Just as he's done in Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, etc, Brooklyn's Chuck Schumer has decided to choose who Maine's U.S. Senate nominee for the Susan Collins seat will be.
This is bad enough on the face, but Schumer almost always gets it wrong. He picks losers, and then, Republicans win seats. And when he does manage to come up with someone who can win, they always turn out to be the worst members of the Senate, like Kyrsten Sinema and Jackie Rosen.
He's decided he wants establishment hack Sara Gideon as the Maine candidate, someone who shies away from anything that ever 'rocks the boat' and opposes Medicare for All and the Green New Deal -- inexplicably-- just at a time of an existential tipping point for the country. The word "bold" is like a curse word for Gideon who has tried to present herself as similar to Susan Collins as she can without being Susan Collins.
The alternative to Collins and Gideon is progressive Democrat Betsy Sweet, who has been endorsed by Blue America.
"News of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States," Betsy told us this week, "has not only dominated the American news cycle but it has also remained a pivotal worry in the minds of millions of Americans. Each day, the fear grows greater that these hardworking Americans will contract the virus, left with no safety net to heal without concern.
Most vividly, the coronavirus is showing the holes in our systems of care. It showcases the vulnerability of working families and single moms like me who have high deductibles that far surpass the testing costs for COVID-19 as well as those who have no insurance at all. People without insurance are not going to be able to get the care they desperately need until it is too late. We have to do better."
"The coronavirus outbreak in the United States," she continued, "highlights two things most prominently-- the need for paid family leave and paid sick leave. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are actively advocating for Americans to stay home from their places of work, Americans need reassurance that their livelihoods aren’t threatened.
Without paid family leave and paid sick leave, parents risk spreading the virus to their friends, their coworkers, their children. More so, we need a health care system that works for all Americans so that they have access to the care and treatment they need. By implementing Medicare for All, every single American would have access to the tests for COVID-19 without worrying about being unable to afford their rent and groceries."
We need representatives who recognize the urgency and gravity of the situation. What do we get instead? Trump refusing to acknowledge the reality of the rapid spread of coronavirus throughout the country. McConnell recessing Congress when a reasonable bill finally passes, Biden relying on private insurance companies to overcharge hardworking Americans and price gouge in a time of dire straits. Candidates like Sara Gideon, Schumer's candidate in Maine, who refuse to acknowledge that health care is a human right. Mainers deserve better. Americans deserve better.
That leaves one clear path forwards-- Maine needs a Senator who not only recognizes that direct, immediate action is needed to counter the spread of COVID-19 but who also pushes forward bold ideas like paid family leave, paid sick leave, and Medicare for All that ensure that Americans can safely continue their lives and heal from coronavirus without astronomical medical bills.
Betsy Sweet is that candidate.
If we want candidates like Betsy to prevail, we need to help. We need to donate so that Betsy can push forward these bold progressive policies on a national stage. That's what the Blue America 2020 Senate thermometer is for. Please click on it and contribute what you can. Thank you!
