The expression “by any means necessary” has roots from Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1948 play, “Dirty Hands,” and it refers to eradicating class differences to create a more equitable society. It gained traction in the U.S. when Malcolm X used the expression for doing whatever is needed to create freedom, justice, and equality for Black Americans. Is “by any means necessary” a call to violence or a cry for change?
Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy each rejected the concept that immoral means can produce moral ends. I have been thinking about the erosion of ethical standards with justifications of all kinds to achieve a goal that is then corrupted. Does unforeseen harm in the long run surpass the short-term gain?
The more I learn about Maine Senate candidate, Graham Platner, the more I am deeply disappointed by leaders in the Democratic Party who persist in making excuses for his expressed racism, misogyny, homophobia, antisemitism, ridicule of people with disabilities, vulgar sexual jokes, and shocking statements about a soldier who risked his life to save fellow soldiers.
It is bad enough that Platner portrays himself as a working-class hero. He comes from privilege and attended a posh prep school. It is appalling that he continues to excuse all of his disgusting comments and behavior as the result of PTSD. The veterans I guided and assisted in a previous job had unique experiences that led to PTSD. Some of them attributed poor decision-making or impulsive anger to PTSD, but rather than justifying it, they actively owned it. None of them played victim to excuse bad behavior or had an ongoing laundry list of hateful and snarky social media posts about people who are different than them.
Platner’s graphically homophobic posts were numerous between 2012 and 2021. He also blamed women for rape by saying they should not drink so much and he equated the horrors of rape with simple regrettable sex. I am reminded of the refrain that when women dress a certain way, they are asking for it. Missing from these notions is a condemnation of the rapists.
Then there’s the infamous Nazi tattoo. Platner attributes it to military culture. In response, veterans have disavowed this notion. Senator Tim Sheehy, a former Navy Seal, quipped: “I must have missed the day in basic training where they taught us to get Nazi tattoos and say women deserve to be raped.” When Hamas terrorists raided and brutally murdered Israeli soldiers near Kibbutz Nahal Oz in Israel in 2014, Platner posted, “I dig it” and conveyed admiration with descriptors such as “audacious” and “well-executed.” These days, he accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with predictable silence about Hamas’ brutal rule of Gazan Palestinians over the last 20 years. Senator Bernie Sanders shrugs this off by claiming there are more important things to worry about. Other prominent Dems say, “Well, he apologized.” Apologized? Is that all you got?
As a veteran, Platner vacillates between playing the “service to country” card with expressed hatred of the military. As recently as 2019 (about an American soldier fighting the Taliban in 2012) he posted that the soldier was dumb and “didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a– wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home, he managed to make every possible s— decision possible when it comes to small unit combat.” The soldier was nearly killed and received the Purple Heart for drawing fire away from other men in his unit. When this recently resurfaced, both Democratic and Republican veterans noted that making jokes about sisters and brothers getting wounded in action is despicable.
Senator Susan Collins is being attacked by Platner for voting to invade Iraq in 2002. Back then, every Republican senator voted for it — along with 29 Democrats. When Platner says that Collins sent him to war to die, and she responds that he volunteered to serve and was militaristic enough to also work for the notorious Blackwater private security company afterwards, yet she is portrayed as the warmonger.
Senator Collins has a long history of public service, and she is consistently ranked the most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate. Notably, Collins has cast more than 9,000 consecutive votes — holding the longest perfect voting record in Senate history. She is known for her strong work ethic and for reaching across the aisle and deviating from her party when her conscience demands it. For all of this, she is mercilessly attacked by Democrats while men serving much farther right in the Senate escape such wrath.
Standing by Platner takes moral flexibility to new heights. Not long ago, both Democrats and Republicans would have expressed scorn and declared him unelectable. Today, this horrible excuse for a human is the populist man of the hour. By working to defeat Senator Collins by any means necessary, Democrats have further eroded the trust of moderates and they have revealed themselves to be ethical hypocrites. This will cost them heavily in the long run whether or not the incompetent imposter wins.
This has me thinking back to the one time I voted for a Republican leader: William Weld for Massachusetts governor in 1990. He ran against Boston University president John Silber who said that Cambodians were taking over Boston and the Holocaust has been exaggerated. Weld was moderate to progressive by the standards of the day, and he was liked by both Democrats and Republicans.
If I lived in Maine, I would vote for Susan Collins this time around. While I disagree with her about some issues, I respect her public service leadership, abilities and integrity. Character still matters to me. Party loyalty at all costs is too costly.
J.M. Sorrell is a monthly columnist. Her political home is with people who lean left and feminist while voting independently — with reflective and open hearts and minds.