As personalities go, there are always the individuals who have the God-given ability to invoke feelings of camaraderie in those they meet day to day.  Such was the case in Steve Abbott at the Red County Caucus.  Mr. Abbott spoke to a roomful of people who probably at first were a little suspicious of his connection to the moderate/liberal Senator Susan Collins.

As the former chief-of-staff for Senator Collins began to speak to the Caucus goers, they seem to warm to him.  He told stories of the years he spent at Hampden Academy playing basketball against Foxcroft Academy.  The audience chuckled as he retold his many heartwarming altercations with Foxcroft players leaving him usually bloodied and hospitalized.  The residents of Piscataquis County found this humorous and even engaging.

Steve Abbott proceeded with more yarns of nostalgia. This included a story about his sister shooting deer.  At this point, Mr. Abbott’s speech began to loose traction.  Not because his sister shot a deer, since the majority of the room, I’m sure, had a sister who had shot a deer; some even during deer season, but Steve Abbott held this up as some kind of political accomplishment.  There seemed to be a collective “What’s your point” emotion that began to thread through the room.  A theme was developing in this speech.

Mr. Abbott then proceeded to lay out his conservative credentials, which included his dislike of seatbelts. Yeah, you’re right, now eyes started opening.  What had started as Steve Abbott the nice guy, turned into Steve Abbott syrup and Red County Caucus goers were not impressed.

Now, you may say, “Mr. Maine Conservative Voice…guy, where’s the theme in his speech! He said nothing!”  Exactly!  That’s the theme.  That’s the intent.  Ambiguity.  He could not be quoted as saying anything definitive on any valid issue except for an outlandish, over indulgent (syrupy) claim about DEP.  Where have we heard that tactic before?  Ah hah…Susan Collins.  It all comes back to his mentor.

Now some have accused this columnist of laying wait in the grass like a cobra just waiting to strike at liberals. ( For shame, to say such things against my humble person…O.K. …guilty as charged.)  I think Steve Abbott is employing a similar tactic in his campaign.  He is hoping Paul LePage and Bill Beardsly will take each other down and he can strike from behind.

Steve Abbott has no record of leadership.  He intentionally has stayed incased in ambiguity.  This is the Susan Collins machine.  The candidate says vague catch phases intended for each demographic the candidate faces while not saying anything. Do you have that feeling of being insulted?  Get used to it.  He is Washington politics.  Thankfully, perhaps, the fact that an inexperienced, unqualified, previously unknown leader now resides in the White House may be able to give us a good indication of what type of catastrophic leadership ambiguity can bring.  Steve Abbott has no record for us to examine save for some syrupy one- liners. This columnist purposes that we look at the record of his mentor and that should give conservatives a pretty good indication of his true, political leanings.