It’s saddening, yet woefully predictable, that Republican Senator Russell Black voted against the bi-partisan emergency relief bill meant to address rising heating oil costs. We’re left guessing about the Senator’s sudden opposition to a measure he and his GOP cronies have demanded all through his election campaign. Centrist Republicans had helped create this bi-partisan bill; but MAGA extremists helped to block this much-needed bill in the State Senate. What is most perplexing is there was no valid reason to vote against this emergency relief—none whatsoever.
Why did Russell Black join with four other Republicans to block emergency aid for heating oil costs? The emergency relief was carefully negotiated by Janet Mills with the leadership of the House and Senate. But now with the Democrats in majority, the emergency relief bill was seized by dissident Republicans, and jammed in sideways to block the relief pipeline. Even if this rejection of compromise means the people of Maine must suffer. How dare you, the people of Maine, vote to give the Democrats the majority—so freeze you traitors!
Heating oil costs were the only thing the GOP could find to blame Governor Mills and her administration, so the GOP latched onto it, hoping it would be the stake to drive through Janet Mills heart. The credo of the far-right conservatives taking over the state GOP is not to compromise with Democrats in any shape, way, or form. Does it seem to the GOP the true path to power lies through madness, of extreme rejection of reality and the democratic principles based on it?
In a previous letter to the editor, I predicted the implosion of the Maine Republican party, an implosion now happening before our eyes. The bright future promised for the Maine GOP is proving only to be dim and murky. The optimism predicted for the Maine GOP is proving to be just cynical manipulation. The bright future envisaged seems to be obstructing any measure to aid the people of Maine, while fighting for actual control of the state Republican party, fiddling about while Maine freezes.
William D. Jennings
Farmington, Maine
