Tag Archives: mary mayhew

Jun 8 2018

Friday’s Funny Bit

The Moody/Mayhew contingent is complaining about Garrett Mason’s ads exposing their lies and  duplicitous behavior as too harsh and divisive.  This from the group who claimed that, because of Mason’s youth, he couldn’t be tough enough to be Governor. Now the Moody Mayhews are demanding Garrett stop being….so…..tough…and….and mean ….and…and just go to our “unity and safe” places. News Flash!! Being the Republican Gubernatorial nominee and eventual Governor of the sovereign State of Maine is not for the faint of heart and thin-skinned. There are no “safe spaces” in politics.

In other news, the University of Alabama has banned all harsh text messages. My goodness! It’s everywhere! From Alabama to the Republican Primary in Maine! Crying for their safe place!

May 31 2018

Of Question Marks, No Shows, and Shadow Games

 

The NRA has released its ratings of the 2018 candidates. In Maine, there were no surprises on the Democrat side. All received a well deserved “F”.

On the Republican side, there was an expected confusion. Confusion, because two of the candidates in the Republican Gubernatorial Primary are only recent converts to conservatism or, at least, their brand of it. Mary Mayhew not so recent as Shawn Moody, who clung to his dubious shroud before a last second conversion to join the GOP primary.

Both have received an “AQ” rating from the NRA. What that means is that the candidates, or their campaign team, have filled out the questionnaire correctly but have no record to back it up. In other words, they are a question mark.

Which begs a different question: Why would gun owners and 2A advocates trust the defense of their Natural Born Right to self-defense to candidates who have no such record to be judged on? Why leave such an important issue to chance?

It’s easy to see that 2nd Amendment is the divining issue of this election cycle. So it stands to reason that any candidate claiming to hold conservative values must claim his or her steadfast embrace of a 2A value system, but who has the record to prove it? If there is a profession that epitomizes the old saw, “Talk is Cheap”, it would be politics.

Remember, Al Gore once convinced the people of Tennessee he was Pro-Gun and how did that turn out? Mayhew and Moody could very well be the virtue their questionnaire signals but what record do they have to prove it? Are we willing to put our trust in hope and chance?

On the topics of ratings, along with his questionable “A” rating, Shawn Moody should be rated “MIA” in campaign participation. Moody has been a no-show for at least six candidate forums. Perhaps the politician, who is not-a-politician, is so confident in his fancy new finish over the old LePage political machine that he thinks he can cruise to the finish line or maybe he’s decided to take a page out of the old Mike Michaud playbook, hide in the shadows, and coast to a win.

At any rate, there is only one candidate who has been giving an “A+” rating by the NRA. They did so because he is the only candidate with a record that backs up his campaign promise to defend our God-given right to self-defense. That candidate is Garrett Mason.

The 2nd Amendment protects all of our Natural Born Rights. This is never an issue to be left to chance; not to question marks, no-shows, or shadow games. There is one true consistent defender of 2A principles with a record to prove it and he is Garrett Mason.

May 17 2018

That Dodgy Candidate

 

Shawn Moody’s sudden conversion to conservatism has Maine people scratching their heads. Moody was anything but conservative when running for Governor as an Independent. As a political appointee of the Governor, he managed to keep a low profile within the LePage political machine.

With the confusion and lack of clarity on his political direction, perhaps the LePage camp felt they had found their “Manchurian”. The political landscape of Maine felt the rumble and shuffle as the whole of the Governor’s political machine shifted and morphed into the Moody team. Was this the blank slate that they needed to insure eight more years of the LePage regime?

But the heat of the primary has begun to mottle the hastily plated facade of a true conservative candidate and the juxtaposition of two different politicians from two different races is creating an uncomfortable reality for the kingmakers behind the politician. Shawn Moody is spending more and more time trying to dodge his inconsistencies. Yes, the dodge is on and the many moods of Moody is starting to show.

For a man who claims to be the outsider and the proverbial “unpolitician”, his mastery of the political rope-a-dope would hold even Ted Kennedy in awe. Debate moderators have scolded Moody for never answering a question and when he does they are surprised that he sounds more like the Democrats then the Republicans. This dodge and weave approach to truth is just the type of political gamesmanship the voting public has grown tired of.

Another candidate on the dodge is Mary Mayhew. Mayhew also had a conversion to conservatism. While the writer agrees that conservatism is great thing to convert to, the fruit of a conversion should show in the actions of a leader.

