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In a surprise to political observers, Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) has announced she will not be seeking re-election this year, giving Democrats a potential pick-up opportunity as they try to hold on to control of the U.S. Senate this election season.
"After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate," she said in a statement.
And Snowe cited the increased political "polariziation" as the reason for her retirement.
"As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and 'my way or the highway' ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions."
She continued, "With my Spartan ancestry I am a fighter at heart; and I am well prepared for the electoral battle, so that is not the issue. However, what I have had to consider is how productive an additional term would be. Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail."
Currently, Democrats hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Republicans would need to pick up four seats to take control of the Senate if Obama wins re-election -- and three if he doesn't (since the vice president gets to cast the tie-breaking vote).
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WOW!
That's certainly surprising news! Although, when you think about it, her party left her in 2010 when they went to the dark side.
I also heard rumblings today that Bob Kerry is rethinking his run for a Senate seat in NE...?
PS: Ames - you have to be delighted at this news!
Not Surprising. Whe has 40% support in the Republican party alone. She was unlikely to get through a primary.
What she doesn't understand is that its not polarizing if the other side - dems', want to drive the economy off a cliff. You would think after massive bank bailouts, high unemployment and energy costs; that maybe spending an extra trillion or more than you take in is not a good idea. Apparently, we have spend first ----reform in the next generation cycle windbags. GOOD riddance.
She is not a Republican, she rarely if ever supports anything other than democrats anyway. I'm sure she will get a great job peddling windmills or solar powered toilets for GE in no time.
Blah, blah, blah. More of the same nonsense we have been listening to for months now. I'm glad she's gone. Hope a Democrat gets elected so we can begin to move this country forward again, as opposed to trying to go back to the Ozzie and Harriet days.
Paul: There's no reason to celebrate the silencing of one of the last moderate voices in the opposition party. No one should be glad to see one of the few grownups leave the Congress no matter what party they're from.
Paul,
You must be one of those folks that doesn't pay attention but still finds a way to have diarrhea of the mouth....lol
Ms. Snow was a Democrat.......only she had an "R" after her name
Crap, something shiney hit the floor, now we lost Paul again
I always liked Senator Snow, maybe more should give it up! Now, hope a Democrat wins! wootwoot....one thing, the Republican don't just have to win 4 seats they have to hold on the the ones they have...this isn't looking good with an approval rating of 9%.
Olympia points out the obvious and gets slammed. The dems did not drive any economy off a cliff. That would be the man who cut taxes, while starting two wars!
Two wars for the price of one! Uh, er, no...two wars for free if you vote for me! And the military industrial complex, or rather those who profit from it, smothered the airwaves with stupid things that got stupid people and W elected again. How many people know that Halliburton got billions in no-bid contracts? Gosh! Do ya THINK that added to our financial woes?
Time for the remaining 91% to announce their RETIREMENT plans, and Congressman Reid (Senate Party leader of NO we won't present the legislation to the floor for vote) can start the avalanche.
[Ms. Snow was a Democrat.......only she had an "R" after her name]
Mikey...you still here? Do you have any knowledge of Snowes voting record?
No, of course you don't...now back to FoxNation before someone steals your seat.
And yes...you are TOO EASY Mikey...waaaay too easy.
Mickey...your avatar is too much!! I had to zoom in to see it and got a chuckle once I could read it.
Hate to hear Olympia Snowe won't run for re-election. How sad that good legislators, left and right, are calling it quits because of the polarized atmosphere, the ability to govern, the obstructionism. Well, at least now she can tell Mitch McConnell to take a hike; she will vote how she pleases and for what she thinks is best for Americans.
[Mickey...your avatar is too much!!]
Thanks johnnyt...
...and remember...Fox "news" lies...
Kate...
The economy was doing just fine until democrats took over in 2006.....remember unemployment being half of today?
See how jobs are picking up now that republicans have the house? What would it be like if Harry Reid would allow senate action on the twenty or so jobs bills sent over by the house?
