Watergate was a big deal. Sixty-nine people were indicted, with 48 found guilty. A former U.S. attorney general spent time in prison. Were it not for a pardon, a disgraced president might have joined him.
Watergate was a coverup of an illegal domestic spying and electoral dirty-tricks campaign. It was a national embarrassment, but it was not an existential threat to democracy in America.
Russiagate – the Russian interference in our 2016 election – is an existential threat to democracy in America. If we are not in a position to defend the territorial integrity of nations with sanctions because we leave our electoral systems and social media platforms, etc., undefended, then democracy might not survive. This is many times more serious than Watergate.
If Sen. Jeff Flake could refuse to vote on Trump’s judicial nominations until the Senate acts on the bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, is there any good reason why Sen. Susan Collins should not do likewise? I think it makes sense for Maine voters to ask her to follow through on Flake’s idea.
People died for our democracy. What are we waiting for? What is she waiting for?
Kenneth Christian
Portland
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