lightly. But how is it that when these allegations are leveled against Republicans, there’s no wiggle room, yet when a far-left Democrat faces round after round of devastating accusations, it takes a rape allegation and an impending ballot deadline (July 13) to finally get Democrats to acknowledge perhaps the guy has character issues?
The answer, as stated before, is because their lust for power is more important than what is “right.” Their principles revolve around power, not what is moral or acceptable in a culture that demands our political officeholders maintain higher standards because of the higher offices they occupy.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
