So let’s talk a little about the holdouts on supporting an impeachment inquiry. There are only a handful left. The one I know best is my own representative, Jared Golden in Maine’s District 2. Like many of you who helped flip a seat in 2018 (or worked your asses off and didn’t get that reward), I got waaaay outside my comfort zone to help Jared get elected. I sat in a scuzzy office in Bangor and made dozens of phone calls, mostly to people not to happy to have their phone ring. I hosted postcard writing parties in my home, and wrote over 800 postcards myself. I gave money and lots of time, far more than anything I’d done in the past for any campaign. I was working alongside many others, mostly seniors, who were also volunteering at this level for the first time in their long lives.
I got out of my comfort zone because I was damn tired of putting so much time into calling and writing my reps (Bruce Poliquin and Susan Collins) begging them to do the right and popular thing on taxes, health care, and on and on and on. I wanted a rep who would just do the job without me chiming in. And in District 2, that’s what I’d be accustomed to before Bruce Poliquin’s 4-year stint, culminating in Bruce hiding in the bathroom to avoid reporters asking about his tax cut vote. We’d had 20 years of Democratic reps before Bruce in District 2, and even before that the Republican reps in the district (Bill Cohen and Olympia Snowe) were truly Republican moderates back when that was still a thing.
I’m sitting here pissed, because Jared Golden is one of the very last Democrats to support an impeachment inquiry. And he’s acting like that’s some principled thing, when it’s the coward’s way out of what any voter expects, a principled stance. So that’s strike 2. And I’m thinking I’m going to have to AGAIN starting writing and calling and WASTING MY TIME BEGGING MY REP TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Not only will Jared not support the impeachment inquiry, he is hiding from reporters who ask for statements (has he learned nothing from Bruce’s stint in the women’s room?).
If you’re wondering what strike 1 was, Jared’s already said he will not support the Democratic nominee for Senate next year, because he likes Susan Collins and wants to continue to work well with her if she is re-elected. He is going to stay “neutral.” Which means his promise to constituents to get things done on prescription drugs, healthcare, and taxes means nothing, since without the Senate, any bill from the House dies. Not to mention his betrayal of all the women in his district who want our reproductive rights supported (abortion rights are overwhelmingly popular in Maine, enshrined in the state constitution).
The whole point of all that time and treasure spent by the grassroots up here in 2018 was to get someone in office who would do the right thing. And Jared sadly is showing he has no spine. What energy he is willing to expend is to spit on his base. We’re “extremists” to him, no different than the far right if you read the quotes about how he proudly stands right in the middle, superior to his Democratic supporters who are taking a stand. But here’s the thing. Trump is deeply unpopular in Maine (underwater by 12-15% depending on the survey you read). District 2 is not a red district by much—+2 according to the Cook Index. And the state can’t be 13% underwater for Trump without our district being at least a little underwater for Trump too.
So rather than write and call Jared and have him ignore me as he has ignored all his supporters, I’m going to write to y’all here in hopes I get uprated enough for him to read it. Jared, or Jared’s poor intern reading this, get a message to your guy and let him know how this is going to go down. Your grassroots is still energized for 2020, but not for you. We will drag your sorry ass over the finish line again in 2020 while we are getting Sue Collins drummed out of office, getting our new Democratic president elected, and shoring up our majorities in the Maine state houses.
And then in 2021 our state reps are going to get rid of the gerrymander that is making District 2 more pink than it should be. Waterville and more coastal communities are going to be in the district. We’re going to move from light pink to light blue, and in 2022 you’re going to be primaried. We’re going to select one of the many fine Dem reps serving in the state house to replace you. We’re going to knock on doors, write postcards, show up to vote in the primary in droves, and get someone who is more than a placeholder in office. Because you are NOT representing the majority of your district who do want a president who isn’t a stone-cold criminal, who OVERWHELMINGLY support women’s rights, and most of all, who long for the days when we had a representative who did what was right over what they think is politically expedient. We are not going to forget your tacit support for Collins, for keeping the Senate in Republican hands, for ignoring Trump’s threat to the constitution.
We are playing a long game, Jared. Don’t wonder what happened in a few months when your fundraising is way down and no volunteers show up to phonebank. Your local grassroots is still energized and raring to go. We’ll be out in force defeating Sue Collins and getting Dem reps in the state house and senate. Don’t think that means your seat is safe. You’re on our to-do list for 2022. And like Bruce, you’ll be a two-term representative. Remember this diary. You were warned.
(Before anyone responds about good reasons for why a rep might not support impeachment, I get it. It’s a big country, a big tent for Democrats, and the stance might make sense elsewhere. But this is not Oklahoma and my rep is not Kendra Horn. Jared is making what will likely be a fatal mistake for his political career.)