Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on Sept. 1, 2020. After the completion of the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump, Susan Collins opined that surely Trump learned something from the ordeal. Speaking to Norah O’Donnell of CBS News, Collins said, “I believe that the president has learned from this case.” After O’Donnell asked […]
Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on August 18, 2020. Judge Lance Walker’s latest ruling on ranked-choice voting in Maine’s congressional elections should give the system’s opponents a cue. It’s time for them to stop trying to stop the system twice adopted by voters — and the same should go for other efforts to limit voting. […]
Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on August 4, 2016. As voters consider whether to re-elect her, Sen. Susan Collins came clean about her refusal to tell them what she thinks about their biggest decision in November. She confessed that she wouldn’t say if she supports Donald Trump for re-election because the politics were […]
Originally posted at the Bangor Daily News on July 21, 2020. In this summer of protests against systemic racism, a great leader in the struggle passed away. Congressman John Lewis, a sharecropper’s son, was part of a group of young people who organized nonviolent actions against segregation and for voting rights. In 1965, Lewis was […]
Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on July 7, 2020. Sen. Susan Collins’ support for Brett Kavanaugh was one of the most significant decisions of her career, both because of its political import and for what it says about the senator’s judgment and credibility. In light of last week’s abortion ruling, Collins’ rationale keeps looking bad. […]
Weeks before Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies, the destruction of its regime’s symbols had already begun. In Nuremberg in late April 1945, the U.S. Army blew up a giant swastika looming over the Nazi rally grounds where Adolf Hitler had spoken to hundreds of thousands of chanting soldiers and party members. This was just […]
Fifty years ago on the eve of nationwide congressional elections, Maine Sen. Ed Muskie gave an influential address decrying the toxic politics of “law and order” and calling attention to the need for systemic change. Then, like now, there was unrest in the country. And, like now, from the White House came the claim that […]
What happened to the political standing of Sen. Susan Collins happened fast. Since Donald Trump became president, Collins’ job approval rating has plummeted in Maine and political analysts rate her re-election race a toss-up. When an incumbent hasn’t had a scandal but loses support so quickly, some might see that politician as a victim of […]
The pain of this pandemic is hitting everyone but not everyone equally. Going forward, there are better policies we can adopt to help average people. Americans have suffered in this pandemic due to corruption and incompetence, which go together because those who prize integrity pick experts over cronies. For example, a whistleblower complaint revealed the […]
While the economic and health damage from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the presidential race carries on. Former Vice President Joe Biden can’t hold events in town squares and auditoriums, but he’s giving interviews and hosting virtual town halls. And Biden is currently leading President Donald Trump in national polls and in swing states like Michigan, […]
