Sen. Susan Collins: Ideologically-Driven Groups Have Helped Kill Compromise in Washington

image
Published: 01 May, 2017
1 min read

https://youtu.be/WDH9oLh6WXg

The divide between the left and the right continues to grow with no end in sight.

Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) sat down with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press this past Sunday to provide their take as some of the more independent-minded members of the Senate, on the causes, effects, and solutions to polarization.

"The rise of ideologically-driven groups on both the left and the right who are requiring 100 percent compliance with 100 percent of their views 100 percent of the time, and the threat for members if that if they don't comply, they will face a well-funded primary opponent," said Collins.

DNC Chair Tom Perez's statement last week provided a perfect example of this. Perez stated that the DNC would only support candidates that toe a specific ideological line; namely, being pro-choice is "not negotiable." While many Democrats are likely inclined to agree with this, having such hardline stances could serve to hurt the party in the long run; especially, in more conservative parts of the country.

King believes that the death of bipartisanship can to some degree be attributed to the fact that legislators don't really get to know one another anymore. "We leave on Thursday night, come back Monday morning. No one lives here anymore. When I worked here 40 years ago in the Senate, everyone lived here, their family was here. People literally don't get to know each other," King said.

Are they right? What do you think?

You Might Also Like

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
California Prop 50 gets an F
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read