Grace and redemption: two qualities Democrats never extend toward their opponents, especially these days.
Want an example? Here's one from Der Oysterführer himself, or at least his campaign staff on Graham Platner's Twitter feed. Platner's first ad of the general election campaign isn't an acknowledgment of his "dark years," an apology to Lyndsey Fifield for abusing her and then lying about it in the last week, or an honest reckoning with his Nazi tattoo that he only covered up when he jumped into the Senate race.
Instead, Platner makes a bizarre accusation that Susan Collins is somehow connected to Jeffrey Epstein, even while refusing to release his messages on Kik, a platform known as a "predator's paradise" for its easy access to adolescents. I helpfully put this campaign ad in context:
Let's see your Kik threads, Herr Totenkopf. You know, the account where your profile is you half-naked on a platform known for its access to adolescents. https://t.co/nmLltFAbps
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) June 10, 2026
You're welcome.
Almost at the same time that Herr Totenkopf tried smearing Collins with this Epstein Files bullpuckey, House Dem and key Platner mouthpiece Ro Khanna pleaded for voters and the media to show a serial liar "a little grace and redemption." He told CNN's Jake Tapper that Platner is "a changed person," without much evidence in hand:
TAPPER: Let's turn to the main Senate race. Last night, Graham Platner was won the Democratic primary despite multiple scandals, including that New York Times report last week where three of Platner's ex- girlfriends accused him of unsettling behavior and at least in one case, physically threatening behavior. He denied anything physical.
You actually campaigned with Platner. You are a big supporter of his. You've been clear that you believe these women. So I guess two questions. One, why are you still backing him if you believe these women?
And two, just to head you off at the past, Republican Senator Jeff Flake wrote an op-ed in today's Washington Post, and he said Democrats are, quote, "just wrong to think that these things," meaning Democratic legislative priorities are a check on Trump, "that these things matter more than character."
KHANNA: Well, I do think character matters, but Graham has been pretty open that he served two tours of duty. He had Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Now, there are a lot of people who have Post Traumatic Stress disorder or serve, as you know, Jake, who don't have toxic relationships and don't make misogynistic comments. But he says that he was in a dark chapter of his life. He became an alcoholic, and there were years of acting in ways that he really regrets. And he asked for grace and redemption. And he thinks he's a changed person, a transformed person. I believe him, and I believe that he is now focused on ending the wars that he fought on, the war in Iran and other wars, and he's focused on giving people health care and creating economic equality. But it's for Maine voters and other people to assess him and see, is he a changed man and has he taken account for his past?
Ahem. Platner's account on Kik, complete with that half-naked profile pic on a platform with notable access to adolescents, was still active as of last week. Newsweek reported that as of June 2, the only change to the account was removing the photo:
The Kik profile of Graham Platner remains active as of early Tuesday, but no longer features a shirtless photo of the Democratic frontrunner in Maine’s 2026 Senate primary.
The profile for Platner on the anonymous messaging app, Phustle0331, removed a shirtless snapshot of the Senate hopeful late Monday afternoon following reports that he had sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married. ...
Kik, an instant messaging app that launched in 2015, allows users to access the platform without providing phone numbers or valid email addresses. In 2023, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation dubbed Kik a “predator’s paradise.”
“Kik has little to no protections in place to prevent all this grooming and child sexual exploitation,” the nonprofit group said. “The only real safety settings Kik provides is the ability to block or report a user. This places almost all the responsibility on the victimized children and users, whose age, inexperience, fear, or other vulnerabilities is often a barrier when it comes to identifying and reporting abuse.”
Also on the subject of "dark years," Platner's been married for only a couple of years. His sexting of other women is recent, not part of some distant past that has less relevance to who Platner is now. This is who Platner is now, and Khanna knows it. Khanna is fronting for a Nazi-tatted predator, and it's not even clear why.
And Khanna isn't alone in this effort, either. No one has provided a rational reason why the Democrat Party establishment attached itself to Platner with such abandon, other than for sheer power. They're willing to embrace a violent Naziphile predator just to unseat the most liberal Republican in the US Senate. Platner's not the only Democrat who will need to beg for "grace and redemption" at the end of this moral bankruptcy.
Finally, the issue at hand in this election isn't "grace and redemption." Platner can seek both of those personally through atonement and accountability. In fact, he's had years to do so, but Der Oysterführer seems uninterested in doing the hard work necessary to achieve redemption. He wants to be forgiven without even admitting to his errors and the damage he's caused. That's not redemption; it's a demand for a hall pass from a whiny, entitled teenager with no empathy.
Besides, a US Senate seat is not a vehicle for redemption in the first place. If Platner has some outstanding qualities and experience for the job, then voters might have cause to overlook some scandals to choose him, depending on the scandals and the countervailing qualities in the equation. Platner has no countervailing qualities or experience, however. He's a middle-aged mooch living off his parents' wealth with no significant work experience outside of his military experience, which is more than a decade in the past. He never belonged in this race in the first place even without the scandals, and Khanna is trying desperately to hide that behind calls for empathy for a man-child.
How long will Democrats let this stink attach itself to the entire party and its slate of candidates in this midterm cycle?
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help HotAir continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member