Good riddance to men who sexually assault women.

[milestogo]

I don't give a flying fuck if you've already been elected to office or you're running for office in a key race.

i don't give a flying fuck what your platform is. Its all talk.

Men who have a history of assaulting women should just leave the Democratic party and go far, far away.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Nonsense

They could wind up on the Supreme Court!

[BannonsLiver]

7. * Only if they're Republicans.

[bucolic_frolic]

45. You got me

Bile from Bannon is a heavyweight

[-misanthroptimist]

2. Hopefully, providing that there is some verifiable evidence...

...to support the claim.

[milestogo]

3. Oh puh-leeze...

How many women have to come forward with their stories before its clear that this guy is really bad news?

[-misanthroptimist]

4. Quantity isn't quality

Verifiable evidence is the only way to fairly support a claim. Lack of such evidence is NOT sufficient to determine the truth. Otherwise, a mere claim becomes a conviction...which is sort of in direct conflict with our understanding of fairness.

[milestogo]

5. And if this were happening to men instead of women we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

A man's word is not holy or sacred and neither is his career.

But some people automatically believe anything a man says and always doubt women.

I trust women. I believe women. And I know that sexual assault occurs often, and it occurs in a context where there are no witnesses and no cameras. Demanding that kind of evidence is just one more way of keeping your foot on our necks.

[live love laugh]

12. You're saying no evidence is required from women making this claim?

[-misanthroptimist]

19. I neither trust nor believe men or women based on their gender

I believe in evidence and reaching sound conclusions based on that evidence.

Genitalia is a terrible way to determine facts or truth.

[milestogo]

153. Throughout history men have been easily believed

while women have often been dismissed without ever being taken seriously.

[-misanthroptimist]

158. Well, you let me know if that happens here, will you?

[milestogo]

163. It happens here on DU every day.

[-misanthroptimist]

165. Then why put up with it?

I mean, I've seen some. I don't think it's every day, but it's around. Some of it is ill-conceived attempt at humor. Some of it looks more sinister. Most of it is obliviousness.

At the risk of getting TS'd or suspended, men are awful. The last stats I saw we commit >90% of the murders; ~85% of all violent crime; and 75% or more of all crime. I believe (though I don't have the stats) that a good deal of the crime committed by women are at the behest of a manipulative or bullying man.

I've often said that the sooner women can devise a way to reproduce without us, the better off the society, culture, and world will be. I think those stats point out why it's a rational idea.

[milestogo]

166. I make liberal use of the 'ignore' tool.

AI is probably going to make all of us redundant sooner or later. Humans will be fashioned from genetic code alone.

[-misanthroptimist]

172. I wonder if I can copyright my DNA? lol

[-misanthroptimist]

23. No one said anything about witnesses or cameras

That's a straw man.

[milestogo]

26. To prove something in a court of law you need evidence.

Some people think it isn't sexual assault unless its established in a court of law. Sexual assault is rarely prosecuted successfully.

[-misanthroptimist]

31. I agree it can be difficult to prove

That's a very, very unfortunate aspect of requiring evidence to reach a conviction.

The best thing would be for any woman suffering such an assault to go to the hospital immediately! DNA evidence would be pretty much indisputable.

(I know that that can be extremely difficult and uncomfortable for a woman, but if it will put a rapist in jail, please at least consider it. The bastard belongs in prison where he can't harm other women.)

[milestogo]

51. And FYI- attempted rapes are usually not prosecuted.

Police and district attorneys have limited resources and they decide what gets prosecuted. In the event that a woman is able to fight off her attacker without actually getting raped or harmed by a weapon, its very unlikely that that incident will be prosecuted. It can't be prosecuted because there is no DNA evidence.

Reporting is stiil important because sex offenders keep doing what they do. If the police have heard about the attempts and have a description it may make it easier to arrest someone when they commit a prosecutable offense. I definitely favor reporting, but you can't expect too much.

[-misanthroptimist]

60. I know.

One of the down sides of living in an open, free society with at least an aspiration to real justice is that some of the SOBs can operate at the margins and take advantage of the very fairness we are committed to.

But I can't think of another way that doesn't put innocent people in prison.

[Lifeafter70]

82. My daughter went to the hospital

Did a ra*p kit and they still did not prosecute. You have no idea how traumatizing that process is.
She was told it was his word against hers. He stated it was consensual.
They wanted her to call her attacker and get him to admit on tape what he did.

This happened 24 years ago and things have not changed much.

[mcar]

85. I'm so sorry for what your daughter went through

Some here will still say what she did wasn't good enough.

[Lifeafter70]

88. The authorities were upset with her because she couldn't do it.

It was a work related incident. She was a security guard for a major studios corporate housing. They hired some holidays season help that they didn't vet.
Turned out her attacker had similar allegations from other companies that they ignored.
It took a year for her to even be able to talk about it. I did find her a good lawyer and she sued both her attacker and employer
She won her case but was never able to collect the judgment from him. She did get training in a new field and what amounted to about five years of pay and insurance from her employer.
Not enough for how it has affected her life.

[-misanthroptimist]

86. First, my heart goes out to your daughter

And you're right. I have no idea how traumatizing it is, just that I know it's traumatizing.

I'm sorry that the police or prosecutors didn't follow up as they should have. It's abhorrent on every level. I assume there was evidence of a struggle, so it should have been an open and shut case, imv.

