by David Shephard, ©2026
(Jun. 13, 2026) — One of my all-time favorite TV shows was Seinfeld – it was probably the last show I regularly watched. There was an episode where Elaine was dating a communist; I believe his name was Ned. And to the chagrin of Elaine, Ned was a very boring dresser – this due to the fact that he dressed the way he believed a member of the proletariat was supposed to dress. One example: the only color Ned would wear was black. Elaine, like most girlfriends, wanted to improve her boyfriend’s look, so she offered to buy him new clothes. But Ned was defiant; he put his foot down and said that he was going to continue to wear the same old unfashionable clothes, whether she liked it or not. Out of frustration Elaine finally implored him, “Can’t you at least dress like a successful communist?”
Well, Maine Democrat Graham Platner reminds me of Ned. About the same age, and both with a goatee. Although Ned didn’t seem to have Platner’s false machismo, for example he never offered his wish that he would rape a male intruder in his house to show dominance. But, like Ned, Graham, also a communist, dresses to make a statement. That is, by his wardrobe Platner is trying to send a message that he is not a member of the establishment. Suits and ties and nice clothes are for capitalists, for billionaires and want-to-be billionaires, but not for Platner. He dresses to look like an authentic working man, which of course he is not, but the left loves his faux working-class clothes because it helps them buy into his false image. Indeed, his supporters believe that his working-class attire adds to his authenticity. This is nonsense; his working-class attire is a complete affectation, similar to a guy who shows up at a country and western bar wearing a cowboy hat.
To add to his faux image, Platner likes to show off his tattoos, except the Nazi tattoo. Tuesday of last week, at his Democratic primary victory rally, I noticed his right sleeve was rolled up. The reason for this was to show off one of his ugly tattoos. Those tattoos are supposed to show that he is a working-class guy and maybe even a thug.
Platner is the latest example of a trend that I have noticed on the left. In addition to ugly clothes, tattoos, and social media posts, they seem to prefer that their champions use ugly language as well. Some examples; Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett gave her thoughts right before Trump’s State of the Union address, saying, “Somebody slap me and wake me the fu*k up because I’m ready to get on with it.” And no less than the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, even used the F word in responding to one of Trump’s initiatives; Schumer said that there was “No fu… way” Democrats would support him on this.
Democrats hitherto have not been able to articulate an agenda that the American public will buy into, but by using ugly foul language they can signal to their base that they are at least willing to fight.
Imagine if Platner looked and sounded like a gentleman. Imagine if he was clean-shaven and his hair properly cut. Imagine if there weren’t any stories of him roughing up women, or cheating on his wife, or attacking veterans. Imagine no tweets from him calling rural people racists. Would the left like him? No, because while they may not be thrilled with some of those activities, more than anything else they want a “fighter” to go to battle with Trump, not a civilized gentleman. They want a thug. Graham Platner is an ugly person, both inside and out, and at this point that is who the left wants.
Graham Platner acknowledges his creepiness by his utterances that, “nobody is perfect” and “I’m trying to be a better person every day.” I guess he says these things to persuade undecided voters; his supporters must not mind him saying that, but they are willing to accept him as he is – a thug and a creep, who will fight Trump. In normal times the likes of Graham Platner couldn’t be nominated for anything, but we are not living in normal times.
Now I began this column with a 1990’s cultural reference; let me end with another one from that great decade. If the Graham Platner campaign is looking for a theme song, I would like to kindly suggest that 90’s hit, “Creep” by Radiohead.
David Shephard is a native and very proud Virginian. Raised in Fairfax County, David graduated from George Mason University and majored in Government and Politics. He spent decades in politics, campaign consulting, raising money and lobbying. He is also a longtime conservative blogger writing for numerous blogs. He is also the host of “The Virginia Gentleman Podcast.”
David is the author of Elections Have Consequences, A Cautionary Tale, and his latest book, Norton’s Choice: An Inside Politics Exposé.