Fr. Governor Joe Brennan (D) With Governor Paul LePage at an Event on the Eastern Promenade Last Year.
US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) Denounced LePage’s Comments This Morning.
By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,529)
“It seems to be the standard now,” said Dana Milbank, columnist for The Washington Post, in a CNN live television show this morning. Milbank was referring to the racially charged comment that Governor Paul LePage made during a town hall meeting last night (Thursday) in Bridgton. LePage has always been a “loon” Milbank stated during the interview.
During his leadership LePage has frequently made offensive remarks that landed him in the national spotlight. Milbank went on to say that offensive language has become the norm, largely because of the candidacy of the narcissist Donald Trump for president. However, LePage has offended the country with his language and behavior long before Trump began his run for President. His offensive comments and behavior lands Maine in the national news for all the wrong reasons.
The heroin epidemic in Maine has become one of the state’s most talked about issues in the state. Proposed legislation is currently pending in Augusta to deal with the problem. This too has become a political football with LePage apparently not supporting the current bill because there are treatment proposals that show “favoritism” – a reason not to support the legislation says this bully.
The controversial remarks came in response “to a question about how he was tackling substance abuse in Maine.” according to a piece in the “Portland Press Herald” today. LePage’s remark was: “These are guys with the name -D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty these types of guys – they come from Connecticut and New York………incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road,” according to the “PPH” article.
LePage has already tried to back track his remarks by saying in a clip showed on CNN this morning that sometimes his brain doesn’t catch up with his mouth. That’s progress! But LePage has already earned a well-deserved national reputation as Maine’s modern day Robinhood – taking from the poor and giving to the wealthy.
“Governor LePage’s comments were disgraceful and racist. Once again, just a week before Martin Luther King Day, the governor has made a comment that is offensive to the African-American community and to all of us. It does not represent the values of Maine people and is embarrassing to our state. And although the governor seems to regret getting caught making those remarks, he also seems unwilling to apologize to the community that he has insulted,” wrote Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) in a statement released by Willy Ritch, her press agent.
Neither Senator Angus King (I) nor Susan Collins (R) have responded to the racist comments of Governor LePage. They should – LePage is outrageous. Or they just don’t have principles.
The Governor once said that President Obama hates white people according to a post on the Internet this afternoon.
Racism is not an image that Maine wants announced in the national news. The State has enough issues to deal with already. Like his upcoming impeachment.