2008 Woodie Awards
Maine Senator speaks on gender, politics
Josh Justice
Issue date: 1/29/03 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
by Josh Justice
On Monday, Jan. 27, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) came to the Hilltop to deliver a speech entitled "From Caribou to Congress." Her talk, running a short 30 minutes with a 10 minute Q&A section following, focused on her experiences growing up in Maine and becoming a professional politician. Her life stories contained the distinct message that it is possible for women to become involved in politics and that, despite any risks, the greatest pursuit is to try to live one's dreams. The speech also had several notable Georgetown connections: Senator Collins' cousin, Georgetown's own Father Collins, was in attendance, as were many of the 49 students who hail from Maine, less than one percent of the student body.
Collins, who grew up in Caribou, Maine, is the daughter of the family which originally settled the small city five generations back. Added into this mix of having a family legacy in northern Maine, both of Collins' parents were actively involved in local politics and both served as mayor in Caribou during her childhood. Senator Collins cites the strong influence of having a politically active mother as one of the shaping forces that led to her decision to pursue a career in Washington.
After having served in the federal government's Small Business Association under the former President Bush, she ran as a virtual unknown for the Maine governorship. Having won a difficult primary battle, Collins was then attacked by the conservative right in her state and thus proved unable to unite Maine's Republican constituency. Coming in third in the gubernatorial race, Collins was both disheartened but also relieved that she could then go back to her life, which had been consumed by over a year of campaigning.
But when Maine Senator Bill Cowen then decided not to run for reelection, Collins again had the tough decision of running for office or continuing with her work at Hussen College. Collins believed, however, that she had to pursue her dreams and that she didn't want to look back at her life in the years to come and see unrealized goals and ambitions. She won a hard race in a generally liberal-leaning state and was recently reelected to the Senate with a 58 percent majority.
When asked about her own politics, which are typical of a New England Republican, Collins stressed that as a moderate, she does not tote the party line and instead feels that it is her responsibility to judge each issue on its own merits; indeed, she occasionally crosses party voting lines. She nevertheless feels that her Republican colleagues respect her for the dedication she puts into her work on Capitol Hill. Independence is, as she feels, a key factor in being a New England Republican and having to play the balancing act between party pressure and the desires of her constituents.
Senator Collins' speech was delivered with the right amount of humor and positive advice to make it an enjoyable 30 minutes. In traditional political style she did not say anything profound, yet with her personal anecdotes she succeeded in articulating the goals of overcoming obstacles and achieving one's dreams.
Justice is an associate editor and a foreign service freshman.
On Monday, Jan. 27, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) came to the Hilltop to deliver a speech entitled "From Caribou to Congress." Her talk, running a short 30 minutes with a 10 minute Q&A section following, focused on her experiences growing up in Maine and becoming a professional politician. Her life stories contained the distinct message that it is possible for women to become involved in politics and that, despite any risks, the greatest pursuit is to try to live one's dreams. The speech also had several notable Georgetown connections: Senator Collins' cousin, Georgetown's own Father Collins, was in attendance, as were many of the 49 students who hail from Maine, less than one percent of the student body.
Collins, who grew up in Caribou, Maine, is the daughter of the family which originally settled the small city five generations back. Added into this mix of having a family legacy in northern Maine, both of Collins' parents were actively involved in local politics and both served as mayor in Caribou during her childhood. Senator Collins cites the strong influence of having a politically active mother as one of the shaping forces that led to her decision to pursue a career in Washington.
After having served in the federal government's Small Business Association under the former President Bush, she ran as a virtual unknown for the Maine governorship. Having won a difficult primary battle, Collins was then attacked by the conservative right in her state and thus proved unable to unite Maine's Republican constituency. Coming in third in the gubernatorial race, Collins was both disheartened but also relieved that she could then go back to her life, which had been consumed by over a year of campaigning.
But when Maine Senator Bill Cowen then decided not to run for reelection, Collins again had the tough decision of running for office or continuing with her work at Hussen College. Collins believed, however, that she had to pursue her dreams and that she didn't want to look back at her life in the years to come and see unrealized goals and ambitions. She won a hard race in a generally liberal-leaning state and was recently reelected to the Senate with a 58 percent majority.
When asked about her own politics, which are typical of a New England Republican, Collins stressed that as a moderate, she does not tote the party line and instead feels that it is her responsibility to judge each issue on its own merits; indeed, she occasionally crosses party voting lines. She nevertheless feels that her Republican colleagues respect her for the dedication she puts into her work on Capitol Hill. Independence is, as she feels, a key factor in being a New England Republican and having to play the balancing act between party pressure and the desires of her constituents.
Senator Collins' speech was delivered with the right amount of humor and positive advice to make it an enjoyable 30 minutes. In traditional political style she did not say anything profound, yet with her personal anecdotes she succeeded in articulating the goals of overcoming obstacles and achieving one's dreams.
Justice is an associate editor and a foreign service freshman.