A Sept. 20 letter to the editor (“Sen. Collins should have protected us from RFK Jr.“) points out another example of why many people in Maine, Ohio (like me) and everywhere in the country look forlornly back to the time when there were senators who seriously considered the real impacts of their votes. 

How many times have senators like Susan Collins voted for clearly questionable, unqualified or even dangerous Trump nominees?  I know there have been quite a few such instances in Ohio, so Sen. Collins is not alone. Senators can come up with all sorts of justifications for their votes: trust in what the candidate says in hearings or personal meetings, fear, loyalty to a president, disdain for the other political party, etc. Nothing they say excuses their failure to consider what their votes will ultimately mean.

Mainers were incredibly fortunate to experience the courage and decency of their Sen. Margaret Chase Smith. She recognized the significance of every one of her votes. And none of us should ever forget the time she stood in the U.S. Senate chamber and, in the face of the country’s toxic atmosphere, chastised  her colleagues: “I think it is high time for the United States Senate … to do some soul searching — for us to weigh our consciences — on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America….”

Current senators could learn a lot in reflecting on those words. And the whole country would no doubt benefit if they did so.

Stephen Gladstone
Cleveland, Ohio