Letter to the Editor: Refreshing ineffectiveness and Gov. Paul LePage

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Having watched Governor LePage for 5 years now and having had an up close and personal view for 4 years. I find his latest outburst another example of what a columnist recently described as, refreshing ineffectiveness.

The refreshing part being “what you see is what you get.” There is nothing about the man to make you wonder where he stands on any issue. And while this type of personality may refreshing to voters tired of the usual slippery political evasions, it has made it hard to achieve his policy goals. In his first term many of his major achievements were obtained in spite of this not because of it.

I have participated in many elections and witnessed the results first hand. I had a front row seat when he won his first election in 2010. The mood from the Democrats was one of shock but also a sense that they were caught off guard. One veteran told me it an anomaly that would be easily fixed in 4 years’ time. What he didn’t understand was that the public was fed up with the status quo and wanted change. On the major issues like welfare reform, tax reform, paying our bills, creating a better environment for Maine’s citizens to flourish Lepage has been mostly in tune with the public and on the right course. And the public saw fit to reward him with a second term. Some chose to overlook or forgive his rough around the edges personality while others admired it.

After the 2014 elections the Democrats in Augusta were not just in shock, they were demoralized. Many told me they just couldn’t believe it. They had come to realize there was more to his wins than they previously thought. I remember thinking he was in a strong position to achieve many of his policy goals. Opponents were saying that they now “wanted welfare off the table” and asked for legislation to work on. His tax reform package caught both parties by surprise, having worked unsuccessfully on these issues before I was hopeful for some real progress especially now that the governor’s office was engaged front and center.

Now though I am quite saddened the governor allowing himself to be taken out of the budget picture almost entirely. As any budget essentially needs two-thirds support, it has always needed Democratic votes to pass. When the Democrats unveiled their budget it was remarkable how many pieces of Governor LePage’s tax reform ideas it contained. But due to his personal attacks and insults there is little chance any Democrats will want to work with him which now means the best chance for tax reform in decades is all but dead.

Politicians are people and like any profession involving people relationships matter. Politics is how policy is enacted and politics involves people. Something LePage has yet to learn is the value of relationships. These rants are actually ineffective to achieving his policy goals. He well knows how to use the stick but not the carrot. In fact if one gave him a carrot he would likely beat someone with it.

An example of what relationships do would be to look at Nixon vs Reagan. Nixon certainly was more liberal than Reagan and yet less effective and much more despised by Democrats due largely to his personality, not policies. Reagan while much more conservative achieved greater policy goals in large part to due to his personality. He was far less disliked even by those who greatly disagreed with his policies.

Churchill explained this when asked about aiding the USSR after Hitler attacked Stalin in the summer of 1941. He said if Hitler invaded hell he would at least have to give the devil favorable mention in the House of Commons. Along the same lines I once told the governor that I thought many of his policy goals were so important to our state’s future that I would do most anything to get them pass short of selling my soul. I wouldn’t sleep with the devil but I would take him out to dinner.

Failure in politics to build working relationships even with those you disagree with means it is not likely you will achieve your policy goals. Governor LePage must maintain his discipline, not only to those who voted for him but to all the citizens of Maine. If that isn’t enough he might well heed the advice written in Proverbs 21:23: whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Lance Harvell
Farmington

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12 Comments

  1. Unfortunately he has achieved a position of great power and control and his decision making process is from his personal choices not what is best for the people who pay his salary and have to live anyway he chooses for them to. We have gone from being a thriving state full of industry to one of poverty, despair, and treading more on the already down-trodden.

  2. Thanks, Lance Harvell. It would be good to hear from additional “enlightened”
    LePage voters, if they too see more clearly now.

  3. As far as your mention of the carrot and the stick Lance, I’m thinking LePage would likely break the stick, eat the carrot, and then yell at somebody because he has no more sticks or carrots.

    If Democrats are demoralized, it’s because of a foolish system that allows mistakes like LePage to occur. The poor man has become a caricature of himself and has taken Maine along for the ride.

    There is absolutely nothing refreshing about his ineffectiveness.

  4. The only reason LaPage won both times is because a ringer was thrown in. If Mr. Culter had not run both times, the outcome would be a whole lot different…

  5. The Democrats lost in 2014 for several reasons. They assumed that Lepage was so unpopular that it would be fairly easy to beat him. Michaud looked at first like the best candidate to run against him. Emily Cain, seemed likely to win over Bruce Poliquin too, simply because he was such a slime.

    Here’s what they didn’t consider:

    Mike Michaud is not a good debater and not a great public speaker. This mattered less in contrast to Lepage, but became glaring when he was against Cutler. He should have stuck to his original pledge of not debating if all three candidates were not attending that debate.

    In all the years of being a politician, Michaud never got any sort of secondary degree. He could have taken online courses and got a degree in political science, art appreciation, anything- but to expect to be able to win a governorship in 2014 without a degree was really a long shot. The days of self-educated men being elected to office are in the past. Even in the past, the men who did it, were exceptional men who had exceptional accomplishments. Mike Michaud is accomplished, but he is no Franklin or Lincoln.

    In the two years prior to his running for Governor, Michaud’s home base of Millinocket went into economic decline. He rose to prominence and got elected by being one of the locals and working to support his constituents. He no longer had that support.

