“Block that Pick,” Senator Collins!
The thermometer had not even reached 20 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of February 2 when some 70 people rallied outside Senator Susan Collins’ Portland, Maine, office to demand that she vote “no” on confirming the nomination of former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator.
To entice local media sources to cover the rally, protestors donned referee shirts and carried nerf footballs to portray a fun and well-timed Superbowl theme (with a decided Patriots spin, this being New England). The rally was organized on the fly: One person dug old striped referee shirts out of dusty basement boxes from a Halloween gone by; another unearthed whistles from their days as a soccer coach; others brought paint and markers and recycled cardboard for making creative, funky signs—a textbook instance of spontaneous community collaboration.
Three Portland TV stations, the New England Cable Network (which broadcasts as far as Boston), the Portland Press Herald, and Maine Public Radio all had reporters on site to cover the event.
Senator Angus King recently announced that he'll be voting against Pruitt’s nomination as EPA administrator, asserting that Pruitt’s anti-regulatory positions reach the level of “undermining the fundamental mission of the agency,” and that he [King] cannot approve the appointment of someone who is “manifestly opposed” to that critical mission. Senator Collins also voiced concerns about Pruitt’s nomination, although she has yet to make a decision.
Glen Brand, the Sierra Club’s Maine Chapter director, sees the effects of Donald Trump’s elections on his community as double-edged. “On the one hand,” he says, “watching Donald Trump make decisions and implement new policies in office has been terrible. On the other hand, it has ignited a renewed energy for activism and a desire to be well-informed on political issues.
Rally participants’ energy-filled, football-themed chants included:
“Senator Collins, block that pick! We do NOT want Scott Pruitt!”
“Collins, time to up your game, NO on Pruitt, yes for Maine!”
“Be a true Patriot, just say no to Scott Pruitt!”
The “referees” also gave out penalties:
“The ruling on the field is 'Unnecessary Roughness to the Planet' by Scott Pruitt. He should be ejected by Maine Senator Susan Collins.”
“The ruling on the field is 'Delay of Game' for Senator Susan Collins for not yet coming out against Scott Pruitt for EPA.”
After the rally, about 20 people remained behind to meet with Collins’ staff. Brand and other Sierrans have hope that Collins will vote not to confirm Pruitt, but they are looking for a bolder and more immediate response from their senator.
“Collins is being watched like a hawk right now,” Brand says. “If she votes yes on Pruitt’s nomination, she will be demonstrating that she does not uphold the views and wishes of voting citizens.” Brand gives Collins credit for showing in the past that she is willing to break with the Republican party line on some issues, but he feels that her decision on Pruitt should have been made and shared with the public long ago. “It’s time for Collins to show us what she’s made of,” he says.
Event co-sponsors included Sierra Club Maine, 350 Maine, Maine People’s Alliance, Environment Maine, Maine Students for Climate Justice, Food and Water Watch, Mainers for Accountable Leadership, Suit Up Maine, and Protect South Portland. Brand says the collaboration and coordination between these groups to organize this and other rallies that have occurred since Trump’s election has been exceptional. “Our folks have not grown weary in this fight,” he says proudly. “Protest fatigue has not and will not set in if we continue to invigorate, support, and motivate one another.”
President Trump’s blitzkrieg approach to decision-making, law-changing, and policy implementation is enough to give any concerned citizen whiplash. But rallies like this, calling on elected officials to stay on their game and vote with their community in mind, can only serve to reinvigorate our democracy and restore our sense of hope.