Shenna Bellows

One of Blue America's most dedicated supporters is offering an end-of-the-month match for Shenna Bellow's, the progressive Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Maine. As you can see, Blue America contributors have donated as much to Shenna's campaign as to all the other Senate candidates we are backing combined. But its going to take more than that to get her message out; she's up against Susan Collin's money machine. Collins is already swimming in $5,380,803, only 2% of it ($123,536) from small grassroots contributions.

The LGBT equality movement has been successful with the help of dedicated allies like Shenna Bellows and Marianne WilliamsonMaine Senator Susan Collins doesn't have a bad voting record on LGBT rights… for a Republican. Fir a normal human being, though, her record is awful-- and disgraceful.

LCV Climate Change poster child, Susan CollinsThe Establishment-oriented LGBT organization, HRC, endorsed Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has an record of studiously ignoring gay equality issues in Maine and voting precisely 50% of the time with conservatives and 50% of the time with normal senators on gay issues in DC.

This morning's two Supreme Court decisions-- one that allows employers claiming to have religious objections to discriminate against women's health needs and one that says public service unions can't compel members to pay dues-- were both decided late in the afternoon on January 30, 2006 when 19 Democrats crossed the aisle to

A generous Blue America supporter who matched contributions to Maine US Senate Democratic nominee Shenna Bellows in this year’s first quarter, is back again to match the first $1,000 contributed to Bellows through the our ActBlue page between now and Monday night at midnight.This supporter says "

I heard about HRC endorsing Susan Collins again a few hours ago. It seems to have surprised a lot of people. It would have surprised me if they hadn't. Susan Collins and HRC are made for each other. Don't they always. Last time, in fact, was the same year they chose not to endorse Tammy Baldwin's congressional election, the same year I removed them from my will.

Ron Johnson is pretty much acknowledged to be one of the dimmest bulbs in the Senate-- and one of the most ideologically stubborn. He's Wisconsin's far right senator whose 52-47% defeat of Russ Feingold in 2010 was one of that very upsetting year's biggest upsets. Many in Wisconsin have been very sorry ever since. Example: 2 weeks ago only 3 crackpots in the whole Senate voted against the bipartisan compromise authorizing desperately needed money for the V.A.

Shenna Bellows has a record of fighting for equality. Susan Collins has a record of dragging her feet and compromising away basic rights for peopleI imagine that immigration activists must stay awake late into the night from time to time wondering what gay activists did that they didn't to get such incredible treatment for their platform. And advocates for economic equality must be ready to commit suicide over the same question.

As you may have guessed, I'm really enjoying Elizabeth Warren's new book, A Fighting Chance and hope you're either reading it too or will soon. The book makes it so clear why we're progressives and not garden variety partisans on either side of the aisle. This morning, I thought I'd share a couple of paragraphs from the book with you.

Yesterday, the Republicans successfully filibustered Elizabeth Warren's Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act. All 44 cosponsors are Democrats and all 38 filibusterers were Republicans. It needed 60 votes but fell 4 short.