BANGOR, Maine — Senator Susan Collins delivered the commencement address at Husson University Saturday morning and called on students to rise above political hostility and restore civility.
Sen. Collins issued two challenges to the graduates: "please stay in Maine," a plea to bolster Maine's dwindling workforce; and to "restore community, civility, and union in our great country."
Sen. Collins said, "we live in a time of ever-worsening divisiveness, a time in which the bonds that have characterized and strengthened our country are not just in danger of being lost, but far too often, deliberately discarded. From government to social media, or perhaps anti-social would be the more accurate term, to the 24/7 news cycle, hyper partisanship, insult and accusation are poisoning our discourse, turning us against one another and preventing us from coming together to solve real problems."
Collins said these attitudes are weakening "our sense of community" and "undermining our willingness to listen and learn from one another. This modern day tribalism divides society into 'us versus them' and increasingly we isolate ourselves from those who are not just like ourselves, wanting to talk only to those who mirror our political viewpoints and listen to the same media sources that we do."
The class entering Husson University this past fall was the largest in the University's history.
"This polarization is contrary to the foundation of our society that values experience and expertise with centrality of fact, humility in the face of complexity, the need for study, and a respect for differing perspectives," said Collins. "Those who seek compromise are vilified and even threatened."
Sen. Collins received threats surrounding her decision to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
"I am counting on you graduates to lead the way," she said.