The Democrats’ handpicked candidate to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2020 is … uh … wait, it’ll come to me.
Sandra something? Samantha? No, Sara! That’s it. Sara Giddyup? Sara Gridiron? Lemme do a Google search. Here it is: Sara Gideon, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
I could be excused for not recalling her name, because Gideon’s secret super power is invisibility.
Well, not literally. But Gideon possesses the ability to make her positions so vague they’re impossible to detect.
Unlike most candidates, Gideon doesn’t have an issues section on her campaign website (when you’re trying to hide your opinions, there’s really no need). Instead, she devotes the space to telling visitors what a nice person she is.
Gideon’s stump speech is more mush. She calls for “bold, immediate action” on climate change. What action? The closest she comes is to suggest that converting to 100 percent renewable energy by some unspecified time in the future would be sorta nice.
Health care? It’s “a human right.” What does that translate to in terms of actual policy? It appears Gideon favors a Joe Biden-like public option to buy into Medicare. When reporters have attempted to pin her down on details, she’s gone all Bruce Poliquin and fled the scene. Gideon has yet to respond to inquiries about whether she supports an individual mandate requiring people to buy insurance.
Gideon shows up at rallies on occasion, so we know she supports (in some unspecified fashion) immigration and women’s reproductive rights. But the bulk of her camouflage campaign is devoted to just one subject:
Susan Collins.
On this topic, Gideon has a firm stand: Maine’s senior senator is a pawn of the Trump administration. “It’s time for a senator who puts Mainers first,” she told the Portland Press Herald.
“Susan Collins’ vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court may be paying off for her, but it’s putting women’s control over their own health care decisions in extreme jeopardy,” she added in a campaign video.
“[Collins] voted for Donald Trump’s massive tax giveaway in 2017 – a disastrous law that heaps the vast majority of the benefits on the super-wealthy and mega corporations,” she wrote in a fundraising letter.
That’s Gideon’s entire campaign. Keep attacking Collins, while avoiding taking any positions that might alienate moderate or conservative voters. The result is a translucent public persona that even the most involved members of the electorate could easily fail to notice.
To be fair, that might not be quite as counterproductive as it appears. A survey conducted in the spring showed that Collins would clobber Gideon in a head-to-head contest. But when pollsters asked if respondents would definitely support Collins or definitely oppose her, slightly more answered oppose, which could be interpreted as indicating a generic Democrat posed a greater threat to the senator’s re-election than a brand-name contender.
Being against Collins could be a more appealing campaign strategy than being for anything else.
Gideon’s chief opponent in the Democratic primary is having none of that. On her website, Betsy Sweet, unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial candidate, made this not-so-subtle reference to Gideon’s failure to stand for anything.
“Mainers are ready for progressive leaders who won’t hesitate to say what we believe,” Sweet wrote, “even if it means stepping on some donor’s thousand-dollar shoes.”
Sweet has no hesitancy in taking stands, but sometimes they’re weird stands. I’ll get to that next week.
Don’t be invisible. Email aldiamon@herniahill.net and open yourself to ridicule.
What, no equal opportunity ridicule for the other announced Democrats for Senate? I hear the lesbian mermaid lawyer has some fine policy proposals. And the retired military guy is certainly brave to take on all these women and run as a veteran.
I think you nailed it
“Being against Collins could be a more appealing campaign strategy than being for anything else.”
Works for me.
Teresa,,
I must admit “your” strategy “worked for us” too.
Trump got voted in not entirely on his own merits but most americans were just so “against” what the Dems were offering they went with him..
Looks like a repeat in 2020 to me,, lol
The Dems never learn.
The day the Dems finally outlaw the secret ballot,,,,
they will win by intimidation tactics.
Just like they do on the college campuses,,,now.
(those kids aren’t dumb,,,,why would they speak up and get beat up)…
Think about it.
“He” won because the Dems ran the only person in America who could lose to someone like that.
Dave, I think, That’s why “HE” Won, was just adding a “tung in cheek” comment since nearly everything they accuse Dems of doing are literally things the T republicans and gang have been actually caught doing. Another Collins (Chris Collins) Republican from the House, just resigned plead guilty to shady dealings today. We have the most unstable and unqualified Government ever under Trump who hired his own kids and lost everyone else he tried to hire for top positions. How many connected Trump are in jail or awaiting trial? I mean, I understand not wanting to elect the same old politician’s politician but this is all a royal mess electing due to electing a corrupt reality tv host who owes a Russian bank a lot of money…Favors…hint. As for Susan Collins? I could go either way. On the one hand she has built up a lot of power and can pull some of it back to ME, on the other hand I’m not impressed with most of her choices and political cat and mousing. If someone new is elected I would welcome the change and see what they can get done. See, I just did a Collins!
@ david firsching and they are doing it again!!! The more they talk and lie the more we have a chance of getting him for four more years I personally can’t wait !!!
@Say What?
No you’re wrong, I was being serious.
The Dems are Blindly Hypocritical.
The Lesser Of Two Evils,,, By Far!
Plain enough?
@David F
“He” won because the Dems ran the only person in America who could lose to someone like that.
Only partially true.
Trump would have trounced Bernie as well.
Before you call BS,, didn’t “THEY” think Hillary had it in the bag???
Yes they did.
They never learn that in the secret place of the voting booth,, we the people vote our true choice.
FYI,, people are tired of being hysterically accused of being racist/ sexist / homophobic / greedy / mean and every other false label the progressives and libs are screaming at everybody these days.
So,,,, we just vote.
Trump won.
