KSGF Mornings Blog

Olympia Snowe's real problem

By Nick Reed CREATED Feb. 29, 2012

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Maine Senator Olympia Snowe has announced that she will not seek reelection in 2012. In announcing her plans, she said, "Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate."

So in other words, you are going to retire because it is just to hard now? Because everybody in Washington doesn't play nice you are going to take your toys and go home? Wow, talk about true dedication. Let's not fool ourselves here. There has always been the "partisanship" in Washington she pretends to now loath. Democrats have always fought with Republicans and Republicans have always fought with Democrats. Though in the last couple of years a new team has thrown their hat into the ring. The American people.

For the majority of Snowe's political career, voters been spectators, save for election day. Olympia Snowe was a Republican and could count on republican voters to support her. To not ask questions and then demand answers. And most importantly to pull that lever on election day.

Something changed over the last four years(give or take). Many voters quit being loyalists and began being participants. Instead of defending a Senator Snowe vote simply because she had an (R) next to her name, republican voters began to ask "why?". Unfortunately for Snowe, many didn't like the answer. Particularly when they watched in disbelief as she cast the vote allowing Obamacare to move to a floor vote, paving the ways for socialized medicine.

Snowe may cast herself as above the partisanship fighting but we know better. It isn't the Republicans or Democrat politicians she has a problem with. It is the voters.