The public is restive. Office holders are under pressure, as people are riled up for the most common of reasons — broken promises on issues that hit home. Americans who were economically frustrated are still struggling because while most economic indicators are positive, this hasn’t translated into prosperity for most. The swamp rises, with lobbyists […]
Republican Sen. Margaret Chase Smith is a Maine political icon but it’s often overlooked that she lost her seat to a Democrat. While many herald Smith for standing up against McCarthyism, voters’ decision to end her career bears lessons also applicable today about the danger of elected officials losing touch with the people back home. […]
As an incumbent Rep. Poliquin could be touting his position on legislation involving an issue people really care about, health care. But not in Poliquin’s ads or his allies’ ads or in the deluge of taxpayer-funded mail from his office, is there any mention of a vote that attracted extensive attention from the press and […]
Eighteen months into President Donald Trump’s presidency we’ve seen tariffs imposed on a slew of products and manufactured goods. Trump tweeted that “trade wars are good, and easy to win” but their harm has only begun to take its toll. Yet instead of modifying the tariffs or helping every business and consumer affected, Trump picked […]
What’s most important about the new poll for ME-2 is not that Democrat Jared Golden and Republican Bruce Poliquin are neck and neck. Sure, that is important, both on its own terms and because the competitiveness of the race will help Golden bring in money and rally his supporters. It will attract national attention. But […]
Jared Golden, the Democratic nominee for Maine’s Second Congressional District supports really popular health policies. His opponent, Rep. Bruce Poliquin, does not. So what do we see from Republicans? An ad that flat out lies about Golden’s views and tries to scare people. Let’s break this down: First, what does Golden support? Regarding health care, […]
President Donald Trump’s chaotic presidency, full of corrupt swamp creatures and beset by investigations, threatens to block out attention to congressional and state campaigns, but it also makes them even more important. Which political party controls Congress really matters if we are to exert some control over a presidential administration so unmoored from reality and […]
At a time when people want larger Social Security benefits and higher taxes on the wealthy to fund them, Rep. Bruce Poliquin is bragging about receiving an award from a Koch brothers funded group that supports privatizing Social Security and Medicare. I haven’t seen any publicity about this from Poliquin’s campaign or congressional office, but […]
With Donald Trump having nominated Brett Kavanaugh to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy’s seat, the eyes of Maine and the nation are on Sen. Susan Collins, who has long stated she, like most Mainers, is pro-choice. But as Maine voters look to November and beyond, every issue and every elective office matters. When it comes […]
When I was traveling during the 2016 primary season, one person whose Airbnb I was staying in told me her neighbor was voting for Donald Trump because “he just wants to break things.” Actually the word wasn’t really “things.” You can use your imagination. Two-plus years later, what Trump has damaged is our national creed, […]
