Word: Susan Collins and Donald Trump

 Mike Tipping, Bangor Daily News - Maine Senator Susan Collins is again engaging in her now-ritualized dance, cavorting along the cliff edge of racism and authoritarianism. She called Donald Trump’s latest racist remarks about a judge of Mexican ancestry “absolutely unacceptable” but then refused to rule out backing him for President.

Previously she had said she would likely back the Republican nominee and predicted that he would tone down his rhetoric. “He’s going to have to stop with gratuitous personal insults,” she said.

This critique of Trump based on specific remarks or isolated insults is missing the point entirely. Implicit in Collins’ previous conditional endorsement, and even in her latest statement criticizing only his most recent racist comment, is an admission that she doesn’t find the broader stated policy goals of his campaign “unacceptable,” much less disqualifying for her support.

Here are just a few of those policies:

• A “total and complete” ban on Muslim immigration.
• Abolishing the Department of Environmental Protection because climate change is a hoax “created by and for the Chinese.”
• State-sanctioned use of torture.
• The largest tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations in American history.
• Committing war crimes by killing the families of terrorists.

I don’t know why journalists allow Collins to continue this ridiculous performance, acting as if the only problem with Trump’s candidacy is his latest intemperate statement and not his expansive, terrifying policy agenda.