Can you imagine a mugger saying, "Hey, it's their word against mine." and the prosecutors declining to prosecute?

[Lifeafter70]

90. This happened at work

So she knew him that's why they didn't prosecute. He was a temporary employee during the holidays.
Turned out he had similar allegations from previous employers and her company didn't vet him. To make it more complicated they were armed security guards, the police didn't understand why she didn't use her weapon. She froze and after that incident never returned to work.

[North Coast Lawyer]

149. actually they are

It's a myth that sex crimes aren't prosecuted successfully. I really hate being appointed on sex cases because the prosecution has all the cards. Cops love to make arrests in big cases -- making sex crime arrests gets cops promoted. DAs love to win big cases and sex crimes are among the easiest major crimes to prove since the deck is totally stacked against sex crime defendants -- evidence that wouldn't be allowed in other felony prosecutions is admissible against sex crime defendants -- juries automatically hate sex crime defendants -- and draconian penalties mean that defendants with defensible cases plead to avoid spending the rest of their lives in prison.

[milestogo]

161. For every 1000 sexual assaults

50 reports lead to arrests, 28 cases lead to felony convictions, and only 25 perpetrators are sentenced to incarceration.

https://rainn.org/facts-statistics-the-scope-of-the-problem/statistics-the-criminal-justice-system/

[North Coast Lawyer]

150. Believe no one.

I don't believe men, I don't believe women, I don't believe cops ... . Two decades working in the criminal justice system has made it clear to me that everyone lies. I believe motive, I believe bias, I believe context, I believe verification, ... .

[CozyMystery]

164. Did she go to a hospital and claim rape and there are the results of the rape kit as evidence?

It is bizarre to assume all women are trustworthy. Our prisons are filled with women who are not, and with men who are not. Our society is filled with untrustworthy people - both men and women.

I wonder how many times a man has been accused of a sexual crime, and later, the female recants? It does happen. It also happens that a man is falsely accused and the accuser doesn't recant.

There is absolutely no evidence either way in this case. It alarms me how quickly so many jump on the bandwagon refusing to believe the guy without evidence.

IMO, that is just wrong. I wonder how many juries do that.

[SamuelAdams]

10. There is evidence.

The accuser told multiple people and there is emails with her accusations. This all from years ago. Why would she have lied to her therapist and friends about this back then?

[blue_jay]

15. Do you a link for that or a source article on those emails, I can't find one. Thanks. nt

[Ms. Toad]

109. The politico article that started today's avalanche of calls to resign

As well as an interview today.

[blue_jay]

143. Thanks

Last edited Tue Jul 7, 2026, 04:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Warning, this is likely a controversial view.

I finally saw at least part of an interview or two with the victim. In the part of what I heard, she said he was in and out of awareness due to excessive drinking, possibly being black out drunk. Many with PTSD self medicate with drinking and if too much drinking could not recall what they do or did. Black out drinking causes memory loss. I don't know if he had a habit of forcing himself on women, this one was an on and off again girlfriend who he was texting. In one interview she said "by definition" it was rape but it did clearly sound non-consensual but was there malicious intent? To me it reminds me of what happens to people with PTSD or maybe bipolar when they are out of control. It's scary and even worse when drunk. I don't think there are any easy answers for this and most people will never understand what that is like and many will judge (until it happens them) and even then many will jump to uninformed conclusions. People also do things not typical of themselves when deprived of oxygen or when they have dementia, does that mean they are terrible people?

I'm just tired of being manipulated by political spin doctors and playing into the hand of the corporate and complicit dems and deceitful republican opportunists. During his campaign, I've watched many things he has done and comments he's made online taken out of context, like a comment about someone who got a purple heart. When you are in combat or dangerous situations the world you live in is different, and if someone in your group is doing something that will get the rest killed are going to be called out on it and say harsh or stupid things and there are likely many things you want to forget. That is one of the many horrors of these god forsaken wars. I'm not saying whatever happened is okay. I just think it's a much more complicated story and it sounds like he is and has been at least trying to address it and change and heal which is a lot more than I've seen from the predator class in this administration. He does not appear to be an Epstein class predator. He said he came home from the service and was in a "dark place" in 2011 and he has been working on healing ever since, just starting to feel like himself again in 2021.

Clearly society needs to address these non-consensual incidents, whatever the cause (e.g. misogyny, mental illness, etc.) so women don't have to be wary or afraid of men, and so men aren't raised to look at women like toys or objects to be conquered in order to be masculine. That said, I think it's ridiculous for so many women and young girls to walk around in clothes that imply you're available or merely showing off your assets and not realize that might be a bad idea. I imagine the same could be said for men but either way it's like putting a steak in your pocket and not expecting the dog to notice. And don't even get me started on the religious groups pushing women to be mindless, servants, non-voting, non-educated, sex giving child bearers for their husbands (unless you are an Erika Kirk or other mouthpiece for their faux religious regime). That's a whole nother area of insanity and misogyny going on. We have so far to go to become a healthy society it's exhausting. So much trauma and mental health issues needing to be healed from so many causes (fair elections stolen, covid isolation, unnecessary deaths due to insurance or lack of health care or money, etc.). Can we really afford to dump the baby out with the bath water. It will be interesting to see what comes out from Platner himself. If my guess is right then I wonder, is there room in the democratic party, or any party, to forgive, seems like many worse crimes are permitted with repubs. I would be in favor of forgiveness when merited, if my hypothesis was correct, and advocating for more research on mental health and sexual trauma and healthy relationships between genders and couples as we are clearly on a path to destruction with the current social media environment.

