TBH I did not know he was a Blackwater mercenary. News keeps calling him a Marine, which I don't think is the same thing.

That would have been a dealbreaker for me, but then I'm not a Mainer and did not do much diligent research about him.

ETA Ten years ago, I wrote a blogpiece discussing the Are We The Baddies skit by Mitchell & Webb, observing Skulls in military symbolism are actually not particularly odd, as indicators of toughness and ferocity... Skulls were a tradition of mobile units, first cavalry and later mechanized and air units as a symbol of their ferocity.

So when Platner allegedly had buyers remorse regarding a tat that he got in the service when he was a front-line rifleman, I could sympathize. I am lucky that the stupid things I did as a youth left no permanent record. (The internet never forgets, and I have plenty of bad takes still buried out there from my adult years.)

The people are so desperate for progressive candidates they have backed this guy. That tells you how far gone the sysstem has gone.

At this point, I don't know, I can't change anything about it anyway, and so I'm just at peace with it for now. I'm not in a position to vote for the guy, I can't change the mind of anyone who is, and I have no idea if he is a leftist with a colored past or a fascist playing pretend with his politics. If he doesn't get elected, he'll probably get forgotten within a year. If he does get elected, he'll be voting on and proposing laws and we will see what his true policy positions are. I'm just waiting at this point.

Graham Platner fought in the military, yes, but he has since gained consciousness of the Military Industrial Context and wants to limit its influence across the world. Veterans deserve a chance to develop dissent and grief for their active duty. Many that join the military at a young age fall hook, line, and sinker for propaganda.

Graham Platner had a totenkopf tattoo, yes, but he has since covered it up. Also, that tattoo was exposed for everyone to see at his sister's wedding where the fiancé's family was largely Jewish. I'd wager to say that most Americans don't know about a totenkopf as much as the Nazi symbol or iron cross as the skull might be mistaken with a pirate flag.

All of the above points to a story of a broken person lied to by the American government to use their body as a meat shield for endless worldwide conquer, and their rehabilitation and reeducation to attone for their actions and do better in the world.

But that rehabilitation story falls apart with these rape allegations. Platner doubling down and denying his involvement, when Racicot had receipts with her friends and therapist before he even started his political campaign, nullifying any political motivations unlike with Fifield, alludes to a masked narcissism that risks his character. Why go to therapy to work on everything about yourself except this one aspect of your life? It's inconsistent and introduces risks to how Platner might perform as a senator in the future.

Also, as a senator, Platner would have probably needed to undergo hearings about his past relationships to air out all of his dirty laundry in front of the entire nation if he gets elected. Other things may be dug up that Platner didn't want people to know.

While Platner's socialist policies are good, we can have better candidates with less baggage, like Troy Jackson.