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Cohen Bove is a student at Southern Maine Community College who will be attending the University of Maine in the fall.
Defeating Sen. Susan Collins this November is one of only a few subjects on which Graham Platner and I agree. Collins has consistently shown what she stands for and it’s not impressive to me.
She voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and to cut Medicaid, and has too often continued to allow President Donald Trump to carry out actions that many consider illegal and authoritarian-like. I believe Collins is a threat to Mainers and must be replaced this fall. I will be a reluctant Platner voter and it won’t be an easy vote to cast.
I have attended two Platner events: the Sagadahoc Democrats debate in Topsham and his rally with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Portland. His military service and work as a fisherman are respectable attributes. But as a young voter who sees character and policy on the same level of importance, I firmly believe that Planter lacks both.
Graham and his team continue to apologize for his past remarks made on Reddit, attributing it to his return from the military and transition back into civilian life. I have no doubt that his time in the infantry put him in a dark place. It’s his continuation of these comments that are concerning.
Earlier this year, Platner continued his use of the r-slur. This is a clear sign to me of a lack of decorum. I’ve heard the counter argument that many people use that slur. We cannot normalize this behavior and responses like that show hypocrisy. If Republicans used that word, Graham’s voters would probably have a field day. We must hold him to the same standards.
Voters cannot forget about character. If they do, society risks more loss of checks and balances on our leaders.
Another example is when I heard Sen. Warren speak. She praised Platner for his policy ideas but made no mention of his derogatory language. In a 2019 Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas, Warren called out the former mayor of New York City and then presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg for referring to women as “fat broads.” She went on to suggest Bloomberg was unfit for the presidency in part because of those remarks.
I am not justifying any of the alleged behavior that the former mayor has been accused of. I’m simply pointing out that if Warren thinks that is enough to disqualify a candidate for president, why does she think a candidate for U.S. Senate, who belittled sexual assault victims, is fit for office?
I also feel that some of Platner’s political philosophies are overzealous. However, one has stuck out to me as an attempt to string voters along and hype up his audience: a Medicare for all program.
The idea that this can essentially be done at the drop of a hat is false. Platner has acknowledged it would take time and that he’d need to reach across the aisle to get it done, but this sounds familiar to what Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has been saying for decades.
I do believe that healthcare is a human right, but also think private options are necessary. We should not start something brand new, especially now. I think our government needs to expand on the Affordable Care Act. I worry that if Platner is elected, we will have another politician who makes promises that can never be completed.
In times of stress, it’s common for Americans to move to one or another side of extremism. We are experiencing this today. The danger that I believe Trump poses is something this country has never seen before, another reason I think we must oust Collins from office.
Unfortunately, I believe voters have created a double standard. Replacing Collins this fall should not mean abandoning standards of character. Some Democrats in Maine think that Graham Platner is reformed and is ready to represent us in Washington. I remain unconvinced. I will reluctantly cast my vote for him.