[-misanthroptimist]

18. You're talking about a specific case

Last edited Mon Jul 6, 2026, 06:10 PM - Edit history (1)

I am talking in general when I say that accusations require verifiable evidence.

Now, read this next part with the understanding that I in no way, shape, or form believe what I'm writing happened. I'm merely pointing out possibilities.

To answer your questions:

1. She could conceivably have lied because she was angry at Platner for some reason.

2. She could be not lying but misconstruing what happened for some reason or other. Maybe she exaggerated, maybe she was under the influence, maybe she conflated a dream with reality. Who knows?

Again, I do not believe either of those things. But both are possible based on what we know at present.

In general, I am not prepared to convict a man until there is sufficient evidence. If the accusation becomes the conviction none of us are safe.

In this case, I gotta wonder why a guy who has raped someone would run for public office? He's gotta know that it's going to come out. (Yes, there are possible explanations for that, too. But it's one of those things that baffle me.)

[IbogaProject]

25. Yes wern't most of the first batch of accusations,

found to be exaggerated?

[-misanthroptimist]

28. No idea

I assume so since I haven't taken the time to remember...but I could be wrong.

[obamanut2012]

30. No

[mcar]

80. No. Try again

[MorbidButterflyTat]

37. Wow.

"2. She could be not lying but misconstruing what happened for some reason or other. Maybe she exaggerated, maybe she was under the influence, maybe she conflated a dream with reality. Who knows?"

Or...........maybe he did it.

Unlikely he will be convicted; he hasn't been charged with a crime.

[-misanthroptimist]

38. You can let go of the pearls

I stated twice that I didn't believe either of those.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

94. Oh, really?

Seems pretty specific mansplaining for something you don't believe.


Why did you edit your original post? Hm.

[-misanthroptimist]

96. What things seem to you is of no consequence to anyone but you

My edit was because in the Reply title the first word was wrong. I inadvertently typed "Your" instead of "You're". Hope that helps.

[paleotn]

43. She could be cashing a nice, Republican check. Ever thought about that?

Or were you too busy doing Susan's work for her?

[MorbidButterflyTat]

92. Prove it.

[questionseverything]

160. We could say the same of the accusations, prove it

[MorbidButterflyTat]

170. That's all the rape apologists have been saying

And adding vile accusations against her. They will never be satisfied.

So prove she cashed a Republican check, and that I am doing Susan's work for her.

[Wonder Why]

100. He has not been convicted but there is sufficient evidence and doubt about his story that

HE needs to do what is best for the country as any good Democrat should do and HE needs to put his personal ambitions in the right place and step aside until it plays out in court.

It's not a legal requirement since there isn't an indictment or any presentation of evidence before a judge but if he refuses to step aside and Collins wine because of the backlash, it's minor that he lost but not minor that the country did. This election will not determine the future on its own no matter what some people on DU think, but we need every win because we have seen what the repugs have done with the slimmest of majorities.

It's one thing to lose because some cheated, lied, or took advantage of the situation as the repugs did to Clinton but they weren't the cause of his problems. He was.

What he does now tells us whether he is just another self-centered politician or someone who puts his country first. Resignation is not an admission of guilt. He won't be out on the street starving. Nobody will tear off his bars, cut off his buttons and paint a yellow stripe down his back. When you run for office, your past is an open book. He just has too many questions to answer that honest people will ask. Unlike the repug rabble who close their eyes to the worst of crimes, we Democrats still have the decency to say our Constitution, our Democracy, our sense of honesty, ethics, fairness and caring about everyone is more important than one man's ambitions. He needs to show he is one of us. We don't need to bend to him.

[whopis01]

136. The matter at hand is not convicting a man

Making a decision on who should represent the people as a Senate candidate and making a decision to convict someone of a crime are not remotely on the same level.

If he did none of things he is being accused of and forced out of the election is that fair to him? Not at all.

If he did the things he is being accused of and he is allowed to represent the people of his state is that fair to the women he assaulted. Not at all.

So there is no answer that is going to be perfect without additional facts that we are almost certainly not going to have access to prior to that decision being made. But we have to make decisions like that constantly, every day of our lives.

In my view there are more bad scenarios if he stays in that if he drops out.

[-misanthroptimist]

137. It's a fair and reasonable POV

The only thing you left out is the voters.

[whopis01]

138. The system and timing left them out, not me.

The voters had no access to this information when they voted.
There is no option available to give them another chance to vote prior to the general election.

There is only one person who can make this choice. If he is honorable he will do the right thing.

[-misanthroptimist]

139. That happens

His alleged victim could have come forward at any point prior to the primary and we wouldn't be in this mess. For whatever reason, she didn't. So here we are.

So far as we know, the candidate didn't cover it up or even attempt to cover it up. In fact, he maintains he innocent. Perhaps he is.

Either way, the votes have been cast and the candidate chosen. Only the candidate can remove himself at this point. And I gotta say that if I was the candidate and I actually didn't do it, I'd stay in the race no matter what anyone else thought -and for multiple reasons.

