Here’s the thing about the Susan Collins debacle
This weekend Susan Collins ripped off her mask and revealed what many of us had long suspected and feared: there is no such thing as a moderate Republican anymore. There is no such thing, for that matter, as a decent, honest, mainstream, reasonable, sane Republican anymore. But even as we all rip into her for her unconscionable vote for Brett Kavanaugh, and her utterly deranged speech announcing her vote, here’s the thing.
Susan Collins will get what she deserves when she runs for reelection in 2020 and finds that she’s facing a spirited, nationwide, and strongly crowdfunded effort to defeat her. That’s if she bothers to run at all; she’s now one of the most unpopular Senators in the nation. But here’s the kicker: she’s not on the ballot this November. She’s a problem, but she’ll have to be dealt with down the road. There is, however, something that you can do about it right now.
There are Republican Senators running for reelection right now who voted for Brett Kavanaugh. Ted Cruz in Texas. Dean Heller in Nevada. For that matter, if you’re looking to punish the Republican Party as a whole, there are competitive Senate races going on right now in Arizona, Tennessee, and elsewhere. That’s before getting to the fact that every Republican in the House is running for reelection as we speak, with the exception of the ones who have already thrown in the towel.
The point is, while Susan Collins needs to lose her Senate seat in 2020, that’s two years down the road. In current political terms, it’s a lifetime. There are several ways to avenge the Kavanaugh travesty at the ballot box just a month from now. If you want to teach Collins a lesson, start phone banking and going door to door to help defeat her fellow Republicans in the numerous elections that are now just a month away.