Old fat guy,
Maybe you should change your moniker to "old fat head". Either you're just sorely misinformed, or you're stupid, but mostly you're just wrong. The economy was doing FINE, until George Bush signed into law a healthy tax cut for the wealthy. Oh yeah...and then there is that 2 UNFUNDED wars thing...and that deregulation of Wall Street thing that allowed them to run amok didn't help much either. What has the economy moving again is the stimulus that President Obama got passed...you know...the one Republicans said didn't work, although all the top economist say that things would have gotten much worse if it hadn't been passed. Of course the Republicans know more than the economist. Then there was the bailout of the auto industry, that the Republicans were against, and Mitt Romney continues to be against, despite the fact that they have added thousands of jobs, and once again lead the world in auto production. I would suggest you stick to what you know...whatever that is. Or at the very least, actually turn off Faux News, and read a newspaper. That's usually where you can find the real news.
some old fart guy is just full of stinkin' hot air
Time for a name change to: old fat stupid guy 1144960
Good Riddance Snowe. she knew that her constituents where tired of her and that they are ready for a democrat senator, They see that these right wing nuts are holding us HOSTAGE and that all incumbent Republicans are going to be Voted Out of office
Randy, you also should do some fact- checking. It was under Clinton's watch that the Glass-Steagal Act ws allowed to expire.
George Bush increased the national debt by 4 trillion in 8 years, 20% of that came with democrat controlled Congress.
The democrats and Obama have increased the national debt by 60% in 31/2 years. That's 6 trillion in 3 to 4 trillion in 8.
Obama new budget for 2013 ( the first he has submitted in 3 1/2 years) calls for 1.3 trillion in borrowed spending, and a 4.6% tax increase for EVERYONE. Middle and lower class too.
Both wars have cost, in dollars, 907 billion.Between what Obama gave the Banks, auto workers, and dream energy, that about half. And 11 of the energy companies he gave money to have gone bankrupt. One auto maker Fisker, was loaned money, and was building cars in Findland. They are now facing chapter 11.
Obama, 2008: " I will cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term". he better get busy the last 10 months.
I will close Gitmo. I will have all our troops out of Iraq by 2011. I will end the Afghan war. Those are among the 17 campaign promises that have turned into lies. He has, for the most part, done just exactly the opposite.
Hey, at least she was honest. We all know that the dems believe bipartisanship means agreeing with them. We know that Snowe was, along with Collins, among the most liberal of repubs. So, her idea of polarization is to not agree to huge government deficits and the resulting driving of America into bankruptcy. Heck, if you look at the actual political positions of candidates, she would have been to the left of the dems in the 1960s and 1970s. So, take it for what it is worth. Which, in reality is not much of anything.
oldman young eyes--ummm, the troops did leave Iraq by 2011 (or did you think this meant at the end of 2010--before 2011?).
Obama submitted a budget in 2009 (on February 26), 2010, and 2011--Google is your friend. Look it up.
Ronald Reagan was the first president to increase the national debt by more than $100B and by more than $200B. George HW Bush was the first to do it by $300B, $400B, and $500B. George W. Bush increased it by $500B five times. He was the first to increase it by 1Trillion. He also had two unfunded wars.
Clinton, on the other hand, increased it by about 18B in the last year of his presidency.
The debt has grown under Obama--but, then, he actually funded the two wars that Bush left him (ending one and trying to end the other soon) and the tax cuts that Bush made without figuring out how to continue funding all the programs Bush started. Republicans like to cut taxes and then complain when Democrats cannot balance the books with the decreased money coming in--looking at the increased debt without looking at decreased revenue (especially when the decrease is due to his predecessors actions) is kind of silly.
It's a little like not noticing that Bush started Homeland Security and increased the TSA stuff at airports--all of which vastly expanded the government, costing more money, while he at the same time cut the taxes that were needed to support the new agencies.
Sound bytes in absence of context don't mean much, do they?
Oldman young eyes, who wrote the legislation that repealed Glass Steagall? Senator Phil Gramm Republican Texas, Representative Jim Leach Republican Iowa, and Representitive Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. Republican Virginia. Three REPUBLICANS wrote the The Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999. When was this bill passed? 1999 during the 106th Congress. Who had the majority in the Senate then? The Republicans 55 to 45. Who had the majority in the House? The Republicans 227 to 207. How did the vote go? Senate 52 GOP yea, 1 nea, 2 no vote. Dems 38 yea 7 nea. How about the house? 207 yea, 5 nea, 10 no vote. Dems 155 yea, 51 nea,5 no vote. Independents 1 no. So out of 55 in the Senate 52 GOP voted for this Republican bill. So out of 227 in the house 207 GOP voted for this Republican bill. IT HAS GOP WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. You blame it on Clinton. Where was bill Clinton during this? Fighting a GOP IMPEACHMENT over blow jobs!!! That impeachment lead by serial cheater Gingrich and Wide Stance Larry Craig!!! But I see you never let the FACTS get in the way of your opinion!
