Act consistently as a boorish buffoon and reap the rewards. Late to the unparty, Susan and some of her defense of the republican party is laughable, it's still yet another pretty serious ding. (Note: Collins is not up re-election this year.)
Here's the op-ed, followed by some outside analysis.
I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country.
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With the passage of time, I have become increasingly dismayed by his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize. But it was his attacks directed at people who could not respond on an equal footing — either because they do not share his power or stature or because professional responsibility precluded them from engaging at such a level — that revealed Mr. Trump as unworthy of being our president.
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My conclusion about Mr. Trump’s unsuitability for office is based on his disregard for the precept of treating others with respect, an idea that should transcend politics. Instead, he opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities. Three incidents in particular have led me to the inescapable conclusion that Mr. Trump lacks the temperament, self-discipline and judgment required to be president.
The first was his mocking of a reporter with disabilities, a shocking display that did not receive the scrutiny it deserved. I kept expecting Mr. Trump to apologize, at least privately, but he did not, instead denying that he had done what seemed undeniable to anyone who watched the video. At the time, I hoped that this was a terrible lapse, not a pattern of abuse.
The second was Mr. Trump’s repeated insistence that Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge born and raised in Indiana, could not rule fairly in a case involving Trump University because of his Mexican heritage. For Mr. Trump to insist that Judge Curiel would be biased because of his ethnicity demonstrated a profound lack of respect not only for the judge but also for our constitutional separation of powers, the very foundation of our form of government. Again, I waited in vain for Mr. Trump to retract his words.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gop-senator-why-i-cannot-support-trump/2016/08/08/821095be-5d7e-11e6-9d2f-b1a3564181a1_story.html?tid=a_inl
Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, announced Monday that she would not vote for Donald J. Trump in the presidential election, dealing another blow to Mr. Trump as he tries to unite his party and win more support from women.
Ms. Collins revealed her decision in an opinion column for The Washington Post published Monday evening, saying that Mr. Trump’s proclivity for bullying and invective made it impossible for her to support him. She said she believed having Mr. Trump as president would make “an already perilous world” even more dangerous.
Ms. Collins is the most senior senator to split publicly with Mr. Trump, and her message of censure could send a message to other Republicans that it is safe to shun the party’s presidential nominee. She is one of the few moderate Republicans remaining in the Senate and one of only two from New England, along with Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, whom Mr. Trump, after some hesitancy, endorsed late last week.
Now in her fourth term, Ms. Collins also led the Senate committee that oversees homeland security, adding additional weight to her criticism of Mr. Trump, who has strained to convince middle-of-the-road voters that he is prepared to serve as the country’s commander in chief.
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read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/us/politics/susan-collins-trump.html
