Gov. LePage is a horror

[Rosa Luxemburg]

OMG - just listening to Rachel and hadn't realized how bad this governor is. LePage is an absolute disaster. I am disappointed that people voted for this thing.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Is that whore or horror?

Yes, I've heard he sucks.

[BlueDemKev]

2. Yep. The 2010 Midterms...

...when Democrats stayed home in droves and so many independents fell for all the tea-party rhetoric. LePage also vetoed the legislature's bill which would have expanded with state's Medicaid program under Obamacare. The vote to override fell three (3) votes short of the two-thirds majority required.

What's sad is LePage's approval ratings are still over 40%. Not saying that's great for him, but he still has a reasonable chance of being re-elected next year.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Who are these people in Maine who will vote for him?

[avebury]

4. My understanding is that there were 3 candidates in the

race and the other two split a lot of the more liberal votes which allowed LePage to squeak in.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. We can't let that happen again!

[magical thyme]

7. that is NOT what I saw happen in 2010.

The vote was split between 6 candidates.

Teaparty republican won with 38% of the vote
Democrat who was stuck at 20% in the final weeks of polling and ended with 20%
Independent (former democrat) who ended with 37% of the vote
3 other independents who split the rest of the vote

I waited until the last hour to vote, to give the Democrat every opportunity to get out of 20% range, then voted for the Independent as the last chance to block the teabagger.

IIRC, early voters were actually given the chance to re-cast their votes over some technicality. At least one democrat from DU wrote that s/he "didn't have time."

Independents did NOT vote for the teaparty candidate. They voted for the Independent, former Democrat, candidate.

If just a small percentage of democrats had come to their senses and realized that the Democratic candidate had no chance and voted for the Democrat-turned-Independent, then Gov. 38% would have lost.

[savalez]

8. That's close.

So he can lose! Just have one dem/independent run. Probably easier said then done, right?

[magical thyme]

10. 62% voted against LePage. 57 of those percentage points voted for either

the Dem or the Independent/former Dem.

Eliot Cutler, the Independent/Dem, is making noise about running again. If he does, and if the Dem Party candidate is not dramatically better this go round, I truly hope that Maine Dems will vote for the independent, and I suspect this go-round they will. We need to get rid of LePage desperately. He is absolutely destroying our economy through his tax cuts for the wealthy.

Furthermore, the Independent rep from Jefferson (right next door to my village) also voted against this crappy tax package because there is only one good way to fix LePage's manufactured "budget crisis" and that is to undo the inheritance tax cuts for the wealthy that he rammed through without vaseline back in '11.

Cutler is not bad, and I suspect will have a better chance than a Dem candidate because he pulls the Indies and some Dems. The moderate GOPers are embarrassed by LePage and might go for an Indie next time as well.

Of course, I'd love to see Chellie Pingree as governor, but we need her in DC. She chose not to go against Cutler in '10 and I'm guessing she'll make that choice again. Furthermore, Pingree/Cutler/LePage would split that 57% in a way that neither would come close. We simply cannot afford that.

[RBInMaine]

12. Actually, MANY Dems DID switch to Cutler at the last minute. I am one of them.

Last edited Sun Jun 23, 2013, 10:34 AM - Edit history (2)

Mitchell, the Dem, was running at about 30% in the polls the entire election. Cutler was way low, and LePage was at around his 38% that he won with. Near the end of the campaign, Cutler was starting to move up and so many Dems saw that Libby Mitchell just could not win that they jumped ship bigtime and flocked to Cutler. LePage did get some right wing Indies and even some conservative Dems. Cutler got
a lot of Indies and a lot of Dems. Mitchell mostly got very progressive base Dems in the end. One problem was the number who voted early for Mitchell and really couldn't scramble to change their votes, and also that there were too many Dems and progressive Indies who didn't vote. The R's had more money and more enthusiasm in 2010, and too many D's and progressive Indies NUMBLY stayed home, as they did elsewhere in the nation causing the disaster of 2010 which we are all STILL paying for BIGTIME.

