[bayarearefugee]

They have to be kind of panicking that the smear tactics keep backfiring.

Didn't stop Mamdani. Won't stop Platner.

At this point it is amusing to see them pissing away so many millions of dollars to stop a public opinion tide that has no chance of being stopped.

[pjc50]

I'm not sure in the Platner case why the supposed progressive cause can't find someone without a Nazi tattoo.

I'm not sure what the alleged benefits of Platner are either. Mamdani has been amazing, but what is Platner for?

[nixon_why69]

It's not like it's a swastika, it was a skull and crossbones that turns out to have been used by the SS (I think?). I had no idea that particular image was nazi-related and I don't think most other people would have either. As far as "mistakes made by marines on shore leave" go it's pretty mild. Honestly his more recent scandals are more concerning as far as character.

Platner's upside is being a senator that's not from the student senate -> Hill staffer -> party insider pipeline. We're all pretty much sick of that character, he sounds much more authentic by comparison.

[WickyNilliams]

It's an extremely well known nazi symbol. Probably second behind the swastika itself. There's even that famous "are we the baddies" meme, which uses that symbol as a central pillar of the gag.

[nielsbot]

I'm pretty online, I've seen that skit and I to this day don't really know what a totenkopf looks like. I'd never heard the word before this Platner business either. Surprising you're saying it's well-known. Am I in some kind of bubble?

[WickyNilliams]

Hmm I don't know. Other comments are suggesting that unless you're well studied in nazi symbolism you'd never know. I think I learnt about this in high school history class. I wonder if there's a European/American divide on this topic (I am European)

I think it is probably useful for people to familiarise themselves with Nazi symbolism though. You would be surprised how often you encounter people online using these obscure symbols, knowing most people won't recognise them.

[CapricornNoble]

Hard for me to judge your bubble-ness, as I'm in a different bubble of ....I dunno, a recovered former Wehraboo? Those people who "study WW2" mostly to edge themselves about how militarily successful the Nazis were. I include a large part of the US military officer corps in this category, where quoting dead German generals is normalized. I had a copy of "The Cruel Hunters"[1] before I left high school back in 2001, so of course I know what a totenkopf is, and it's shocking to me that most people don't.

EDIT: And if I had to pick a Nazi symbol I think most people don't recognize, I'd go with the Black Sun.[2]

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Hunters-SS-Sonderkommando-Dirle...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sun_(symbol)

[throwaway85825]

Dirlewanger became a meme because it was such an extreme case.

[KumaBear]

Really I have show it to several people and asked them what it was. Not one identified it as a nazi tattoo. To make such a bold claim it’s extremely well known is an exaggeration at best. What matters most is do you believe he has a nazi ideology? If the answer is no then I think it’s just a stupid debate to begin with.

[utdoctor]

Not even just that, the main villain (Amon Göth) in Schindler’s List (which won Best Picture) has it on his uniform throughout the film.

It’s not like it’s some obscure icon.

[nixon_why69]

If the bones are a little longer, it's a Jolly Roger. If the teeth were longer, it would be a punisher skull. If it weren't turned at that particular angle it would just be a generic skull. If it were 2 angular lightning bolts, it would obviously be SS but a skull is really common in a lot of contexts.

If you happened to clock this particular skull shape as a symbol from an SS division, then congrats, but 95% of people just would not and that's why it didn't land as a scandal. Everyone said "Huh. I didn't know either." and then accepted "Marine gets dumb skull tattoo while drunk on shore leave" as a fairly normal thing to have happened.

[utdoctor]

If I had wheels I’d be a bicycle. I don’t see your point? It’s very obvious what it is and just because you can alter an icon to make it look like something else doesn’t change what it is.

Ignorance of something doesn’t change what it is. “Oops I accidentally had a Nazi for nearly 20 years and only had it covered up 9 months ago when it became a political liability” isn’t a good look to say the least.

[joe_mamba]

>which won Best Picture

And that's relevant how?