S. 900 that was passed on November 4, 1999, by the House in a vote of 362-57 and by the Senate in a vote of 90-8. President Clinton signed the bill into law on November 12, 1999, as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (GLBA). While Clinton supported the repeal at the time, even if he wanted to veto the bill, he would not have been able to since it passed the Republican controlled Congress (Democrats helped pass) with a veto proof majority in both houses.
Additionally, it did not expire, it was repealed. They repealed Glass-Steagall Sections 20 and 32 and amended Section 16 to permit "well capitalized" commercial banks to underwrite municipal revenue bonds.
.
The "R after her name stands for REASONABLE.
Randy, lonesum, teascum et al.....
You are pretty good at lashing out with sarcasm, good for entertaining 7th graders. Now try facing the facts you will learn when googling unemployment numbers by year.
Bush may be a dim bulb to you BUT he inherited a recession caused by the dot com and cell phone bubble bust enhanced by the virtual collapse of spending after 9-11.
He blamed no one and went about doing the thing it took to make a huge recovery almost overnight. He never went a day without liberal ridicule, but you will never see 5.3% unemployment with Obama.
The auto industry would have survived without being nationalized to pay off union voters.
NOTICE HOW I DID NOT CALL ANY OF YOU STINKIN OR STUPID !
There goes 50% of the moderate "wing" of the Republican Senate...
Perhaps her departure was Greeced by immoderate comments from the Winged Teapot.
Elizabeth Warren will take care of the other 50%.
ideologyspoilstheview
Perhaps her departure was Greeced by immoderate comments from the Winged Teapot.
What else could it be ideology?
Beverly in Chicago
None other than that ... the Persian knives were out for this Spartan. She may well be thinking- 'here is a Democrat to replace me with for you to suck on!'
When the GOP wants you to vote a certain way and you don't comply, they pull any funding for your next reelection campaign...
There is no such thing as a "moderate" democrat these days either. Unless of course you consider limiting government growth to 8% while the nation's economy grows at 1.5% and limiting annual deficits to $1.5 TRILLION DOLLARS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,moderate.
last of the moderate Republican, well, there's one left!
1-Warren is a Democrat...
2-There are ultra liberal, liberal, moderate, bluedog and conservative Democrats.
Complaining about the debt when it was a Democratic administration that balanced the budget and turned a surplus over to their Republican successors, and that same Republican administration that handed this President an economy in free-fall eight years later, smacks of a sort of "johnny come lately" syndrome...
Dangerfield, you get "No Respect" from me. It was the Republican congress that balanced the budget when Clinton was president.
Then who is responsible for the economy now? The President? lol
You can't have it both ways....
(and I'm supposed to be the comedian!)
It was also a republican president and republican congress when Bush started revving up the deficit and beginning that slide into a deep recession.
I was no fan of Bush either. Just calling out your statement that the Dem admin balanced the budget. Clinton went along begrudgingly. See my comment 3.3 No fan of any of these fools that have run up the debt. Do any of you have kids or grandkids. What part of 16 trillion do you not understand.
The Breeze: I think it's pretty apparent that the part they don't understand is that you will NEVER EVER decrease spending, as long as you keep spending ever more, and pretending that so called "super committees" and other BS measures are nothing but lies . That's the part they don't get. And it's the same on both sides of the isle.
Who exactly are they, my cryptic friend? According to the learned hypothesis submitted by the breeze, (Who is obviously not ""them") it's the congress that is responsible for the economy, dragging whoever the President happens to be (And he wasn't fond of Bush either!) along for the ride, like the water slides at the Atlantis, so is the congress "them"? Just politicians in general?
Shooting the breeze...with all due "respect"...;-)
When President Clinton was elected, before the congressional elections of 2002, he submitted his first budget, a budget that specifically attacked the DEBT, over the objections of his advisers and for many in his own party, opposition. Sometimes politicians do get it right, and based on the results, that guy did...The contention that the executive branch is not considered responsible for the economy flies in the face of every single word that has been written over the past three years...
Conservativenot: you DO understand, don't you, that capitalism is utterly dependent upon spending more and more and more. Without ever-increasing spending, capitalism collapses like a house of cards.
Couldn't be happier. She is a Democrat posing as a Republican and should go the same way as Arlan Spector did. If you can't even be honest in what party you are for, you deserve to be dumped. THe things she voted for were not moderate they were just flat out wrong.
