I think Sarah is missing the play here.

Of course, Republicans have zero moral authority here, that should be self-evident.

Attacks on Platner aren’t about making Democrats look bad – they’re about making Democrats look the same.

Hypocrisy is literally the point and purpose of these attacks. Anyone who is carrying water for Trump loves it when you call them a hypocrite over Platner. By you calling them a hypocrite you are acknowledging there is some level of sameness on both sides. They've already sold their soul, being openly and transparently hypocritical is fine with them.

That's the fundamental problem with this piece. The R's know that they are hypocrites, they're fine with it, so are their voters. Hell their voters probably even think it's a good thing. What matters is are the Democrats also hypocrites? If everyone is a hypocrite, it’s much more difficult to convince people the behavior of Republicans over the last decade+ is disqualifying.

I'm not saying don't vote for Platner. Of course vote for Platner. My objection is with this line of argumentation - it's a trap. You shouldn't spend any ink arguing hypocrisy - you should be explaining why Platner is fundamentally different than Trump, and why one is within the sphere of tolerable and why one isn't.