[whopis01]

173. I'll make a prediction about this

Whether or not he is committed the acts he is accused of, should he stay in the race, this will become the focal point of the race and he will lose and the Republicans will retain control of the Senate. Possibly even with a 50/50 tie and Cance as the tiebreaker.

It will be interesting to see if I am correct at least.

[-misanthroptimist]

178. Yeah, I remember when [Redacted]'s...

..."Grab em by the..." remark ended his candidacy. And he was never heard from again.

Oh, wait.

[whopis01]

179. You are missing a glaringly obvious fact

There is one party that has a significant base that revels in that type of behavior. There is another party that tends to take a much more negative view of it.

[-misanthroptimist]

180. You are missing an even more obvious and glaring fact

Neither of those parties can win without independent votes in most cases. So, it's pretty damned obvious that enough independents, like the Republicans, to keep the party taking the negative view out of the majority. Consistently.

So, here's what you do. You vote for the substandard Dem, not because you approve of their behavior, but because we need to win. Losing will hurt a helluva lot more people than, for example, Platner hurt. (Yeah, it's crappy, but it's true.) When you win, you try to get him to resign. If he doesn't, you spend the next six years finding a good candidate to replace him. Between here and there you make good policy that helps average Americans.

Losing the Senate over some ass clown removing condoms without permission seems unbelievably irresponsible and foolish.

[whopis01]

183. You certainly have lost me at this point

I have tried to parse this sentence several times and am unable to:
"So, it's pretty damned obvious that enough independents, like the Republicans, to keep the party taking the negative view out of the majority."
I am honestly not sure what you are trying to say here.

I feel this conversation has run its course. I have a different opinion than you do. I have no desire to try to convince you to believe my opinion. I will say that I wholeheartedly agree with your statement "Losing the Senate over some ass clown removing condoms without permission seems unbelievably irresponsible and foolish." I just believe that it is your approach that will result in that, unfortunately.

Please feel free to have the last word if you wish.

[-misanthroptimist]

185. What I'm saying is the enough independents

voted for [Redacted] to get him elected. It's not just MAGA that overlooks these things.

[Quiet Em]

181. You'd stay in the race with no money, no staff, no campaign volunteers, no endorsements, no support

Susan Collins would love that.

[-misanthroptimist]

182. Yes, I would

If Democrats wanted to win the Senate, then by staying I'd get every one of those things you list one way or another. Every. One.

And that's probably what Platner is looking at. He's got us over a barrel and he knows it. If we stop supporting his campaign, we lose any chance at taking the Senate. There's no one else on the horizon who has a chance against Collins.

Do we want to have a credible chance of winning the Senate and getting things done, or do we want to lose and have who knows how many more people injured by Republican rule?

Yeah, it's a shit choice. But it's the choice we have.

[Quiet Em]

184. The goal is to elect a Democrat, not Susan Collins

[-misanthroptimist]

186. Exactly

[Quiet Em]

187. That won't happen if Planter refuses to drop out.

I would like to assume Platner shares the same goal of a Democrat taking Collins seat. I hope my assumption is correct.

[-misanthroptimist]

188. Who is this magical candidate that is going to do better

...against Collins than the guy who took 70% of the vote in the primary? I live in ME and I don't know who is going to better than Platner (even with the accusations).

[Quiet Em]

189. I don't know but it's not him.

If he shares the goal of removing Collins and electing a Democrat to that Senate seat he needs to stop playing games and drop out.

[niyad]

57. I strongly suggest that you acquaint yourself with the actual statistics

on so-called "false " rape claims, and on the number of rapes that are never reported, PRECISELY FOR THE kinds of posts I am seeing here. And also look at the misogynist attitudes of law enforcement, legal systems, the military, and even hospitals. Let's talk about HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNTESTED RAPE KITS. Let's talk about women being forced to pay to have these kits tested, something no other victims of crimes are required to do.

SMDH

[-misanthroptimist]

62. You should indeed be shaking your head

None of that, not one iota justifies convicting someone (man, woman, or child) without verifiable evidence. None of us ever should be convicted on the basis of general statistics. Evidence should determine guilt.

Yes, every SA report should be taken seriously. But that means it should be investigated if possible. It most decidedly mean that the man is guilty merely because he's accused. As the current case makes clear, the allegation alone is extremely damaging.

The other problems you outline obviously exist. Neither Platner nor me nor anyone else in this thread are responsible for them.

[niyad]

65. Yet, by your statements, every woman who makes a report is

presumed to be a liar until proven otherwise by the misogynist systems under which we live.

I do shake my head in sad disbelief at the utter blind cluelessness of the reality in which women live, and how it is perpetuated.

[-misanthroptimist]

70. Nonsense

If I thought that they were liars, I wouldn't want their claims to be investigated -which is the opposite of what I said. All such claims should be investigated.

What I won't do is credulously believe an allegation based simply on one's gender.

The accused is entitled to a presumption of innocence by law and common fairness.

[niyad]

71. You have made yourself perfectly clear.

[-misanthroptimist]

73. Good

I'm a stickler for reaching conclusions based on sound evidence rather than emotion or my gut.

[niyad]

74. As I said, perfectly clear.

[-misanthroptimist]

75. And you got in the last word

Ooops!

Go ahead, take the last word.

[niyad]

128. I truly hope that there are no women iin your life who would hope for

your support should they become SA survivors.