Mary Mayhew has faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of DHHS. With tragedy of a girl’s death in the form of repeated child abuse on Mayhew’s watch, this and the several other cases of poorly administrated abuse cases is a baggage that will sink her campaign. Mayhew has not addressed these concerns satisfactorily because she cannot.

With the Ken Fredette campaign struggling to gain traction, there is really only one choice for true conservatives in the Republican Gubernatorial primary. Garrett Mason can run on his record because it is there in plain sight for everyone to see. His conservative principles have stayed consistent, his ideals are constant, and they have not wavered.

The 2nd Amendment will be the divining issue of this election. This along with school choice, abortion, family values, fiscal restraint, defense of the Constitution, states rights, and so many more are not issues that should be left to chance to a candidate that dodges, bobs, and weaves their way around the issues. Maine needs a leader with a consistent record of conservatism and Garrett Mason is that leader.

Apr 18 2018

Through The Conservative Prism 2018

 

In the last Gubernatorial race, I published a series of articles reviewing the candidates for Governor entitled “Through the Conservative Prism”. It is my intent to publish one overview of the Republican Gubernatorial candidates under the same title. The primary race comes down to two contenders, Garrett Mason and Shawn Moody, in my opinion, and I will explain why.

First of all, Ken Fredette, with all due respect to his talent and ability, has all but been eliminated from the race. His sheer will and determination to stay in the race are commendable in some respects, but his campaign has failed to gain any traction. Mr. Fredette understands politics and he should know that the honorable and common sense thing for him to do now is withdraw and allow his supporters to align themselves with stronger candidates.

Mary Mayhew started out as the front runner in some polling. Scandals from DHHS mishandling and neglect of child abuse situations has all but derailed her campaign. The spotlight from investigations has revealed even more troubling trends under her leadership. If by some strange twist of fate Mayhew would win the nomination, these swirling clouds of accusations of negligence would bury her in the general election. In my opinion, Mayhew should withdraw also.

One of the standards I use in judging a candidate for public office is to never believe anything a candidate says while running for office. Look at their record. This should be applied to all, especially Shawn Moody.

The basis of Moody’s campaign is that he is not a politician, but an outsider…..except….that he was appointed to public office by the Governor, which makes him…..a……politician and this is not the first time he has run for office, so he’s a politician. He asserts that he is an outsider because he is the only one who has worked in the private sector, but so have all of his opponents whom he claims have not. Mayhew an administrator, Fredette a lawyer, Thibodeau in construction and industry, and Mason in construction and an administrator for professional sports.

I’m not sure it is good policy for a future governor to pick and choose which job professions are legitimate and which are not. Moody has differentiated himself from his opponents in one respect. He is the only one who has built his campaign on a complete lie. He is a politician, He is no more an outsider than anyone else, and he is no different than his opponents in both those respects.

Now his record is troubling in its duplicity. He has very strong friendships and ties with green energy interests yet claims he is for the everyday hard working people whose businesses and home budgets are being crippled by green energy mandates and subsidies. He claims he is for the traditional family and family values but has in the past talked about instituting his own new social values. What exactly are those?

He claims to support gun rights but at recent sportsman show posted pictures touting his support “for this blue collar issue.” The natural born right to self defense is not relegated to a blue collar. It is an every collar issue and this shows a troubling trend of a politician trying to adjust on the fly to the issues in an effort to get elected.

Moody is a good businessman. Obviously, Governor LePage has tapped him to be the third and fourth term of his administration, as most of LePage’s staff are on Moody’s campaign team. My concern with Mr. Moody is that his campaign rhetoric does not match his past behavior on many issues.

Garrett Mason is the wild card. For much of this race, he has been discounted because of his youth. Yet, continually he has shown himself to the steady hand and the adult in the room. In all of the issues, in contrast to Mr. Moody, Mason’s record is consistent. His conservative belief system, instilled in him from his youth, has guided his legislative actions as well as his personal. On family, on fiscal issues, on gun rights, and on issues of the Constitution and Liberty, Garrett Mason has a steady consistent record of defense that speaks for itself.

Campaign rhetoric means nothing if does not match your record. There is too much doubt that hovers around the other three candidates. Garret Mason’s record is clear and consistent. It is for these reasons that The Maine Conservative Voice endorses Garrett Mason to be the Republican nomination for Governor of the State of Maine.