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Gov. LePage abruptly ends speech, exits after two protestors hold up signs

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Two UMF students hold up protest signs as Gov. Paul LePage begins his speech at the building dedication ceremony on Tuesday.with the newly named Theodora J. Kalikow Education Center serving as a backdrop. A somewhat rare snowfall occurred during the course of the day but by 4 p.m when the dedication got started, the sun made an appearance.
Two UMF students, Allison Hammond and Nickolas Bray, at right, hold up protest signs as Gov. Paul LePage begins his speech on Tuesday. LePage was to speak at the building dedication for the Theodora J. Kalikow Education Center, but abruptly left.

FARMINGTON – As the building dedication ceremony for the Theodora Kalikow Education Center on the University of Maine at Farmington campus got started Tuesday with a speech by Gov. Paul LePage, he abruptly ended it, threw his arms up and said looking over at two UMF students holding up signs, “I can’t do this.” As he left he said, “Thank you, idiots.”

One of the signs held up read, “LePage: Maine’s Shame” and the other “On Environmental Issues, Theodora Kalikow, A, Paul LePage, F.”

UMF students Allison Hammond and Nickolas Bray, who had been holding up the signs said as the governor was leaving they hadn’t expected him to walk off in response to their signs.

“I’m was very surprised to be called ‘idiot’ by Gov. Paul LePage,” Hammond said. “I will never forget that for the rest of my life.”

On LePage’s exit, University of Maine System Chancellor James Page, who was expected to speak after the governor, quickly went to the lectern and began his speech.

The story on the dedication ceremony can be found here.

Gov. Paul LePage stops his speech during a building dedication on Tuesday and leaves the lectern as UMF's president Kathryn Foster, at left, and
Gov. Paul LePage stops his speech during a building dedication on Tuesday and leaves the lectern as UMF’s president Kathryn Foster, at left, and former UMF president, Theodora Kalikow , at right, look on.
Two UMF students hold up protest signs as Gov. Paul LePage begin his speech at a building dedication on Tuesday.
Two UMF students, Allison Hammond and Nickolas Bray, hold up protest signs as Gov. Paul LePage begins his speech on Tuesday.
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79 Comments

  1. Calling the students disrespectful and then calling them liberal morons in the same sentence? Really the students are the disrespectful ones? Not the man who called two people, silently holding signs, idiots? Not the man who couldn’t just finish what he came there to do, then maybe address the protesters. If you really believe these students are in the wrong, then you are what’s wrong with this country. Just as Lepage has a right to freedom of speech, and being anti politically correct. These students have a right to let the governor know what they feel about him.

  2. you are saying shame on the 2 students. But as i see it 2 wrongs didnt make the right turn. LePage is our power figure. He 2 didnt act as a professional that represents this state. So in my opinion they all should be held accountable for their actions.

  3. Yeah, what Mike said. It was not the protesters who marred the event but the Governor’s rookie reaction to them. He absolutely should have ignored the small placards and continued what HE was there for, as he will be called on to do time and time again for the remainder of his term and into the future on senate campaign trail. Shame on him, not the students.

  4. It appears only one person disrupted the ceremony. I’m glad the next speaker made such a smooth transition.

  5. LePage deserve not one iota of respect from thinking people. He is a thug who hates the thinking people of this state and appeals, like Trump, to the uneducated, uninformed members of our society.
    I’m sure Theo was not too disturbed by the protesters and knowing her she was probably proud of them. I know I am.
    Smarten up people. This is America where the citizens get to speak truth to power.
    LePage proves once again that he is not up to the job and should resign. He is the worst gov. we’ve ever had and is a constant embarrassment to this great state.

  6. Omg….so there was a couple signs..were they shouting it to him? I think they had the right to do what they did.i hope he never runs for Senate..he can’t hold his tongue. I’ve never in my 52 yrs heard or seen a Governor speak to Mainers as he has. He is a disrespectful bully….
    He didn’t like the signs? Well we don’t like what comes out his mouth. There could have easily been a lot more students or townspeople there showing signs or protesting him, but two? He is upset over that. He has said in the past while downing some Mainers that nothing bothers him..well I guess these students really made him nervous. Can u imagine if it was all the ppl that think he is a shameless name calling governor…it’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it…hmmm

  7. 2 small signs? If UMF didn’t want any distractions why would you invite a man who has made Maine the laughingstock of the world? If you ask Theo she would probably be the first to say freedom of speech is alive and well. As well as her environmental record.

  8. Reading all the comments it really frustrates me when some are saying the two students should be ashamed of themselves..are you kidding? Just because they are students you are shaming them. If I had known the Governor would have been there, even though he wasn’t invited to speak I would have brought a U haul full of signs..what happens if it was your son or daughter holding the signs..are u gonna be ashamed of them?
    Wow is all I can say to you

  9. Excuse me. Wasn’t this the same guy that was swearing about thew President of the United States last weekend? And he couldn’t handle a couple of signs?

