PattyGus

This is the post I’ve been waiting for from a Democrat.

Portland Press Herald headline: Vote for SAVE shows us Sen. Collins is not a moderate voice | Letter

Bangor Daily News letter: In November, Mainers voted on whether to require voter ID at the polls. Of those who voted, 64% said no to voter ID. Yet, Sen. Susan Collins apparently thinks she knows better than her constituents and says she will vote yes on requiring voter ID at the polls. For over 100 years, it has been illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in state and federal elections. In fact, the number of non-citizens who vote is vanishingly small. What the SAVE America Act will do is make it harder for citizens to vote. For instance, military families who, in service to our country, often move from place to place will have an additional burden each time they register in a new locale. Women who change their name after marriage will have a new hurdle as their birth certificate name won’t match their married name. People of color who are much less likely to have a passport will be harmed by this new law.

A surprising amount of pushback on Maine letters pages and in opinion columns to Susan Collins's support for -- and lies about -- the SAVE Act.

Maine has one of the highest rates of voting participation in the US. That might have something to do with it. #MEpolitics

Great week for the military industrial complex- their executives, principal investors, and stockholders. Lots of people about to make many billions from US taxpayers on Trump’s Iran bombings, which are costing us a fortune every single day.

SRO at the Knox County Democratic Caucus today.

Nearly 300 turned out in Rockland yesterday.

Either oblivious to the actual requirements in the text of the bill or obfuscating, Sen. Collins recently defended her support of the SAVE Act by minimizing its impact, stating: “Having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results.” I don’t know what hotels Sen. Collins is staying at, but I’ve never stayed in one that requires my birth certificate or passport. I use my driver’s license to buy alcohol or fly (again, not an acceptable form of ID in the SAVE Act). Importantly, unlike voting, none of the activities Sen. Collins cites are rights protected by the Constitution. Any federal laws pertaining to voting should be protective of that right, not restrictive. And it’s disingenuous to suggest that the SAVE Act is about protecting election integrity. Ironically, the president of the United States has been attempting since 2020 to call election integrity into question, but his numerous lawsuits have only succeeded in proving that there is no widespread voter fraud in this country. Reasonable people can and should debate federal policy, but the SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem and Mainers have just months ago expressed a clear rejection of barriers to voting. This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about listening. Sen. Collins is up for reelection this year. Full disclosure, I voted for Senator Collins in my first election nearly 30 years ago. It seems that she has been in the Senate for so long that she has forgotten who she represents. As Congress considers changes to federal voting law, I hope the Maine delegation remembers that democracy works best when the people’s voice is respected.

There's more immediately dire stuff going on...but let's not lose sight of the fact that Susan Collins is lying about the SAVE Act -- out of loyalty to MAGA, because she fears how women will vote in November or due to some combination of the two. tinyurl.com/yp65kte5 #MEpolitics

So we’re just going to spend billions in bombs, kill the Ayatollah, temporarily degrade their military, then walk away and hope they learned their lesson? That’s the plan?

Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · Maine Dems on Mobilize Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers and more with Maine Dems.

MAINE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAUCUSES
FEB 28, MAR 1: Town by town listings w/details

If you don't see your town, some counties, like Aroostook (2), Knox, Lincoln, & Waldo are doing county-wide caucuses that include all towns.

Join Dem friends & neighbors in helping shape local politics.

#MEpolitics

About 20 hearty souls on the Damariscotta/Newcastle bridge this morning with enthusiastic responses from passers-by.

STEWART: “So just to be clear - Trump is on the brink of war with Iran to either obliterate the nuclear program he previously ‘obliterated’, or to force them into signing a deal like the one HE PULLED OUT OF — it’s all in Chapter 9 of Art of the Deal: Eating Your Own Asshole.”

Boothbay Register letter to the editor: Disenfranchising voters Mon, 02/23/2026 - 4:00pm Dear Editor: Last week I called Senator Susan Collin’s office in Augusta. I got through to one of her assistants. I asked the assistant if it is true that the Senator proposes to vote in favor of the SAVE act which is currently under discussion in the Senate. The staffer said, “Yes.” I pointed out, as a constituent of Susan Collins, that a little over three months ago Mainers voted overwhelmingly against similar measures in Referendum 1.A vote for the SAVE act and similar measures would fly directly in the clearly expressed face of the wishes of Susan Collin’s own constituents. The staffer ended the call without asking for my name, or town, or whether I would like any response from Senator Collins. It seems that constituent opinions are no longer of any importance to Senator Collins. This prompted me to do some online research into the last time Senator Collins held an in-person town hall with any of her constituents. Artificial Intelligence (AI) reported it is over 20 years ago. I don’t trust AI and simply could not believe this answer. I did some more checking, and some more checking, and some more checking. And everywhere I got the same answer: over 20 years. If true, this is frankly astonishing. Imagine an elected politician who avoids meeting her constituents! And who is willing to vote against the clearly expressed wishes of 64% of those who voted on Referendum 1 last November. And to do this on a measure which, if passed, will disenfranchise an estimated tens of thousands of those voters. But that, of course, is the whole point of this Republican effort. To make it harder to vote so thatentrenched politicians like Susan Collins are not accountable to their constituents. President Trump has expressed this multiple times recently, including the statement last week that if the SAVE act is passed Republicans will “never lose a race for 50 years.” Let us hope th…

Susan Collins doesn't do town halls; doesn't mingle in public (at least not in Maine!); and over and over you hear folks relate that her staff are rude if not outright dismissive. #MEpolitics

Photo of Susan Collins holding a MAGA hat while standing near Trump in the oval office.

