F*ck Off, Graham

Last night, Graham Platner announced that he is “suspending” his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

I don’t live in Maine, and I absolutely hate it when out-of-staters start talking about Texas politics. So I’ve kept my feelings to myself, but what the hell — I might as well say it now. None of the stuff that has come out about Graham Platner has taken me by surprise. I felt like I pretty much knew who he was as soon as I saw him in his underwear, drunk and making someone else’s wedding reception all about him. Every woman has known a Graham Platner. He’s the guy who has a big personality, who says all the right stuff, and who seems to be just troubled enough to fool you into thinking you can save him. He’s the guy who always has to be the center of attention, the guy who always thinks he’s right, and the guy who has a thousand sob stories to make you feel guilty for ever doubting him. No one has any right to claim to have been shocked to discover who Graham Platner actually was.

He’s a forgotten figure today, but this whole Platner thing reminds me of Aaron Coleman, the 20-year-old DSA kid who, in 2020, narrowly defeated an incumbent in a primary for the Kansas House. The Intercept promoted him as a future leader of America.

After he won the primary, it turned out that Coleman had a history of abusing his girlfriends and was once arrested for threatening to shoot up his school. Like Platner, he blamed the whole thing on PTSD and basically had a dramatic sob story for every accusation. He was asked to withdraw, but unlike Platner, he refused.

Coleman won because he was running in a blue district and no Republican had bothered to file for the general election. He did a lot of bragging when he won the election, but he was such a toxic figure that no one was willing to work with him, and his district was basically left without effective representation for two years. He served one totally disastrous term and then received only 13% of the vote when he ran for reelection.

Platner has suspended his campaign, though he has yet to file the paperwork to make his withdrawal official. He released an 11-minute video last night. Sitting through the entire thing is not easy. Platner rants that the accusations against him are false and says he’s been set up by “the system” and “the political establishment.” If that’s the case, why drop out? If your entire movement is about fighting the system, why would you surrender the minute the system fights back?

Democrats are going to hold a convention to pick a new nominee. Here’s my unpopular opinion: I don’t think they should be allowed to pick a new nominee. 73% of the Democratic primary voters cast their ballots for a man who had a Nazi tattoo for several years and who was credibly accused of abuse even before the primary. My feeling is that if you’re dumb enough to vote for a Graham Platner or a Roy Moore, then you should deal with the consequences of your stupidity. You don’t get a do-over. Sorry.

Watching Platner’s video, I noticed how angry he was. If there’s any self-reflection going on, it wasn’t evident. Platner seems like one of those guys who is going to end up becoming a perennial third-party candidate. Everyone who made excuses for him in 2026 and who claimed that his scandals were actually evidence of his “authenticity” will pretend they never supported him.

Senator Patrick Dempsey?

One of the stranger moments during the whole Platner mess was when it was revealed that some Democrats were trying to recruit actor Patrick Dempsey to run for the now-open nomination. Dempsey declined, even though it’s not as if he’s got much else going on right now. (McDreamy died over 11 years ago.)

It’s not uncommon to see actors mentioned as political candidates. I’m always a little disappointed when they don’t take the plunge.

John Travolta also lives in Maine. Just saying.

Big Brother Is Back

Big Brother premieres tonight, and after a lot of thought, I’ve decided I’m going to try to watch this season. I don’t know if I’m going to write about it yet. If I do write about it, you’ll be able to find my thoughts at the Reality TV Chat Blog.

That’s It for Now

There’ll be less politics in my thoughts next week, I promise!

Greetings On A Rainy Day

As I sit here typing this, it is 7 a.m. on Monday morning. It is currently raining here in Dallas. There are rumors that it could rain all day and I’m hoping that’s the case. The rain gives me an excuse to stay in my office and spend the entire day watching movies.

The World Cup Shocker

I’m as stunned as anyone to say that I’m happy that the World Cup is being played here in the United States. Whether you call it football or you call it soccer, it’s not a sport that has ever really interested me and I have yet to actually watch any of the games that have been played over the past few weeks.

Instead, I’ve been really touched by the reactions of the Europeans who have come over here for the World Cup and who have been posting their reactions to discovering everyday America on social media. Freddy the German is the most famous of them but he’s hardly the only one. With our 250th birthday approaching, our World Cup guests have reminded us of just how wonderful this country is. I know that some media types have expressed shock at how those of us in the South and Middle America have welcomed our guests. All I can say that those people need to get out of New York once and a while. The World Cup has allowed Europeans to see the real America and it has also allowed Americans to meet real, everyday Europeans. We’ve all been reminded of our common humanity.

Unfortunately, there’s always a few people who always have to try to ruin a good thing. There was a handful of people — mostly American Leftists from up North and bitter Brits who couldn’t afford a plane ticket — who were really hoping that America hosting the World Cup would be a disaster and that we would have several months of Europeans talking about how much they hate America. The opposite has happened and, judging from what I’m seeing on social media, a lot of the haters just don’t know how to deal with it.

Well, no matter! I’m proud of America and I’m happy to welcome our guests throughout the entire World Cup. Hell, I might even watch a game!

How To Celebrate The 4th

During the 2024 election, it was occasionally mentioned that whoever won would be in charge of America’s 250th birthday. It wasn’t the most pressing issue of the campaign but it is something that I discussed with my friends. Neither option was particularly appealing. We knew Trump would celebrate with bombast but we also knew he would make it all about himself. Harris, meanwhile, would probably offer up some sort of self-consciously “woke” ceremony that was designed to make American feel guilty. She would also ultimately make it all about herself.

In the end, I think everyone has to celebrate in their own way. Choose what is best for you. My family and I will be celebrating with fireworks, music, and enjoyment. It’s weird to me that there’s so many American leaders who seem to feel that they have an obligation to hate this country. The good thing is that, every 4th of July, most Americans defy the bans on fireworks. They defy the curfews. They defy the people who say they shouldn’t be proud. They defy the trendy negativity. This is a country that knows how to celebrate and we’re all the better for it. Independence Day is our annual reminder that America still has its spirit.

SLAMFEST!

This weekend, I discovered something called Slamfest. It takes place every year at Slinger Speedway in Slinger, Wisconsin. Among the events is a race where drivers attempt to be the first to successfully load their car on a trailer that’s attached to a trunk that is speeding around the track. I only saw a few minutes of it but it was beautiful to behold. My Dad would have loved that.

It’s Summer!

Enjoy it!