Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 5
Carville Backs Maine Democrat Platner Despite SS Tattoo Scandal, Invoking WWII Alliance With Stalin
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 5

Carville Backs Maine Democrat Platner Despite SS Tattoo Scandal, Invoking WWII Alliance With Stalin

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 5

Summary

  • James Carville urged Democrats to rally behind Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, saying the country is in “imminent peril” and likening support for the scandal-hit nominee to Roosevelt and Churchill working with Stalin in World War II.
  • Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee challenging Sen. Susan Collins, has faced scrutiny over sexually explicit messages, disputed misconduct allegations and a decades-old tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf insignia.
  • Carville dismissed much of that baggage, calling Platner a combat veteran who had “been shot at” and arguing his war experience would bring needed perspective to a Senate he said is failing the country.
  • Platner told MSNBC that allegations of physical misconduct and claims he knew the tattoo’s meaning are false and politically motivated, while ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield said The New York Times had been too soft on him.
  • The endorsement underscores Democrats’ willingness to defend a damaged candidate in a key Maine race as they try to unseat Collins and strengthen their hand against Washington’s current leadership.

Insights

How do voters weigh a candidate's character against the 'imminent peril' of the present?
Where does personal accountability end and the influence of past trauma begin for a public figure?
If a controversial symbol is removed, should its past meaning be forgotten in politics?