[utdoctor]

Because it demonstrates it’s not some obscure piece of history that only WWII buffs would know.

A major film with one of the most acclaimed directors of all time that won the highest award you can win as a movie had the icon featured prominently on the main villain’s uniform throughout the nearly 4 hour movie. Come on my guy.

[subpixel]

It’s the opposite of obscure - it’s commonplace. It’s a skull and crossbones. It’s not a swastika. It’s a nothing burger.

[jjk166]

> Probably second behind the swastika itself.

Definitely not. SS bolts, the nazi eagle, the iron cross, the fasces, hitler's mustache, etc are all immensely more recognizeable.

The fact that in the skit they say "we've got skulls on our caps" rather than referring to the actual symbol or even accurately describing it tells you the lack of general familiarity. We all know Nazi's had skulls on their caps, no one knows there are even crossed bones there, nonetheless the particular styling. Normal people don't closely examine Nazi uniforms. Further, this is a comedy sketch playing up the absurdity of the situation for laughs; in reality it was not a Nazi symbol of how evil they were, it was a symbol that had been used in the Prussian and other German armies for centuries and then the Stormtroopers of WW1. In the interwar period it was used by the Freikorps and eventually by the SS, trying to invoke that same imagery. It has become a hate symbol well known amongst white supremacists, but not the general population.

[thisislife2]

Not an American here, but I too never knew the skull and bones symbol is somehow associated with the Nazis. So I would disagree that it is "extremely well known".

[sbayg]

Neither did a lot of nazis, that’s the reason the Mitchell and Webb bit is so funny. Nazi’s are always the least self aware, by definition.

[cogman10]

He may have known, he may not have known. I think he likely knew much earlier than he reported.

All that said, he was very online and very much not an online Nazi. To me that matters a lot more than a bad tattoo.

There'd simply be a lot worse comments from his reddit history if his beliefs aligned with his tattoo. That, to me, is why it just doesn't matter.

[stymaar]

Yeah, it's not like he had a generic “skull with bone” tattoo (for which he could say it's a pirate flag or something), he had the literal “3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf” emblem:

Just compare both images:

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_SS_Panzer_Division_Totenko...

- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/graham-platner-nazi-tattoo...

(That being said, I find the reaction from GOP-affiliated media and “influencers” very hypocritical, given that they were fine with Elon, then Steve Bannon, doing a Nazi salute on stage or MAGA people carrying Swastika flags in the street)

[dstanko]

Like Musk's salute

[stinkbeetle]

IIRC the experts debunked that disinformation.

Yes I remembered correctly https://x.com/ADL/status/1881474892022919403

[nielsbot]

The ADL is not a trustworthy source about what is and isn't anti-Semitism. Maybe they do point out actual incidents of anti-Semitism and true anti-Semites (which still exist in large numbers.) but they're unflinching support for Israel (a leading world cause of anti-Semitism) calls all their messaging into question.

[nemo]

Whatever that performance was, it certainly was not a debunking. The guy made a Nazi salute at CPAC, I saw it, there wasn't any ambiguity or question of intent. To me and everyone I know it was an obvious overt Nazi salute made in a context where it was clear that's what he was doing, esp. to me and my Jewish family members. The fact that the ADL stooped to what they did doesn't change reality, it just shows what a bunch of ghouls the ADL have become. Other Jewish orgs have been clear that this was a Nazi salute.

[woodruffw]

I would expect anybody who graduated with a 4 year degree in the US to be able to recognize a totenkopf. It's probably the third most well-known Nazi symbol, and is almost certainly present in any textbook or museum about WWII (besides being a symbol is fictional media about Nazi Germany).

However, I think this is beside the point. The more relevant questions are (1) whether Platner knew what it was, and (2) whether an informed voter should want someone who doesn't know the meaning of the things they get tattooed on their body. Authentic or not, (2) demonstrates a lack of good judgement to me.

