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Sunday, December 5, 2010

I can see Augusta From my House

Maine’s same-stream media featured two columns in Sunday’s Kennebec Journal about the candidate who publicly criticized the Republican choice for Speaker of the House. The two share four themes: the controversial Republican choice for Speaker of the House, the Maine Clean Elections Act (“MCEA”), the machismo of “doing doors,” and the familiar tale of guys who have never won a State House race telling a woman who has how to do it. 
The liberal guy of course questions the wisdom of her spending less money than most other candidates, and calls it “campaign malpractice” that she won by 58% of the vote. The 2655 people who supported her must not have read the studies he cites faulting her campaign methodology.  The Democrats who did read them going in to the November election lost. Oh well.  Better luck next time!
The conservative, a man of the People, just wants to repeal the Maine Clean Election Act. He and the GOP know better than the all the real people who worked like dogs to get this law on the ballot in 1996 in order to cut the cord between wealthy special interests and politicians. That 80% of all legislative candidates use Maine’s Clean Election law isn’t important. Spending $1196 legally on a computer (my God!) to run a campaign that will cost taxpayers ultimately $717 is a sin, and his Clean Election candidate who stiffed the State for $1.2 million and used MCEA funds in an uncontested race is patriotic, or something like that.
Both guys do share one major concern. The fact that she didn’t knock on peoples’ doors when they weren’t home or having dinner really bugs them. This is how elections have been won and lost forever. How dare she do things differently?
Maybe we aren’t ready for grizzlies, but Maine could use some mamas in the media. 

17 comments:

mainefem said...

Tony Payne's Maine Prosperity PAC doesn't appear to be "bi-partisan" in nature to Moi!

Pot...kettle...black.

Just sayin'~

Anonymous said...

Well, if you are getting it from both sides, it means you are doing something right.

Both of these guys demonstrate the false populism that is the flavor of the month - in the liberal world view, knocking doors is a cherished and idealistic past time that doesn't and never really has accomplished anything. But, hey, who hasn't worked the street, clip board in hand, for a couple of bucks an hour (beer money!) to a) save ANWR! b) stop global warming! c) raise the minimum wage! (more beer money!) ... etc.

As far as the Republicans go, door knocking is a more cynical manipulation of "the people" - he's one of us! He knocks on the doors, he presses the flesh, he "connects" with voters - now send a donation. All this door knocking costs money. "...and as much as you and I wish otherwise, we both (with an earnest and a wistful look used to good effect here) know it is money that wins elections..."

OK, I'm cynical. But the "listening tours" are a bunch of hooey. Keep doing what your doing and stay honest.

Gerald Weinand said...

Oddly, Billings argued that getting 40% return on a used computer purchased with CE funds was reasonable in 2006. But then, it was Chandler Woodcock's campaign that bought it.

http://bit.ly/ftdkzP

Don't forget to cross post! :^)

Anonymous said...

Why do you write and speak about yourself in the third person?

mainefem said...

Hope Charlie enjoys your Mac, Cynthia!

Now, which AMG peeps do you suppose want to purchase Brian Hale's and Crimmins's?

Who needs eBay, when AMG is around, anyhow?

Anonymous said...

AMG? But them folks is too durn po' for computers. They being taxed to death an' all.

Cynthia said...

mainefem - thanks for reading and supporting me!

Anonymous #1, thank you, too, for thinking about all this stuff outside the party lines.

Gerald, yes! Cross post!

Anonymous #2, probably for the same reason you are anonymous. Because I want to.

mainefem said...

You're most welcome, Cynthia.

Billings, Payne, and Tipping owe you a public apology, IMMHO (a dire absence of researching, which only takes a couple of minutes). _KJ_ & _The Morning Sentinel_ still have not approved messages over the past 48 hrs., I might add (all three write weekly columns, as you're well aware). Ditto Lance Dutson.

I do read candidate's campaign finance reports (as well as PAC reports) all the time.

Some folks would say it's "dry reading;" however, it illuminates *how* and on what and whom $$$ is spent--or not (as well as who's contributing to any given candidate).

Schatz, Stackpole (both D), & Williams (G) also purchased some sort of a computer, so the AMG frothy-types can make an offer on those, too.

'Tis the season, and all....

The two Republicans whom I previously noted spent an ungodly (pardon the pun) amount on dead tree campaign lit; and I still concur with you that it's a total waste of toner ink, trees, and postage stamps (considering most people toss 'em into the recycle bin|trash, etc.).

Ala Arden Manning fiasco.

Blogger, WordPress, Twitter, and Facebook are all free platforms; so there's no excuse for any candidate to refrain from integrating Web 3.0 into their campaigns.

Not to mention, to remain in touch with their constituents thereafter.

mainefem said...

It took these Blathering Bozos over a week to find the Maine Ethics Commission's portal!

"Serving Maine and the World since 1998."

*FAIL*

mainefem said...

Rep. Brian Hale (R-#85) still owes Bangor Letter Shop and Color Copy Center $606.16.

I just thought I'd toss that in (Hale could've purchased a second laptop for the same amount)!

I'd like to see all legislators using technology in the statehouse.

The amount of taxpayers dollars per session *wasted* on paper, toner ink, clogging up the landfills (not to mention--cost of labor involved); and the postage fees are beyond wasteful.

Maine legislators and staffers can read on the screen and click just as easily.

mainefem said...

Rep. Jonathan Crimmins's (R-#66) expenditures to Spectrum Marketing & Staples on dead trees|printing, etc.

More here.

Overall, Crimmins was very responsible with taxpayer dollars.

Anonymous said...

In this case neither the liberal journalist nor the Republican shill approach the caliber of investigative work at the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, who will not (despite Dan Billings' dismissals, and Nutting spokesperson Lance Dutson's attempts at deflection)lose focus on the original story: Nutting's past history and questionable business practices.

http://pinetreewatchdog.org/
"Nutting property sales off-limits in pharmacy bankruptcy"

Published also in the Bangor Daily News:

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2010/12/06/politics/nutting-pharmacy-sale-didn%E2%80%99t-profit-state/

mainefem said...

FYI~

I can see intellectual indolence from *my* house, Cynthia!

mainefem said...

Dutson has a long-standing misogynistic problem with "truthiness," as well as with "foul-mouthed fem bloggers," BTW.

Richard L. O'Connor & Co. don't quite know as yet how to implement Disqus on their "news" sub-portals (waiting for upwards to three days for comments to be posted is inane).

Déjà Vu

mainefem said...

Looks as if Nutting has been "busy" since Friday (has failed to return phone calls, or respond to Naomi Schalit via email).

Tsk...tsk....

So much for "transparency," eh?

mainefem said...

Re: Bill Beardsley being nominated as Maine Conservation Commissioner.

Again--*not* considering Beardsley's list of "campaign contributors" during the '10 Maine Republican Party primary!

Incidentally, who were the other ten [Dem] Maine House members who voted "Nay" along with you, re: Nutting being confirmed as House Speaker, Rep. Dill?

Conversely, who were the 61 complicit Dems who embraced the "bipartisan" malarkey (not to mention, the other 79 complicit House members, who went along with supporting such a corrupt person)?

Talk about [corporate] "welfare fraud" on a grand scale!

"Honest mistake?"

Hardly.

Party affiliation should have been a moot issue, re: single unanimous balloting ("ethics *is*, as ethics *does*") meme.

Thank you in advance.

mainefem said...

Errors and omissions, amok.

Bigtime, Greg Kesich.

 
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