The Case Against A GOP Majority In The Senate Can Be Summed Up In Two Words

Susan Collins.

The senior senator from Maine is, technically, all that is left of the Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party.  I say, technically, because her vote against the Paycheck Fairness Act defies anything that Nelson Rockefeller and other moderate-to-liberal Republicans would have stood for, once upon a time.  And yet, this will not stop her from being touted by what Paul Krugman calls the Very Serious People that "common ground" can be found between the two parties, thanks to "moderates" like Collins.

There is absolutely nothing moderate about her vote against the PFA.  The bill is, well was (and maybe someday still will be) designed to close loopholes in existing laws that allow employers to pay women less than their male counterparts.  It proposes no new rights.  It stands for something every American should support, namely, equal pay for everyone.  Its enactment would be a real step toward promoting not only fairness, but prosperity, by adding consumer dollars to the economy.  And, despite all of this, every female member of the Senate Republican caucus voted against it.  I repeat:  every one.

Some of the women, like Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Deb Fisher of Nebraska, are pure ideologues.  They traffic in belief, not knowledge, so their stupid, harmful votes are understandable, if not forgivable.  But that's not Collins' profile.  Along with her erstwhile Maine colleague, Olympia Snowe, Collins was supposed to the the very model of the reach-across-the-aisle politician we're always told we need to get our problems solved and get America going again.  She was supposed to be someone who saw the value of compromise, and the need for engaging in it without fear of "losing face." 

Her vote against the PFA, on the other hand, makes her look scared to death of losing face--or, just being two-faced.  And it's not like she needs to worry about re-election.  This year, she fended off a Tea Party primary challenge easily, and is currently leading her Democratic opponent in the general election by a 2-to-1 margin.

Susan Collins the person probably hasn't changed.  Deep down, I suspect she still believes that we should all find ways to get along.  But Susan Collins the politician is a very clear sign of how a Mitch McConnell-led Senate would function.  No dissent, and 100% support for the 1%.  It's a shame that she appears to value her career over her principles.  Perhaps she is nursing the faint hope that our politics, somehow, can once again become more reasonable.  I hope she's right, but I doubt it.

In the meantime, she's just more evidence that a stay-at-home progressive on Election Day is a vote for an All-Tea Party Congress.  We can't afford to let that happen.  If you care about moderation in politics, then vote for a party that still has ideological wings, a party that isn't afraid of debate, a party that isn't afraid to compromise, a party that desperately wants to get America moving again.

I'll give you a hint:  it's not the party Susan Collins belongs to.