Maine Owl

Important Maine race


Excellent introduction video from 2008 senate candidate Tom Allen

Maine voters are rarely inclined to remove incumbent senators. U.S. Representative Tom Allen (D-1st District Maine), who is running to unseat Senator Susan Collins, offers the best chance we're going to have to get rid of this mendacious Republican.

She must be at least slightly worried. She has apparently approved a vile smear video that is indicative of the kind of dishonest campaign she will be running to save her seat. It's so grotesque that I'm only going to give you an indirect link. Follow through to this good comment HERE at Collins Watch for a link to view the smear.

Good Lord! That is a swiftboating/Rovian smear at its vile worst. Here's a response ad I'd like to see:

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[stills of Tom speaking forcefully]

"While Representative Tom Allen was standing up to President Bush and voting against war in October 2002, Senator Collins ignored her constituents"

[cut to small clip of Collins repeating weapons of mass destruction myths]

[cut to interview clip w/a very sane, rational expert from the local peace movement]

"We asked her to look at the information contrary to what the Administration was saying, but she wasn't interested"

[cut to a slightly less-than flattering picture of Collins mixed with some brief, rapidly changing awful war scenes]

Narration: "Senator Susan Collins did not stand up to President Bush when it really counted. Now she wants to blame people who opposed the war for the disaster she helped create"

[cut to black screen with Collins's phone number in center in white]

"Call Senator Collins and tell her you want the Iraq war ended now."
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Well, we'll probably never see this, but I sure do hope Tom will respond to the smear head on and forcefully!!

Update: Turn Maine Blue has more, asking, "Where will you be in 2018 Ms. Collins? Happy in retirement while others fight for your mistake?"

The response to the ad from Tom Allen is quoted at Turn Maine Blue,

Tom Allen believes that this campaign should be about ideas, substantive issues, and the future of our country. We are saddened that Sen. Collins has chosen to launch personal, negative attacks as characterized in this video. Such attacks and negativity are inappropriate for Maine.

Our support comes from thousands of individuals across the country - many of whom donated just $5 or $10 - who respect Tom's leadership on the war in Iraq. Tom Allen voted against the war in 2002 and has long stood for a responsible and safe way to bring our troops home.

We urge Senator Collins to rethink the strategy of attacking ordinary Americans for voicing their opinions on the most important issues of our time. Maine voters are expecting a lot from the candidates in this race, and Tom Allen looks forward to a substantive debate on the issues. Let's leave personal and partisan attacks out of it.

I think that the responses about small donations and the attack by Collins against "ordinary Americans voicing their opinions" are good ones. But I'd be careful about staking out too much of a "high road". Collins will have to be criticized if Tom is to win. If Tom boxes himself in too tightly, it will become difficult to point out how wrong Collins is on the "substantive issues" without facing a counter attack on the basis of "negativity."