“Senator Collins has become an apologist for Donald Trump’s failings”
“It’s time for Collins to step up and admit she made a possibly deadly mistake”
Letter writers to papers across the state sounded off this week to call out Senator Collins for her unwillingness to hold Trump accountable for his disastrous response to the coronavirus crisis. They asked why Maine is still experiencing shortages of critical PPE and medical supplies, highlighted how Trump’s mismanagement has made this crisis worse, and called on Senator Collins to find her “morals and spine” and finally stand up to Trump.
Mainers also pointed out that the Paycheck Protection Program that Collins co-authored has benefitted large corporations while leaving Maine’s small businesses behind and criticized her votes to confirm judges who pose a threat to reproductive rights and our environment.
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Portland Press Herald: Rich West: Collins should be seeking COVID supplies, not votes
Sen. Susan Collins is all over television with these poignant, albeit political, ads disguised as public service announcements. And, despite her claim on these ads that she has an “independent voice,” her voting nearly 67 percent of the time with President Trump’s position (according to political news website FiveThirtyEight) says otherwise. With such a Trumpian level of support, why is it that Maine is waiting for more testing units, personal protective equipment support and other critical needs related to COVID-19? And why is Maine relying on alternative ventilators (“Why didn’t ventilators from U.S. cache go to Maine,” April 15, Page B1)?
Central Maine: George Simonson: Time for Collins to save her legacy
Isn’t it about time Collins found her own morals and spine and stood up to the demagogue Donald Trump? Mainers deserve good schools, jobs with a future, affordable health care, and a fair shot at a better life. But Collins has hitched her wagon to Trump — and Mainers are getting nothing. [...] Collins knows it. The whole world knows it. Yet there she stands among them, month after month, grinning. And it’s only getting worse. Now Trump has blood on his hands: America has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world, and thousands of us are dying needlessly because of his chaotic nincompoopery.
Seacoast Online: David Chase: Margaret Chase Smith is a role model for how a lawmaker should act - Susan Collins is not
Once an independent thinker, Senator Collins has become an apologist for Donald Trump’s failings. Her change of heart appears to be all about currying favor with the Trump base Susan Collins hopes will support her reelection bid. Contrast Collins’ behavior with that of a senate predecessor, Maine’s own Margaret Chase Smith. A centrist Republican as Collins once was, Senator Smith condemned Republican Senator Joe McCarthy in 1950 for turning the Senate into “a forum for hate and character assassination.” What courage Collins, in the face of Trump’s McCarthyite behavior? It is time for Maine voters to replace Susan Collins with a senator who will put the interests of the state and nation first.
Portland Press Herald: Eve Thorson: Collins made a potentially deadly mistake
I’m waiting for Collins to show real leadership by apologizing for her vote to keep Donald Trump in office following his impeachment. Claiming he had “learned his lesson,” Collins let Trump off scot-free, leaving him in place to make a mess of the government’s response to the coronavirus. His early denials of the severity of the crisis and then bullying, blame-shifting, and lying mismanagement of it have probably cost lives, rather than save them. It’s time for Collins to step up and admit she made a possibly deadly mistake.
Mount Desert Islander: Gail Leiser: It’s time for leadership change
Susan Collins has been elected four times to the U.S. Senate. During each campaign, she promised Maine people her unequivocal support for the right of women to make their own reproductive health decisions and has proudly sited awards from Planned Parenthood as evidence of such. [...] Senator Collins turned her back on women and sided with government intrusion into private matters when she voted to confirm Judge Duncan and Justice Kavanaugh. Her time is up.
Portland Press Herald: Loretta M. Turner: Collins trying to spin coronavirus-aid bill in her favor
So, the payroll stimulus was usurped before it reached the small businesses that were touted as being the recipients of this great taxpayer largesse. Then, we discover the truth beneath this additional burden upon those of us that do pay taxes: corporations with multiple businesses all over the place (I wonder if they pay taxes to begin with), and giants like Harvard University, which sits on a $40 billion endowment, were the real recipients. [...] Here is what I am seeing: Susan Collins trying to get us to believe that she worked to save these Maine companies and small businesses is like Donald Trump signing his big signature to the checks that we are expected to receive so we think that the money came from him. Do they honestly believe we are drinking their Kool-Aid? Well, I, for one, get up real early in the morning …
Bangor Daily News: Marina Mozak: Joining the fight on Earth Day
Sen. Susan Collins is one of those politicians who, I believe, does not represent our values. She voted to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Throughout his career on the bench, Kavanaugh has taken a hostile position toward crucial protections for our water and air. As a deciding vote on the high court, Kavanaugh now has the power to dismantle environmental laws at the worst possible moment.
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