  10. Lepage got a taste of his own poison, what does he expect, he speaks hate. Every time this guy speaks like Archie Bunker it take value away from the image and brand of Maine. He happily dismiss the loss of mills, even blamed it on the workers and local community but them blames others for not bringing jobs into the state. I’m glad to see these young people who are proud of Maine and looking to the future voice their thoughts, after all, lepages public speech and agenda policy is often a shameful action.

  11. And he wasn’t even invited!? How rude. He is not environmental; however I, for one, would like to have heard that speech. I doubt he has much info about Dr. Kalikow. She is smiling as he walks away!! For LePage, this is a very poor example of how adults in power act. They, kids, certainly can not model him. He’s like a 3-4 year old when upset. I’m sickened by his actions

  12. “Just because they are students you are shaming them.”

    Just because they are protesting LePage you are supporting them.

  13. “Thin-skinned”, “bully”, “shameful”…what’s that I smell? Oh yes, it’s hypocrisy.

  14. I will open by saying that i know not everyone will agree with me. I live in this town because I love the location and I travel to make my income ( mostly in state). I was born and raised here in this town and I am now raising my own family here. I may not be the smartest person in the town but I did go to college and got my education. I feel that these students should understand that there is a place and time for everything. If this was a political rally then everything is fair game, but this was not.I guessing the governor was asked by the school to come make a speech , not him asking the school. Our governor like him or not, deserve respect just like the president, whom I dislike but show respect to. It is my opinion that these students showed how uneducated they , like most youth on the matter of time and place. I will say that Mr. Lepage could have handle himself better, but sometime we all need to understand that no one is perfect and all of us get frustrated.

  15. Early on someone spoke of the children who caused the ruckus as nimrods. Please, check facts first. From the dictionary, NIMROD, “the great grandson of Noah; noted as a great hunter” and ” NIMROD , “a person expert in or devoted to hunting”. So much for accuracy in that column.

  16. I would not be proud of my kids doing that in front of the Governor. Very poor taste. Young people don’t have respect anymore for their elders or people in power. Like him or nor he is our Governor and we shouldn’t have two young kids with signs at a dedication ceremony. Period!!!

  17. I would like to hear from the UMF President herself regarding the Governor’s status as a guest at the event. At this point the information seems like facebook’s version of the Telephone Game – someone did a cut and paste from her friend’s facebook page and posted it here, in which the friend claims she talked to the President and was told he was not actually invited. I highly doubt he simply showed up uninvited; claiming that he crashed the party without more to back it up than someone’s 3rd hand account appeals to the emotions (especially if you just plain hate the governor) but is not necessarily logical, true, or even the entire story.

  18. If the students had been wearing gun belts with sidearms, and ammo bandoliers and carrying assault weapons, dressed in camo and combat boots- and held signs that said support the 2nd amendment! that would have been okay, because, they would have been exercising their 2nd amendment rights, of which our governor has been very vocal in supporting. Heck, they could have carried concealed weapons too, and even had switchblades in their pockets.
    Nothing wrong, or inappropriate about that.
    But quietly holding signs, exercising the 1st amendment rights, that’s a no no?

    Didn’t all we went through in the sixties amount to anything?

  19. my sons friend goes to UMF and she said the same thing he wasnt invited to be there

  20. It is well known that Gov LePage doesn’t handle criticism well, so why poke the bear? These two students gave him the opportunity to make this about himself. Kudos to you for fueling the fire.

  21. State of Maine Resident, when I was in high school my brother’s friend told me that his friend just broke up with a girl that had an STD. That was a rumor. As adults we call it hearsay, which doesn’t hold up in Court, nor should it here. It shouldn’t be considered the truth unless a party directly involved confirms it.

  22. I think the protestors should have just stopped until lepage ended his speech and to say he is a shame isn’t right he has done some good and some bad but he is doing the best he knows how id hate to be in his shoes , the two that protested must be on welfare or from out of state and there parents should have taught them respect !!!!

  23. geez, folks……read the article. the sign poster is from AUBURN, which last look, was still in Maine. LePage chose to be where he is, and now talks of going to Washington. if you want to be a highly visible pubic official, all that fame comes with a little responsibility and accountability. And respect is earned — not given. Rude Paul is way beyond being given any benefit of the doubt. He has been 6 years into putting Maine in the national news for all of the wrong reasons.

  24. Protesters are right gave and the governor is wrong. Thin skinned and foul mouthed man. They were peaceful.

  25. If Gov. Lepage was not expected, why was his name on the flyer that was handed out to guests? I believe in freedom of speech but this was the wrong place to protest. What gets me is how these “silent protesters” high fived each other when the Gov. stormed off. That showed a lot of class. They were real proud of themselves. As for the Gov., yes he could have had a thicker skin.

  26. Another idea:
    I think the governor didn’t have a speech prepared, got up there at the podium, drew a blank (AKA, senior moment) realized he had no clue what to say, saw the signs and used them as way out.
    He’s been in politics for quite a while now, he’s seen his share of protest signs. To get that rattled over a couple of relatively innocuous signs speaks to something else being the problem. He has also blown off another speaking engagement. I think he might have a struggle to finish out his term as governor, let alone be elected to a six year term in the US senate.

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