Jackie Calmes, in a column in today’s Los Angeles Times (“Sen. Susan Collins: A profile in cowardice”), neatly captures why the senator is so infuriating to Democrats. Senator Collins portrays herself as a voice of reason, moderation, and bipartisanship. “I’m comfortable with the New England brand of Republicanism, which has always believed in personal responsibility, individual freedom, smaller government, lower taxes generally, economic growth, small business and most of all providing opportunity to people,” she insists (in an article Calmes links to). But when actually casting a vote in the Senate, she’s not much further from the center of the Republican Party than the likes of Senators Cruz, Hawley, Cotton, Johnson, and others in the caucus who are comfortable revealing a less moderate, more contentious partisanship in service of Donald Trump and the party he leads.
Calmes reminds us of a couple of episodes, which suggest that if we take the senator’s pronouncements at face value, she is the queen of wishful thinking. Recall: In spite of her support of Roe v. Wade, Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh because of his stated views on “settled law.” And, in voting to acquit Donald Trump in the first impeachment trial, she insisted that he had “learned a pretty big lesson,” adding, “I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future.”
But, of course, moderate, reasonable Republicans have been on this course for quite a while. Hark back to November 9, 2020: "What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time?"
Calmes again:
It turns out that Collins is little different from most politicians: She shies from stands that might threaten her career or political opportunities. Associates say she’s rationalized her wimpy opportunism, confident that she represents her state and region well, and certainly better than some right-wing Republican or liberal Democrat who might replace her if she were voted out.
Of course. That's to be expected (at least most of the time). But, as Calmes reminds us, the New England senator loves to place herself in the tradition of Margaret Chase Smith, who distinguished herself (and placed herself in considerable political jeopardy) by delivering her ‘Declaration of Conscience’ speech on the Senate floor. Collins, of course, has (like most Republicans in Washington) ducked and weaved to sidestep appeals to conscience.
It’s useful to recall Smith’s speech on a challenge to the Republican Party, which included these words:
The stakes then, since Joe McCarthy was a single senator from Wisconsin who chaired a single committee for two years, were not as high as they are now. Today a prickly, lawless authoritarian is the undisputed leader of the national Republican Party.
Don't expect more than occasional, mostly tepid pushback from Susan Collins. Not while Trump remains ascendant. Like most elected Republicans, the costs for the GOP senator from Maine of stepping up to meet the moment are too high.