|
As Maine goes, so goes the nation —
……Before my time and yours, people thought Maine’s presidential votes would predict the nation’s. Not so much anymore. Democrats have carried Maine in every presidential election since Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the election. As for the nation, Democrats have won the popular vote for president in every election but one, even though they have lost elections to George W. Bush and Donald Trump. As Maine goes, so goes the nation? Still true. Sort of.
……Janet Mills https://janetmills.com/, Maine’s attorney general, is running for governor in 2018. She’s running to replace Paul LePage, two term governor of Maine. In something of an understatement, Wikipedia writes about LePage: “As governor he has made controversial remarks regarding abortion, the LGBTQ community, racial minorities, the death penalty, voting rights, campaign financing, the government and the environment that has(sic) sparked widespread national criticism including calls for impeachment. ….LePage had an approval rate of 41% in Maine, and [a] disapproval rate of 53% …”
……The approval and disapproval rate mirrors the rates attributed to President Trump. LePage’s “controversial” statements are as boorish as those of our President, though LePage doesn’t lie as much. The impeachment discussions in Maine have been about as productive as the national impeachment discussions. As Maine goes, so goes the nation? Still true. Sort of.
……Maine’s political system needs a mention. After a convoluted process of ballot measures, votes by the legislature, and court decisions, Maine has adopted an instant runoff system for elections. The 2018 primaries were the first try. Voters ranked candidates in order of preference rather than voting for one candidate. If no candidate got a majority of first place rankings, the second choice of the candidate with the fewest first place votes was credited and so on until a candidate got a majority. Janet Mills won the Democratic primary.
……Before instant runoff, Paul LePage was elected to both his terms with a plurality of the vote. He ran against a Democrat and an independent. In his first campaign, he got 37% of the vote. He would probably not have been elected governor if the instant runoff system were in effect.……The Attorney General is elected for two year terms — by the legislature. Janet Mills has held this state wide office, with a single two year gap when Republicans controlled the legislature, continuously since her first election in 2008. Despite holding statewide office, she is facing the statewide electorate for the first time in 2018.
……Janet Mills sees herself as a problem solver, even a conciliator. She is no Democratic Socialist. As a state legislator, she earned an “A” rating from the NRA. As Attorney General, she earned the anger of the Penobscot Nation and liberal groups when she supported the governor and obtained a ruling that the Penobscot reservation included islands in the Penobscot River, but not the water itself. She earned similar opprobrium when she supported the State of Washington’s lawsuit opposing a federal requirement that it spend billions to restore salmon habitat to appropriate fishing conditions.
……Regardless of her aspirations, Janet Mills was no problem solver as Attorney General. With LePage as governor, she had to choose between rolling over and confronting him. LePage sued her for refusing to represent him and the state in lawsuits she saw as wrong and frivolous. ……Mills chose to allow the Governor to proceed with lawsuits on his own rather than represent him. LePage spent about $100,000 per year on independent council for these lawsuits — big money for Maine.
……The governor also sued Janet Millsfor legal work she did do. He sued her for joining an effort to protect young immigrants facing deportation and for refusing to provide him with public records concerning Mills’ opposition to federal immigration bans.
LePage railed against Janet Mills for not helping in a lawsuit against him by Democrat and former House Speaker Mark Eves who claimed the Governor sabotaged a job offer he had received. Eves was a candidate for governor in the Democratic primary that Janet Millswon. ……Janet Mills choice, when dealing with Governor LePage, was confront or acquiesce. Janet Mills confronted.
……Janet Mills chose to run for governor — not directly against LePage. Inevitably, the actual Republican candidate for governor has been irrelevant. The campaign is against LePage.
……As governor, Janet Mills could go to work solving problems. She has four key issues in her run for governor:
- Ending hunger in Maine by
- repealing an asset test for low income people that penalizes savings
- applying for broader aid in areas of very high unemployment
- supporting Maine farms
- Expanding Medicaid funding under the ACA to
- providing health insurance to more people
- saving Maine’s small hospitals
- Improving Maine’s economy through
- infrastructure spending
- improving education
- using Maine’s climate and empty spaces for appropriate industries such as data storage
- investing in research
- addressing the opioid crisis with a ten point program that focuses on support of people
Help Janet Millshttps://janetmills.com/become Governor of Maine. She will make life better for the people of Maine. She will make a difference nationally, too. She will help elect a second Democratic Member of Congress and help the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate achieve all four of Main’s electoral votes. Maine is not a big money state, so even small donations make a difference.
|
