Seems to be some ruffled feathers among those candidates bringing up the rear behind Bruce Poliquin in the U.S. Senate primary. Many of the trailing candidates are complaining that the State Treasurer has put out an ad with a picture of him with the Governor. These disgruntled candidates whine, as their being lapped, that the Treasurer has somehow crossed the line. But Secretary of State Charlie Summers admitted in his complaint this morning on the George Hale and Ric Tyler show that they all have pictures with the Governor. So why not use them? Are they ashamed of the Governor? Governor LePage is easily the most popular politician within the Republican ranks so it stands to reason to use a photo with the Governor. Sounds like good campaigning. Why haven’t the other campaigns used the Governor to their advantage? Maybe that’s why their cries of foul are coming from the behind through the dust of front running Bruce Poliquin.
Category Candidates
False attacks against Poliquin
It seems that one or more of Bruce Poliquin’s opponents has accused him of not being Pro-Life. I have been to many events with Mr. Poliquin and he has on every occasion stressed his Pro-Life beliefs. He has again sent out a statement to counter this falsehood,
“Make no mistake, I am PRO-LIFE and always have been despite what some desperate opponent would have you think.”
This is a quote from the State Treasurer that clearly states his position. As the attacks on Bruce increase, it is easy to see who the front runner is and who is desperate.
Enthralled? Who’s Enthralled?
The endorsements for State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin keep rolling in making the likelihood of a Poliquin/King match up in the general election more of a realistic proposition with each passing day. The FreedomWorksPAC, a national conservative organization, has joined the chorus of conservatives across the United States imploring the voters of Maine to send this fiscal hawk Washington D.C. But more importantly, Poliquin has been picking up many endorsements from conservatives throughout the State.
Representative Peter Johnson, a well respected conservative from Greenville, who co-chairs the education committee, has enthusiastically endorsed the Treasurer. He states his reasons as follows. “I have been most impressed with Bruce as our State Treasurer. He came to the job with a great understanding of the fiscal problems our State faces. He has been tireless at addressing the problems of excessive cost in bonding, the unfunded pension liability and several issues with the wasteful spending of the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Maine Housing Authority. His dedication to protecting the taxpayers of Maine and eliminating wasteful and unsustainable programs have saved our State millions of dollars and I am certain he will do the same in Washington.” The Maine Conservative Voice could not agree more.
Mr. Poliquin has also received the endorsement of several Tea Party groups throughout the State. Perhaps Bruce Poliquin’s candidacy will have a unifying effect, after the near splintering the Party has weathered through the Convention period. What has become increasingly clear is this, with ads running on television and radio, polls which show him the frontrunner in many cases and a ground game that is functioning at a high level, the Poliquin campaign was off and running early with plenty of traction while the others still seem to be trying to gain their footing.
Which bring us to the Treasurer’s inevitable foe this election season, Angus King. The former Governor has written an opinion piece in the Bangor Daily in which he quotes Abraham Lincoln. This seems to be the pattern as of late for liberal leaders. He insinuates in the piece that those of us who are clamoring for a return to small government and fiscal responsibility are somehow “enthralled” with partisanship. He touts his title as an “independent” as proof that he is above the perceived pettiness of those who want reform. He brags that he will choose at some appointed time, in the later to be named future, whom he will caucus with.
What the Honorable former Governor does not explain in his piece is how being an “independent” has become the method of choice for liberal politicians to circumvent the political process and expense of a primary, while jumping ahead of all the other candidates who compete in the primary, i.e. Eliot Cutler and Angus King. Mr. King also made a sizable donation to the Democrat Party immediately after Olympia Snowe announced her retirement, effectively buying Chellie Pingree’s withdrawal from the U.S. Senate primary. As for his being above the partisan fray, Mr. King had repeatedly made large donations to Barack Obama’s campaign, the most divisive and partisan leader this country has ever had; in fact, all of King’s donations have been to the Democrat Party and their allies. So much for whom he is going to caucus with, he’s already started!
And now for his derision of those who fight steadfastly for a return to a constitutional government as being “enthralled”. Governor King, you may think yourself witty by using the words o f a revered Republican against conservatives, but we are not “enthralled”, we are engaged. We are not enthralled with partisan deadlock but we have drawn a line in the sand and said “thus far and no further”. We are tired, Mr. King, of having leaders, such as yourself and others of the forty years of past liberal domination, exploit our love of peace and tranquility as the means to your end. But it is more than ironic that every time a liberal leader is faced with a crisis that needs a real solution, they always start quoting conservative Republicans.
The End of the Matter
The End of the Matter
The end justifies the means is the mantra of some. It was and is the tenet of many whom we would call left wing, socialist or progressive. Surprisingly, lately it has been the standard of some who would call themselves Conservatives. There are certain beliefs that Conservatives hold dear but, sadly, imposters have used them as a talisman to conjure loyalty in their followers. The chanting of conservative rites in an effort to string together support for candidate, who may normally not have had the support of some sectors, is one the most notable achievements of the Ron Paul organization.
This columnist has met some of the most wonderful people in recent days as political winds of change surrounding Maine have swirled tumultuously carving their imprint into our landscape. It has been striking that much of the rhetoric has not matched the actions of many in this movement. There are some telling inconsistencies.
Local control has been the cry of conservatives nation-wide. It is the surest way to maintain true, effective and accountable governance. Interestingly, for all its trumpet and cry for local control, the Ron Paul campaign has been, in the days after the convention, maneuvering in an effort to gain control the Maine Republican Party’s resources. If they were successful, they could channel these resources to their leader and his national interests. This would leave State and County leadership considerably weakened, with little left to defend and fight for local races. For a group that touts the value of local leadership, they certainly seem willing to sacrifice the future of their own State and Counties and pin all their hopes on a national election.
Ron Paul is a Libertarian. One of the mainstays of libertarians is concept of social tolerance. Yet strangely enough, Ron Paul has either had an election time conversion or many of my good social conservative friends are willing to compromise their personal beliefs to follow a Libertarian. It has been interesting to hear the second thoughts from some of my dear friends as the newly empowered Libertarian contingent begins to make its push to eliminate social issues from the Maine Republican Party. Is there perhaps some buyer’s remorse?
All who are Conservatives have universally held that change must be made now if our children are to have any hope of a bright future and a nation of freedom. But with the collapse of the Maine Republican Convention and reports of similar shenanigans by Ron Paul followers in Oklahoma, the future of our little ones is desperate, shamefully so. We still have no assurances that Maine delegates can be seated nationally after the Tweed Chair debacle. If the delegates are seated, which is probable for the sake of party peace, the elections commission may not honor Maine electors. Now is Oklahoma in question and will more States tumble into the Paul collapse? This columnist fears that the Nation could do the right thing and elect a Republican President. But if enough electors are invalidated, Barack Obama could win by default. Ron Paul may have achieved the end he envisioned, but the means could have irrevocable repercussions. And what is the justification?
The Maine Conservative Voice 