[-misanthroptimist]

146. So dramatic!

It could be that you know nothing about me except that I will look at the facts of a situation, attempt to place them in their proper context, and reach a reasonable conclusion based upon that.

What I don't do is make decisions based on how I feel with partial evidence and no context in which to place that partial evidence.

True fact: I have six close friends all of over 30 years standing -five of them are women.

[niyad]

162. Dramatic? wow, sounds like I touched a nerve there.

It is true that I know nothing about you other than the evidence of your writing, which is of course, most persuasive.

[-misanthroptimist]

167. Well, you changed the topic from Platner to me

A new subject that was mildly insulting personally and based on no real evidence other than "stop being different from me!"...which seems to be the way for some folk. No matter. It's still a reasonably free country.

[mcar]

83. They sure have. SMDH

[MorbidButterflyTat]

95. Crystal.

[iemanja]

133. The woman's testimony is evidence

backed up by the contemporaneous documentation. The story is done. Protecting rapists is disgusting.

[dsc]

66. She has messages to a woman mentioning it from

long before Platner ran for office, she told the times this off the record, she told a subsequent boyfriend. What do you need a bus load of nuns, a video?

[-misanthroptimist]

68. Glad you asked

What more I need is context. What was the relationship like between them, for instance? There are people in the world who will say things to hurt other people. So if they had a destructive relationship, for example, it's possible (not saying I believe or disbelieve) that she just wanted to trash him.

What other things did she tell these people about Platner at the time, IOW.

I would just like some context in which to place the allegation. It's only fair.

That said, if it's true then he should drop out -never should have run in the first place. Additionally, if the Statute of Limitations hasn't run out, charge his ass and take him to court.

[dsc]

69. We, and they, have had this woman's name for a month

actually a slight bit over a month, and we have heard nothing about this woman being either a liar or disturbed. Oh, and let's not forget that there are still two other women.

[-misanthroptimist]

72. Great.

Now, let's have a closer look. People will say different things in the media than they might under questioning. While we're at it, let's question Platner aggressively, too.

But I cannot and will not conclude a man is a rapist on partial evidence. End of story.

[Joinfortmill]

112. I hear, but there are often no witnesses, believe me, I know.

[-misanthroptimist]

113. That's what makes it difficult

Every accusation of SA deserves to be investigated. OTOH, as point out, it can be extremely difficult to investigate since it may come down to he said/she said.

That leaves us nowhere good. On the one hand, every decent person wants to get justice for the victim. On the other hand, our commitment to justice as we traditionally understand it, is to require sufficient evidence before convicting someone.

So what do we do in such circumstances? I think that as a society it's imperative to uphold our commitment to traditional justice. Unfortunately, that means many, perhaps most, of these bastards will get away with it.

Fat lot of good that does for the victims, I know, but I can't think of any other way to handle it that doesn't scream "Danger!"

The best I can do is to hope that where criminal justice can't carry the load that civil justice can step in and provide some sort of rough justice. The standard of evidence for winning a civil suit is much lower than in the criminal sphere, so there is a reasonable chance to win even in a he said/she said instance. It won't put the rapist in prison, but it will cost him money and attach a big social stigma. That is, I think, better than nothing.

[Polybius]

117. Mike Tyson's rape case also had no hard evidence

It was more of a "he-said, she-said" determination by the jury, and they believed her. There was no proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

140. Obviously, there was

Tyson was convicted of rape.

[Polybius]

175. Conviction doesn't always mean proof

[MorbidButterflyTat]

176. What??

Conviction means guilt, whether you acknowledge it or not.

There was enough proof for conviction.

[Polybius]

177. That's not what I said

[MorbidButterflyTat]

190. Oh, yeah?

Take that!

[-misanthroptimist]

39. You tell me. Exactly how many?

[milestogo]

46. I think it depends on the man.

How many women accused Trump before there were any legal consequences? At least 28.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations

How many women accused Harvey Weinstein before there were any consequences? At least 8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Weinstein_sexual_abuse_cases

How many women accused Eric Swalwell before he resigned from office? 6 have accused him. He resigned after 4.
https://abc7news.com/post/fellow-california-congressman-rep-sam-liccardo-says-rumors-eric-swalwell-sexual-misconduct-swirled-years/18894415/

How many women accused Bill Cosby of drugging and raping them? At least 60.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby_sexual_assault_cases

How many female athletes accused Dr Larry Nassar of sexually assaulting them? Around 150.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Nassar#Sexual_assault_accusations_and_convictions

[-misanthroptimist]

64. And therein lies a problem

Actually, more than one problem.

Problem #1 is that there are men in the world who know how to get away with it for a long time.

Problem #2 is that there seems to be a stigma attached to being a rape victim that prevents women from coming forward, and in many cases, going to the hospital or police when these assaults occur.

Problem #3 is that even when SA occurs it can be difficult to prove.

However, we can't convict people based on nothing more than the same accusation made by multiple people. We can, and absolutely should, investigate such claims completely. But the mere number of claims is useless, imo.

[milestogo]

79. "the same accusation made by multiple people"

I can't tell you that false accusations never happen. But I seriously doubt that these amount to more than 1-2% of the total. Women don't get together in groups and plot to ruin someone's bid for public office by coming up with false accusations of rape.

