---
[ WORLD WATCH ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch)
# The Despicable Susan Collins Is Irate … A Constituent Actually Asked Her Some Questions
October 14 2019
Written by Abby Zimet.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
**CITYWATCH TODAY**--Poor Sen. Susan 'Sure Let's Put Drunken Rapists On the Supreme Court 'Cause What Could Possibly Go Wrong' [Collins,](https://twitter.com/SenatorCollins) who hasn't held a Town Hall or otherwise inter-acted with the people she purportedly serves since the days she still had a fragment of a spine, just endured the indignity of one of those uppity constituents - gasp - asking what she thought about some stuff.
The outrage occurred as she was waiting to board a flight from D.C. to Portland; several other passengers also waited, including Erik Mercer, a Portland social worker who with his teacher husband Sandro Sechi was the subject of a documentary, "The Guys Next Door," about their life as gay dads of two kids. Mercer politely asked if he could chat with Collins; she was entirely willing until the first of the dreaded questions came. Did she think soliciting foreign interference in our elections was a crime? Collins, no doubt "concerned," or maybe it was "disappointed," wouldn't answer. What did she think of Trump's incessant spewing of hateful rhetoric toward immigrants, people of color, all those "others" who aren't rich white straight men? Collins, "chagrined" this time - or "perturbed"? - wouldn't answer, though she did briefly babble about the "lack of civility" in D.C. And was she yay or nay on impeachment? Stonewall City, revisited. Mercer, under the impression they'd had a civil conversation, later recalled, "We parted agreeing to disagree."
Imagine his surprise, then, when boarding began and he heard Collins complaining to other passengers that a constituent had been "rude" to her. *Rude?* So now it's "rude" to ask [elected officials](https://twitter.com/mcm50_karen/status/1183359113058799617) - who work for us, who are paid by us, whose job is to be accountable to us - what they believe these fraught days? Hey Collins: Listen up.
It's rude to facilitate the dismantling of women's health care. It's rude to be complicit in the slow disintegration of our judicial system and democracy as we know it. It's rude to call yourself a moderate and vote with fascists virtually all the time. It's rude to rake in $1.8 million, of which just 1% came from Mainers, for putting a drunk, liar and rapist on our highest court. It's rude to have the chutzpah and arrogance to whine when someone calls you on your sins.
And it's rude not to recognize that you, along with Mitch McConnell, are the single most compelling, toxic argument for term limits - which is why you have two excellent, [well-funded ](https://www.commondreams.org/further/2019/10/13/%20https%3A/mashable.com/article/susan-collins-kavanaugh-crowdfunding-opponent/)challengers, Sara [Gideon](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ads-gs-evergreendtd?refcode=ads-190701-gs-evergreen_dtd-me-searchers_brandedkeys-ad1&gclid=CjwKCAjwlovtBRBrEiwAG3XJ-zKeCiFEAFxVxW4Jufs_V0-ojkAkvFOYOxxQxjuDad4OIUkvN6ywXRoCPDoQAvD_BwE) and Betsy [Sweet](https://betsysweet.com/). In response to their encounter, meanwhile, the heroic Mercer [took out ](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/13/1892132/-Portland-Maine-Resident-Takes-Out-Full-Page-Ad-in-Portland-Press-Herald-To-School-Susan-Collins)a full-page ad in Portland's *Maine Sunday Telegram* titled, "Sen. Collins, You Said I Was Rude." He recounted the conversation, noted the stonewalling at every turn, and concluded, "It was my intention to do the work of a democracy, but you were unwilling to participate in that."
He said other passengers on the flight thanked him for approaching Collins, and added that he, and they, are still waiting for [answers](https://twitter.com/Speakwoman/status/1183383257800249345) to their questions. We only have one for her: Why are you still friggin' here?
*(CityWatch guest columnist, Abby Zimet, writes for the excellent Common Dreams … where this piece was first posted.) Photo credit: Enjoying a good one, no doubt at the expense of women's health and lives. Getty Image.*
*-cw*
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/116 "USA Radio Museum - Wide")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")
## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays
First Name
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/110 "Something You Should Know")
---
## Featured CityWatch Stories
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/election-2024/33710-bass-is-out-raman-is-in-is-los-angeles-trading-failure-for-a-bigger-crisis)
### [Bass Is Out. Raman Is In. Is Los Angeles Trading Failure for a Bigger Crisis?](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/election-2024/33710-bass-is-out-raman-is-in-is-los-angeles-trading-failure-for-a-bigger-crisis)
THE BOTTOM LINE - Karen Bass lost the confidence of Los Angeles voters. Nithya Raman won their support. But can a new m…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33687-first-test-of-next-governor-s-leadership-demand-a-full-forensic-audit-of-bullet-train)
### [First Test of Next Governor`s Leadership: Demand a Full Forensic Audit of Bullet Train](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33687-first-test-of-next-governor-s-leadership-demand-a-full-forensic-audit-of-bullet-train)
NICK’S VIEW - For a case study in lost public trust and squandered taxpayer money, look no further than California’s hi…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33698-a-great-night-for-america-and-a-warning-to-both-parties)
### [A Great Night for America—and a Warning to Both Parties](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33698-a-great-night-for-america-and-a-warning-to-both-parties)
FRED TALK - The opinions in this column are solely mine and I stand by them. I did not write yesterday because I wanted…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33704-nithyas-budget-buzz-saw)
### [Nithya’s Budget Buzz Saw](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33704-nithyas-budget-buzz-saw)
LA WATCHDOG - Nithya Raman, our new mayor, will inherit a budget that is a river of red ink. According to the First Fi…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33709-progress-not-presto-chango)
### [Progress, Not Presto-Chango](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33709-progress-not-presto-chango)
IN MY VIEW - If We Want People Off the Streets, We Have to Give Them Somewhere to Go. I was about five years old, wa…
---
## [ WORLD WATCH ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/33600-israels-fateful-election-a-nation-on-the-brink)### [Israel’s Fateful Election: A Nation On The Brink](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/33600-israels-fateful-election-a-nation-on-the-brink)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/33501-the-slow-motion-erasure-of-the-west-bank)### [The Slow-Motion Erasure Of The West Bank](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/33501-the-slow-motion-erasure-of-the-west-bank)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32951-venezuela-needs-the-world-more-than-ever-english-spanish)### [Venezuela Needs the World More Than Ever \[English & Spanish\]](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32951-venezuela-needs-the-world-more-than-ever-english-spanish)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32873-netanyahus-betrayal-of-israels-promise)### [Netanyahu’s Betrayal Of Israel’s Promise](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32873-netanyahus-betrayal-of-israels-promise)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32727-turkeys-egregious-human-rights-violations-are-beyond-the-pale)### [Turkey’s Egregious Human Rights Violations Are Beyond The Pale](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/world-watch/32727-turkeys-egregious-human-rights-violations-are-beyond-the-pale)