As a longtime Mainer, I have become increasingly discouraged watching what has happened to the Republican Party and to many elected officials who once claimed to value institutional integrity, accountability and independent leadership.

What concerns me most is not only President Trump’s behavior, but how normalized so much of it has become within today’s political environment. Only a few years ago, many ethical controversies, attacks on institutions, inflammatory rhetoric and open pressure on government agencies would have generated strong bipartisan condemnation. Today, far too many elected officials either remain silent or offer carefully worded statements of “concern” while continuing to politically support and enable it all.

Unfortunately, I include Sen. Susan Collins in that disappointment. For many years, Mainers viewed Sen. Collins as someone willing to stand apart from party pressure when principle and constitutional norms were at stake. Unfortunately, many longtime supporters no longer see that independence. At a time when stronger leadership and clearer opposition to abuses of power are needed, her responses have too often felt cautious, politically calculated and ineffective.

Many moderate Republicans, independents and longtime conservative voters now feel politically homeless. We are exhausted by the constant chaos and the growing sense that political loyalty matters more than integrity or accountability.

History will judge not only Trump, but those who failed to meaningfully stand up when it mattered most.

Raymond Toothaker
Yarmouth/Sarasota, Fla.