Free Republic

Via the Hill, the key bit comes at the beginning. I could almost tolerate her willingness to gift-wrap a talking point for Democrats about how allegedly radical Ryan’s plan is if she had an alternative in mind. Instead, after paying lip service to the magnitude of our looming fiscal catastrophe, her big ideas for cutting spending are … eliminating ethanol subsidies and waste at the Pentagon. I’m almost disappointed that she didn’t mention earmarks and foreign aid too; if we’re going to go penny-ante by targeting unpopular expenditures that won’t remotely balance the budget, let’s go all the way.She doesn’t...

Sen. Susan Collins is part of a renewed bid to pass a bipartisan bill protecting against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Maine Republican is a lead co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, along with Democrats Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tom Harkin of Iowa and Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, along with her colleagues Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Tom Harkin (D-IA), have introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to finally prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Senator Collins has long been a strong supporter of this legislation. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2011 would prohibit employers, employment agencies, labor organizations and joint labor-management committees from firing, refusing to hire, or discriminating against those employed or seeking employment, on the basis of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. Such protections are already in...

WASHINGTON — A massive security gap along the nation’s northern border is cause for grave concern as Maine combats a growing drug smuggling trade, says Sen. Susan Collins. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says the Department of Homeland Security “must continue to analyze the right mix of resources, ensuring there is effective use of personnel, technology, and international, state, and local agency partnerships that allow the border be open to our friends, but closed to those who would do us harm." A new federal report highlights just how vulnerable Maine’s long border with Canada is to an array of illegal activity,...

Link only, per FR posting rules

PORTLAND — Sen. Susan Collins this morning described for a group of business leaders from across New England her role in repealing the law banning gays in the military. (snip) In a 30-minute presentation, the Republican lawmaker described the 11th-hour maneuvering against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the waning days of 2010, her work to convince key Republican allies to support repeal and the challenge of opposing a close friend, renowned veteran, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. "It was exciting to help lead what I believe to be a historic change for our country, but boy it was not...

Maine Democrat Rosa Scarcelli suggested that a decision to challenge Sen. Olympia Snowe in 2012 could hinge on whether the three-term Republican is forced to fend off a primary challenge. Scarcelli, the CEO of an affordable-housing agency who ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010, is widely seen as a rising star in her party and says she's very interested in running for public office again. But the 41-year-old also bills herself as a nonpartisan pragmatist who stresses she won't run against Snowe if the senior senator continues to vote as a moderate. "Olympia Snowe in my mind...

(snip) Candidates, whether RINO or socialist liberal Democrats in 2012 from those other New England states as well as others nationwide will be targeted, not only by the TEA Party groups, but the general public who were just getting warmed up in 2010 when they caused Obama to cry out that they, the liberal Democrats, got “shellacked”. It will happen again; mark my words. The public is finished with extremist liberals. There have been rumors and whispers of a possible new home for disaffected RINOs and liberal Democrats to form a what is privately being called a “centrist” third party....

The Maine senator collected kudos from President Obama for her role in moving the controversial legislation forward.Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican on the stage for yesterday's signing of the bill repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military, and one of only two Republicans at the ceremony. Collins, who played a major role in moving the legislation forward, collected kudos from President Obama. "I want to thank Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins," he said, to cheers from the attendees. Collins says there was no reason for the U.S. military to continue banning gays....

The repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy owes much to Sens. Susan Collins and Joseph I. Lieberman, who kept the issue alive when it appeared dead in the kind of partnership that is likely to become a model for getting things done in next year's divided Congress. Mr. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent from Connecticut, and Miss Collins, a Republican from Maine, plan to join President Obama at the White House on Wednesday when he signs the bill into law. The signing ceremony caps off a late-season effort that saw the military's ban on openly gay men and women...

The Senate voted 67-28 to pass a cloture motion, seemingly enough to assure final ratification. Eleven Republicans joined with 56 Democrats to pass the cloture motion. It will take 67 votes to ratify the New Start pact, which would give the Obama administration its top foreign policy goal in the lame-duck session. Among Republicans announcing their support were Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, George V. Voinovich of Ohio, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, and...

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, says she's willing to support the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service members. In a prepared statement, Snowe said that she will vote for a new stand-alone bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would eliminate the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The policy, enacted in 1993, keeps gay and lesbian servicemen and servicewomen from serving openly in the military. (snip) U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who co-sponsored the repeal with Collins, indicated that Snowe's support would give the bill the 60 votes it needs to pass to avoid a...

Next week will be crucial for gay rights advocates and congressional supporters of repealing the “Don't ask, don't tell” law. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are working to garner support for a standalone bill to repeal the Clinton-era ban on openly gay people serving in the military. Lieberman and Collins formally introduced that bill on Friday. The Senate this week dealt a severe blow to repeal when it fell short of the 60 votes necessary to start considering the defense authorization bill, which contains the repeal provision. At this point the standalone repeal bill is a last-ditch...

White House officials said Friday that they have the 67 Senate votes needed to ratify a new U.S. nuclear-arms accord with Russia, and President Barack Obama will delay his planned vacation in Hawaii until the Senate votes. The declaration came after Maine's two Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, declared their support for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

In other news water is wet, fire is hot A week ago the Senate Republican caucus sent a letter to Harry Reid telling him that they would not support acting on any legislation until the Congress vital business had been taken care of: For that reason, we write to inform you that we will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and we have prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers. With little time left in this Congressional session, legislative...

That makes 60 votes for cloture, assuming Reid can keep the entire Democratic caucus in line. I’m not aware of any defectors yet but Tester, McCaskill, Ben Nelson and a few other red-state Dems who are up in 2012 will be thinking awfully hard about this vote, needless to say.Two big qualifiers, though. Collins, at least, is sticking by the GOP’s plan to vote no on everything until a deal is reached on the Bush tax cuts. Brown’s statement doesn’t address the subject, but since he also signed the Republican pledge to make the tax cuts top priority, presumably he’s...

SENATOR COLLINS' STATEMENT ON 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' December 3, 2010 Following the conclusion of today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Senator Susan Collins released this statement: "Like our closest allies, the United States' Armed Forces should welcome the service of any qualified individual who is willing and capable of serving our country. "After hearing powerful testimony from Secretary of Defense Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, and reviewing the results of the Pentagon report, I remain convinced that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy," implemented under President Clinton, should...

Centrist Senate Republicans are likely to get a new ally in Sen.-elect Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

It is beginning to look like the GOP has declared open season on Mama Grizzlies- or at least one Mama Grizzly. Many Republicans are losing their willingness to stay silent about Sarah Palin, and the latest is Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins who has always been a moderate politically. New England’s Republicans have been reluctant to cater to the Tea Party because it is not a very strong movement in the region. Vermont’s Tea Party rallies have attracted around a hundred people, for instance. Senator Collins feels that former Governor Palin cost the Republicans control of the Senate with her...