Email this page
Print this page
del.icio.us
digg
At 2:45 a.m. on July 18, the corridors outside the august chambers of the U.S. Senate were littered with pizza boxes and cots. Inside, the air buzzed with partisan bickering. That’s when Sen. Olympia Snowe stepped to the microphone.
She rose, she said, “to speak to the monumental, consequential matter before us with regard to the future course of the United States and our courageous men and women in Iraq,” and to support a Democratic amendment to a defense spending bill that would have set an April 2008 deadline to begin bringing troops home. In doing so, she became one of the first Republicans to oppose the president, and her party, on the Iraq war.
“I believe a dramatic and fundamental change in our strategy in Iraq is essential,” Snowe said. And later, “We can no longer afford to place more American servicemen and -women in harm’s way to instill a peace that the Iraqis seem unwilling to seek for themselves.”
It was the latest example of Snowe’s willingness to stand alone when she believes it’s required. It also represented the force that has made her one of the most powerful members of the Senate, and an election-winning machine in a state where people respect that independence. Many times in her career, Senator Snowe’s yea or nay has been the one that makes the difference. In the end, that night wasn’t one of them, but she at least made her point.
“That’s the pressure you have to endure at times,” Snowe says, “but you have to recognize that it’s that moment in time that you can effect change for the good. I understand that role. I don’t hesitate to play it when I think it’s important. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith once said, ‘It is high time that we stopped thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and start thinking as Americans.’ I believe that.”
Snowe’s come a long way, from a childhood filled with tragedy to a senator who’s very comfortable in the halls of Washington power. Born in Augusta of first- and second-generation Greek immigrants, she lost both parents before the age of 10 and was raised by an aunt and uncle in Auburn. Her first husband, Peter, died in a 1973 car accident, and she was persuaded to run for his seat in the Maine House. She won, at age 26, and a political career was born. Snowe rose quickly to the Maine Senate, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate. She married then-Governor John “Jock” McKernan, a Bangor native and Bangor High graduate, in 1989, and served as Maine’s first lady while in the U.S. House.
Snowe has never lost an election, and won nearly 74% of the vote in the 2006 race. Bowdoin professor Christian Potholm said her record is “the standard against which all post-war political figures must be judged in terms of electoral success.” She enjoys the highest approval rate of any U.S. senator (79%), has been touted as one of Time magazine’s Ten Best Senators, and even spawned a grassroots campaign to get her to run for president (www.olympiasnowe2008.com). She says she will not.
Bangor Metro talked to Senator Snowe about her trips home to Maine, casting the deciding vote, being a trailblazer, and what she learns from her constituents.
You travel home just about every weekend, often for Main Street Tours. What do you hope to gain from those tours?
This is my 29th year of doing those. It’s really the ideal way to capture people’s views, what their concerns are, get to know your constituency, and also to become familiar with the communities and the changes that occur over time. It’s an informal way of having conversations with constituents that otherwise might not happen. They might not normally be willing to share those views, but if you approach them, introduce yourself, and, in a casual way, ask them what they’re thinking, they may be more apt to converse and share their concerns. During the course of campaigns, it’s a great means of polling. I can tell when I’m up and I can tell when I’m down.
How? By seeing how many people are out to see you?
No. Just by what they say to you, how they approach, their demeanor. I had a close call back in 1990, and I didn’t need to have any poll to tell me that it was a tough year, with the recession and a lot of other issues. It wasn’t about me. They wanted to send a message. The polls were suggesting that I was in good shape, and I had high approval, but I sensed otherwise. I learn a great deal from my constituents, things I can translate to action in Washington.
Do you have a favorite story from a meeting with a constituent that led you to take some action in the Senate?
I introduced the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act based on my conversations with Bonnie Lee Tucker, from Hampden. Her family faced multigenerations of breast cancer, and Bonnie said her daughter was hesitant about genetic testing, because she was afraid there would be a bias by health insurers and also employers. She was afraid she could lose her health insurance or even her job. I introduced that legislation in 1997, to prevent discrimination by employers and insurers who use genetic testing. It’s 10 years later—which is a long story in itself—but it’s going to happen ultimately, hopefully this session, and it all emerged and flowed from that conversation.
You’ve obviously acquired some patience over the years. Where does it come from?
I got an early start in local politics, and that’s been important every step of the way. Serving in the state legislature gave me a greater appreciation for that local level of politics, and understanding the art of legislating and consensus-building. That’s where I first learned the art of compromising, and how important and central it is to getting things done, to solving problems. I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my political career.
What do you see as your most important achievements as a senator?