(Separately, having been to that part of part of Slavic southern Europe, it is inconceivable that any tattoo parlor that would give you a totenkopf tattoo is not plastered in other Nazi and far-right iconography. You would need to actively look past all of the other Nazi stuff and assume that the skull is the one thing that doesn't have some additional meaning.)

[throawayonthe]

> I had no idea that particular image was nazi-related and I don't think most other people would have either

for context it's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totenkopf#Nazi_Germany , i'm surprised so many people didn't know the nazi use

if platner really didn't know, i guess it just spoke to him as a (future?) blackwater mercenary

[nielsbot]

> if platner really didn't know, i guess it just spoke to him as a (future?) blackwater mercenary

Yes, correct. Despite that, if I lived in Maine, I'd wholeheartedly vote for him. Not sure why I shouldn't?

[JumpCrisscross]

> no idea that particular image was nazi-related and I don't think most other people would have either

He knew what it was [1]. That doesn't mean he's unelectable in 2026.

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/05/politics/graham-platner-cant-...

[nixon_why69]

I'm sure he figured it out at some point and should have had it covered up sooner, but I doubt he knew what it was when he got it.

Honestly, I'd be more concerned with someone who knows too much Nazi minutiae rather than too little.

EDIT: reading the CNN story, I'm actually less convinced, this is all coming from a conservative activist ex-girlfriend. Its a really obscure symbol and then there's this quote:

"Platner argued that he had the tattoo for 17 years without anyone raising concerns about Nazi symbolism, noting that he received a State Department security clearance, reenlisted in the Army after being screened for gang and hate-related tattoos, and regularly appeared shirtless around family members, including Jewish relatives."

[JumpCrisscross]

> I doubt he knew what it was when he got it

Sure, maybe. I'm doubtful. But that's irrelevant. He knew when he launched his campaign. He chose to keep it. Worse, there's a good chance his family and his staffers knew as well. This is Jill Biden covering up Joe Biden's dementia all over again, except this time for racism.

Platner is a rubbish candidate. But! There is a case to be made that he's better for America than Susan Collins.

[nixon_why69]

Did you recognize that skull as a Nazi symbol without being told? Like, "Oh, that's the Totemkompf"?

Personally, like I said, I think the more recent sexting thing is way more damaging to his brand. "Got a dumb tattoo on shore leave and posted dumb reddit comments 10 years ago" are fine for an everyman candidate, recent infidelity is not.

[viking123]

I think people are really past the point of caring. The limousine liberals of course make a fuss but sitting on the high horse has not really served democrats that well, just taking L after L. And the sitting president is Epstein-Mossad pedofile and huge number still stand behind him without any shame.

[throwawayqqq11]

Plathner is authentic and able to see and correct his mistakes (tattoo), two important properties that candidates from the una-party lack. He is certainly not perfect, but apparently better than the rest.

[saturn8601]

Mamdani and AOC were appealing because they grew up in those communities and had a history of fighting for their communities. (AOC with her organizing efforts while she was a bartender and Mamdani as Assemblymember and him doing things like going on a hunger strike for the Taxi protests).

AOC took on a congress member that was placed into his seat, served 10 terms (and was known as the Dem party's money link to wall street) and didn't even live in the district.

Mamdani was a clean slate from the messes of the prior administrations.

Platner has many of these qualities and is also taking on candidates (both in his party and the opposition) that have repeatedly failed his community. An oyster farmer that grew up in his state, he talks a lot about his upbringing in the state. It seems like so many of his speeches incorporate how deeply ingrained he is within Maine. The community organizing that convinced him to run is probably a lot to do with his success. I remember when AOC was just starting. There were multiple community organizing groups that knew all the tricks of the Queens machine. They were able to help AOC avoid early traps laid by the establishment.

[bijowo1676]

What is the alleged downside of Platner as a politician?

All I see discussed is tatto which is irrelevant and does not reflect his policy

Just pure hysteria from neurotic people

[JumpCrisscross]

> what is Platner for?

