Olympia Snowe

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said having a woman on the Republican Presidential ticket is past due, and Gov. Sarah Palin not only shatters the glass ceiling, but will also be a pioneering figure for the country.

In her statement, she acknowledged that Palin is a working mother, meaning she understands issued facing the average American.

Her full statement:

No one from Maine will speak at the Republican National Convention next week.

The Republican National Committee announced its schedule today. The convention kicks off Monday in Minneapolis.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe will be the only representative of the Maine Congressional delegation. Sen. Susan Collins is skipping the convention, and will instead stay home and campaign.

Following up on my earlier post regarding Senators Snowe and Collins' presidential and party loyalty, this post summarizes some results about our two Congressmen, Tom Allen and Mike Michaud, as measured by CQ Politics.

According to CQ, Rep. Allen scored an 18 for presidential support while Rep. Michaud scored a 19 during George W. Bush's time in office so far.  Allen and Michaud scored a 96 and 93 for party unity, respectively.

CQ Politics has examined all of the roll-call votes during the seven-and-a-half years of President Bush's two terms.  The chart is a fascinating look at how congressman have voted during the Bush administration.  

Not surprisingly, both Senator Snowe and Senator Collins have the distinction of voting against the President more than any other Republican in the Senate.

After John McCain finished speaking Monday, PolitickerME asked U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, Congressional candidate Charlie Summers, and American Legion Post 66 Commander John Schlaack what they thought. See their responses on video below.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe introduced John McCain to a crowd of about 400 Friday afternoon, both speaking about their experiences with the presumptive Republican Presidential candidate.

Maine House Republican Leader Josh Tardy and Congressional Candidate Charlie Summers had been scheduled to speak, however McCain arrived early so they did not have the opportunity.

See below for video of Collins’ introduction.

The gates have just opened at the Maine Military Museum in South Portland and people are starting to file in.

At 2 p.m. the pre-program will start, with Maine House Majority Leader Josh Tardy and Charlie Summers, Republican candidate for the First Congressional District.

John McCain is expected to arrive at 2:30, and U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins will introduce him.

There are 14 picnic tables set up inside a fenced in area, and standing room along the outside.

Watch PolitickerME.com throughout the day for updates on the visit.

Is there any politician in Maine that doesn't have an energy plan?

As far as I can tell we are being told we need more wind mills, more hydroelectric, more oil, less oil, more drilling, less drilling, more nuke plants, no nukes, more conservation, less consumption, more hybrids, less driving, more car pooling, different light bulbs, less speculation, tax credits, more transmission lines, more wood pellet stoves, more weatherization, a tuned up boiler, more solar panels and on and on.......

Right Wing News sent out a request to over 200 "right-of-center" bloggers and asked them to send their LEAST favorite elected Republicans in an unranked list (up to ten) in Congress, President, or governors. Forty two responded and came up with the following list (with total votes in parentheses):

Our own Senator Olympia Snowe finished in the top 3 with 20 votes, just one vote ahead of Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Senator Collins was only able to muster 8 votes, in a tie with Governor Crist from Florida.

No word yet from the Collins camp if they will use this ranking for independent voters and soft democrats in election materials in the Fall. Senator Snowe has allegedly sent a thank you note.

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain will be in Maine on Monday for a private reception in Kennebunkport and a public presentation at the Maine Military Museum.

McCain is scheduled to speak at the South Portland museum Monday afternoon, according to its Web site. No further details are available.

The museum is hosting a special event honoring prisoners of war. McCain spent five years as a POW in Vietnam.

At 11:30 Monday, McCain will be in Kennebunkport for a fundraiser. For $2,300, donors can visit the Bush family compound for a VIP reception and photo opportunity. For $1,000, donors can attend a private reception and for $500 they can attend a general reception, both to be held at the Nonantum Resort.

The Host Committee includes: President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush, Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, and former Gov. John McKernan.