With seven years and two wars going, Bush spent less than Obama did in the first two years. Of course I guess his spending doesn't count with you guys since he was just paying his supporters back by guarenteeing thier investments in the "green energy" we lost billions on and of course paying the unions back with "shovel ready" fiasco jobs.
Regardless of what she has done or which party supports her, we need time limits on members of Congress. The Founding Fathers never intended for Representatives and Senators to make their elected offices a full-time career that spans decades. That is a major reason why this country is in such deep trouble...the same people are in office year after year. The Founding Fathers envisioned private citizens doing their duty to this country by running for office, serving a brief time, then returning home to continue their private lives. Instead, we have multimillionaires who have no idea what it means to live on a middle class income who make Congress their career because they have nothing better to do with their time.
I agree but they won't vote to ruin a cushy job for themselves and a chance to use their knowledge and connections as a lobbyist when they leave office. Power is a drug and when you add oodles of cash from lobbying firms-- they get addicted to it.
But the biggest crime is redistricting. Even when Congress is at 10% approval the same people keep getting elected
Sen. Snow, you are one of the last real Republicans who cares about effective government. We are sorry to see you go, but wholeheartedly understand why. One can only imagin how frustrated you have been over the past several years. Best wishes from one of the Blue Dogs.
Shaking, you're living in the GOP bubble. The president INHERITED bush's war legacy which was sucking money from the coffers day after day. The president INHERITED a plummeting economy, stock market, and real estate values which was choking not only federal, but also state and local revenues. The president INHERITED a bloated federal budget created by the GOP's massive expansion of government and eliminate of taxes for the 1%. The thing about the GOP bubble is that facts never get in but BS keeps coming out. Implosion is imminent...November, perhaps?
So the Obama solution was to quadruple the level of deficit spending annually for a DECADE?
INCREASE the number of federal employees 15% in just three years!!!!!!
DOUBLE the national DEBT in four years!!!!
Spend tens of BILLIONS supporting muslim revolutions all over the world.
Provide foreign aid to more than 170 countries INCLUDING RUSSIA AND CHINA!!!!!!!
Allow a dozen fraudulent "solar energy" companies to get more than a billion dollars in government backed loans and DEFAULT on them!!!!!
Allow the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE to operate a gun running program to support Mexican drug cartels that resulted in more than 2000 weapons being smuggled into Mexico and more than 200 murders!!!!!!
Force the 45% of Americans who pay taxes to also pay for health insurance for the 150,000,000 losers who refuse to care for themselves!!!!!!
Yeah,,,,,,,your guy is a real prize.
paid: where are these 55% of the people who don't pay taxes? I never see 'em! When I see them at Wal*Mart, they pay sales taxes. When I see them get their paycheck, payroll tax is applied to every penny of it. When I see them at the gas station, they pay gas tax. When I see them pay their rent, part of that money covers the property owner's property tax. When I see them make a phone call, I see them pay excise tax. I'd be VERY happy indeed if the 45% you speak of paid the same percentage of their income in taxes that I do.
And--just fyi--most of those 55% have JOBS that come with PRIVATE INSURANCE that DOESN'T COST YOU A PENNY.
Dangerfield: I thought when I said... "And it's the same on both sides of the isle"... that it was reasonably clear that "they" was a reference to the members of congress.
But that aside, "they" can also be anyone outside of congress who thinks you can just continue to spend more and more via government fiat, and that the bill will never come due. Depending on who's spending is proposed to be cut, the culprits do not necessarily have a specific party assignment. It happens on both sides.
By the way, I was a big Rodney fan, and I'm sorry he's gone.
My favorite Dangerfield joke: I went to see my psychiatrist. He told me I was stupid. I said, "I want a second opinion." He said, "okay, you're ugly too."
I hope another women wins her Senate seat. We need more moderate women in the Senate.
According to her voting record, Olympia has not been that moderate. It's somebody else's turn.
I think in was during the HCR vote that she dangled her support for the legislation, got lots of attention then flipped.
It was a real snow job.
She was just another member of congress both Dem & Rep that sky rocketed the nations debt. Nothing to be proud of.
Lisa:
Great idea! Let's put women in charge. That should work. Once they get control of all those budgets, they can do the same things they do at home!
SPEND, SPEND, SPEND. That should fix everything.
AlDer: I wouldn't have imagined anyone making such a grossly sexist comment in public in our day and age.
