Letter to the editor: Collins fails to stand up for principles she claims to value

Sen. Susan Collins decries the partisanship in our politics, yet when given an opportunity to be clear on where she stands, she remains silent.

She has demurred on whether she would support Donald Trump, because she is concentrating on her race and staying out of presidential politics. In response to a question from WMTW political reporter Phil Hirschkorn, on the day that Trump had attacked Sen. Kamala Harris, she commented only that Harris is “diligent” and “capable.”

Perhaps she would like Trump supporters to believe that she will support him, and those opposed to Trump to believe that she will not. But her record of support for Trump on critical votes is public; her debt to the party leadership and millions in out-of-state political action committee money to support her campaign is also part of the record. Her unwillingness to condemn Trump’s birther attack on the Democratic vice-presidential candidate shows that Collins will not defend the principles of bipartisanship and moderation that she claims to value so highly.

Speaking out for the principles you care about is not the same as presidential politics. If you fail to stand up for those principles during difficult times, you cannot expect those who have looked to you for leadership to support you. Sen. Collins is right– things need to change in Washington, and an important part of making that change happen is to elect Democrat Sara Gideon as our U.S. senator from Maine.

Nils Tcheyan
Orrs Island