[Starbeach]

50. Too Much Deference to Platner

Democrats fell for Platner's PTSD card and excused all kinds of questionable behaviors. I'm not saying that he doesn't have PTSD, but it cannot grant permanent immunity for a Senate candidate against all scrutiny. Democrats avoided an accountability analysis.

[niyad]

87. He is apparently receiving around 4k/month VA disability. But, as I

stated several times during that primary, I have been around, and worked with, PTSD vets for decades, and not one of them ever said the things platner did.

[BComplex]

121. You mean people associated with republicans ? Or just any old body?

It matters. Quit with the guilty until proven innocent mess. This is what she said to the NYT back when the Susan Collins operative said she was manhandled back a few months ago.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

141. What's that supposed to prove?

"...Susan Collins operative..." Really?

[lapucelle]

29. Politico (who broke the story) said that they reviewed documents.

A woman who dated Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner says he forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections, an allegation Platner denies.

The woman, a 41-year-old Maine resident named Jenny Racicot, detailed the alleged incident to POLITICO in three interviews over the past two weeks. POLITICO also spoke with a man Racicot dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident, and reviewed documents, including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office.

Racicot said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner, who is now the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, for more than two years before he entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after telling him the encounter was not consensual.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737

[lapucelle]

35. Her account of the episode.

That night in late 2021, she said she had exchanged text messages with him and told him not to come over, saying she wasn’t in the mood for company. Later that evening, she said she realized when she heard a sound on the stairs that he had let himself into her house, which was unlocked.

Platner came up the stairs, Racicot said, to where she was on a couch. He got on top of her and kept grabbing her, she said, while she repeatedly told him to stop and that she wasn’t interested. Racicot said she smelled alcohol on his breath and believed he was “almost blackout drunk” because Platner ignored her protests and continued to grab her after knocking over an antique sewing kit, spilling small needles everywhere.

“I had been telling him these words, like: ‘No, don’t,’” she recalled.

“And, the look on his face and realizing what was happening, I just realized that, like, I am in a situation where there’s no consent here,” she said.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737

[mcar]

84. But some here need way more details

I want to vomit at the woman hate here.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

103. I hear you.

[mcar]

104. Thanks

[infullview]

120. I'm sorry, I find the whole story a bit unbelievable.

Yes, I think Platner could be a drunken boar. I also think this woman could be mentally ill and want attention from whereever she can get it. The fact is she could NOT produce any physical evidence to corroberate her story other than contact with other people relaying a story that may or may not be true.

[milestogo]

122. "this woman could be mentally ill"

Wow. just wow.

[infullview]

123. It happens. I had a woman stalker.

Went out with her twice. Did not have sex. Cut off contact because she was a bit clingy. Next thing II know she shows up at my house. She went to work at CMP and looked up my address from their company records.

[milestogo]

130. And did she publicly accuse you of rape?

Were you afraid she might harm you or even kill you?

Did you generalize this experience to decide that all women are crazy?

[infullview]

131. No, Fortunately, but it was scary.

My point still stands that she has no evidence to back up her claim. Why is it that a woman's side of the story should be taken as fact? Politico is in business to make money and I'd be willing to bet this woman now has some account in the Cayman Islands from a Collins pack.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

144. It was scary???

Those are disgusting accusations.

Where's your physical evidence? Of her mental illness? Of her Collins PAC account in the Caymans?

You demand evidence while making outrageous accusations with none.

[lapucelle]

129. Pretty amazing default response.

It couldn't be that a guy who allegedly said that he would rape a burglar to dominate him actually snuck into her house and assaulted her.

All these women must either be saying these things for money or because they are mentally ill.

[infullview]

134. The operative word there was "allegedly"

Just the facts count. Would you also hang someone because you “believed” they murdered someone? This is politics and this smacks of the the Bannon playbook.

[lapucelle]

135. Nah, the operative words are "snuck into her house and assaulted her".

Isn’t it so weird that according to a different ex- girlfriend, Graham Platner would have raped an intruder for doing what Graham Platner did.

But not in a *gay way*.

[paleotn]

42. Careful there. That might cause potential Republican propaganda not to work.

And they won't feel all clean and self righteous all the way to the maga gulag.

Sorry, folks, in the fight for American democracy, we may have to cut cards with the devil more than once. If not, enjoy feeling all pure and self righteous on your way to the maga gulag. I don't want to hear one GD whine out of any of them.

[Raftergirl]

89. MAGA feel the same exact way about their pervert in chief.

[paleotn]

91. Words in frustration. My original post.

I get what you're saying. My point is, without all the hyperbole, we tend to expect perfection from our candidates. Our agenda comes second. It's the exact opposite with Republicans. They don't care what their politicians do as long as their agenda moves forward. Not saying we need to go to that extreme but we may need to look the other way and hold our nose far more than we're do. Particularly if our democracy is on the line.

[Raftergirl]

97. Nope. I may not always love a candidate, but I would never vote for a rapist. That is not something one

should ever look the other way for.

I don’t expect perfection from any candidate as no one is perfect. I often vote for candidates I don’t always see eye to eye. But a rapist, sex pest, abuser, just no.

[paleotn]

102. I agree, that is beyond the pale.

Cheats on is wife? Unsavory, but so did JFK. But committing a violent crime like what's accused? If true, even in my most Machiavellian moods I can't put up with that. If true. But this is the heat of election season and it's hard sometimes to tell truth from fiction. Lets see where this goes. As I said on a previous thread, lets see how he defends this. That might clear things up a bit. Honestly, we may never know the full truth.