Translation: My party hates me and they can piss off.
Curious...has a relatively safe seat for the GOP now in play? Who do the Republicans have in the wings and can they win given the current Governor's approval ratings hanging around 40%?
I'm a little nervous about who will count the votes during the primary in Maine--we've already seen what they can do!
"Governor's approval ratings hanging around 40%?"
Lol.
So, the crazies have driven out one of the last two moderate Republicans left in the Senate. While I didn't agree with all that she supported, I respected her for being a dedicated public servant who was reasoned in her approach to governing. It's a loss for Maine, to Congress and to America.
Hopefully, a women Democrat will run and win.
Perhaps Ms. Snowe is simply disgusted with the state of her own Party, and sees no light at the end of the tunnel?
Or, she sees a light at the end of the tunnel, and she realizes it's the train wreck known as todays GOP....
Perhaps Ms. Snowe finally realized that she was too far to the left to be a Republican and too far to the right to be a Democrat. Sadly for the country, there no longer seems to be a place for real moderates in the government.
Or perhaps she is equally disgusted at the job the president has done??
[Or perhaps she is equally disgusted at the job the president has done??]
So you're saying Republicans like Snowe are so weak they have to quit?
...check that...
I'd say that's a big Y-E-S...after all, Sarah quit, did she not?
Steve Jobs----- 1955 - 2011
Blow Jobs----- Bill Clinton 1993 - 2001
No Jobs---- Barack Obama 2008 - 2012
Poor Raab...must be terrible to have nothing left to cling to...
Comment spamming again eh Raaab?
Loser...
What you fail to realize is, it wasn't funny the first time and it damn sure funny isn't the 4th!
Mickey,
As usual you misread the comment...I said "disgusted", not weak...big difference...
Excellent comment, Rob! It kind of stings for them when you hit them with the truth...
She wasn't a republican anyway good riddance!!!
Gary K-2697770
But she was a good Conservative and your Party hates them as much as they hate Liberals.
Good conservative? I think not.
[She wasn't a republican anyway good riddance!!!]
Nice spin Gary...taking lessons from NoJo, Smiffy and the Spankster, eh?
If it's true that you don't consider her a Republican, it shows that the Republican party is going to be narrowly defining itself right out of existence. And that truly will be good riddance.
And Again....the repub/teas FEED on there own. SAD She is smart getting out before the implode begins.
Gary,
Alot better Republican than you will ever be, that's for sure!
She opposed public option and as a result negotiated that it not be included to earn her vote and yet did not vote for it after it was removed. She usually talks the talk but never the walk, good riddance. Dem's this is an opportunity to add a senate seat in our column
This will be almost a sure democratic pickup. They will nominate an unelectable right winger.
I hope their Governor runs--that would be a two-fer.
She got tired of the No Party,bowing to the Tea Baggers.She was a moderate and will be missed,unless a moderate democrat takes her place....
The Republicans will probably nominate a "true Republican." In other words, a Right Wing Nut Job.
Oh no, you don't mean Sarah I Quit Palin? Or that witch from DE?
I have admired and respected Sen Snowe for being willing to vote her conscience. That's a rare attribute these days. I can only imagine the amount of crap heaped on her plate for daring to defy the "party doctrine" when her better angels told her to do that.
I'm a democrat, but I feel the loss of one of the good guys all the same.
And you can be sure the Republican establishment probably pressured her no end to reconsider when she decided not to run.
Good on you, Olympia!
This is a great seat for the Democrats! What a wonderful day!!
Good news for Dems.
let me educate. Maine has a tea party governor who campaigned that everyday he would tell obama to go to h e l l.
Spot on. The nuts in the TP do not understand works like, coalition. They will begin eating each other by Nov 15.
maine will elect a tea party senator
True...The dems shouldn't get too ecstatic over her decision not to run..If a republicans wins,lets hope the person will be a moderate..Her fellow senator, Sen Collins is a moderate and very well respected on both side of the isle..Too bad the Tea Baggers have hijacked the No Party...
Except the governor was hardly elected by the majority. There were three candidates that had run. Lepage beat the runner up by a mere 10ish thousand votes. He got slightly over 300k. The democrat had 118kish. Had she dropped out, the independent would have left Lepage in the dust.
And rumor has it that Lepage is not well liked. The TP has pretty much run its course in Maine.
