Now that the heavily hyped Maine "oyster farmer," Graham Platner, who is running as a Democrat to defeat incumbent Senator Susan Collins has been exposed as deeply flawed, Politico's senior political columnist Jonathan Martin has lashed out at who he considers responsible for foisting Platner upon us with minimal/no vetting. And according to Martin that culprit is primarily the Democrat party as you can see in his Wednesday column, "Democrats Keep Falling for Political Fantasies. When Will They Learn?."
However, what is notable is that although he mentions "journalists" in passing, he conveniently overlooks Politico's own role in promoting the flawed oyster farmer.
Will Democrats ever learn to stop swooning?
I refer, as you may have guessed, to the case of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and the rinse-wash-repeat pattern that has become all too familiar for the party in the digital age.
It goes something like this: Political outsider or mostly new name mounts statewide campaign with online video that leans heavily on compelling biography or powerful oratory, out-of-state liberal hobbyists quickly fall in love and fork over money, and journalists rush to profile the latest heartthrob before inevitable disappointment when the candidate loses or, well, becomes John Fetterman.
Platner is the latest example. A military veteran turned oysterman who looked the hirsute part, the Mainer’s populist candidacy seemed to be an immaculate conception. The contributions piled up, the profiles were published and then suddenly there was a disruption to the formula. Or maybe it was more of an acceleration.
Once his Democratic rival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, entered the race, Platner was hit with a nor’easter of oppo research that had the added value of being his own damning words. Rationalizing political violence, calling himself a “communist,” referring to all police as “bastards” and calling himself an “antifa supersoldier,” Platner’s paper trail was the stuff of Senator Susan Collins’s dreams. And that was before Platner tried to get ahead of the next hit by revealing the apparent Nazi tattoo on his naked torso.
Actually, the tattoo's on his chest.
But among those at the forefront of hyping Graham Platner was Jonathan Martin's own Politico. Yes, a periodical supposedly at the forefront of political journalism somehow failed to due any due diligence such as even a mild investigation into Platner's background. So point your finger all you want, Jonathan, but perhaps you should have pointed it at yourself and your Politico colleagues such as reporter Holly Otterbein, who produced this paean to the oyster farmer on August 19: "Maine oyster farmer wants to upend Democratic politics with Senate bid."
A little-known oyster farmer is looking to upend top Democrats’ plans in Maine.
Democrat Graham Platner, the 40-year-old owner of Waukeag Neck Oyster Co. and an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, announced Tuesday he is mounting a challenge to Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner has never run for office, and his campaign threatens to disrupt national Democrats’ efforts to recruit and unite around Gov. Janet Mills.
Gee! If Platner was "little-known" shouldn't Politico try to KNOW more about him BEFORE writing him up? In fact, since this story was written in August, Politico apparently did NOTHING to learn more about Platner and ended up being surprised by the entirely expected oppo research by the Janet Mills campaign.
We return now to Jonathan Martin in the middle of another whine:
It’s not as though the outsider candidates are emerging from thin air — who do you think is crafting those viral videos? If you think it’s oystermen in their spare time or Amy McGrath’s former flight crew and not another set of consultants, I’ve got a lobster roll for under $10 to sell you (and if you think a former Blackwater employee who tended bar at the Tune Inn and attended George Washington University is a total outsider, I’ve got a $5 one to sell you).
Oh, NOW you tell us, Jonathan. Too bad Politico didn't inform us that Platner was hardly an outsider back in August when it would have counted for something.