    Angus King didn’t help at all, with his initial support of Cutler and then abandoning ship late in the campaign and belatedly supporting Michaud.

    Announcing that he was gay, didn’t help. The possible boost Michaud may have gotten from the gay community was offset by his voting record regarding gay rights. It also made him the first openly gay candidate to ever run for governor in the history of the country. For a very charismatic candidate, that could have worked; not for Mike Michaud.

    The LePage campaign used some brilliant strategy. Whoever came up with the Stacy Hickox- ebola scare distraction and then tied that into the fear of illegal immigrants spreading hepatitis and disease- and tying all that to the democratic party- that was genius. When a town wouldn’t let a teacher into her classroom, because she had been in the state of Texas – seizing on the hysteria to advance himself in the polls- that should be remembered in political history as equal to James Michael Curly’s exploits.
    Maneuvering the debate schedules, so Michaud got stuck debating against only Cutler – another great play. LePage had nothing to lose and everything to gain by not debating. Over and over, the LePage team outwitted the Democrats.

    Michaud campaigned that he would immediately expand Medicaid. At good idea, but not a good campaign point. The people who would have benefited were not the people he needed to vote for him. He lacked a visionary statement that all could get behind and believe in.

    The sad thing is; I still believe Michaud would have made a great governor. Maine is now 47th in terms of growth. Take away Portland ( which LePage would clearly like to do) and we would be dead last- Maine would probably rank behind Sudan in economic opportunity.

  6. The state’s media must have adopted a quota system with style guidelines: at least one LTTE per week, composed by choosing one item each from columns A and B.

    Column A

    LePage is a bully.
    LePage is uncouth.
    LePage is ineffective. (New!) And if you can’t decide …
    LePage is just not nice.

    Column B

    LePage hates the poor.
    LePage hates the sick.
    LePage hates children. And if you can’t decide …
    LePage hates.

    For 16 long years before 2010, we had nice governors who would smile, pat you on the back, and tell you what you wanted to hear. In general, they made you feel good about having your pocket picked.

    Yes, this one is refreshing.

  7. A cold beer is refreshing- but drinking probably won’t help you get ahead. Well, maybe for Al Diamon.

    A cold shower can be refreshing- but probably not in the dead of winter- which, metaphorically is where Maine is perpetually at – and literally too for most of the time.

    What would truly be refreshing- would be a state executive and legislature that worked together to make Maine a better place. If being able to hide a gun is more important than making a living, then this government is for you.

    This weeks school budget votes exemplify what’s wrong – that, after a period of years when the economy has forced restraint, when our teachers make far less than the national average, when our students are behind in academic achievements, our citizens feel compelled to vote down a budget that barely accounts for inflation. I am not blaming the voters for going against the budget- I am going against a state and a county that has allowed itself to sink so low into poverty and despair. Franklin County is fast becoming the new Appalachia, while that part of the nation- along with the rest of it – has been getting ahead.
    Maine is 47th, and Franklin County’s economy is near the bottom of the state’s. Isn’t that sad?

  8. Lance excellent letter as usual and like many of us try to do when trying to find middle ground. However, given the mind set of Democrats today it would seem unlikely that any amount of political maneuvering, adroitly chosen words or pleasantries offered would sway them to back any Republican idea or person. For an example see William Gilliland’s letter to the Bulldog.

    We are more divided today at both the state and federal level than I have ever seen in my lifetime. The art of compromise all changed with the President’s simple words…. “I won!”. And as I have said before, too many politicians are about keeping their job not looking out for us! My hope lies with many of the youth of this country who seem to be socially moderate to liberal and fiscally conservative.

  9. @ Cisco: The art of compromise all changed with the President’s simple words…. “I won!”.

    You mean there was ‘compromise’ going on during the preceding 6 years?!
    Kidding, right? What a fine example of taking things out of context!

    State of the Union speech, January, 2015.
    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/i-won-both-them

    “Toward the end of his remarks, Obama took an almost contemplative turn, telling the audience, “I have no more campaigns to run.” Some Republicans responded with derisive applause, prompting the president to depart from his prepared remarks.

    “I know, because I won both of them,” Obama said with a sly smile.

    “…if Republicans can dish it out, they have to be prepared for the president to give it back. It was GOP lawmakers who decided to interrupt the speech with applause when Obama said he has no more campaigns to run. Can they really blame him for throwing a fastball of his own in their direction?”

  10. And now Jeb Bush, the father of Common Core, has jumped into the race. Can you remember Dole, McCain and Romney? It was Bob Dole’s “turn” because he had been in the Senate forever. Anybody remember the Dole Bill? Don’t try looking it up. McCain was another uninspiring senator. Romneycare was hated just as much as Obamacare. You can’t win with no issues that inspire.

    Paul LePage got the most votes of any governor in Maine history and did it in a three way race! He promised to do away with the hated LURC, pay the hospitals and make welfare “beneficiaries” earn part of their loot. The logging truck driver gets up at 3 AM and goes to work. He gets home at 7 PM if he’s lucky and the welfare “client” next door has watched TV and drank beer all day.

    Well, he paid the hospitals at least.

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