The senator from Maine performed exactly as she has before, each time treating her constituents as if they were either stupid or apathetic. Susan Collins (R-ME) held out the possibility of voting against Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. Then, at the last moment, just like Lucy holding the football for poor Charlie Brown in the Peanuts cartoons, Collins pulled back her guilty vote.
At first, she said that she thought that Trump had “learned” his lesson after being reprimanded by the experience of an impeachment trial. Now, she has started calling it “aspirational.”
Collins appeared on Fox News after Trump was voted not guilty Wednesday night and said, according to The Bangor Daily News:
‘It’s more aspirational on my part. It’s more that I hope that he’s listened to the many voices in the Senate who have pointed out that the call was very problematic.’
The Democrats knew that if they took POTUS to an impeachment trial, they would lose. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) knew what he faced was very unpleasant — the wrath of Khan’s far less intelligent brother.
The senator from Maine has faced a strong challenge from a blue wave of Democrats in the 2020 re-election bid for her Senate seat. Her vote for witnesses in the president’s trial was merely Lucy holding up her football. Collins was simply following her old playbook — as she did when she voted the alleged rapist Brett Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, Collins said that the Democrats had failed to prove their articles of impeachment to the point that Trump deserved to be removed from office:
‘[Trump’s actions were] improper and demonstrated very poor judgment.’
Later, she said that she believed the president had learned his lesson, sounding like the women who love too much. That meant they fall for the guy’s perceived potential rather than the reality:
‘I believe that the president has learned from this case.’
Trump still clung to the new supposed reality of his “perfect call” to President Vladymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. That call was where the seed of the president’s illicit activities in the Democrats’ articles of impeachment was planted and bloomed into the full senate trial.
In that call, the U.S. president pressured Zelensky to investigate his 2020 presidential election opponent former Vice President Joe Biden. That was a clear example of Trump using his position and illegally halting congressionally-approved funds for direly-needed military funds to fight the Russians.
Trump abused his power then tried to cover it up by refusing to provide witnesses and documentary evidence to the House.
Collins spoke to the press of Maine and the national media sites Wednesday. When pressed, she admitted that she should have substituted “hope” for “believe.” She told Fox News that it was a simple interpretation difference with Romney:
‘[We] simply reached different conclusions on the vote.’
The immediate result was a flood of criticism dumped onto Collins by her Maine opponents. Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon was one of the four top Democrats who has been running against the sitting senator for her job. Gideon noted that Trump showed how he had “learned nothing.”
Another opponent, former Google executive Ross LaJeunesse said that “Mainers deserve better.”
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
