Now there is a Democratic candidate with a tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol | Opinion

One of my favorite sayings is from the poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." I like it because it applies to people of all walks of life and from relationships to politics. It's evergreen.

It's especially prescient when it comes to the Democratic Party as of late.

A new U.S. Senate candidate, Maine Democrat Graham Platner, has been under fire as his candidacy revealed that the Marine Corps veteran isn't just a leftist, he's also possibly a Nazi sympathizer − he just didn't realize it. (I hate it when that happens.)

Did Graham Platner know his tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol?

PBS News reported that Platner got a skull-and-crossbones tattoo that resembles the Totenkopf on his chest in 2007, when the candidate was in his 20s and on military leave in Croatia.

Platner told USA TODAY that he didn't know the image resembled a symbol tied to Adolf Hitler's paramilitary Schutzstaffel, known as the SS. The SS was responsible for organizing and killing millions of Jews during World War II.

Platner told The Associated Press on Oct. 22 that he has chosen to cover up the symbol with another tattoo because there are limited options where he lives in rural Maine.

I get the impression that Platner's tattoo is not supposed to drum up questions about him being a Nazi sympathizer. But I remember when Pete Hegseth, now the secretary of War, was being vetted to head the Pentagon, his tattoos were also in question.

"Christian motto or nationalist dog whistle?" is my favorite headline describing Hegseth's "Deus vult" tattoo, the Crusades' motto, which translates to "God wills it" in English.

I'm willing to give Platner the benefit of the doubt that he regrets the tattoo, but the timing raises questions about how genuine he is. Did he really not realize it's recognized a powerful Nazi symbol? That's hard to believe.

I welcome Platner's run for the same reason I welcomed Zohran Mamdani's democratic socialist campaign in New York City race for mayor. If the most materialistic city on earth can welcome a socialist with open arms, let Maine have a military veteran-turned progressive who got ripping drunk abroad and decided he'd get a tattoo that appears to symbolize the Nazi regime's elite guard. Who among us has not, at the very least, considered this?

Platner's tattoo is either an innocent and stupid mistake, or it represents a deep-seated hatred of Jews. Maine voters will decide.

Antisemitic sentiments exist in leadership on the right, too. Politico revealed leaked group chat messages from New York State Young Republicans leaders who made antisemitic and racist remarks among themselves. The chapter has now disbanded.

Several GOP leaders, including Vice President JD Vance, dismissed the chat, but these people's ideas should be exposed and their leadership questioned. The Republican Party has no place for this kind of hate, especially among our next generation.

Are Democratic candidates OK?

Still, Democrats seem to have a problem with their election candidates.

Virginia, where I lived for a decade, has undergone an incredible political change, from blue to battleground, since I moved away in 2018. Virginians elected Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021, but that seems to have fanned the flames of hate among Democrats, too.

While on Charlie Kirk's podcast, which continues though the conservative star was fatally shot in September, Youngkin discussed on Oct. 21 the horrifying news that Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones texted in 2022 about killing a Republican colleague and others, but Democratic leaders didn't have the courage to call for him to drop out of the race.

Gubernatorial Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger finally denounced the ghoulish text messages during an interview, but complained that she had to do so. Spanberger's comments were made on the same day as Youngkin's statement.

It's not just a handful of Democratic politicians, either. Not only was Kirk assassinated on Sept. 10, but many leftists cheered his death. It was a disturbing look into the inner thoughts and weird wishes of everyday Americans, yet unfortunately, this seems to be a very partisan take. A YouGov poll published Sept. 12 found that 67% of Republicans found political violence to be "very big problem" compared with just 58% of Democrats. That's really disappointing.

The Democratic Party isn't just polling worse than ever and totally broke compared with the Republican Party; it's just full of disdain.

Maybe it's because the Democratic politicians are failing so miserably, who knows? But the Democratic Party should have no room for Nazi sympathizers or candidates who condone violence. It's gross, it's unacceptable and it shouldn't win the respect or votes of everyday, decent Americans who identify with the Democratic Party.

Democratic politicians keep telling Americans who they are. When will people believe them?

Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here.