So, how did that stonewalling turn out for you Chuck Schumer?
And, the national Democratic Party apparently thought the same thing when independent candidate Eliot Cutler turned up in the 2010 open seat for Maine governor. Democratic nominee Libby Mitchell, with all the political credentials in the world (former House Speaker, former Senate President, smart, down-to-earth and a lawyer to boot) was also given the cold shoulder by the national party, even as they pumped tons of money into gubernatorial races in other states. Libby got 19 percent of the vote (probably the same people who voted for me in 2006, with her vote total just a few hundred below mine).
So how did that decision by the national party to favor the independent over their own party candidate turn out? We got Tea Party Republican Paul LePage as governor. You tell me.
And here we have the third woman in a row running for a statewide office in Maine, and the national Democratic Party is once again dissing its own candidate. Fancy that.
From the DSCC web page, "the DSCC continues to work with people in Maine to assess the race." Not help their candidate in the race, mind you, just watch it from afar.
From where I sit, while we know the Republican Party is conducting a clear War on Women (see: Todd Akin, et al), the national Democratic Party is actively and deliberately neglecting its women candidates. In Maine, this year, that means Cynthia Dill.
No wonder there are so few Democratic women members of Congress.
So, what will their excuses be when King keeps slipping in the polls, Charlie Summers wins and the U.S. Senate goes Republican?
I suspect they will use a version of the Condoleezza Rice line: No-one could have possibly predicted that all that money and negative TV ads could get the Republican candidate elected in Maine.
On the other hand, what happens if Angus King wins, he gets to Washington and the Democrats find they can't count on him for one blessed thing? Ouch.
So, a vote for Charlie Summers might get us a Republican-majority Senate, the repeal of Obamacare, the dismantling of Medicare and Social Security, cuts in other critical social programs, and more tax breaks for the rich.
A vote for Angus King gets Maine -- what? Who knows?
I have a suggestion for Maine voters. Just to be contrary, to show your real independence from the powers that be, maybe you could vote for Cynthia Dill, the Democrat in this race. Just to see what happens.
The Democrats gain real control of the Senate? Obamacare is saved, and improved? Medicare and Social Security are stabilized? Women's rights secured? Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act? The decriminalization of marijuana? An end to the war in Afghanistan? Even, just maybe, the rich paying their fair share?
(One of the Republican negative ads calls Dill a "Liberal Firebrand." As the author of a 1996 book I titled "Proud to Be a Card-Carrying, Flag-Waving, Patriotic American Liberal," I kind of like that characterization.)
Stay tuned. Whatever Maine voters decide to do in the voting booth, the repercussions will soon follow.
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