LePage says he has a “wire brush”

Gov. LePage has said he’s not interested in attending the meetings of the National Governors Association. But recently he’s been at the gathering of his fellow Republican governors.

As these governors considered what went wrong for Republicans in the 2012 elections, LePage had his own words to add.

According to Politico:

Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage said he has not decided whether to run for reelection in 2014. The unpopular Republican in a solidly blue state said he pays little mind to what’s going on at the national level.

“[Obama] carried it in ’08, too. I don’t see Obama as a threat at all,” he said. “When I ran for governor, I had my wife go out and buy me a little scrub brush. Now I have a wire brush.”

There’s a clear implication of dirt, even corruption, in Maine, which LePage is or wants to clean up.

But this metaphor is a bit unclear.

Is LePage implying Augusta is dirtier than it was when he first ran for governor? Or is he suggesting that he’s removed the surface dirt and is now down to the really hard stuff to clean?

And what dirt is he talking about?

The only corruption found in the last few years involved the Maine Turnpike Authority. Otherwise, there have been plenty of instances where LePage disagreed with others on policy matters, but that is not corruption.

To work with others, one has to assume a degree of good faith, the belief that others, even when they disagree with you, are trying to serve the common good.

Speaking about a state in which his party lost considerable ground and some Republicans are interested in going forward in a bipartisan manner on a state health care exchange and other matters, creating what former LePage press official Dan Demeritt calls a “new governing coalition,” LePage instead sees plenty of deep dirt.

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.