If anyone needed another reminder that political tribalism has completely fried the brains of some media personalities, CNN delivered one on a silver platter.
During a heated discussion about embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Cari Champion managed to turn a conversation about an alleged Nazi tattoo into an attack on President Donald Trump — and in the process revealed just how far some Democrats are willing to bend their standards when one of their own gets caught in a scandal.
Platner has spent weeks battling fallout from reports detailing troubling allegations from former girlfriends and renewed scrutiny over a tattoo on his chest resembling Nazi imagery. The Democrat has claimed he was unaware of the symbol’s meaning when he got the tattoo, an explanation that has been met with widespread skepticism.
Yet instead of focusing on whether a Senate candidate carrying that kind of baggage should be disqualified, Champion argued that Americans have already accepted worse because Trump is president.
“The bar is in hell. We have allowed this president to come in, and this blatant corruption, and we see it,” Champion declared during CNN’s panel discussion. She quickly added, “By the way, I am not excusing this man’s behavior in any form or fashion. This just happens to be a candidate that has baggage.”
That didn’t sit well with fellow panelist Arthur Aidala.”Cari, he has an anti-Semitic tattoo on his chest. That should be automatic disqualification, period,” Aidala fired back.
Rather than address the tattoo directly, Champion doubled down on the Trump comparison. “I’m not excusing this man’s behavior, but what I am telling you is you cannot say that with this president in office,” she argued.
Aidala wasn’t buying it. “You can. You can. A guy who is wearing a tattoo saying I hate people of this religion, that’s it, you’re done.”
Then came the moment that left viewers scratching their heads. “OK, ‘And I hate black people.’ I feel like this president is saying, ‘I hate black people,’ and we’re done,” Champion exclaimed while clapping her hands for emphasis.
Aidala responded with a reality check. “But he doesn’t have a tattoo that says it.”
Champion shot back, “He just has all the power of the government. He’s rolling back — he’s rolling back civil rights.”
Even CNN host Abby Phillip appeared visibly frustrated by the logic. “You keep saying you’re not excusing him, but what’s happening is that he is being excused,” she observed as the discussion spiraled.
Champion continued arguing that voters ultimately make the decision. “But Abby, but are we excusing it? Are we excusing it? Or are we saying, look, if this is this, if this guy is in the lead — are we excusing it? No, we’re not. But if the people in Maine are saying, ‘This is our guy, this is who we want,’ it’s because of the situation we live in right now.”
That explanation may satisfy partisan activists, but it raises an uncomfortable question: If Nazi-linked imagery isn’t automatically disqualifying when a candidate has the correct party affiliation, what exactly are the standards anymore?
(Video Credit: CNN)
