# Olympia Snowe retiring **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 28, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292 "2012-02-28T22:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/1 "2012-02-28T22:52:48Z")
… [after her current term.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/maine-sen-olympia-snowe-to-retire-in-blow-to-gop/2012/02/28/gIQAkzWkgR_blog.html#excerpt) She was the Ben Nelson of Democrats. Who’s likely to run in her place? How will this affect the balance of power in the Senate? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/2 "2012-02-28T22:55:23Z")
Snowe and Collins are the last Republican Senators in the Northeast, aren’t they? Offhand it looks like a pickup for the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/3 "2012-02-28T23:02:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Snowe and Collins are the last Republican Senators in the Northeast, aren’t they? Offhand it looks like a pickup for the Democrats. There’s Scott Brown of Mass., Pat Toomey of Penn. and Kelly Ayotte of N.H. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/4 "2012-02-28T23:16:50Z")
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), will not seek re-election after four terms. With her departure, the GOP moves further to the crazy, and loses a moderating voice from a party which can ill afford the loss. She cited [increasing partisanship in her decision](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-pn-olympia-snowe-wont-run-reelection-20120228,0,87533.story): > [@](#): > > The 65-year-old, who had also served in the House for eight terms, said she came to the decision in part after reflecting on the increasingly rancorous climate in Washington. > > “I am a fighter at heart, and I am well prepared for the electoral battle,” she said in a statement. “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.” If Republicans were counting on holding on to her seat, they had better be prepared to find someone who rejects the current standard of hyper-conservative posturing for any GOP candidate. Maine simply won’t bow to the “who-is-more-conservative” game that seems to determine who can run in the Republican party these days. I predict an easy win for the Democrats, as they pick up another seat in their march to a super-majority in the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/5 "2012-02-28T23:20:19Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > There’s Scott Brown of Mass., Pat Toomey of Penn. and Kelly Ayotte of N.H. I realize now that I was thinking of New England, not the whole Northeast. Brown may be toast in November, which would leave just Collins and Ayotte unless the Republicans can find someone moderate to keep Snowe’s seat. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/6 "2012-02-28T23:20:37Z")
I’ve merged **Fear Itself** ’s OP into this thread. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/7 "2012-02-28T23:20:51Z")
This makes the President for Life Amendment prospects better. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/8 "2012-02-28T23:24:02Z")
Sorry, didn’t see this thread. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/9 "2012-02-28T23:35:01Z")
Hope the Tea Party teaparties any moderate Pubbie to run for her seat. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/10 "2012-02-29T00:00:08Z")
Well, that certainly brightens up the math for the Dems a little bit for 2012. Certainly the GOP might still hold the seat, but its gone from a sure thing to something like 50-50. I would assume on of Maine’s two House of Rep members will be the Dem candidate. Not sure who the GOP will put up. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/11 "2012-02-29T00:14:30Z")
Also, kinda dick to announce your retiring after primaries have been held and just two weeks before the filing deadline for the general. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/12 "2012-02-29T00:48:42Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Also, kinda dick to announce your retiring after primaries have been held and just two weeks before the filing deadline for the general. Maybe she’s trying to torpedo the chances of her own party to replace her. She’s complaining about the hyper-partisanship, and she’s smart enough to know where it’s coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/13 "2012-02-29T01:11:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Maybe she’s trying to torpedo the chances of her own party to replace her. She’s complaining about the hyper-partisanship, and she’s smart enough to know where it’s coming from. I hate when Senators complain about the hyper-partisanship in the Senate, like the Senate is some huge impersonal institution. Its 100 people. The reason the senate is hyper-partisan is because people like Olympia Snowe allow it to be. If she wanted the Senate to be less hyper-partisan, then the solution would be for her to stay in the Senate and not be hyper-partisan. Instead, she’s going to step-down, and be replaced by some other hyper-partisan Senator. With Snowe its especially galling, since she obviously agreed with Obama on a lot of things. And on things she didn’t agree with, its not like the WH hasn’t been willing to compromise. In return for her vote, I suspect Obama would’ve basically let her write her own Healthcare bill or financial regulation bill. She was the Senator with the coolest name, though. So I guess there’s that to miss her for. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/14 "2012-02-29T01:15:51Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I hate when Senators complain about the hyper-partisanship in the Senate, like the Senate is some huge impersonal institution. Its 100 people. The reason the senate is hyper-partisan is because people like Olympia Snowe allow it to be. If she wanted the Senate to be less hyper-partisan, then the solution would be for her to stay in the Senate and not be hyper-partisan. She’s being doing that for a while. Do you feel like things have gotten less hyper-partisan lately? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/15 "2012-02-29T01:16:40Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Not sure who the GOP will put up. The dude who is running to Snowe’s right and trying to primary her was crowing that no other GOP candidate would be able to certify in time to get on the ballot. I have no idea how accurate his blustering is. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/16 "2012-02-29T01:21:05Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I hate when Senators complain about the hyper-partisanship in the Senate, like the Senate is some huge impersonal institution. Its 100 people. The reason the senate is hyper-partisan is because people like Olympia Snowe allow it to be. If she wanted the Senate to be less hyper-partisan, then the solution would be for her to stay in the Senate and not be hyper-partisan. Instead, she’s going to step-down, and be replaced by some other hyper-partisan Senator. > > With Snowe its especially galling, since she obviously agreed with Obama on a lot of things. And on things she didn’t agree with, its not like the WH hasn’t been willing to compromise. In return for her vote, I suspect Obama would’ve basically let her write her own Healthcare bill or financial regulation bill. > > She was the Senator with the coolest name, though. So I guess there’s that to miss her for. Snowe was one of the few who weren’t hyper partisan, and she did give her vote to Obama on some issues like the Stimulus Bill. The Senate especially hasn’t always been like it is now, the hyper partisanship is a relatively recent development that has become much worse under our current president. I can see why she wouldn’t want to put up with it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/17 "2012-02-29T01:30:34Z")
Any hint that a talk with her doctor has altered her outlook? First thing I thought, given the timing as **Simp** mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/18 "2012-02-29T01:36:05Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The dude who is running to Snowe’s right and trying to primary her was crowing that no other GOP candidate would be able to certify in time to get on the ballot. Let’s hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/19 "2012-02-29T01:55:23Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > She’s being doing that for a while. Do you feel like things have gotten less hyper-partisan lately? She crosses the aisle occasionally (more then any sitting Senator, I suspect). But thats all she does. When the Senate was 59-41, she could’ve pretty easily been the most powerful person in the country. Write her own legislation, get Reid and Obama to bring the Dems along and convince a few GOPers to cross with her. Snowe is to the right of the Dems, any legislation she writes is likely to be something they’re not thrilled with, but still close enough that with Obama’s influence they’d pass. Instead she acts like she’s some cog in the machine with no influence on events, no leverage, and the hyper-partisanship of the Senate is something being imposed on her and her fellows. Its not, the Senate is a very small group of people, if they want to pass things, they can. I have more respect for Senators that don’t cross the aisle because they’re real hyper-partisans and vote against things because they can’t see any middle ground. For people like Snowe and McCain and Graham, Collins and Luger, they’re not sticking by their party out of principal, they’re doing it because despite accepting a position in a legislative body, they’re too meek to actually take the responsibility of passing legislation. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292/20 "2012-02-29T02:21:39Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Any hint that a talk with her doctor has altered her outlook? First thing I thought, given the timing as **Simp** mentioned. I’ll note this to consider her for next year’s Death Pool list. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympia-snowe-retiring/614292.md?page=2)