Get over it and be “real”.
Then and only then,, will people come your way.
I know the libs aren’t the only ones, it takes two to tango,,
Are “YOU” doing your part?
On to 2020.
Why do you think Maine has Ranked Choice Voting, so dems can win elections with zero platform to run on.
Your part in this national disgrace will soon be over. “China,if you’re listening….”
@ “Your Part”
You do realize that your entire comment goes out the window when some one thinks about how badly “He” lost the popular vote…The people did vote and not for “Him”
I can’t fix this mess. Even Fox Judge Andrew Napolitano says Agent Orange’s goose is cooked. Yet people still defend him. Hopefully more ably than I have.
Jon Snow, You do realize that the “popular”vote is not an actual representation of America, California has 53 congressional districts, Hillary in 2016 won 7 of them, that’s 46 districts she didn’t win. In New York state she won 11 of 27 districts, California and New York are winner take all states, the districts she won are the most populous districts, if we broke the electoral down into individual districts as Maine did in 2016, Hillary would only have gotten 50 electoral votes. Trump won more than 2600 counties while Hillary won 487. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, tragically get to decide what goes on in their respective states but not the country, that’s why we have the electoral system. The winner take all thing is nonsense, every state should be by district, that way EVERYBODY has a say. In Maine, district 1 voted for Hillary, district 2 didn’t.
Ha, “popular”vote is not an actual representation of America” unless we are arguing against RCV? Funny how context can be flexible depending on how you need to make yourself right. Every taxpayers vote is a representation of the United Sates! If not then prove it with facts, not just your loose words.
“NOT” Tongue in Cheek: Ha you did it again. Dems are definitely the lesser of two evils!
“California has 53 congressional districts, Hillary in 2016 won 7 of them, that’s 46 districts she didn’t win.” WRONG.
“Clinton won 46 of the 53 congressional districts, including 7 held by Republicans.[13]
Clinton was also the first Democrat since FDR in 1936 to win traditionally Republican Orange County.[17]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election_in_California
Say What, prove it? Ok, The population of New York state is 19.5 million people, the population of New York city is 8.6 million, it has 8.5 million voters, of which 87.3% are democrats. Maine on the other hand has 1.3 million people, 828,000 are voters, almost an even split with dems getting a slight lead. If the entire state of Maine voted republican, it wouldn’t matter, thanks to the 6 million democrats in New York. California has 39.7 million people, 15.6 million voters 75.7% are democrats. Population of L.A. 4 million, San Francisco 884,363 San Diego 1.4 million, and with the major cities attracting leftists, just proves, poop really does attract more flies than honey.
Trump will win 40 States! He is the only person to expose the corruption in D.C. John Durham will expose the Demorats for the crap that they did in the 2016 election
I could learn Chinese.
That would be better than handing this country over to these loony progressive naive libs.
If AOC, Janet Mills and Bernie have their way it will be easy for the Chinese to take over. They’ll just sit back and watch the progressives spend every last dime on “so called” social and climate programs while completely dismantling our ability to defend ourselves,,
Then,,,, we learn Chinese.
Vote Republican and Susan Collins.
The Dems have gone off the deep end.
They will unfund our country chasing their unattainable social and climate programs.
When they have dismantled our ability to deserve ourselves, we will be taken over.
Let’s call it the “New Red Deal” .
There will be no universal healthcare,
There will be no minimum wage,
There will be no free college,
We will learn Chinese Comrade…
They will build a border wall,,
The New Red Deal, brought to you by the Demicrats.
Keep your witts about you,
Vote Collins
Vote Republican.
Marie E, When do we vote for president? In January, right? The page you cited is a) Based on the primaries, and b) verified in December 16th 2016, kind of hard to get an accurate count seeing how the actual electoral vote didn’t take place until December 19th 2016. Wikipedia, can be added to or edited by anybody.
I do not know who votes for President in JANUARY.
I was NOT referring to Calif. primaries results. Referring to the Presidential results in CA. (See the link below updated as of 12/13/16.)
https://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/california/
Another source for Presidential election results in Calif.
https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election_in_California,_2016
Why make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally?
I reiterate: “Clinton won 46 of the 53 congressional districts, including 7 held by Republicans.”
Voting districts are based on population.
There are 2 districts in Maine and 16 counties.
There are currently 53 districts in CA. There are 58 counties in CA
@The New Red Deal…I will be voting Republican but sadly I will be leaving the check box for Collins blank because I will not be voting for a Rino.
HB, not really sure what your argument really is. Breaking things down to a district or county? How does that change anything except making the electoral college county by country/district by district instead of state by state – sort of a sub-state-electoral college? If one keeps reducing the size of some designated region we finally arrive at the popular vote. Before I go any further, just to clear the air – I hate hrc and I hate trump. Nearly for the same reasons. I also believe that DWS should have been thrown in jail for her part of the DNC fraud that robbed the electorate of Bernie Sanders. But I digress. I wondered about your figures for NYC. 8.6 million residents and 8.5 million voters? So there’s only 100,000 underaged people in all of NYC? Your example really does not make much sense. So, WHO actually compels 87% of the people to vote democrat? Wouldn’t that also be true in reverse for the south and midwest? The real solution is to essentially get rid of the entire congress and president and start over, otherwise we are stuck with the same group of average, entitled people who are attached to the gravy train and don’t give a shit about any of us.
And Old Maineiac – collins a RINO?? You’re kidding, right? What she isn’t is Margaret Chase Smith and I apologize to Margaret for naming her and suzie q in the same sentence.