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Eliot Larson of Cumberland is a retired educator having served as a principal at the middle and high school levels for 25 years and then as a facilitator for the National Institute for School Leadership based in Washington, D.C.
In the 30 years that Susan Collins has been in the U.S. Senate, she accumulated a great deal of seniority and power and is now chair of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee. Over her many terms, Collins has delivered federal aid to support a wide array of projects and causes throughout Maine. And for that we are most grateful.
However, our democratic form of government is in a moment of unprecedented crisis. The president of the United States, a convicted felon, has seemingly no regard for the Constitution or the rule of law, which are the pillars of our democracy.
In the upcoming Senate race in Maine, much will be made of Collins’ experience compared with Graham Platner’s inexperience, as well as some of his ill-advised comments and decisions made earlier in his life. However, compare that to Collins’s support for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominations — Pam Bondi, Tulsi Gabbard, Robert Kennedy Jr., Scott Bessent, Kristi Noem and Todd Blanche — all of whom I believe have proven to be too inexperienced, incompetent or corrupt. All of Collins’ experience evidently did not enable her to discern the weaknesses of these candidates, and the country has suffered.
Despite her years of experience, Collins has supported Trump’s SAVE America Act (can she not win this reelection without disenfranchising thousands of Mainers?) and her experience seems to have left her in a quandary about whether to support the Republican proposal to provide Trump with $1 billion for his ballroom even though we apparently don’t have funds for Medicare or day care. Why is Collins with all her experience so reluctant to hold Trump accountable for the release of the Epstein files? What does she stand to gain?
In short, Collins’ vaunted experience has been very successful in the transactional arena of conventional politics. However, what we need now are leaders who believe in the Constitution, the rule of law and holding those in power accountable for their actions. We can no longer afford conventional politicians who will abet Trump’s agenda. What we need are leaders who will transform the political landscape and work in a bipartisan fashion to address America’s most pressing issues.
I think Collins is stuck in the past, and neither Maine nor the country can afford to keep her. To restore our democracy, we must and can do a better job choosing our elected officials.
