Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has another opportunity to be what she sees herself as, a principled moderate Republican who will stand up against her party and her party's president. As usual, she is overestimating the degree to which anyone in her party pays attention to her. This time it's the Trump policy of family separation, ripping infants and children from their parents and putting them in cages in detention centers. Collins insists she's seeking a solution, but is refusing to accept the solution that could actually end this.
Sen. Susan Collins called the federal government’s policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border “inhumane” and said she is seeking a legislative solution to the issue, even as the Trump administration doubled down on the policy Monday despite mounting criticism. […]
“I oppose the administration’s policy that is leading to children being separated from their parents,” Collins said in a prepared statement sent Monday to the Portland Press Herald. “It is traumatizing to children, inhumane, and contrary to our American values.”
There's a legislative solution which every single Democratic senator—49 of them—has signed on to that would stop the administration. But Collins won't sign on to it because she says it's "too broad." Because she's willing to split hairs when families are being ripped apart, when little children are being kidnapped by her government.
“I have talked to Senator Feinstein and other colleagues on both sides of the aisle," Collins insisted, "and will continue to work with them on a legislative solution." Because that's worked so well for her before. Remember when she was working on a legislative solution on Obamacare? Remember all those "promises" she extracted from Mitch McConnell that he reneged on again and again and again? All that she's achieving with this is providing cover to McConnell and fellow Republicans. As long as she can pretend she's doing something to resist, they can pretend they're considering her efforts.
The schtick from Collins is making everything even worse. Clearly, McConnell doesn't give a damn what she thinks or about her legislation. There's one thing Collins can do to be actually effective. She can leave the Republican party and join the Democrats on this. She can leverage her vote to tie up the Senate and force McConnell to deal. Unless she does that, she's worse than useless.
Can you give $5 to help keep immigrant families together—or bring them back together after separation?