As the $789 economic stimulus plan is being signed today by President Barack Obama in Denver, two women deserve much of the credit. Without the leadership of Maine Senator Susan Collins and her colleague Senator Olympia Snowe, there would be no signing ceremony today.
The two Republican women, joined by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, were the three lonely Republicans who forged a compromise bill. It was Senator Collins who took the lead in stepping across the aisle to talk to Democrats, something considered unseemly by her Republican friends.
"It was very hard," she told the New York Times. "These are my friends. I work with them every day. I believe I have done the right thing, but there is a cost, there is a definite cost."
Why were these two women willing to pay a cost that all but one of their male colleagues refused? Could it be that they are less afraid of the words "compromise," and "bi-partisanship," than the guys they work with? Is it something about the state of Maine, which has elected both Republicans and Democrats in its history?
Or do they have their ear to the ground more closely than the Republicans who voted in lock-step against the stimulus bill? They know that the people of Maine are hurting in this depressed economy, but so are people in every state of the country, including the bright red states.
Or—could it have something to do with the fact that they are women?
While the rest of the Congress saw the stimulus as a chance to fight a battle against the new President, these women used this opportunity to create a solution. They were less interested in winning a partisan fight and more interested in coming up with results.
Senator Collins observed, "This crisis is extraordinary, and my constituents don't expect me to stay on the sidelines. They expect me to jump in. People don't want us to be the party that says no, just no."
People often speculate whether women elected to office make a difference based on their gender. Are they less likely to go for the jugular; are they more likely to seek solutions? What we witnessed with the economic stimulus plan does not meet the requirements of a study which would give us the answers. But it is a stunning example of what a couple of women can accomplish when they forget party labels and do the hard work of crafting legislation—which by its nature demands compromise.
Think of what the Congress might accomplish if we had a few more women like them on both sides of the aisle.
This was originally posted at Chelsea Green.
Madeleine M. Kunin is the former Governor of Vermont and was the state's first woman governor. She served as Ambassador to Switzerland for President Clinton, and was on the three-person panel that chose Al Gore to be Clinton's VP. She is the author of Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead from Chelsea Green Publishing.
Do they fortify their water with independence or something?
Around the elections, I went looking to find out which Congresspeople voted across party lines most often. At the time, Snowe was in first place at (35% of her votes were against party line) and Collins was right behind her (32%). They were waaay in the lead; there was a big gap between them and the next bunch.
Most Congresspeople were in the very low teens and below.
And there was a three-way tie at 1% (don't remember their names).
Second where have these so called great woman been for the past eight years? The reason we're in this mess is because of woman like them who have been pushing Reaganomics down our throats since the 1980's. If they had any guts at all they would of changed their party association years ago.
To chaz's list, I add Kay Bailey Hutchison, Michelle Bachman and Michelle Malkin to the list of irrational crazies.
They should not be applauded for watering down the House bill.
As in "We the people." Or as in Us vs. Them "We."
"We the people" need all of our political leaders (I use that term loosely) to come together to support this nation during a difficult time.
The brainless and very destructive Us vs. Them attitude of the two political parties has done more to harm democracy and the strengths of this country than any other force this earth could have mustered.
Maine is a very economically poor state. Unemployment was already high, good jobs were already scarce, education and healthcare are not in great shape.
At least its two Senators are honest enough to accept that and to try to stand for their constituents interests in the face of what I am sure was some very rough treatment by the Taliban Party's leaders.
There is also the reality that Maine went Democratic in the last election even though it has been Republican for a considerable time and Collins and Snowe are both Republicans. Collins was just reelected but both are probably feeling a little insecure about their Senate seats at this point.
The more the Taliban party loyalists have to turn against tyranny in order to answer the needs of their voters, the better off the Obama administration and the better off this country will be.
Wimmin always think farther than their noses to the next generations; men usually think only of power and breeding rights.................So, yeah, I think this is a function of womonhood.
I'm sorry, but to come out here and claim that the bill that was passed in the Senate was the better bill, and that they would refuse to vote for anything out of Conference that didn't match their original vote........
Harry should have stood up to ALL the Republicans and said, "Go ahead, filibuster my bill!"
What was that saying about putting lipstick on a pig? Why lie and bend the truth like this?
floors, their states and constituents will benefit from the Stimulus Bill.
They had the best of two worlds. They pretended to have morals and convictions to trick the less politically educated (their constituents), while behind the scenes take advantage of the Bill they railed against.
It is the political American way.
Senator Snowe is ProChoice, which is not consistent with Republican ideology. In many ways other than this, she and Senator Collins have not voted in lock step with their party colleagues and remain very independent. They represent their constituents, not their colleagues.
I am grateful to them for putting themselves into the mix and working to solve the issue rather than the nonsensical insanity and immaturity and obstructionist behavior of their colleagues. These are Women of Substance. And Senator Spector has risked his re-election to do his job. I hope the people of Pennsylvania will respect him and send him back.
Collins should be shamed into voting for a better bill, not taking glory for making it worse.
As soon the federal money floods into the Repotaliban's states, and they don't try to stop the flow, it will be very difficult for the Taliban Party to keep their "dam" lies from washing away in the outflow.