Liveblog of the Maine Republican Convention starring Sen Rand Paul, Sen Susan Collins, and Gov. Paul Lepage.
Day Two is going. Sharon Day, Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, is on stage now, talking about how grateful the party is for conservative governors like our own Paul LePage and Florida's Rick Scott.
“When you elect individuals that run on conservative principles and values, and then lead and govern with those values, you get the kind of governor that you have, that I have, and that every state across the country needs to elect if they want to have states like ours," she said.
Really? Is Rick Scott a model for the policies of Paul Lepage?
Well look who else is supporting these policies.
She also thanked Maine Sen. Susan Collins for helping the National Republican Party get back on stable financial ground after the 2010 midterms, when the party was broke.
“We had to rebuild the party from the ground up, not only in our efforts but in our financial ability to get you the tools you need," she said. "Susan Collins was one of the first to help us, to step up to help us raise the money we needed to help our party get strong again, and get on our feet again.”
Is this really the person DEMOCRATS should be supporting against a principled and courageous Progressive Democratic candidate?
Day 1 of the convention saw Republican Collins ignore the challenge to lead her party in a positive direction.
I challenge Republican Susan Collins as the most senior leader in her party to have the courage to lead on this issue and bring the Maine Republican Party back from the ideological brink. Discrimination has no place in a major party platform,” Bellows said.
and again, is this the candidate Democrats should be supporting?
“Three times now, Susan Collins has joined with her Republican colleagues to block legislation that would have increased transparency and offered protection to victims of wage discrimination,” said Bellows.
“Women aren’t earning less than men for doing the same job – they’re being paid less than men for doing the same job.
Are we content with a neo-beltway approach to the future?
“Instead of fighting to give American workers a $10.10 living wage, Senator Collins is joining with corporate interests and national Republicans to water down the bare minimum that workers need to stay out of poverty. She is fighting to reduce wages for thousands of Mainers and millions of Americans. If I were in the Senate, I'd be leading the fight to rally the public and get out-of-touch Republican politicians to do the will of the people on this issue.”
Isn't it time for a leader.
The lawsuits highlight an important policy difference between Bellows and her opponent, Republican incumbent Susan Collins. Bellows has been a long-time advocate for women’s health and reproductive freedom as a leader in the Maine Choice Coalition. Bellows was a key member of the Maine Choice Coalition lobby team, which defeated several anti-contraception and anti-abortion measures over the last eight years. In contrast, Republican Susan Collins voted to advance the controversial Blunt amendment, which would have allowedemployers to deny women access to birth control. [1]
It's time for a real Democrat to represent Maine in the US Senate.
Shenna Bellows