Olympia Snowe

"I do find it frustrating … that an atmosphere of polarization and "my way or the highway" ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions. With my Spartan ancestry I am a fighter at heart; and I am well prepared for the electoral battle, so that is not the issue. However, what I have had to consider is how productive an additional term would be. Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail. As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us. It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America."

"I understand that the hyper-partisanship in Washington makes people feel alienated. Theyre frustrated and theyre angry, and they should be, but they can do something about it. Weve got to turn it around. Im concerned its going to become institutionalized. … Make candidates accountable for making government work. That should be a debate question: What are you going to do to make government work? You cant sit on your hands and say, "No, I want it 100% my way." I dont know how this evolved, but I find it irrational — you dont demand that in any other sphere of life. The country is now in a virtual standstill. We cant begin to measure the reverberation of all this legislative neglect five, six, or whatever years into the future."

"Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowes decision to retire from the Senate caused a scramble Wednesday among potential Democratic and Republican candidates just two weeks before a deadline to qualify for the June primary ballot. … Former independent Gov. Angus King and former independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler also were weighing runs. … Cutler, for his part, is a former Democrat but he told The Associated Press that if he runs, hed do it as an independent. Also considering a bid was King, another independent. He said hell decide within a few days even though independents arent bound by the March 15 deadline. "Im giving it some thought for the very reason that Olympia quit. Its just not working down there and maybe we need to try something different," King said Wednesday. "We have serious problems in this country but we cant begin to solve them until we solve this shrill deadlock."

"Ultimately, were heading to having the smallest political tent in history, the way events have been unfolding. If the Republican Party fully intends to become a majority party in the future, it must move from the far right back toward the middle."

"Its not healthy for the country to have parties with polar opposite views without that bridge that you need to build consensus."

"Snowe is one of the few remaining moderate Republicans, a group that once dominated the Northeast and vied for control of the national Republicans under leaders such as Nelson Rockefeller. She was instrumental in forcing President George W. Bush to limit the size of his 2001 tax cut. She was one of three Senate Republicans who backed President Barack Obamas 2009 stimulus plan. But Snowe found it increasingly difficult to reach across party lines that kept moving further apart."

"What are our obligations to the country and to the people we represent? Its the coming up with effective solutions, sitting down and working with the issues. Sitting around table and sorting through the differences. You can never solve a problem without talking to people with whom you disagree. The United States Senate is predicated and based on consensus building. That was certainly the vision of the founding fathers. And if we abandon that approach, then we do it at the expense of the country and the issues that we need to address to put us back on track."

"I think I can honestly say that if Olympia had announced her retirement because of ill health or to spend more time with Jock I probably wouldnt have run. … What perked me up is why she is leaving. Olympia has 30 years of seniority, shes likable, she works very hard, and if she cant make it work, nobody in either party is going to make it work."

"We are not working out issues anymore. We are working on a parallel universe, with competing proposals, up or down votes."

"Senator Snowes career demonstrates how much can be accomplished when leaders from both parties come together to do the right thing for the American people."

"You know what’s laughable about the Republicans panicking over the fact that Olympia Snowe retiring means that we might lose the Senate? As far as I’m concerned, with her in it, we never had it. That’s been the problem. With Olympia Snowe in the Senate as a Republican, we’ve never had the Senate as Republicans … She didn’t vote with Republicans; she didn’t vote with conservatives. This is no great loss."