{"id":115,"date":"2026-05-29T19:10:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frontierhousingreport.com\/?p=115"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:10:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:10:51","slug":"aipac-and-auchincloss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frontierhousingreport.com\/?p=115","title":{"rendered":"AIPAC and Auchincloss"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The other day, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a corporate Democrat who represents one of the most liberal districts in Massachusetts, dredged up the issue of Graham Platner\u2019s tattoo, attacking the certain Democratic nominee in a must-win Senate contest two states away. \u201cI find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying,\u201d Auchincloss told CNN Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more Archiving Joy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner\u2019s brand of the Democratic Party is what wins us durable majorities throughout this country,\u201d Auchincloss said, adding that he hoped Maine voters would agree with him.<\/p>\n

More from Robert Kuttner<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Auchincloss has been attacking Platner for months, but now the significance has changed. Since Platner\u2019s opponent in the Democratic primary, Janet Mills, has folded her campaign in the face of Platner\u2019s overwhelming lead, in effect Auchincloss has endorsed the Republican incumbent, Susan Collins.<\/p>\n

What in hell is Auchincloss up to?<\/p>\n

For starters, the issue of whether this was really a \u201cNazi\u201d tattoo was discredited months ago, and it doesn\u2019t seem to bother Maine voters. As Platner explained, when his unit was on shore leave in Croatia as a young Marine in 2007, he got the skull and crossbones tattoo. He had no idea that it had Nazi connotations or resembled the Nazi Totenkopf. He has since altered it.<\/p>\n

It helps to know a little about Auchincloss and the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District. The seat, which was once held by the late progressive Barney Frank, includes the heavily Jewish but also heavily liberal towns of Brookline and Newton. It also includes working-class Attleboro, Fall River, and Taunton.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Auchincloss squeaked into the Democratic nomination with just 22 percent of the vote, in a badly splintered primary where several other candidates divided the progressive vote. Auchincloss also benefited from a controversial Boston Globe<\/em> endorsement. It seemed odd that the liberal Globe<\/em> editorial page endorsed the most conservative Democrat in the race. Auchincloss\u2019s mother is a close friend of Linda Henry, CEO of the Globe<\/em>. The editorial page editor insisted at the time that Henry had no influence.<\/p>\n

Auchincloss as the incumbent hasn\u2019t faced a serious primary challenge since then. This year, Auchincloss has two progressive challengers, who have both questioned his funding from political action committees associated with AIPAC and his extensive corporate funding. They are Jason Poulos, an AI researcher and critic, and Chris Boyd, a public school teacher. If one dropped out and endorsed the other, the September 1 primary might be close.<\/p>\n

Read more Does Xavier Becerra Know What a PBM Is?<\/a><\/p>\n

Auchincloss\u2019s outrageous attack on Platner sure looks like a doubling down on his bid for the AIPAC vote. But Auchincloss\u2019s timing is terrible. Increasingly, AIPAC support is becoming a mark of Cain. AIPAC support for a candidate has backfired in primary after primary.<\/p>\n

Even in Newton and Brookline, there is plenty of criticism of Israel\u2019s genocidal actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Slavish support for \u201cIsrael right or wrong\u201d is no longer a surefire tactic for winning the Jewish vote, much less for winning elections generally.<\/p>\n

Rep. Seth Moulton, another Massachusetts centrist, who is challenging Sen. Ed Markey in the same September 1 primary, came to Platner\u2019s defense. \u201cLook, Graham clearly made a mistake and I\u2019ve been on CNN saying that what I appreciated about him is that he owned that mistake,\u201d Moulton said during a separate interview on CNN later that day. \u201cHe took responsibility for it and I don\u2019t think that that\u2019s disqualifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland recently published a gutsy op-ed piece calling for Democrats to resist Israel\u2019s indefensible actions. \u201cAIPAC\u2019s influence in Congress remains formidable even as Americans increasingly reject its positions and its use of super PACs to pour money into elections,\u201d he wrote. \u201cDemocrats must stand firm against these headwinds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Platner, meanwhile, is nine points ahead of Collins in the latest poll, a lead that keeps widening. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and its Senate counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), regularly intervene in primaries on the premise that they are working to nominate the most effective Democrat against a Republican in the general election. That was the DSCC\u2019s rationale for pushing Janet Mills to challenge Platner.<\/p>\n

Now the shoe is on the other foot. For the DCCC, Auchincloss\u2019s de facto endorsement of Susan Collins should be a capital offense. We await their endorsement and financing of one of his opponents.<\/p>\n

Read more Q&A: \u2018We\u2019re in a Fight for Our Lives\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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The other day, Rep. 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