Republican politics force Collins to the right

Is Sen. Susan Collins a moderate? Is anybody? Much depends on the definition of “moderate.” A Washington rating organization classified Collins as a moderate by focusing on the number of bills she sponsors with Democrats. Others see her as a moderate because she votes with President Trump less than any other GOP senator. Missing in […]

Could Trump overrule election defeat?

Would Donald Trump abide by the presidential election results if he lost? Such a question has never before been asked about a sitting president, but the White House answer left the matter in doubt. The real answer is both simple and complicated. Trump might refuse to accept that he had lost the election, but it’s […]

Trump, GOP Senate posture; people suffer

President Trump has tried to short-circuit the congressional efforts to come up with a new bill on federal Covid-19 aid. That’s today’s politics, but much more. Here’s the story. In May, the House of Representatives under Democratic control passed a new $3 trillion aid package. It waited for the Senate under Republican control to pass […]

Defying Trump, 27 states now use mail-in voting

“We, the People” made the Constitution. But our right to vote is not included in the Bill of Rights. Still, the Constitution protects it. The Ninth Amendment says that the specific inclusion of only some rights does not “deny or disparage others retained by the people.” The right to vote is retained by the people. […]

Why Maine leads nation in stopping Covid-19 spread

The war about reopening the economy is being fought about as fiercely as the war against Covid-19 itself. Maine is caught in this war between public health officials and open economy advocates. The conflict can be partisan. The unanimous Legislature gave Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, authority to fight the spread of the virus. She […]