Latest Graham Platner scandal rattles Maine Senate race

[0:00] Let's bring in now Republican strategist and MSNOW political analyst Matthew Bartlett [0:03] and former California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer still with me. [0:08] Matthew, Trump is already facing blowback for a series of D.C. vanity projects [0:14] that will cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and Americans are facing rising costs. So [0:19] paying close attention to these celebratory events for the 250th, [0:24] you know, does that cost him in the end? Are independent voters and even some Republicans [0:28] going to be put off by this? Yeah, Ariel, great question. As we just heard from Akela, [0:34] there is no end to this war. There is no help on the economy. Even Milli Vanilli has pulled out of [0:42] your D.C. concert. So the president is going to do a rally. And I think we all remember the last time [0:50] he did a rally in D.C., and it didn't end so well. This is not helpful. It seems as if the president [0:57] has lost all credibility on the number one priority of the American public, the economy, [1:03] and he is laser focused on his ballroom, on his arch, and all of last week, just talking about [1:11] fountains here in D.C. So, yes, it is America's 250th celebration. Both parties, all Americans, [1:19] should celebrate that. But it seems as if the president is just putting together a haphazard, [1:25] you know, sloppy slate of events that are just focused on himself more than anything, [1:33] which, again, Republicans I talk to don't find this to be a helpful agenda as we move towards [1:37] the midterms. I mean, come on, Matthew. Milli Vanilli had some hits, even if they were lip-syncing. [1:42] Senator, this is supposed to be about the celebration of our country, 250 years. It's a milestone. [1:48] What does it say that even something like this has become polarizing? [1:51] Well, I agree with everything that's been said. It makes me ill. I mean, this country means [2:00] everything to so many people. Speaking from my own personal story, my mother was brought [2:06] out of Europe in her mother's arms. I'm a first-generation American on that side of [2:11] my family. And my dad, my dad, he was the youngest of nine, the only one born here. [2:19] And the reason I'm spending time on this is to just try and explain what America means to [2:25] most of the people here. It's not about one president. It's not about this president, [2:34] and particularly at a time when Americans are suffering. And you're showing what he's done [2:40] to the legacy of this country. Taking a bulldozer to the White House is just a symbol [2:48] for everything he's done to this, the greatest country of all. I hope we can get through this [2:53] period and get back to normal, because it's really—it's really painful to see. [2:59] I'm going to take, admittedly, a sharp turn here, but I do want to get your thoughts on [3:03] something very different. Senator, Democrats are also contending with a new scandal here. [3:08] Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner is now facing growing criticism [3:12] after reports that he exchanged those sexually explicit texts with multiple women, which his [3:17] wife initially flagged to his own campaign. Plattner's wife acknowledges telling the campaign [3:22] about those texts, but she's defended her husband in all of this. Still, you have Democrats that say [3:28] they're concerned here. Here was Senator Cory Booker on that. [3:33] Yeah, I have concerns. That guy has questions to answer, and that's what campaigns are for. [3:37] I know that so much is riding on Democrats taking control of the Senate, that this election, [3:43] if we do not get the votes necessary to take care of the House and the Senate, [3:47] we will continue to have an out-of-control president. [3:51] OK, so, Senator, I know in the last segment you said you don't like to tell someone not to run, [3:55] but can Plattner's campaign rebound from this, and is there a point where Democrats should come [3:59] out and denounce him after this spate of controversies that he's faced? [4:05] Well, I think the truth is the truth. This is extremely offensive. [4:08] It's ugly. And, you know, I feel terrible for his wife. I do think, however, where we are [4:18] at this moment in history, you have to look at what's more offensive. What he did there that he's [4:25] apparently worked out with his wife, it's ugly. It's got to be acknowledged. But what else is [4:31] offensive? To me, if I'm in Maine and it's a blue state and, you know, Susan Collins, who I liked [4:39] personally, but politically, I was always so disappointed with her. What I want to say about [4:46] that is what's more offensive, this personal ugly side or the fact that Susan Collins has voted 96% [4:55] with Donald Trump. And what's at stake here? People's health care, affordability, this economy, [5:02] jobs, threats to democracy, the fact that we've got, you know, Susan Collins voting with this guy [5:08] 96% of the time. So it's up to voters. What is more offensive? It's a tough choice. [5:16] But I think at the end of the day, considering where we're at as a nation, Democrats still have [5:23] a chance there. There are those who argue that even that 4% that she votes against the president [5:28] in this hyperpolarized climate is something, and that she's more bipartisan than many other [5:33] Republicans. Matthew, Plattner's certainly no stranger to controversy at this point. He had the [5:39] tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. In old online posts, of course, he made those racist comments, [5:44] and he's blamed sexual assault on the victims themselves. But he's still up in the polls. [5:49] So does this scandal turn the tide? Is this the one? You know, unclear. This will not be sorted [5:56] out in D.C. This will be sorted out in Maine. As you've said, his campaign has almost been a weekly [6:01] apology tour on incredulous things that he has said online in the past, as well as, again, from his [6:08] tattoos and now his personal life. We've seen both parties deal with scandal-plagued candidates in past [6:17] years and now even across states. I do think at the end of the day, it's going to be about the voters [6:23] and the issues. They want to talk about my yesterdays. I want to talk about your tomorrows. [6:28] I think that will continue to be the most compelling notion in this election, and it's a question of who [6:35] can harness that, which candidate, which party. So, again, focusing on the soap opera is important, [6:42] but it is not the only thing. So, again, this is a very frothy election across the country, [6:49] a lot of pain the American voters are feeling, and a lot of time before November. [6:55] We'll see if these scandals start to stack up in the minds of voters or if they are squarely focused, [6:59] as they've told our reporters there on the ground, on housing and affordability. Matthew Bartlett [7:04] and Senator Barbara Boxer, thank you both.