Bernie Sanders just endorsed a Democratic Senate candidate who has a Nazi tattoo. Not a “dog whistle.” Not a “problematic hand gesture” that some blue-check on Twitter interpreted as fascist. An actual Totenkopf — a death’s head with SS imagery — tattooed on his chest.
Welcome to clown world. Grab a seat. It gets better.
The candidate’s name is Graham Platner. He’s running for Senate in Maine against Republican Susan Collins. He became the Democratic nominee after Janet Mills dropped out, because apparently the bench in Maine is so thin that the party had to go with Nazi Tattoo Guy. Platner recently covered the Totenkopf with a Celtic canine tattoo, which is the political equivalent of throwing a rug over a stain before the in-laws come over.
“Oh that? That’s not an SS death’s head. It’s a… Celtic dog now. Totally different.”
So what did Bernie Sanders — the guy who honeymooned in the Soviet Union, champions “democratic socialism,” and has spent the last decade calling Republicans fascists — do when presented with a candidate sporting Nazi ink? He endorsed him. Enthusiastically.
Bernie tweeted: “Congrats to Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. He’s surging by taking on the billionaire class and fighting for working families.”
Surging! Fighting for working families! With a Totenkopf on his chest! You genuinely cannot write comedy this good.
(Remember when they spent four years calling every MAGA hat a Klan hood? Pepperidge Farm remembers.)
But hold on — because the real gem here isn’t Bernie. It’s MeidasTouch. You know MeidasTouch, right? The progressive media outfit that built its entire brand on calling Republicans Nazis? The people who produced approximately nine thousand videos comparing Trump rallies to Nuremberg? Those guys?
Adam Mockler from MeidasTouch actually defended Platner by arguing that his “forward-looking message” outweighs the Nazi tattoo.
Read that again. Slowly.
The organization that exists exclusively to call the Right fascist… just argued that an actual Nazi tattoo is fine because the candidate has good policy ideas. A “forward-looking platform” washes away the SS ink, apparently. Who knew that Medicare for All was the universal solvent for fascist symbolism?
Imagine — just for one second — if a Republican Senate candidate had a Totenkopf tattoo. Imagine the coverage. CNN would run a three-part documentary series. Rachel Maddow would come out of retirement. The New York Times would publish seventeen op-eds about the “mainstreaming of white supremacy in the GOP.” There would be congressional hearings.
But it’s a Democrat. So it’s a “youthful mistake” that’s been “covered up” — literally — and we should focus on his “forward-looking message” instead.
This is the same party that wanted Brett Kavanaugh destroyed over a high school yearbook entry. The same people who dug through every Republican’s college photos looking for offensive Halloween costumes. The same crowd that demanded resignations over OK hand gestures they decided were secret white power signals.
But a Totenkopf? Eh, he covered it with a dog. Moving on!
And just to put a cherry on this sundae of hypocrisy — Platner’s platform includes expanding the Supreme Court and impeaching Justice Clarence Thomas. So the guy with the Nazi tattoo wants to remove a Black Supreme Court Justice. The jokes write themselves, folks. We’re just here to transcribe them.
Bernie Sanders didn’t care. MeidasTouch didn’t care. The entire Democratic establishment in Maine apparently doesn’t care. Because when THEY do it, it’s a “journey of growth.” When WE do anything — wear a red hat, quote the Constitution, fly an American flag — it’s proof of fascism.
The mask didn’t just slip. The mask fell off, got run over by a truck, and they’re standing there pretending it never existed.
Every single time a Democrat calls a Republican a Nazi from this point forward, the only correct response is two words: Graham Platner. Tattoo and all.