Andrew Tobias is a financial writer who watches politics closely.
He writes here about the hollow “bravery” of SusannCollins, who has carefully tailored her reputation as a moderate and a centrist. She is now running for her fifth term in the geriatric U.S. Senate.
Can she fool the voters of Maine one more time?
Susan Collins had the courage to stand up against her party 61 times (61 times!) when Republicans controlled the Senate in the years since 1997, as they do now — not even counting her brave announcement this past week that she would vote against Trump’s pick for attorney general, Epstein-files-scofflaw Todd Blanche. (Look at that, Mainers! She stands up to Trump!)
The only thing is . . . according to an analysis a classmate of mine just did with the help of A.I. . . . that in 60 of those 61 instances (60!), she knew her vote wouldn’t matter, so she got permission to do it, and it was not bravery on display, but cunning hypocrisy. (Look at that, Mainers: she thinks you’re stupid!)
(The lone exception was a 2000 legislative-branch appropriations conference report defeated 28–69, with Republicans themselves almost evenly divided, so it was hardly much by way of defiance.)
Every one of her 27 votes against a Republican president’s nominee ended in confirmation. And Trump’s Big Ugly Bill? Collins was — bravely! — the sole Republican NO. But, as planned, it squeaked by when Vance broke the 50-50 tie.
She is, of course, famously ridiculed for being “concerned” about women losing control over their reproductive organs — etc. — but the only thing I think she’s really concerned about is losing to Troy Jackson.
It will be sweet when she does.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Bravely standing up for something when it has no chance of passing is a time honored tradition on both sides of the aisle. Look how many Democrats are currently calling for M4A. Wait until Democrats take over Congress and/or the White House and see how many of those calls continue.
LikeLike
You could say the same thing about the once darling of the “I hate Dems” left – Tulsi Gabbard. Or maybe she is still their darling since she hates all Dems as much as they do and the “I hate Dems” left always holds their criticism and pulls their punches with any Republicans who want the Dems destroyed as much as they do.
Biden is a good example of how a once “conservative” Dem moved so far to the left during his presidency that both Bernie Sanders and AOC were among the first to endorse his re-election when so many on the conservative/far left side were saying he was demented and needed to go.
The progressive Dems like Mamdani are winning primaries and elections not by wasting their time bashing Dems to help the Republicans, the way the Tulsi Gabbard/far left axis loves to do.
The far left has a single message they use to help the far right take power — DON’T TRUST DEMOCRATS, even if they support Medicare for All, DON’T BELIEVE IT.
The far right and the far left seem to be in agreement that Susan Collins is better than an evil Democrat who might support Medicare for All, but CAN’T BE TRUSTED!
It’s a single message and whenever I see a Diane Ravitch post that is negative about a Republican, I expect to see a far left poster obeying their marching orders to change the subject to DEMS CAN’T BE TRUSTED.
Dems are NOT like Susan Collins! Manchin and Sinema didn’t pretend to be something they weren’t. Manchin and Sinema used their votes to THWART Democrats from passing legislation and to HELP Republicans pass it. Susan Collins never uses her vote to thwart Republicans or help Democrats – she only “defies” the right wing Republican agenda when it is 100% certain that her vote isn’t needed and the Republican agenda she pretends not to support is guaranteed to pass.
FYI to left wing Republican defenders – just because Mamdani has to make compromises when he also does many good things does not mean that he can’t be trusted. I don’t know if Troy Jackson will support every single thing I support, but I do know that electing more Dems at this time will absolutely lead to more progressive victories. And I know that those who said that having Trump and a right wing Supreme Court was no worse than a Democrat were wrong. Isn’t it long past time that they admitted it?
LikeLike
Quite a while ago Diane introduced us to a very useful phrase, relevant here: gish gallop.
LikeLike
Cool! Does “gish gallop” mean responding to a Diane Ravitch post that is very critical of Republican Susan Collins by posting a rant clearly implying that Democrats who support Medicare for All shouldn’t be trusted?
Is it just a coincidence that you hijacked a post criticizing Susan Collins by (inexplicably) warning us not to trust Dems who support Medicare for All – when Susan Collin’s Democratic opponent Troy Jackson just happens to be loudly supporting Medicare for All and Medicare for All is a centerpiece of Troy Jackson’s campaign against Susan Collins?
Is your point that Troy Jackson is no better than Susan Collins and we should assume he is part of what you call the “time honored tradition” of pretending to be something he isn’t?
Here’s another very useful and relevant word: complicit
LikeLike
Only Monty Python will do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZwuTo7zKM8
LikeLiked by 1 person