It is stunning to hear Sen. Susan Collins complain about the “Be a Hero” campaign to influence her to vote against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Collins stated, “I consider this quid pro quo fundraising to be the equivalent of an attempt to bribe me to vote against Judge Kavanaugh.”

Does she seriously believe that all the campaign contributions, political action committee and super PAC money spent on her behalf since her first Senate campaign in 1996 had no expectation of quid pro quo?

Our campaign finance system has been broken for a long time. The new, innovative “Be a Hero” technique is just a lot more honest about it. If Collins cared about campaign finance reform, and if she were effectual in her position, she would have proposed reform years ago.

Carl Wilcox

New Gloucester