I would say the efforts with BRAC [Base Closure and Realignment Commission], not just my own but the whole Maine delegation, is something I’m really proud of. SCHIP [the State Children’s Health Insurance Program] is very important to me, something I’ve fought for since the program’s inception. It’s so important for this country to invest in the health of our children, and make sure that gets properly funded. I’m also proud of the way our whole delegation has worked to help the workers of Maine through the difficulties of mill closures, to get them back on their feet, and to find solutions. These are all issues that we need to keep working on.
You’re the fourth woman to be elected to both houses of Congress, and the first to serve in both houses of the legislature at the state and federal level. As a woman, do you take a special pride in those kinds of “firsts”?
Yes. Breaking barriers demonstrates that you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t have to be political. Whatever sphere of life, whatever profession you desire, every time you break one of those barriers it becomes another critical benchmark for women in America. Young women have to see that there are women in high places. A little girl saw a picture of me and she said, “Mommy, that’s Olympia Snowe. She works in Washington, she shows that girls can do what boys can do.” [Laughs] And I think that’s exactly right. That’s what it’s all about.
I fought to have a statue placed in the rotunda of the Capitol, one that had been languishing in the basement since the 1920s. It was in honor of the amendment that gave women the right to vote, with three women, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. People called it “Three Women in a Bathtub,” and said it weighed too much, it wasn’t very attractive, that it’d be too expensive to put it up in the rotunda. So I said, “It begs the question as to how all the other statues got there.” We fought, and we got that up there in 1996.
It must make you proud to be half of a two-woman Senate delegation from Maine.
Maine’s always been a forerunner in embracing women in leadership roles. There’s always been a high proportion of women serving in state and local offices. Think of the legendary Margaret Chase Smith, with her independence and her ability and willingness to stand up and demonstrate uncommon courage. She renounced the demagoguery of McCarthyism. She did what 94 of her colleagues, male colleagues, dared not to do in her second year in the Senate—back then, when freshmen were supposed to be seen and not heard. She was the only woman in the Senate and she was a Republican denouncing a Republican. That’s courage, and conviction.
How does losing your parents as a child and then losing your first husband help to shape you today?
I was very fortunate to have my aunt and uncle, and my cousins, who were supportive, along with my church. So many people played a critical role in my own personal survival, and the ability to overcome those things. Irrespective of what happens in life, just know that it is possible. The day will get better, and when you have the support of family and friends, and church and school, you can get through. I think that’s part of my Greek heritage. My mother’s from the Spartan side, with that sort of fighting instinct to survive. My life could’ve turned out much differently. But with all the help I had, I was able to figure out, “What can I do to overcome it and make it into something positive?”
Other than your Main Street Tours, what do you look forward to when you’re coming home?
If I can just totally relax, it’s having dinner with friends or family. My husband’s family has a house up in Hancock Point they’ve had for over 100 years, and it’s always great to go up there, and be able to sit on the dock or get out on the boat, sailing. My husband and I like to go to movies. And also playing tennis. We used to be able to do that more frequently; it’s just fun to play a great set of doubles with friends, and get that exercise, too. Usually, though, we’ll go to dinner or the movies.
I’m told you and he have a strong Bangor area connection.
My husband’s from Bangor, a graduate of Bangor High School. He played basketball and tennis and all that. He still gets articles from the paper about his athletic exploits—people find clips and give them to him. His father used to own the Penobscot Times in Old Town, and when he died, Jock’s mother kept it going for 10 years. His father was also a sports broadcaster, and used to do the high school tournament games in Bangor. I love that tournament. It’s fascinating because it’s part of the history of the communities in this state, especially in northern and central Maine. I went to basketball games in high school, at Edward Little. But that Bangor tournament was all so different. It’s incredible.
Former Governor McKernan is now executive chairman of Education Management Corp. out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When do the two of you get to spend time in the same place?
Generally, what we do is to meet up in Maine. Our jobs are all-consuming during the week, morning, noon, and night. I mean, long days. It’s mostly weekends, but it works very well. It might not work for somebody else, but it works for us. We always think it’s quality time when we can sit together on a plane going to Washington. Often when I go back on Sunday nights, he and I will fly to Washington and then he flies to Pittsburgh from there.
Is there part of you that finds it amazing where you are today?
If I have time to think, yes. I think about Augusta and I go by where I used to live. I remember being in my father’s restaurant on State Street. You can’t help but think about that journey. I try to convey to young people that you don’t know where life will take you and there’s no straight path. You have to identify opportunities and seize those moments, and you’ve got to confront challenges and obstacles. The key is to be determined and focused and know that you can overcome them ultimately. It’s easy for me to say this standing here today, but I didn’t know I’d be standing here today. I didn’t have any idea I’d be a U.S. senator.
The last few years have made you one of the most powerful members of the Senate. Was that role something you worked to achieve? Was it thrust upon you in some ways?
One vote can make a difference, and you have to understand how to use the power of your position and the place in which you find yourself. How powerful I am is immaterial. What it is is using my position, with my vote, to affect and craft the best policies that are in the best interests of my constituents and the country. Sometimes I could see that my vote—and obviously, there’s always considerable pressure—could make the difference, between yes or no. It happened with the tax cut, and I said no. I tell young people never be afraid to stand alone, because there are times in which you’re going to have to face those circumstances, but if you believe in what you’re doing and you’re passionate that what you’re doing is right, then you’ve got to fight for it.
You’ve been praised for bipartisanship and labeled a moderate. Where do you see yourself on the political spectrum?
I call it the sensible center [laughs]. Basically, it’s where the majority of Mainers and Americans want elected officials to legislate, and that’s the truth. Unfortunately, the political process becomes so ideological and partisan: You’re on the left or you’re on the right, and there’s an effort to really decimate the center. That’s happened with the Republican Party, and it’s happening in the Democratic Party, as well. We’re losing the center, and you need the center in order to build consensus. If it becomes an all-or-nothing proposition, it’s hard to bridge the political divide and craft solutions to problems. Is it any wonder today that Congress is held in such low regard by the American people, worse than ever?
You’ve also been called a RINO [Republican in Name Only] and blasted for not being loyal to the party. How do you respond?
I represent the traditional principles of the Republican Party, the ones that have served us well over the years. But we’ve seen more polarization toward the right of the political spectrum, and I think frankly that hasn’t served the party well. It’s not going to serve Democrats well if they move too far to the left.
The point is, it’s not abdicating your principles to achieve a compromise. You’re not always going to get your way. But the question is, where can you make adjustments in order to affect a solution to a problem that this country is facing? It’s vastly important now, at a time when we’re facing challenges that are historical in nature, frankly. We’re at war. We have major energy challenges, and with the environment, with global warming. If there was ever a time to reach across the political aisle, it is now. That’s what Maine people want, and the American people want. The majority of people are in the center. They understand that you have to work together to get things done. The problems aren’t insurmountable if we’re not intractable.
She rose, she said, “to speak to the monumental, consequential matter before us with regard to the future course of the United States and our courageous men and women in Iraq,” and to support a Democratic amendment to a defense spending bill that would have set an April 2008 deadline to begin bringing troops home. In doing so, she became one of the first Republicans to oppose the president, and her party, on the Iraq war.
“I believe a dramatic and fundamental change in our strategy in Iraq is essential,” Snowe said. And later, “We can no longer afford to place more American servicemen and -women in harm’s way to instill a peace that the Iraqis seem unwilling to seek for themselves.”
It was the latest example of Snowe’s willingness to stand alone when she believes it’s required. It also represented the force that has made her one of the most powerful members of the Senate, and an election-winning machine in a state where people respect that independence. Many times in her career, Senator Snowe’s yea or nay has been the one that makes the difference. In the end, that night wasn’t one of them, but she at least made her point.
Advertisement
“That’s the pressure you have to endure at times,” Snowe says, “but you have to recognize that it’s that moment in time that you can effect change for the good. I understand that role. I don’t hesitate to play it when I think it’s important. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith once said, ‘It is high time that we stopped thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and start thinking as Americans.’ I believe that.”
Snowe’s come a long way, from a childhood filled with tragedy to a senator who’s very comfortable in the halls of Washington power. Born in Augusta of first- and second-generation Greek immigrants, she lost both parents before the age of 10 and was raised by an aunt and uncle in Auburn. Her first husband, Peter, died in a 1973 car accident, and she was persuaded to run for his seat in the Maine House. She won, at age 26, and a political career was born. Snowe rose quickly to the Maine Senate, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate. She married then-Governor John “Jock” McKernan, a Bangor native and Bangor High graduate, in 1989, and served as Maine’s first lady while in the U.S. House.
Snowe has never lost an election, and won nearly 74% of the vote in the 2006 race. Bowdoin professor Christian Potholm said her record is “the standard against which all post-war political figures must be judged in terms of electoral success.” She enjoys the highest approval rate of any U.S. senator (79%), has been touted as one of Time magazine’s Ten Best Senators, and even spawned a grassroots campaign to get her to run for president (www.olympiasnowe2008.com). She says she will not.
Bangor Metro talked to Senator Snowe about her trips home to Maine, casting the deciding vote, being a trailblazer, and what she learns from her constituents.
You travel home just about every weekend, often for Main Street Tours. What do you hope to gain from those tours?
This is my 29th year of doing those. It’s really the ideal way to capture people’s views, what their concerns are, get to know your constituency, and also to become familiar with the communities and the changes that occur over time. It’s an informal way of having conversations with constituents that otherwise might not happen. They might not normally be willing to share those views, but if you approach them, introduce yourself, and, in a casual way, ask them what they’re thinking, they may be more apt to converse and share their concerns. During the course of campaigns, it’s a great means of polling. I can tell when I’m up and I can tell when I’m down.
How? By seeing how many people are out to see you?
No. Just by what they say to you, how they approach, their demeanor. I had a close call back in 1990, and I didn’t need to have any poll to tell me that it was a tough year, with the recession and a lot of other issues. It wasn’t about me. They wanted to send a message. The polls were suggesting that I was in good shape, and I had high approval, but I sensed otherwise. I learn a great deal from my constituents, things I can translate to action in Washington.
Do you have a favorite story from a meeting with a constituent that led you to take some action in the Senate?
I introduced the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act based on my conversations with Bonnie Lee Tucker, from Hampden. Her family faced multigenerations of breast cancer, and Bonnie said her daughter was hesitant about genetic testing, because she was afraid there would be a bias by health insurers and also employers. She was afraid she could lose her health insurance or even her job. I introduced that legislation in 1997, to prevent discrimination by employers and insurers who use genetic testing. It’s 10 years later—which is a long story in itself—but it’s going to happen ultimately, hopefully this session, and it all emerged and flowed from that conversation.
You’ve obviously acquired some patience over the years. Where does it come from?
I got an early start in local politics, and that’s been important every step of the way. Serving in the state legislature gave me a greater appreciation for that local level of politics, and understanding the art of legislating and consensus-building. That’s where I first learned the art of compromising, and how important and central it is to getting things done, to solving problems. I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my political career.
What do you see as your most important achievements as a senator?
I would say the efforts with BRAC [Base Closure and Realignment Commission], not just my own but the whole Maine delegation, is something I’m really proud of. SCHIP [the State Children’s Health Insurance Program] is very important to me, something I’ve fought for since the program’s inception. It’s so important for this country to invest in the health of our children, and make sure that gets properly funded. I’m also proud of the way our whole delegation has worked to help the workers of Maine through the difficulties of mill closures, to get them back on their feet, and to find solutions. These are all issues that we need to keep working on.
You’re the fourth woman to be elected to both houses of Congress, and the first to serve in both houses of the legislature at the state and federal level. As a woman, do you take a special pride in those kinds of “firsts”?
Yes. Breaking barriers demonstrates that you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t have to be political. Whatever sphere of life, whatever profession you desire, every time you break one of those barriers it becomes another critical benchmark for women in America. Young women have to see that there are women in high places. A little girl saw a picture of me and she said, “Mommy, that’s Olympia Snowe. She works in Washington, she shows that girls can do what boys can do.” [Laughs] And I think that’s exactly right. That’s what it’s all about.
I fought to have a statue placed in the rotunda of the Capitol, one that had been languishing in the basement since the 1920s. It was in honor of the amendment that gave women the right to vote, with three women, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. People called it “Three Women in a Bathtub,” and said it weighed too much, it wasn’t very attractive, that it’d be too expensive to put it up in the rotunda. So I said, “It begs the question as to how all the other statues got there.” We fought, and we got that up there in 1996.
It must make you proud to be half of a two-woman Senate delegation from Maine.
Maine’s always been a forerunner in embracing women in leadership roles. There’s always been a high proportion of women serving in state and local offices. Think of the legendary Margaret Chase Smith, with her independence and her ability and willingness to stand up and demonstrate uncommon courage. She renounced the demagoguery of McCarthyism. She did what 94 of her colleagues, male colleagues, dared not to do in her second year in the Senate—back then, when freshmen were supposed to be seen and not heard. She was the only woman in the Senate and she was a Republican denouncing a Republican. That’s courage, and conviction.
How does losing your parents as a child and then losing your first husband help to shape you today?
I was very fortunate to have my aunt and uncle, and my cousins, who were supportive, along with my church. So many people played a critical role in my own personal survival, and the ability to overcome those things. Irrespective of what happens in life, just know that it is possible. The day will get better, and when you have the support of family and friends, and church and school, you can get through. I think that’s part of my Greek heritage. My mother’s from the Spartan side, with that sort of fighting instinct to survive. My life could’ve turned out much differently. But with all the help I had, I was able to figure out, “What can I do to overcome it and make it into something positive?”
Other than your Main Street Tours, what do you look forward to when you’re coming home?
If I can just totally relax, it’s having dinner with friends or family. My husband’s family has a house up in Hancock Point they’ve had for over 100 years, and it’s always great to go up there, and be able to sit on the dock or get out on the boat, sailing. My husband and I like to go to movies. And also playing tennis. We used to be able to do that more frequently; it’s just fun to play a great set of doubles with friends, and get that exercise, too. Usually, though, we’ll go to dinner or the movies.
I’m told you and he have a strong Bangor area connection.
My husband’s from Bangor, a graduate of Bangor High School. He played basketball and tennis and all that. He still gets articles from the paper about his athletic exploits—people find clips and give them to him. His father used to own the Penobscot Times in Old Town, and when he died, Jock’s mother kept it going for 10 years. His father was also a sports broadcaster, and used to do the high school tournament games in Bangor. I love that tournament. It’s fascinating because it’s part of the history of the communities in this state, especially in northern and central Maine. I went to basketball games in high school, at Edward Little. But that Bangor tournament was all so different. It’s incredible.
Former Governor McKernan is now executive chairman of Education Management Corp. out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When do the two of you get to spend time in the same place?
Generally, what we do is to meet up in Maine. Our jobs are all-consuming during the week, morning, noon, and night. I mean, long days. It’s mostly weekends, but it works very well. It might not work for somebody else, but it works for us. We always think it’s quality time when we can sit together on a plane going to Washington. Often when I go back on Sunday nights, he and I will fly to Washington and then he flies to Pittsburgh from there.
Is there part of you that finds it amazing where you are today?
If I have time to think, yes. I think about Augusta and I go by where I used to live. I remember being in my father’s restaurant on State Street. You can’t help but think about that journey. I try to convey to young people that you don’t know where life will take you and there’s no straight path. You have to identify opportunities and seize those moments, and you’ve got to confront challenges and obstacles. The key is to be determined and focused and know that you can overcome them ultimately. It’s easy for me to say this standing here today, but I didn’t know I’d be standing here today. I didn’t have any idea I’d be a U.S. senator.
The last few years have made you one of the most powerful members of the Senate. Was that role something you worked to achieve? Was it thrust upon you in some ways?
One vote can make a difference, and you have to understand how to use the power of your position and the place in which you find yourself. How powerful I am is immaterial. What it is is using my position, with my vote, to affect and craft the best policies that are in the best interests of my constituents and the country. Sometimes I could see that my vote—and obviously, there’s always considerable pressure—could make the difference, between yes or no. It happened with the tax cut, and I said no. I tell young people never be afraid to stand alone, because there are times in which you’re going to have to face those circumstances, but if you believe in what you’re doing and you’re passionate that what you’re doing is right, then you’ve got to fight for it.
You’ve been praised for bipartisanship and labeled a moderate. Where do you see yourself on the political spectrum?
I call it the sensible center [laughs]. Basically, it’s where the majority of Mainers and Americans want elected officials to legislate, and that’s the truth. Unfortunately, the political process becomes so ideological and partisan: You’re on the left or you’re on the right, and there’s an effort to really decimate the center. That’s happened with the Republican Party, and it’s happening in the Democratic Party, as well. We’re losing the center, and you need the center in order to build consensus. If it becomes an all-or-nothing proposition, it’s hard to bridge the political divide and craft solutions to problems. Is it any wonder today that Congress is held in such low regard by the American people, worse than ever?
You’ve also been called a RINO [Republican in Name Only] and blasted for not being loyal to the party. How do you respond?
I represent the traditional principles of the Republican Party, the ones that have served us well over the years. But we’ve seen more polarization toward the right of the political spectrum, and I think frankly that hasn’t served the party well. It’s not going to serve Democrats well if they move too far to the left.
The point is, it’s not abdicating your principles to achieve a compromise. You’re not always going to get your way. But the question is, where can you make adjustments in order to affect a solution to a problem that this country is facing? It’s vastly important now, at a time when we’re facing challenges that are historical in nature, frankly. We’re at war. We have major energy challenges, and with the environment, with global warming. If there was ever a time to reach across the political aisle, it is now. That’s what Maine people want, and the American people want. The majority of people are in the center. They understand that you have to work together to get things done. The problems aren’t insurmountable if we’re not intractable.