So we got what we got. A total imbecile for a governor who has done nothing but try to foist his TeaBag agenda on us and constantly says stupid and vile things that embarrass us. In 2014 we have Mike Michaud running, an excellent Dem, and he can win. Cutler is also running, but Dems and moderate to progressive Indies will be looking to see who can beat LePage, and I think we will do that this next time around.

[magical thyme]

13. I can't imagine any (real) Dems voting for LePage, but I'll take your word on that

since I have no doubt you are closer to such details by far more than I am. Hopefully *they* will have learned a lesson. Too bad it comes at such an enormous price to all of us.

Yes, Mitchell was a lackluster candidate; to be honest I heard one commercial from her and absolutely cringed, the messaging was so wrong. I would have voted for her only in desperation to keep out LePage. By 2 weeks before voting day she was down to 20%; I wasn't following earlier than that.

The 1% strategy is going in full force here: cut 1% taxes in order to destroy the budget, then make the poor and middle class pay for the tax cuts to the wealthy. Too bad any repairs won't be retroactive

I thought Michaud was kind of blue-dog...or is that only to satisfy his more conservative constituents?

[RBInMaine]

14. Not many, but there are some registered D's out there, mostly old white guys, who vote mostly R or

at least split tickets. This is because Maine is an old-age state as you know, and some of the old FDR/Truman/Kennedy/Clinton Dems
here are mad about Obama, gay marriage, etc. They may vote for Mike Michaud or local legislative Dems, but for President and Governor will often vote for the R. There are not a whole lot of them, but there are some.

You mainly have the scenario right. Libby Mitchell plunged down to 19% in the end because a good 11% of her support went to Cutler in the endgame as he was rising anyway.

Libby was a good campaigner on the stump and on the road and in the debates. I met her a few times during that campaign. I agree that not all her commercials were that great. Her problem was timing. It was a "change" election, and she was viewed as the "status quo." Never had a shot to win. I even think that if it had been just a two-way race between her and LePage then Indies would have held their noses and voted for LePage just to have a "change". It was a sad cycle here and nationally, and we are still paying for it.

In 2014 Michaud can get Dems and many Indies who are progressive, moderate, and more conservative. He has always had crossover appeal. The trick for us is not letting 2010 replay. We need to hold our powder and see how it goes, then make sure to get well behind the man who can beat LePage. LePage must GO.

[magical thyme]

15. I'm a former Indie. There is no way I would have "held my nose and voted for LePage"

I hold my nose and vote for the dem every election, except that one I waited to see whether the official Dem or Indie/Dem had the best chance.

If it ends up a 3-way again, I hope that whoever it turns out is losing will decide to drop out in time and send their supporters to the non-LePage.

Btw, I'm sure you meant to say we need to get well behind the man or woman who can beat LePage. Or have all the candidates already declared?

[mainer]

17. Many Dems I know were distressed that they voted early

Because once they realized that Libby Mitchell was a lost cause, there was no way for them to vote for Cutler.

[Yavin4]

16. When folks post: "There's no difference between Dems and Repubs." think about LePage

Think about poor people who won't have access to medical care.

[Cha]

6. K&R for exposing LePage

thanks Rosa

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. I had heard some things about him but

Rachel exposed him 'good and proper'

[ChiciB1]

11. I Only Got To See "Some" Of Rachel Last Night...

Can I get the full transcript on her website?? I keep telling myself to get MORE tech savvy, but I just never seem to be able to find enough time. While I'm very fortunate to have my 2 kids & their kids living close to me, it IS time consuming. Something seems to be going on with them all the time. NOT COMPLAINING, love them to death, but keeps me on my toes. Plus I have 4 sisters and 2 of them don't even have a PC!! They're older and don't see the point???

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. Transcripts

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32390088/