Abdication of Conscience

From HUFFPOST:

CNN’s Chris Cuomo reached into the Republican Party’s past to find a quote that could haunt GOP lawmakers today as the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump gets underway in Congress.

In 1950, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine) took on Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a member of her own party, in a speech she called a “Declaration of Conscience.” While Chase didn’t mention McCarthy by name, she urged her fellow Republicans to stand up for the basic American values being trampled by McCarthyism: 

It is high time that we stop thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and started thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual freedom. I don’t want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horsemen of calumny: fear, ignorance, bigotry, smear.

Don’t leave out the horsewomen of calumny.

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Her Reign In Maine Has Really Left a Stain

From HILL REPORTER:

Whenever there is a close controversial vote, democrats normally hold out hope that Maine senator, Susan Collins, will vote with them. […] She broke liberal hearts, however, when she voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in October of 2018.

That Kavanaugh vote, while it pleased the GOP, may have done the senator more harm than good. According to a new poll from Critical Insights, Collins’ Maine approval rating has dipped 17 points since last spring.

Original painting (Agreeable Burden by William-Adolphe Bouguereau)

Her reign in Maine should fill you with disdain

Dan Cluchey has an essay about Susan Collins at Medium. He talks about her relationship with Margaret Chase Smith, the first Republican female senator from Maine, and how Suze is a complete failure in comparison. Suze makes believe that she is a moderate, but what she really is is a con artist. Rip off the mask, and she’s just another Rethug opportunist.

Forecast: A chance with Snowe

From KENNEBEC JOURNAL & Morning Sentinel:

The health care reform debate that has polarized the country appears to have no middle ground, yet that’s exactly where Maine’s Sen. Olympia Snowe finds herself.

The Republican is something that has become increasingly scarce in Congress — a centrist who’s willing to work across the aisle for compromise. As such, she has played an influential role on Capitol Hill in recent years.

That role, her current committee assignment and her track record have made her the epicenter of health care reform efforts in Washington.

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Happy Birthday, Barbie! Part 3: The Ladies of the Senate

Well, kids, this was going to be a 2-part series, but now it seems that it will be in 4 parts. Today, I thought we would take a look at the Rethuglican women in the Senate. They were all nice enough to allow us a peek into their office. We begin with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

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The *Untied* States of America, Part 3

Hey comrades amigos hosers kids! We continue on with our exploration of Igor Panarin‘s vision of the U.S., circa 2010. Previously, we have covered The Texas Republic (TTR) and the new Russian Alaska, as well as the Central North America Republic (CNAR). Today, we will explore Atlantic America, which may join the European Union.

I had better warn you, comrades amigos hosers kids mes amis, that we had better brace ourselves for the I told you sos from TTR and parts of CNAR.

Snowe Drifted, Why Can’t She?

From the Portland Press Herald:

Sen. Olympia Snowe, who split from the Senate Republican caucus and President Bush last month to support a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, couldn’t take more than a few steps before being stopped Thursday on a walking tour of Portland. In small groups, people approached Maine’s senior senator to clutch her hand and congratulate her.
…snip…
By contrast, several people on Thursday who thanked Snowe for her war stand quickly added that they want Maine’s other senator, Republican Susan Collins, to either join Snowe in calling for a withdrawal of troops or lose her seat next year. Collins is being challenged for re-election in 2008 by Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who opposes the war.

What’s up, Senator Collins? Is Dick Cheney Karl Rove someone threatening you? Blackmailing you? Or are you just…..

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