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Are We the Baddies? The Graham Platner Reckoning (w/ Kat Rosenfield) - #565

Jul 8, 2026

Guest

Kat Rosenfield

Kat Rosenfield, culture writer and novelist, offers reporting-informed commentary on the Graham Plattner allegations. They unpack new Politico details, why delayed reporting happens, and how outlets decide to publish. The conversation also covers patterns of misconduct, party enablement, and the strange cultural defenses that followed.

01:15:22

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INSIGHT

New Allegation Changed The Campaign Trajectory

The Politico story amplified a separate, more serious allegation that shifted the narrative against Graham Plattner.
Jenny Rassacote alleged he broke into her home, had sex without consent, and later woke up with no memory, which made the accusations materially different from earlier reports.

insights

INSIGHT

How Reporting Choices Shaped Public Reaction

The New York Times' initial handling minimized a named accuser and framed her as politically motivated, which discouraged others from going public.
Lindsay Fifield says the Times contacted only two of five corroborating witnesses and portrayed her as the main, partisan accuser.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Plattner As A Projected Working Class Fantasy

The hosts recognized Plattner as a familiar, legible type: a charismatic, self-destructive figure who appeals by aesthetics not lived experience.
Matt called him a Brooklyn college-educated 'soy boy' projection of working class aesthetics that many found patronizing.

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Why they convened tonight

02:55 • 3min

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Overview of early Plattner allegations

05:51 • 4min

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New Politico allegation details

09:37 • 1min

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How the Times handled Lindsay Fiffield

11:01 • 3min

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Rassacot's credibility and behavior

14:23 • 7min

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Pattern vs. single incident

21:12 • 7min

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Mika Brzezinski interview reaction

28:25 • 2min

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Explaining intimate nonconsent dynamics

30:27 • 2min

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Why victims delay reporting

32:52 • 2min

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Did the Times bury the story?

34:38 • 2min

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Standards for publishing abuse claims

36:51 • 2min

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Plattner's campaign response criticized

38:43 • 3min

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Who enabled him inside the party

41:31 • 6min

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Prediction markets on Plattner's fate

47:54 • 3min

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Tradeoffs in choosing a replacement

50:56 • 3min

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Stephen King and local support

54:01 • 5min

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Cultural detours: books and parenting

58:50 • 7min

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Kat's current projects and writing

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The great Kat Rosenfield joins us to discuss the ongoing fallout from rape allegations against Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner published Monday by Politico.

When you’re a star, they let you mispronounce their name.

•The Fifth Column (whiskey) sells out!

•America’s birthday month

•Loathing Graham Platner before it was cool

•The least weird thing about Platner

•The Times is on it

•A working class hero is something to be

A•bout that beard

•The flaws are a feature, not a bug

•We all know a guy like this

•Christine Blasey Ford enters the chat•Michael Tracey exists

•Kmele expresses skepticism•It’s not consensual, it’s DiGiorno•On second thought, let’s not play the Fuentes clip

•Michell Goldberg’s mea culpa

•Fruit baskets

•Midterm Madness… the Graham Platner edition

•Stephen King for senate? •Missing Moynihan

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