Senator Olympia Snowe Walks Away From The Senate

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It is unfortunate that a legislator of Olympia Snowe's stature, success and strength has decided to retire from the United States Senate due to the political partisanship, gridlock and dysfunction that exists in politics today.  Snowe has exhibited great leadership since her arrival to the U.S. Senate with her election from Maine in 1994.  A moderate Republican, she came to be a key player on nearly every significant piece of legislation over her 18 years in the Senate. 

Snowe shared her reasons for leaving the Senate by saying, "People are just stunned by the debilitating partisanship, polarization and the overall dysfunction of the institution and political paralysis as we come, you know, to the point of extreme when it comes to resolving the problems facing our county."  Snowe went on to say, "It's become an all or nothing proposition and that failure has eroded the public's confidence about the direction of this country and about governing institutions to be at the front lines of solving these problems." 

Snowe's departure from the United States Senate is just one more moderate who has had their fill of partisan politics and decided to walk away.  She joins Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and Jim Webb of Virginia.  There's a good shot that Richard Lugar may be the next to walk away.  This troubling trend will certainly add to the polarization and partisanship in Washington and lead to even greater gridlock, paralysis and dysfunction of the United States Senate. 

The all or nothing approach of both parties to legislation only hurts the nation.  Losing leaders of the stature of Olympia Snowe give the American people little hope for the years to come.  If we continue to elect legislators that refuse to budge from party positions and focus only on defeating the opponent, we all lose.  Negotiation and compromise have always been key components of our nation's leaders.  There have always been fights and party differences but at the end of the day, our leaders have always risen to the occasion to do what they feel is in the best interest of our nation. 

Those days are gone.  Our only hope is that the more moderate Republicans, Democrats and Independents fight back at the voting booth and defeat the hard-line conservatives, liberals, tea-partiers and others filled with ideology and elect leaders who wish to work together for the common good.  It is possible.  It has happened before.  It can happen again.  The American people need to get serious about choosing leaders who want to work together, not apart. 

I remain thankful that I live in a nation that allows the diversity of attitudes, opinions and ideology.  I just would like to see the more moderate, pragmatic approach to governing.  What is nice about our nation, is that every two years, every four years, we have the opportunity to get it right.  Here's hoping that 2012 may be the beginning of a new dawn in Washington.