Dem Party Attack Ad On Graham Platner BUSTED Using Party Hacks
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Maine Governor Janet Mills' campaign launched an attack ad against challenger Garam Platner based on his old, controversial Reddit posts.
- ❖The women featured in the ad, presented as appalled citizens, were identified as prominent Democratic Party establishment figures.
- ❖Platner has publicly apologized for the old posts, stating they do not reflect his current views.
- ❖Despite the ad, Platner maintains a significant lead over Mills in recent polls.
- ❖The hosts argue that attacking Platner on identity politics plays directly into his narrative of elites using cultural issues to divide people.
- ❖This strategy may inadvertently make Platner appear more moderate and independent to some voters, similar to dynamics seen in past campaigns.
- ❖Platner's more radical positions (e.g., self-identifying as a communist, paramilitary training) are harder for opponents to leverage when the primary attack focuses on identity politics.
Insights
1Attack Ad Features Democratic Party Insiders
Governor Janet Mills' campaign released an attack ad against Garam Platner, quoting his controversial old Reddit posts about women and rape. The ad features several women expressing outrage, but a Maine Wire investigation revealed these individuals are not ordinary citizens but established Democratic Party figures, including a former Maine Democratic vice chair, a former Democratic state senator, and a director of a Democratic-aligned group.
The ad quotes Platner's Reddit posts (, ). The Maine Wire identified the women as Peggy Shafer (former Maine Democratic vice chair), Lynn Bromley (former Democratic state senator), Jill Barkley Roy (director of Emerge Action Fund), and Brenda Garrand (consultant and former Maine Public Board member) ().
2Platner's Defense and Polling Lead
Platner has publicly addressed the old Reddit posts, expressing embarrassment and distancing himself from the comments, arguing that holding candidates to their 'worst things you've ever said on the internet' prevents 'real' people from running for office. Despite the attack ad, Platner continues to lead Governor Mills in public polls, with some showing double-digit margins.
Platner has posted a video, is embarrassed by the comments, and distances himself from them (). He argues that if held to the standard of the worst internet comments, 'nobody real can ever run for office' (). Polling shows 'double digit margins right now for Garam Platner' ().
3Identity Politics Attacks Backfire, Benefit Platner
The hosts analyze that Mills' identity politics-focused attack ad is backfiring. Platner frames identity politics as a 'wedge that elites are using to divide us,' focusing instead on 'nuts and bolts Democratic socialism.' By attacking him on identity issues, the Democratic establishment inadvertently reinforces Platner's anti-elite narrative, making him appear more independent and moderate to a segment of the electorate.
Platner is 'running the smartest campaign against identity politics' (). He argues identity politics is 'the wedge that elites are using to divide us' () and focuses on 'actual nuts and bolts Democratic socialism' (). The attack 'codes him as more independent, centrist, and moderate' ().
4Parallel to Bernie Sanders' Campaign
The hosts draw a parallel to the 2015-2016 Bernie Sanders campaign, where centrist Democrats attacked him as racist and sexist. This strategy, intended to discredit him, inadvertently coded Sanders as less left-wing to some moderate or conservative voters, making Hillary Clinton appear more culturally left-wing by comparison.
When 'centrist Democrats attack a candidate... as being racist and sexist,' it 'ends up coding to some moderate or conservative voters' that 'maybe they're not as left-wing as I thought they were' (). This 'made Hillary look left-wing' and 'Sanders look more moderate' ().
Key Concepts
Backfire Effect (Political)
When an attempt to discredit an opponent through negative campaigning or attacks inadvertently strengthens the opponent's position or appeal, often by validating their narrative or making them seem more sympathetic/authentic to a segment of the electorate.
Identity Politics as a Wedge Issue
The strategic use of identity-based arguments by political elites to divide a population or distract from class-based or economic issues, a tactic that can be exploited by anti-establishment candidates.
Political Jujutsu
A campaign strategy where an opponent's attack is redirected or reinterpreted in a way that benefits the target, using the attacker's momentum against them.
Lessons
- Campaign strategists should critically evaluate the potential for attack ads, especially those based on identity politics, to backfire and inadvertently validate an opponent's anti-establishment narrative.
- Candidates challenging establishment figures should anticipate and be prepared to reframe identity-based attacks as evidence of elite tactics to divide the electorate.
- Opposition research should consider not just the damaging potential of information, but also how its deployment might be perceived by different voter segments, potentially making a 'radical' candidate seem more palatable.
Notable Moments
The revelation that the 'regular Maine women' in Janet Mills' attack ad were actually Democratic Party establishment figures.
This exposed a lack of authenticity in the campaign's messaging, undermining its credibility and reinforcing the perception that the ad was a cynical political maneuver rather than a genuine expression of public outrage.
Quotes
"If you're held to the standard of the worst things you've ever said on the internet, then nobody real can ever run for office."
"He's trying to say that [identity politics] is the wedge that elites are using to divide us. He's correct on that point."
"When centrist Democrats attack a candidate... as being racist and sexist, what it ends up coding to some moderate or conservative voters is that oh, maybe they're not as left-wing as I thought they were."
"Having him attacked for... from the lane of identity politics codes him as more independent, centrist, and moderate in an unexpected... way that most Democratic establishment consultants don't understand."
Q&A
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