Too many impatient voters of both parties expected Obama to turn around the debacle of the Bush years in too short a time. It takes a while to get something as big as the USA going again. There has been signifigant "buyer's remorse" among many frustrated voters who voted in the Tea Partiers so I hope for a more considered, rational vote this coming election. The Tea Partiers got elected promising a quick turnaround, fiscal responsibility and small government; what they gave us was extreme social conservativism.
An Mainers regret it every day. Unfortunately, he only collected under 38% of the vote. It was a three way race and he just narrowly edged out the Independent running. Who got 37% of the vote. Rest went mostly to the democrat candidate. I think they call "not the 61% Governor" in Maine and most are embarrassed by him. Really don't think his future holds a second term, nor the Tea Party opponents vying for Senators Snowe seat. She will be missed dearly. A true American that's for sure.
I hope that she finds another way to serve. I have always admired her which doesn't mean always agreed with her. I understand her frustration at the current climate. She has made our community proud. Axios
I am relieved that some of these folks have listened to their conscience. When the party crap risks shutting down the USA, then we the people need to replace them. She has the fortitude to realize the risk to the USA.
Great news! Excellent!!!!!!
It seems if Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Reid are the parties of the No. Remember when the Dems had the house, they wouldn't even consider the Repubs. views. She called them nuts. You may still have the Senate and the Oval but you will still have to deal with a Rep House. Are you telling me that George Soros is not a left, left wing liberal farther away from the middle than any Tea party person? Why didn't Snowe quit when the Dems were in control and shut out her party on everything. Where was her moderate influence then with the Dems. I'm saying all of this because I am an OLD FASHIONED Democrat who wants the governement out of my life.
I'm such an old Democrat that I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat, rather than a Blue one. If you are older than that I'll bet you are enjoying the Social Security and Medicare that the Dems want to keep for us... rather than the Reps who want to fundamentally change the programs so significantly that it would gradually become unrecognizable and ineffective. Look carefully at the individual T.P.ers, most are busying themselves with promoting social conservatism rather than reducing the size of government as promised. And exactly how did government get this big? Look at the Bush presidency and the growth of the Federal Gov. during that period. I don't want to continue the intrusive government policies enacted under the Patriot Act either, but I most want to keep them out of my doctor's office and out of my bedroom.
RufoussidedTowhee: No plan of reform would affect any one currently or who is 10 years from receiving SS or who is on Medicare. What you are posting is a lie.
GO USA, did you miss the part (first sentence) where I wrote that if the man was OLDER than a Yellow Dog Democrat that he was likely receiving SS benefits NOW? Yellow Dog Dems came way before Blue Dog Dems. I am a Yellow Dog Dem and I'm pretty old. I wrote that the Rs were trying to GRADUALLY CHANGE the SS and Medicare system? Why is it that people like you don't READ a post thoroughly before calling someone a liar? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? Just because any changes won't affect ME or the poster I was replying to doesn't mean that thoughtful people don't care about what happens to generations behind us.
i grew up in Maine....live in LA now...i can't believe Olympia Snowe is not running again!!.....she was always a political staple in Maine politics...and very popular!!......she always seemed to wanna work together w. democrats for the common good..she will be missed.
There once was a time (long ago and far away) when she and, less frequently, Susan Collins could be counted on to compromise on at least some issues against the "party line" but that were in the best interest of working people here in Maine and everywhere....recent years, nothing. The days of Bill Cohen and George Mitchell and their like working together across the aisle to solve problems and make tough decisions for the good of the country as a whole are long gone. Compromise has not been in the Republican vocabulary for many years now. President Obama began his term believing he could bring the two parties together to work in a productive and bipartisan manner and sadly found out the only compromises were his.
I sure hope that Governor LePage doesn't have a hand picked candidate waiting in the wings. Maybe that's why he headed home from the Governor's Conference early and didn't bother to stay for the final White House dinner. Or, maybe it was just another TP Governor snub.
Maine has a very strong tea party movement. Gooooooooo teeeeeeaaaaaaaaa partyyyyyyy.
At this point in time, moderate republicans are a dying breed. One race to watch will be the senate race in Ma between Brown and Warren. Sen Brown presently leads in the polls but Warren is a formidable campaigner..Brown has to play the moderate role to get reelected.He only one because the dems to up a terrible candidate in Attorney General Martha Coakley
Actually, mass. sent a message of disapproval about obama's policies.
Respectable disagree with your conclusions..
President Obama’s Secretary of Energy Steven Chu had to say about gas prices back in December: