There are two types of Independents in the Senate (mainly because there are only two that come to mind). The first is the ideal, which is the Bernie Sanders model. He is a champion of the people who stands for civil and social rights and who actually dreams of a better America for all involved. The other is the Joe Lieberman model, the kind of Independent who changes parties just to win and whose jowls quiver at the scent of money. The next Senator from Maine will be an Independent, but the questions remains: what kind of Independent will he be?
Former governor Angus King stands alone to win the Senate seat vacated by the once-proud Olympia Snowe. This is because he has both sides afraid to bet against him. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans of Maine want to put forward a strong candidate of their own because by doing so they could easily guarantee the other side victory. You see, King was a wildly popular governor, and time has only done his reputation favors. He will win a majority of the vote. So if there were a strong candidate from either side, a three way race would be created and it would be Paul LePage all over again: the winner wouldn’t have to win the majority, but simply more than a third.
King scared off the Democrats fast. Hard hitters like representatives Pingree and Michaud chose to hunker down, and fellow former governor Baldacci wisely took a wide berth around King. All that’s left for the Democrats is a bunch of nobodies who don't stand a chance against King: a couple of state representatives and the former secretary of state. The Republicans, meanwhile, still seem to be in a state of shock seeing Snowe step down from a seat she was guaranteed for life. There are six Republicans vying for the spot, all with same chances as anybody else: slim.
Thus is the crossroad for Angus King. He must stay Independent and not pander at all to either side. If King leans in either direction too far, he will lose that which makes him so likeable: the fact that he is agreeable to everybody and wholly Independent. So he must model himself after Sanders. He must be an Independent who answers to the people, rather than Lieberman who will forsake anybody and answers to the lobbyists. King may even have to go farther than Sanders. He might have to become to first real moderate in the history of the Senate, the kind of Independent who doesn’t answer to anyone other than his own state and his conscience.
The road King faces isn’t particularly challenging given the circumstances. The only thing that stands in his way is the man he sees in the mirror. King could be his own worst enemy. But he could be the first step in the right direction not only for the state of Maine, but for American politics as a whole.
Being an independent vote that could swing the Senate majority puts Angus King in a powerful position. In a recent post, I argue how he can and should leverage this for the good of the republic. How a King Can Save American Democracy: http://www.ragingwisdom.com/?p=889 Whether he has the guts to do so remains a question.
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