In the Sun Journal article (Dec. 21) on the term-limits issue in the U.S. Senate race next fall, the ABC — Anybody But Collins — bias stands out. It was good, though, to point out that, if the senator is re-elected, she will have some serious clout in the Senate, very likely as chairwoman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
Yes, she did vow to leave after two terms in the Senate, but she changed her mind. Her explanation — “she underestimated the importance of seniority for lawmakers who want to help Maine most.” Whether or not anyone buys that obviously depends on which side of the aisle one is sitting.
There is also the fact that, last year, she voted for Justice Brett Kavanaugh to take a seat on the Supreme Court after he had been nominated by President Trump. I suspect that is the driving force behind this drive to unseat her. For the record — none of the accusations against Justice Kavanaugh were proven.
It is indeed true that Sen. Collins has been in the Senate for 23 years, but she is a rookie when compared to Sen Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, who died in office in 2009 after 47 years, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, who is at 45 years and counting.
Perhaps the final word on this issue should come from former President Jedediah Bartlett, D-New Hampshire, of the long running television show “The West Wing”: “We already have term limits — they are called elections.”
Terence McManus, New Sharon
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