It didn't get nearly enough attention (none from Maine media) when Susan Collins stood holding a MAGA hat and did nothing as Trump scolded CNN reporter Kaitlin Collins for not smiling enough. tinyurl.com/35tnmem6 #MEpolitics

Coulda missed it but this is the first reference we've seen from Platner or Mills to the fact that Susan Collins is married to a (now former) lobbyist who ran a lobbying firm.

Seems like it merits more attn -- especially in the context of Collins wild 78% stock portfolio return in 2024. #MEpolitics

Thank you to Greenland for providing emergency medical care to a US sailor on board the submarine, since we did not have adequate resources in the area to treat him. I’m sorry that our president felt the need to cover up our shortcomings with a deranged ghost hospital ship post.

Man arrested after allegedly driving snowplow near protestors in Rockland Police arrest man for driving plow truck near crowd at Chapman Park in Rockland, knocking people down. Charges include reckless conduct and endangerment.

www.bangordailynews.com/2026/02/21/m...

This was my first anniversary of peaceful protest with fellow "gentle angry" souls who raise their voices in song every Saturday no matter the weather. The group started a couple weeks before I joined. About 165 turned out today.

Use your local groups and rallies, and write, to lobby your state Governor to do what @jbpritzker.bsky.social did for Illinois. Tell them to send an invoice to the wannabe dictator for reimbursement of what citizens have paid due to tariff madness.

#EveryEffortCounts

*Remembering Aaron Bushnell* We are approaching the two-year anniversary of the day U.S. Air Force Airman Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in an act of protest against our country's involvement in the genocide in Gaza. Please join us this week as we remember Aaron's sacrifice and cntue his good work. Sat Feb 21, 11am – Peirce Park, Bangor Wed Feb 25, Noon – 6 State St, on Kenduskeag bridge, Bangor Many of us like to ask ourselves, "What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow south? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country were committing genocide? The answer is, you're doing it. Right now." ~ Aaron Bushnell

===============
SAT FEB 21, 11:00AM
Peirce Park, Bangor
===============
REMEMBERING AARON BUSHNELL

"What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow south? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country were committing genocide? The answer is, you're doing it. Right now." ~Aaron Bushnell

Today’s Supreme Court ruling reaffirms that only Congress has the constitutional authority to impose tariffs, and the President can only do so under a clear and limited delegation of authority from Congress. My votes against the President unilaterally imposing tariffs on Canada reflected the same conclusion as well as my belief that these tariffs often harm Maine’s economy and consumers.

Susan Collins praises the Sup Ct ruling on tariffs...but she refused to lift a finger to kill the policy; declined to sign a legal brief arguing they were illegal; and actually PRAISED Trump for "working very hard" on the issue.

Behavior of a pundit -- not a senator with actual power. #MEpolitics

The ACLU of Maine's Legal Fights for Immigrants' Rights - ACLU of Maine Learn how we work in the courts and through public records to defend Maine people.

==================
TUES, FEB 24, 6:00PM
ACLU of MAINE UPDATE
==================
Maine's Legal Fights for Immigrants' Rights

Learn how we work in the courts and through public records to defend Maine people, defend immigrants’ rights, and hold law enforcement accountable.

Solidarity with #Ukraine
#NoWarWithIran
Still here in Portland #Maine !

This is catching on. There’s nothing Trump hates more than being ignored.

Democracy Docket members just received my analysis of why Susan Collins handed Trump the 50th vote against free and fair elections. To access all its premium content, including everything I write and exclusive events, sign up now. bit.ly/4qr0jTS

"Shallow understanding from people of good will" does not apply to Collins. She is calculating and deliberate in her support of party over country. As a Mainer, I'm hoping we can finally unseat her this year.

US star Mikaela Shiffrin wins slalom to break 8-year Olympic drought Mikaela Shiffrin’s eight-year Olympic medal drought is over. The American skiing standout has put in two dominant runs to win the women’s slalom by 1.50 seconds.

American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in women’s slalom, breaking an eight-year medal drought at the Winter Games.

Five Things to Know About the SAVE Act The House of Representatives will vote this week on H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act). Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the SAVE Act requires voters to provide docu...

The SAVE ACT severely restricts legal voting. It has passed the House & is before the Senate. CONTACT YOUR SENATORS. Demand they do NOT allow the SAVE ACT to pass: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

#EveryEffortCounts

A good explanation of the SAVE Act, what it does, and the harm it can do: