Graham Platner, Ken Paxton expose the hypocrisy of both sides of the scandal
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Imagine, for a moment, that Graham Platner was a Republican.
The Democrats will be taking nuclear weapons, declaring that he is the bad guy.
He does not deserve to be in office, they shouted, sent sex messages to other women while he was married.
How could he represent Maine in the Senate, they say, when he sports a Nazi tattoo?
WATCH: FOUR VOTERS DIVIDED IN PLATNER AS SCANDALS SHADOW DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
From Sullivan Harbormaster Graham Platner in Maine, to Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas, both parties have fielded the youngest candidates in the most watched Senate races. (Getty Images)
Look at the New York Times, which found three women who said he physically abused them and made them very uncomfortable.
How could the Republicans dream of winning the election?
However, Platner is a Democrat – a liberal Democrat – so that's fine. They gloss over all the trash that came out and he plays his military record.
Pure hypocrisy.
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Now in fairness, several Democrats have raised questions about Platner's past and expressed doubts about his candidacy.
But what was he thinking, running for office with an oyster boat full of baggage? (He doesn't really make money from oysters but it fits his salt-of-the-earth image.)
This race is getting a lot of national attention because the Dems need to turn things around like Maine if they are going to have a serious shot at controlling the Senate.
It was a big mistake for Platner to think he could run for the Senate and just put that part of his life behind him, except he was drinking heavily, battling depression and PTSD after combat duty, but he put that part of his life behind him.
Platner is facing a wave of accusations about his past behavior. (Sophie Park/Getty Images)
Platner, 41, joined the Marines after high school and served three combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
Platner has a natural charisma that has drawn potential voters to his side. And all that worries most Democrats at this point is whether or not they can oust veteran Republican Susan Collins.
I blame the media for being late. Journalists liked to cover a character with a more interesting personality than a typical news suit and tie lawyer who looked like he was put together in a counsel's office.
By the time the scandal broke, Maine's future games were upon us.
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Remember, Maine's 78-year-old governor, Janet Mills, should have been the nominee. But he suspended his campaign after falling behind, although his name remains on the ballot.
Platner doesn't seem to be telling the truth about the Nazi tattoo. One of the ex-girlfriends who spoke to the Times, Lyndsey Fifeld, said he told her “my Totenkopf,” the German word for death's head.
Platner deleted his account because he worked with conservative groups and GOP campaigns, which Fifeld said was not effective.
Although Platner never hit her, according to Fifeld's account, “he often grabbed her by the shoulders – sometimes hard enough to leave marks – and, on one occasion, pulled her out of a taxi with his hand after an argument when she wanted to sit in the car.” In one incident, she says, “he twisted her arm behind her, put her in a room and closed the door on the other side so she couldn't get out, and told her to stay there until she 'shut up.' – then fell asleep. “It hurts,” she said.
In addition, Fifeld says, Platner dreamed of killing people he considered a threat, and told him he would rape them because rape is about power. In a 2016 diary entry, Fifeld called Platner “the most toxic, abusive man in the world who destroyed my life.”
Another ex-girlfriend, Jenny Racicot, said Platner “has no respect for women” and said his behavior was “reckless” and “disturbed,” adding that he once appeared drunk after she told him not to come. (Some writers say they have a good relationship.)
Liberal lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren and Ro Khanna have campaigned with Platner, though Khanna has called his past behavior “inappropriate” and said he should apologize to women.
In an interview with MSNOW's Chris Hayes, Platner said “anything that goes against the body, anything that says I know what my tattoo was, these are statements by someone with a political interest.”
Platner is constantly dropping F-bombs in public. Maybe Maine voters will decide they don't care about past misbehavior and will focus on Platner's populist agenda, including higher wages and better health care. But clearly, his liberal allies would be singing a very different tune if he were a Republican.
PLATNER'S SUPPORTER KHNNA CALLS PREVIOUSLY HOPEFUL RELATIONSHIP 'TOXIC,' BUT SAYS SHE'S DESERVED OF 'REDACTING'
Now neither party has the power to control the chosen outrage. Republicans panicked after Ken Paxton won the Senate nomination in Texas, with President Trump's endorsement, defeating incumbent Senator John Cornyn.
To say that the state's attorney general, who will face Democrat James Talarico, has a history full of scandals is an understatement.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House, though the Senate did not impeach him, after top aides reported him to the FBI for abusing his office to help an Austin donor and real estate developer. But the DOJ dropped the investigation.
He reached a plea deal on federal health care fraud charges. And his future wife has accused him of adultery.
Platner doesn't really give Senate Republicans the group you might think – they still have their own albatross in the form of Paxton. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But, winning is the name of the game. The Texas GOP deleted the post about Paxton's “lies” as soon as he became the nominee.
A few prominent Republicans have abandoned Paxton, such as former Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price, who called him “corrupt and immoral.”
But in heavily red states, which haven't elected a statewide Democrat in 40 years, the rest is unthinkable.
The Republican National Campaign Committee did not mention Paxton on the night of the primary, focusing on attacking Talarico instead.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who supports Cornyn, said in a radio interview that “it's clear we're pivoting.” Paxton is “perfect, ready to go to the polls in the fall, already on the phone raising money and all the things you need to do to be successful…Losing is not an option when it comes to the state of Texas.”
Now run the script. If Paxton had been a Democrat, those same Texas Republicans would have complained that bribery, fraud, impeachment and adultery made him completely unfit for the Senate.
They'll be wringing their hands about how embarrassing you'll be in the Lone Star State.
That is complete hypocrisy as well. They don't want to lose their seat. Time.
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Some Republicans may hold their noses and support Paxton, but many others may just stay home.
Perhaps the old values have dissolved. After all, Donald Trump survived about a thousand scandals and was able to win a second term.
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The final takeaway: Politicians will put up with almost anything for their losing candidate while voicing their disdain for their opponent, if that's what it takes to win. And that's another reason why Americans hate politics.
