A brief but necessary blurb on Olympia Snowe too long for quippy status updates.
Olympia Snowe (and Susan Collins) are thoughtful moderates by media narrative only. It's an assumption and political necessity baked into the cake of any remaining Northeastern Republican. It's a shame that reality hasn't actually existed for years. I don't exactly shed a tear at her resignation. It does not break my heart that her seat may be filled by someone who might toe the party line 94% of the time instead of 89% (I believe that's the actual number, by the way.)
It's not all their fault. Some of it is just unfortunate political timing. The current equivalent of a moderate Republican is embodied in folks like Bloomberg, Crist, Eliot Cutler, hell even Joe Lieberman. Of course, none of them are allowed to be called Republicans anymore.
I know I'm in the minority, but I take no pride in claiming either Senator for two major reasons. First, I find them to be largely political pawns with very little real backbone. I resent them trafficking off this moderate myth while marching in lockstep with the party on almost every important issue. I don't exactly find it groundbreaking every time I see them filibustering on cable news. How rebellious is that? They seem utterly and completely calculated to me, good enough politicians to sprinkle in a few "bipartisan" votes to churn out a few campaign ads. They almost always vote together like some sort of double headed lab experiment, while Scott Brown or now even Lisa Murkowski are far more likely to walk out on any important limb alone. They are, at best, the cream of an incredibly weak crop. Any pedastal you place them on is largely built on the incredible flaws of their brethren and a widely accepted public image where perception is not always reality.
My second complaint is with Mainers themselves. Part of the reason I always voted against them was out of frustrated impotent protest. I knew my vote was wasted anyway, so why not vote against the incumbent perched upon their their throne of complacency. In my formative years, the Maine Senate seats have produced some of the most depressingly stagnant campaigns you'll find anywhere in the country. Part of it I think goes back to the media narrative. People here are intrinsicly proud that Maine is relevant on a national level every time there's a hot button press conference. I blame the Democrats for horrible candidates and the avearge voter for apathy, but a little fresh blood can be a good thing, especially when the person vacating that seat has basically been a mythical slight of hand trick or a mirage for quite some time. Of course, if she gets replaced by a gentleman in a tri-corner hat waving a "Don't Tread on Me" flag, I take it all back
