If you ever needed proof that Democrats care more about political optics than actual principles, look no further than the curious case of Graham Platner. The Maine Democratic Senate candidate has found himself at the center of a storm—not for something he said last week, or three years ago, but for the Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest. Yes, you read that right.
A Democrat with an SS Totenkopf — the skull emblem used by Nazi forces — inked above his heart.
Platner says he got the tattoo in 2007 while drunk during his time as a Marine, claiming that, somehow, he didn’t realize the skull-and-crossbones design he chose was one of the most recognizable Nazi emblems around, and he never figured that out in the nearly 20 years since?
Does he think we’re stupid?
You’d think that story would raise more eyebrows than it has, but among his Democratic allies, it’s business as usual. Rather than condemn him, party officials lined up behind him like loyal foot soldiers, repeating his excuse as gospel truth. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, stepped forward to back him, because, why not? It’s (D)ifferent when it’s a Democrat, right?
It may not be the swastika, but it isn’t some obscure or cryptic image that only historians would recognize either. Yet we’re supposed to believe a Marine — someone trained to know the significance of military symbols — was clueless for nearly 20 years? It’s the sort of claim that strains belief, but Democrats are treating it like a minor misunderstanding instead of a moral scandal.
Related: The Dem With the Nazi Tattoo
The irony here is impossible to miss. Remember when leftists lost their minds over Pete Hegseth’s tattoos? They even claimed his Jerusalem Cross was a secret swastika. Senator Elizabeth Warren went as far as suggesting his “Deus Vult” ink was some kind of extremist dog whistle. Democrats turned an ancient Christian symbol into a racist caricature overnight. But now, when one of their own bears a literal Nazi emblem, suddenly tattoos are just “personal choices” that shouldn’t define a man. Just, apologize, move on, nothing to see here, folks.
The selective outrage is staggering.
Remember the Young Republicans who were caught sharing racist jokes in private chats? They were condemned instantly, not just by the left but by conservatives too. That’s accountability. But when a Democrat like Graham Platner has a Nazi tattoo on his chest, suddenly the rules change. The same people who once psychoanalyzed Pete Hegseth’s tattoos to paint him as “unfit” now bend over backward to excuse the inexcusable. It’s the same tired double standard: the right enforces its principles; the left just rewrites them.
But it’s actually more than a tattoo.
Platner’s record doesn’t help his case either. Years ago, he publicly admitted to being a communist — something that should’ve been disqualifying before this latest scandal even broke — but at least it explains why Bernie Sanders, a Jew, is supporting him.
Then came revelations of his appalling Reddit posts — comments that reportedly justified political violence, downplayed sexual assault in the military, and demeaned law enforcement. Naturally, the media politely glossed over this.
“I don’t think they’re disqualifying, but certainly they’re not right. And I’m glad that he apologized for them. They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful and they’re offensive,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin told Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
DNC Chair Ken Martin reacts to deleted posts by Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner:
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) October 19, 2025
“I don't think they're disqualifying, but certainly they're not right. And I'm glad that he apologized for them. They're indefensible, they're hurtful, and they're offensive… People deserve… pic.twitter.com/pnNk35f9KB
Ah yes, the classic Democrat “apology” — the all-purpose get-out-of-jail-free card for anyone with a D after their name. Just ask Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who said he “still supports” Attorney General candidate Jay Jones because Jones “apologized” for sending texts fantasizing about murdering a political opponent and wishing death on his children.
In any sane world, Platner would’ve been pressured to withdraw — just like Jay Jones should have been. But Democrats have long since made their peace with hypocrisy. They thunder about “hate symbols” and political violence until the offender happens to be one of their own. Then suddenly it’s all about forgiveness, context, and redemption. Convenient, isn’t it?
Time and time again we get reminded of the plain and simple fact that outrage from the left is never about morality — it’s about control. No matter what they accuse Republicans of, they’re always just projecting. Because if Democrats truly believed that Nazi imagery is disqualifying, they’d be leading the charge against Platner right now.
