How old am I? I'm old enough to remember when a man telling a female political opponent to "shut up" in public demonstrated toxic masculinity, misogyny, and all the evils of the patriarchy. (On the other hand, I'm not quite old enough to recall when having children with your cousin was normal, so ...)

That moment came yesterday in Maine, when an audience member attempted to disrupt an answer from Susan Collins during a televised debate. Collins responded with the obvious observation that this was a supporter of her opponent, Troy Jackson. Jackson immediately snapped at her to "shut up":

This recalls the cause celebre that progressives created nine years ago in the US Senate. Elizabeth Warren had started reading a letter on the floor from Coretta Scott King that impugned the character of Jeff Sessions, still a member of the Senate but up for confirmation in 2017 as Attorney General. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned her to desist as her commentary violated Senate Rule 19, and that's when the progressives' high dudgeon skyrocketed:

Interrupting her speech, McConnell accused Warren of violating Senate Rule 19, which states that Senators cannot “directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.” The Senate then voted along party lines to stop her from continuing to speak during the debate.

“Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech,” McConnell said, defending the move. “She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

Warren later read King’s letter in its entirety outside the Senate chamber in a Facebook video that has now been viewed nearly 13 million times. McConnell’s rebuke inadvertently elevated Warren’s message and has since appeared defiantly on tattoos and T-shirts, inspired the title of Chelsea Clinton’s children’s book and fueled the progressive message of a 2020 contender.

Warren herself fully embraced the adulation for, er, being reminded to follow the rules:

“National Women’s History Month is about recognizing the courage and contributions of women everywhere who are breaking down barriers, raising their voices, and fighting for what they believe in,” Warren said in a statement to TIME. “Millions of women have taken up ‘Nevertheless She Persisted’ as their rallying cry because they know that together, we can make change. We know because we are doing it.”

Progressives pitched a fit because the Senate voted to shut down Warren's commentary for violating the chamber rules. No one stood and told Warren "shut up," but that's certainly how Democrats and the media portrayed it. What will they say now when Troy Jackson literally told Susan Collins to "shut up" in the middle of the debate, simply for pointing out that one of his supporters was heckling her?

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For context: Both candidates invited 100 supporters each to the event, as per the rules of the debate. When the heckler began shouting down Collins, the clear conclusion was that this was one of the people Jackson and his campaign brought into the audience. Jackson's "shut up" and the denial that followed was an attempt to distract from the obvious.

Let's add in some more context, too. Jackson has treated Collins with undisguised contempt throughout their debates, to the point where he belched into the microphone while Collins spoke. No, I am not kidding about this:

Think of the poor female staffer who had to duck the water bottle Jackson reportedly chucked at her in a meeting. Maine voters got a very close look at the misogyny inherent in the system, and it's coming from the candidate that progressives hand-picked to replace Graham Platner, who was credibly accused of rape and domestic violence. Does anyone sense a pattern here?

Nevertheless, Susan Collins persists. Let's see if the feminists who went nuclear in 2017 over a Senate rule will have the intellectual and moral courage to apply the same standards to the cousin-procreating fool they chose to run against Collins. Don't hold your breath waiting for accountability in Maine.