Liberals and conservatives just got an early Christmas/5th night of Chanukah gift:
http://www.mpbn.net/...
The head of a group that opposed same-sex marriage in Maine says he will offer a conservative voice in the GOP primary. Erick Bennett, director of the Maine Equal Rights Center, said he was filing his paperwork Monday.
Bennett accused Collins of supporting legislation that undercut the Second Amendment and criticized her for supporting Common Core Standards, which his group says erodes local control of curriculum.
A Collins spokesman didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.
Democrat Shenna Bellows, the former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, is also running. - MPBN, 12/2/13
This is excellent news because it looked like a wasted opportunity for the Tea Party, especially with Maine Republicans becoming more conservative:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
If Collins has any potential vulnerability next year it continues to come with the Republican primary electorate. 44% of GOP voters say they'd support a more conservative alternative to her next year, compared to 48% who say they'd support Collins in a primary. Only 38% of Republican voters think she actually belongs in their party compared to 26% who think she should be an independent and 22% who believe she should be a Democrat. Still Collins' vulnerability in a primary remains theoretical given her lack of serious opposition at this point. - PPP, 11/13/13
It's also great news for Democrats because we have a great candidate in Shenna Bellows (D. ME) who wants to make certain issues big campaign themes:
http://bangordailynews.com/...
Sen. Susan Collins’ vote against an amendment to an intelligence budget bill that would require the U.S. to tally and report civilian casualties in drone strikes has caught the attention of a national blogger who argues Collins’ early vote could put the entire 2014 Senate Intelligence Authorization Act at risk.
The vote could prove to be a campaign issue that Shenna Bellows, Collins’ likely Democratic opponent in the 2014 election, will use against the Republican, who is expected to seek re-election to a fourth term.
Besides national security implications, the issue is attracting attention partially because Collins is opposed in her 2014 bid for re-election by Bellows, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, who has long favored government transparency and in general has worked aggressively to pass laws that prevent the unfettered use of drones at the state, national and international levels.
Bellows told the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday that she favors a rigorous system of “checks and balances” on the use of drones and supports the provision requiring the reporting of civilian casualties.
“More information about the program will allow for a better discussion and debate about the nature and expense of drone use by the United States,” she said. “The measure passed by the Intelligence Committee is an important first step in that review. We need to place limits on drones. … I think the most important point is that government secrecy breeds an abuse of power.” - Bangor Daily News, 11/27/13
By the way, The Nation does an excellent job showing how Collins recent vote proves she's not really the last "reasonable Republican" in the U.S. Senate:
http://www.thenation.com/...
Susan Collins is supposed to be the last reasonable Republican in the Senate.
The pair of New England Republicans with whom she had aligned in something of a regional caucus—fellow Mainer Olympia Snowe and Scott Brown of Massachusetts—are gone. So, elite media outlets frequently remind us, it’s up to Collins.
But on a fundamental question of democratic governance—accounting for civilians killed by US drone strikes—Collins does not appear to be up for it.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, on which Collins sits, voted this month to require the government to report on the number of civilians who have been being killed by drone strikes, as part of a broader effort to bring the Congress into a proper advise-and-consent role when it comes to killings that are committed in the name of the American people but without their informed consent.
The legislation is a big deal: “Because the U.S. government number is secret, we can’t have a normal democratic debate about the policy,” explains the group Just Foreign Policy. “Government officials anonymously tell the press that civilian deaths from drone strikes have been rare. Independent reporting says otherwise. Government officials anonymously tell the press that the independent reporting isn’t accurate, but they won’t say why it isn’t accurate and they won’t say what is accurate. So the broad public is left with ‘he said, she said.’ Media that reach the broad public won’t challenge the government’s claims about civilian casualties until we can force the government onto the public record to defend its claims.”
Unfortunately, notes Robert Naiman, the policy director for Just Foriegn Policy, Collins voted “no.”
“Because of the way the Senate works, Susan Collins’s opposition could keep this crucial reform of the drone strike policy from becoming law,” Naiman and his Just Foreign Policy colleagues argue. - The Nation, 11/25/13
By the way, local press is taking note of Collins' recent vote:
http://www.kjonline.com/...
Why would Collins stop the American people from knowing what is going on with the drone program?
Is there something truly shameful in these numbers? An informed electorate is necessary for a working democracy. I ask Collins to see to it that the public is informed about what the CIA and the military are doing in our names. - Kennebec Journal, 12/2/13
And Bellows is getting some great press back in Maine:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/...
Some friends say, "We're sticking with Collins because she's moderate." She's been compared to Margaret Chase Smith. But I'm puzzled because I see too many votes that leave me questioning her "moderacy." What's moderate about voting for Supreme Court justices who give carte blanche to big money in Citizens United? What moderacy deprives families of health coverage under Affordable Care?
Shenna Bellows has worked tirelessly for marriage equality and protecting voters' rights. She directed Maine's ACLU and took controversial causes head on while building a coalition of Republican, Democratic and Independents. She stood her ground and showed the leadership and courage I want in my senator. Susan Collins prides herself on her high voting record but what good does showing up do when she isn't in touch with her constituents and acts out of fear of losing elections? I want a senator whose vote works for the people of Maine and whose ethics and values advance social justice for everyone.
Yes, Shenna has a big challenge ahead of her. Is she up to the challenge and the right person for the job? Absolutely! If you don't know her, please visit her website, read her bio and find events where you can meet her. You will be impressed that Maine has the opportunity to send a smart, compassionate woman to Congress. - Seacoast Online, 11/27/13
We'll have to see how serious of a threat Bennett is to Collins. But whether or not Bennett can defeat Collins, he's going to make her move further to the right in the primary and who knows if she'll be able to successfully pivot back to the center in the general election. That is if she can win her party's primary. In the mean time, if you would like to donate or get involved with bellows campaign, you can do so here:
http://bellowsforsenate.com/