[Raftergirl]

105. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

[synni]

63. Apparently there are emails between her and her therapist

If this can be believed, then he doesn't deserve to be in office.

[-misanthroptimist]

67. "If this can be believed"

He flat out denies it. She has provided some evidence that is insufficient on its own, but certainly bears further investigation.

It is possible that both are telling the truth from their own perspectives.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

98. This guy

may be telling the truth as far as having no memory of it, since he was probably black out drunk.

He's blamed booze before.

[-misanthroptimist]

99. Agreed on all counts. :)

[PatSeg]

6. I'm so sick of it

This has been going on forever and as I look back over my life, I realize how often I've been on the receiving end of their toxic behavior. Is it really that hard to be a reasonable decent person?

[milestogo]

8. Apparently.

What gets me are the candidates who don't self-examine before committing to run for office. If there is anything about your past that could come out, think about what the cost might be.

[PatSeg]

13. Yes and that is why campaigns usually

do their own opposition research to find out the bad stuff before one's opponent does. If this allegation is true, this is inexcusable.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

14. Maybe he didn't think anything he did was wrong

How sick is that?

Frat boy "toxic masculinity" is a thing.

[milestogo]

20. I was working for a candidate and a story came out

that after his divorce he had gone to his ex-wife's new home, kicked the back door, and broke it. She reported it to the police and sued him for repairs.

That was the worst they could find. Not horrible, but it was embarrassing for him. When you run for office this kind of stuff can come up because its public information.

[PatSeg]

55. Yes and that's actually worse

They think it's not all that bad. Just "guys being guys".

We need to change how we raise our boys. I've done my part in that regard and now my son is raising two decent boys.

[Skittles]

33. or run as a repuke

there you can be president, Sec of Defense, etc

[Maru Kitteh]

40. Men who do this believe that most men do this, and

they’re not as wrong as I wish they were.

[PatSeg]

58. Probably true

And so many are undoubtedly wondering why women really aren't interested in them.

[Keepthesoulalive]

21. The gentleman had some questionable behavior in the past

He had no legislative experience so he had no real campaign experience. Oh well.

[Skittles]

34. he's a straight white man

the bar is apparently set low for them everywhere

[Keepthesoulalive]

41. I'm seeing some posts implying if republicans vote for scum

We should hold our noses and vote for abusers because they get a pass because republicans. This is what has hurt our country no morals just blue versus red.

[Jacson6]

11. The stuff is hitting the fan.

Damn it.

[Raftergirl]

16. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Skittles]

17. THANK YOU

and to the people who claim any such sentiment is "helping Susan Collins", GET BETTER CANDIDATES

JFC

[Katinfl]

22. Or they can switch to the GOP and get elected to the highest offices, i.e. president, SCOTUS.

[Skittles]

36. yup

and Secretary of Defense

[twodogsbarking]

24. This can cure the problem.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1139&pid=14859

[Innocent Smith]

27. Thank You!

[mcar]

32. +1000!

I cannot believe the rape apologists on here today.

[paleotn]

44. Susan Collins sends her thanks! She doesn't know what she'd do without Dems doing her work for her.

Ever wonder if this latest one is cashing a nice, fat, Republican check? Hmmm?

[mcar]

93. Aww, bless your heart

Ever wonder if your guy is cashing a nice, fat Republican check? Hmmmm? After all, he's known for his Nazi tattoos and deriding women and Muslims and lying about his background.

Hmmmm?

[paleotn]

101. First off, he's not my guy.

I'm not in Maine, but if I was, my first choice was Mills. I generally don't trust populists until they have a track record. But given the numbers he was able to pull in the primary, the big turnout, and the excitement, I figured he had a damn good chance of unseating Collins. For me, it's control of the Senate that's most important. I'll cut cards with the devil to get it, but only to a point.

Secondly, many Dems demand perfection and are endlessly disappointed. We're candidate purity first, agenda second. Republicans are the opposite and their agenda moves forward. Ours does not.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I don't burn people on the slightest pretext. Particularly in election season. Way too much shit flying around to do that since it's difficult to judge rationally what's true and what isn't. If it is true, I'll help you burn him. But I don't think we know enough yet other than he said / she said, and Republicans willing to go to extremes to hold onto the Senate.

Lets see how he responds to this. That may clear some of the uncertainty. If he screws it up and can't adequately defend himself, most likely it's true. If so, I'm with you. We will see.

[mcar]

118. On the slightest pretext? Credible accusation of rape,

couple with a verifiable record of mysogynistic and bigoted statements, lies about his rugged he-man upbringing, and, of course, the Nazi tattoo are hardly slight pretexts.

I've seen progressives on social media toss a Democrat to the wolves because they worked with Republicans on a bipartisan bill or (gasp) mentioned god in a tweet. But Platner? Everyone is lying but him.

There is no time to see. Maine has until Monday to name a new nominee. Shame on everyone involved, especially Platner himself, for thinking this wouldn't come out.

[EX500rider]

168. People always forget to add "...and worked for Blackwater in Afghanistan"....after he got out of the military

....well, wasn't allowed to re-up due to banned tattoos apparently....about which he somehow knew nothing later.