Not being MAGA. I have some respect for Susan Collins. But this nonsense where a tattoo and infidelity should be disqualifying on one side while the President, popularly elected this time, sleeps with porn stars and endorses anti-Semites and KKK adjacents, is unsustainable. If we need a dude with a Nazi tattoo to win Maine, I guess I prefer to be pissed off and winning.

[pjc50]

> Not being MAGA

Yes, but that should be baseline for the Democrat candidate? Are there really no better candidates in Maine? This sort of thing would be regarded as disqualifiing in the UK even for local councilors from the far right. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/27/calls-barns...

[xhkkffbf]

It was rather disappointing to listen to Jodi Kantor of the New York Times come up with reasons why, well, it's different this time.

[Arodex]

I have the fear that Platner will just be another Fetterman, and you will have brought this unto ourselves...

[JumpCrisscross]

> Platner will just be another Fetterman

This reminds me of the folks who had conniptions over Sinema and Manchin. You know what we'd have if we had four of those right now? A majority.

[afavour]

A majority that does what exactly, though?

Manchin was against Build Back Better, expanding voting rights legislation and codifying abortion rights.

Yes, he was better than a Republican. But he was a big reason why Democrats are seen as the do-nothing party who never achieve things. Because he stood in the way of it.

Not to mention, Fetterman isn’t Manchin. Manchin at least voted to impeach Trump, Fetterman is skeptical of even doing that.

[Ylpertnodi]

>"Democrats are seen as the do nothing party". Quite a few people I know [eu based] used to consider themselves 'democrats' ie not republicans. But, more and more are co.ing to the conclusion that the dems are pretty darn useless.

[JumpCrisscross]

> A majority that does what exactly, though?

Doesn’t confirm Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth. Doesn’t confirm a new numpty to SCOTUS. Doesn’t blow the budget on a fake deportation push and tax breaks for the rich.

I agree Democrats have no agenda. But Republicans don’t seem to either right now. They have talking points. But the policy passed bears no resemblance to those in the slightest.

[ngcazz]

As if that has ever overcome the American media and political classes' fixation with bipartisanship (which is how the American system inoculates itself against left-wing policy)

[alchemism]

Fear not: “As you can all probably tell, I got a lot of criticisms about the way this government functions. But in order for us to make it functional, we’re gonna have to do stuff,” Platner said. “And you can’t just go down there and be John Fetterman and ... just sort of be an a*hole.”

Source: https://nebraska.tv/news/nation-world/graham-platner-calls-p...

[Arodex]

Talk is cheap. Platner has already shown he wouldn't uphold the vow he made to his wife. I start with the assumption he will break his word.

[alchemism]

Still better than the half-brained man who loves Israel above all else.

[ngcazz]

I feel like Maine's about to lie down with dogs over this.

[subpixel]

He didn’t have a nazi tattoo, full stop.

[licebmi__at__]

If the main objection against a blackwater mercenary that talks fondly of the time where he made a living by being a murderer, is was that has a Nazi tattoo, then yes, it's quite likely that America can't find anything better.

[nielsbot]

Platner is to help win the Senate for Dems. He has progressive policies and he's anti-Israel.

I believe him that he didn't know it was a Nazi tattoo. There's no other evidence that he holds Nazi views and he has covered it up.

Stop hand wringing, vote Platner.

[adultSwim]

> Won't stop Platner.

That's unfortunate. Choosing a leader who lies constantly and boasts of enjoying killing people seems like an unnecessary mistake. He is attacked by people who have defended far worse and are quite cynical. That doesn't mean he should be defended. He should be attacked by a left comfortable enough in its future vision as to not compromise on basic principles.

The attacks against Mamdani were disingenuous. This suspicion has heightened when the other candidates being artificially propped up had such huge flaws. I hope we can learn to see when that dynamic pops up in other places.

[EdwardDiego]

> Choosing a leader who lies constantly and boasts of enjoying killing people seems like an unnecessary mistake.

I hate to break this to you, but you're already rocking multiple of them.