Skepticism and the Sham Sting

On James O’Keefe and Maine Politics

 

Ernest Hemingway said people need a “built–in BS detector.” Missouri calls itself the Show Me state. And Mainers, with their sometime crustiness and “You Can’t Get There From Here” tweaking of those who drop by the state with a confident cluelessness, have their own measure of skepticism.

Luckily this questioning attitude was on display last week when the conservative advocacy groups Americans for Prosperity and the Maine Heritage Policy Center unveiled a video. They showed a two-minute clip to assembled journalists, which they said demonstrated “explosive evidence,” of “potential” Medicare fraud. Within a few hours it became clear that the selection did not represent the situation in full.

Read more about O’Keefe among the Mainers at the Bangor Daily News

Amy Fried

About Amy Fried

Amy Fried loves Maine's sense of community and the wonderful mix of culture and outdoor recreation. She loves politics in three ways: as an analytical political scientist, a devoted political junkie and a citizen who believes politics matters for people's lives. Fried is Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views do not reflect those of her employer or any group to which she belongs.