The Power of ONE

Just beneath the surface in the Maine Senate there is angst, and the cause is Senator Bill Diamond. A self-declared “moderate”, representing a large swath of Cumberland County just west of Portland, is making a name for himself by playing up his moderate credentials. That might not matter if he were serving in the House, where Democrats enjoy a 25 plus seat advantage, but in an 18-17 Senate, one is always a big number.

The power of one was evident on Thursday night during the budget debate, where Senator Diamond introduced his budget amendment. The amendment attempted to resolve most of the major differences between Republicans and Democrats – before they decided to go their separate ways. There is a chance that his amendment could be the final piece needed for a two-thirds budget. The amendment passed 22-13, which raises another point about the power of one – there are others ----moderates---on both sides who are becoming more emboldened now that Diamond has decided to play this role. In fact, the Diamond amendment was actually a collaborative effort among several moderates including, Senators Nutting (D), Mills (R), Turner (R) and McCormick (R) and perhaps others. In the final vote on the amendment, Senator Diamond was joined by a number of “suspected” moderates from his own party. In addition to Nutting; Marrache, Hobbins, Sullivan and Damon also jumped on board with the Diamond amendment.

Senator Nutting also flexed his moderate muscle last night by getting his own amendment added, by one vote—his—in an 18-17 vote where all 17 republicans supported his effort to eliminate 13 positions in State Government. Nutting also pitched in to help Republican Kevin Raye add his amendment, which would study Mental Health services and how they are delivered. That also garnered an 18-17 vote.

One can be a very lonely number, but fortunately for Senator Diamond it looks as though he is attracting a crowd.