Sniveling Graham Platner Torches the Democrats on His Way Out of Their Party

Readers, some entirely predictable news: Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee to take on Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins this November, announced last night at 8 p.m. local time that he would be dropping out of the race because of a late-emerging allegation of rape five years ago. Platner himself insisted, in a video explaining his decision to withdraw: “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It’s not real.” And yet there he was, somberly whimpering his way to early retirement, claiming that the dark forces of the Democratic Establishment were forcing his hand. If you were worried that he might muster even a shred of dignity or credibility in surrender, worry not: He’s just as much of a whiny, self-pitying dorm-room-socialist fraud as ever.

Behold, the bitterest retirement announcement since New Jersey’s Bob “Torch” Torricelli once moaned about how Americans had “become such an unforgiving people.” Before you click, I want to either warn or entice you by noting that Platner’s video is eleven minutes (!) long, full of pregnant pauses, a few edits, and a delivery choked by tense-throated near-blubbering. Platner rails endlessly against the Democratic Party and the shadowy string-pullers (“They,” the “larger forces” lurking out there) who are stealing his dreams from him.

JB

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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Readers, some entirely predictable news: Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee to take on Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins this November, announced last night at 8 p.m. local time that he would be dropping out of the race because of a late-emerging allegation of rape five years ago. Platner himself insisted, in a video explaining his decision to withdraw: “This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It’s not real.” And yet there he was, somberly whimpering his way to early retirement, claiming that the dark forces of the Democratic Establishment were forcing his hand. If you were worried that he might muster even a shred of dignity or credibility in surrender, worry not: He’s just as much of a whiny, self-pitying dorm-room-socialist fraud as ever.

Behold, the bitterest retirement announcement since New Jersey’s Bob “Torch” Torricelli once moaned about how Americans had “become such an unforgiving people.” Before you click, I want to either warn or entice you by noting that Platner’s video is eleven minutes (!) long, full of pregnant pauses, a few edits, and a delivery choked by tense-throated near-blubbering. Platner rails endlessly against the Democratic Party and the shadowy string-pullers (“They,” the “larger forces” lurking out there) who are stealing his dreams from him.

JB

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.