[mcar]

169. The list is that long. Why was it all ignored?

[MorbidButterflyTat]

52. It's sickening.

MAYBE the fate of democracy and the United States shouldn't depend upon ONE election in ONE state!

And women shouldn't be expected to be the sacrificial lambs to the party!

[RockCreek]

78. x 1000

[MichMan]

76. Apparently "Believe all women" was just a soundbite

[LetMyPeopleVote]

47. The Maine Democratic Party calls on Graham Planter to drop out of the Senate race.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

48. My aunt was nearly murdered by her wacko husband

I have no sympathy for men who abuse women!

[3Hotdogs]

49. So another 6 years of Collins? The Supreme Court appointments she supported did more damage to

women than what Platner did nor did not do.

There will likely be 2 more vacancies during the next 6 years.

Carry on.

[questionseverything]

171. Yep, 6 more years of Collins, 6 more years of repub majorities

Personally I’d vote for the devil himself to get a democratic majority but from the looks of du I am in a small minority

So no chance women will regain their power over their own bodies

No chance we will feed the hungry or expand healthcare for the poor

No chance ss will get fixed so we better be getting ready for the cuts to come

But Ya’ll can keep saying how pure we are

[Dave Bowman]

53. Purge the scumbags.

[Bobstandard]

54. Perfect is the enemy of good.

Vote your conscience everyone. But please don’t make my life worse by letting a demonstrably bad incumbent get in the way of Democrats taking the Senate. Recognize that if we don’t take the Senate, we’re screwed. And you know it.

[jmbar2]

56. This is EXACTLY why I felt he should have been dropped the first time.

There were too many smoking guns. Platner and his supporters have literally put democracy itself in jeopardy by not making the cut earlier.

LISTEN to the women!

[Doodley]

59. This bad publicity impacts on all Democrat candidates. That is why he should go, not the assumption of guilt, but we

need to be focused on making a clear distinction between us and Republicans.

[warmfeet]

61. Winning at any cost

may wind up being far more expensive than anyone (all of us) can afford. Supporting a rapist (call it what you will) is just not worth anything. Losing democracy is very, very bad. Losing our principles is much, much worse. Just another opinion.

[live love laugh]

107. Doesn't seem to matter to Republican pedophiles and their President.

[WinningAgain]

77. Guess the tent is bigger than I imagined.

Maybe too inclusive.

[WarGamer]

81. 100x

[red dog 1]

106. Kick

[applegrove]

108. +1000

[f64PTjmtR]

110. I don't think Platner assaulted anyone

I don’t think Platner assaulted anyone

[mcar]

119. Why?

[obamanut2012]

124. So, you are saying all the evidence, actual evidence is false?

And the women are liars? And their therapists, and boyfriends, and roommates, and friends?

[AZLD4Candidate]

114. I'm amazed that when a Democrat leads, things like this come out.

[obamanut2012]

125. Why are you amazed that a walking red flag with prior accusations is rapey?

[demmiblue]

115. And fuck the rape apologists. n/t

[WinningAgain]

116. No kidding. When did we start supporting SA abusers, to get votes.

[obamanut2012]

126. I may leave DU over this

The amount of rape apologists is appalling.

[niyad]

127. Understandable.

[Sympthsical]

132. I can see you're going through it

And no doubt you're not the only one. I'm appalled by some of what I'm reading. No one should be minimizing rape the way I've seen in some of the discourse surrounding Platner.

It sucks, and I'm sorry.

[obamanut2012]

151. Thank you

Every single women (and men) on here who have been raped/molested are reading all of these apologists and remembering why we kept quiet.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

145. I know, I'm so sorry

[MakeThemCry]

142. How to say you're a corporate Dem w/o saying you're a corporate Dem

He's going to leave the campaign, relax.

Does the assault thing apply to Bill Clinton as well?

If memory serves correctly, he had more than a few credible claims against him back in the day.

Isn't he a beloved member of the party OP?

[obamanut2012]

152. Zero credible rape accusations against Clinton -- HEY MIRT

He was a cheater and what he did to Lewinsky was a serious differing power dymanic.

Oh, wait -- MIRT!

[Bengus81]

147. So I guess we should all agree that Hearn was guilty of tearing up the Reflecting pool.

Plenty of "claimed witnesses" there. Trump say he damaged the pool. No trial yet but hell....he has to be guilty.

[obamanut2012]

154. Wow -- calling two liars is certainly a stance to take, and your minimizing rape is a worse look

The first accuser had a lot of evidence that the NYT ignored, and so did the public because she's GOP.

Racicot has excellent evidence.

But you are being all har har har comparing them to Hearn being wrongly accused. The evidence shows he is innocent, and that Platner is guilty AF.

[diane in sf]

148. The woman worked for Susan Collins. This makes me worry this might be another Al Franken type situation. With

Conservative Democrats joining the pile on.

[BannonsLiver]

155. Wait the latest accuser worked for Collins?

[LisaL]

174. No.

NT

[MorbidButterflyTat]

159. "Conservative Democrats"

like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani?

And Bernie Sanders?

Source she "worked for Susan Collins"?

[Klarkashton]

156. How he thought he could get away with his past in

In a high visibility election is astounding.

[milestogo]

157. White male privilege and arrogance.

[MerryBlooms]

192. I think he's staying in

Rock and hard place in Maine
Folks on DU, same...
This will go to the bloody end.