we must listen to survivors and everyday we must seek to stop the criminal
behavior that has hurt so many that's Susan Collins a deciding vote to confirm
Brett Kavanaugh a u.s. senator from Maine and a beacon of moderation until
she's not which is often Susan Margaret Collins was born in Caribou Maine to an
upper-middle-class family deeply involved in state politics both her
parents served as mayor of the town and her father was also a state senator
Collins attended Caribou High School where she participated in the Senate
youth program and 71 the program flew a 17 year old Collins out to Washington to
meet with Maine's two senators ed muskie and Margaret chase Smith the latter of
whom would have a huge impact on a young impressionable Collins after a nearly
two-hour meeting with chase Smith Collins was motivated I left her office
that day thinking that a woman could do anything from Caribou Collins went to
st. Lawrence University where she graduated magna cum laude with a BA in
1975 after college Collins interned for Bill Cohen the first Republican in the
House to vote for the impeachment of Richard Nixon she was hired on and moved
to Washington where she'd spend the next 12 years
working as a congressional staffer for the moderate congressman Cohen's former
chief of staff said Susan was doing pretty serious stuff high-level Senate
hearings at 26 or 27 after her long stint with Cohen a politically seasoned
Collins returned to Maine for the lobster lock first grade AHA just
kidding she worked as a business commissioner and governor mckernon scab
met for five years and then in 1994 she ran for governor unsuccessfully
receiving just 23% of the vote still better off than that lobster any time of
day I could eat at breakfast lunch dinner
midnight to 6 a.m. in 1996 she won the Senate seat left open by her former boss
bill Cohen where she'd be for the next few decades after winning re-election
three times which is longer than she said she'd be there I have pledged that
if I'm elected I will only serve two terms regardless of whether term limits
law a constitutional amendment passes or not 12 years is long enough to be in
public service make a contribution and then come home and let someone else take
your place Collins 12 years were up over a decade
ago but who's counting in the Senate Collins has championed the moderate
label I'm consistently sought out by both sides for co-sponsorship of bills I
have a lot of power I like that and in the past she did reach across the aisle
collins voted against convicting bill clinton during his impeachment trial she
has voted against efforts to define marriage as between a man and a woman
and from 1997 to 2016 she voted with her party on party line votes only 59% of
the time when the average senator during that time voted with their party roughly
90 percent of the time but ever since a former stake salesman narrowly won the
presidency Collins has for the most part been in lockstep with the stake man in
2017 Collin sided with the Republicans in 87 percent of party line votes the
highest percent in her time in the Senate she voted for the passage of a
massive tax cut for the richest families and biggest corporations she voted to
confirm Neal Gorsuch she was one of the earliest supporters of Jeff Sessions bid
to become Attorney General a guy who said he thought the KKK were okay until
he found out they smoked pot she voted against Betsy DeVos perhaps knowing
pence would break the tie in the Senate while allowing Collins to maintain her
moderate label who knows and then there was a super beer fan an accused sexual
assault her Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at first Collins appeared
undecided after hearing Christine for this very
compelling and painful testimony I thought oh my goodness he perhaps needs
to withdraw but after Collins heard Cavanaugh scream at Amy Klobuchar about
beer she believed there was no way Cavanaugh did this I do believe that she
was assaulted I don't know by whom so what you were telling us is this could
not be a case of mistaken identity absolutely not
although there is no evidence supporting this claim of mistaken identity Collins
thinks that her support for an accused sexual assault er over the survivor will
somehow result in more women coming forward the one silver lining that I
hope will come from this is that more women will press charges now when they
are assaulted Collins was accused by critics of acting undecided on the vote
to appease the Democrats in her state their evidence just a week after dr.
Blasi Ford testified in an air-tight well thought-out written speech Collins
spoke for 45 minutes on why she was backing Kavanagh therefore I do not
believe that these charges can barely prevent judge Kavanagh from serving on
the court collins is up for reelection in 2020 and it won't be an easy race
considering she has received more donations from Texas fossil fuel
industries than by human people in her state of Maine in the first quarter of
2019 only 13 Maine residents gave Collins $200 or more if Collins a
moderate Republican wasn't already vulnerable enough her opponent who
doesn't yet exist has over three million dollars waiting for them thanks to
donations raised by not fossil fuel industries but actual people it's
unclear if Collins will put on one last face and reach across the aisle to grab
money that isn't hers
you