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Rick Bennett of Oxford is a state senator and independent candidate for governor.
Rep. Jared Golden’s decision not to seek reelection is a sobering reflection of what our politics has become. As Golden noted in his recent opinion column, “my decision is motivated by the clarity recent months have provided about the state of our politics. This week, we passed a grim milestone, having endured the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history. This unnecessary, harmful shutdown and the nonstop, hyperbolic accusations and recriminations by both sides reveal just how broken Congress has become.”
Broken indeed.
He speaks to what many of us already know: That the system increasingly rewards partisanship, not problem-solving. When leaders like Golden — principled, pragmatic, and grounded in public service — find it impossible, and even dangerous, to do their jobs, we should all take notice.
The prolonged government shutdown is a systemic failure. And while Washington has ground to a halt, the partisan dysfunction has seeped into Augusta, where our state’s response has been woefully slow and inadequate.
Across Maine, the effects of this stalemate are being felt by our neighbors. Thousands of federal employees are working without pay. One hundred and seventy thousand Mainers who depend on SNAP are uncertain whether they’ll receive benefits beyond November. Heating assistance for over 40,000 lower-income Mainers is under threat, just as winter sets in. These aren’t abstract numbers; they are our neighbors, our co-workers, our parents, and children.
Yet, as Mainers have always done, communities are stepping up. Volunteers are filling food pantries, neighbors are checking in on one another, and local community leaders are doing what they can to ease the strain. It’s the Maine way — when hardship strikes, we pull together.
But good will and local charity are not enough. Government should be able to ensure that no Mainer is left out in the cold, literally or figuratively. While it is a relief that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has now been directed to release SNAP benefits for November, other programs continue to be impacted. We can and must do more.
That’s why I’ve called for a special session of the Legislature to identify additional funding sources and to prepare for the possibility of a prolonged shutdown. We can’t replace every lost federal dollar, but we can make sure all Maine families are fed and warm. Maine’s Rainy Day Fund exceeds $1 billion. If this isn’t a rainy day, what is?
Unfortunately, too many in Augusta are content to simply assign blame. Instead of convening to find solutions, leaders on both sides are wasting precious time on partisan posturing. That’s not leadership — it’s abdication of duty.
This moment calls for something different: cooperation, a sense of responsibility, and a determination to rise above the fray to find a solution. Politics has become the obstacle to solving the very problems it was meant to address. To move forward, we must confront not only the crisis at hand but also the deeper one beneath it — our broken political culture.
Real change won’t come from Washington. It will come from the states. And Maine, true to our motto Dirigo — “I lead” — can and must show the way.
Our state has a proud legacy of independent leadership. Margaret Chase Smith, Bill Cohen, George Mitchell, Olympia Snowe all understood that conscience must come before party. They practiced a politics rooted in respect, restraint, and results. We can honor that legacy by reviving it.
We’ll never agree on everything. Nor should we. Vigorous debate is healthy for democracy. But it must be anchored in shared purpose and mutual respect, not in the pursuit of power or partisan advantage. The people of Maine deserve a government that listens before it judges, that serves before it seeks power, and that delivers outcomes rather than outrage.
As George Washington warned in his farewell address in 1796, “However [political] parties may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people.”
We are seeing that play out today — and we must reject it.
Mainers are tired of the rancor. They want solutions, not soundbites. And they are ready to lead by example.
Now is the time to prove that our small state can do big things again. Let’s put people ahead of party, progress ahead of politics, and show the nation how it’s done.
Maine is the place we love. Let’s get to work.
