The Bandstand at Ft. Allen Park.
Photo of Art Work by Joseph Loughran, Ft. Allen Park, 1916. 207 – 650-3099
By Carol McCracken (Post # 2,172)
“The Bicentennial Celebration is NOT a political event. We invited the Governor because…he’s the Governor,” emailed Diane Davison, executive director of the Friends of the Eastern Promenade to mhn.com today. The Davison email came as a response to an inquiry regarding the Friends announcement that Governor Paul LePage will be the key-note speaker at the upcoming Bicentennial Celebration on the Eastern Promenade.
What’s wrong with this picture? A lot. First, Maine is getting into the last several months of an election for the Governor’s post that will become more competitive as election day gets closer. Any photo op such as a Bicentennial Celebration with the stunning Casco Bay as a backdrop just weeks before the mid-term election, IS a “political event” – no matter how Davison spins it. How long will it be before that photo op is seen in LePage campaign ads?
LePage is the governor, but it’s not as simplistic as Davison expects us to believe. . LePage is the most controversial governor Maine has seen in generations. That controversy stems from his crude language and bullying behavior which does not need to be repeated here because it’s been well-documented elsewhere. LePage is a national embarrasssment to this State. His behavior disqualifies him as a role model the public should be asked to emulate – especially at a public celebration like the upcoming Bicentennial Celebration.
LePage claims to be business-friendly. There is scant evidence that during his administration any jobs have been created; there is lots of evidence that he’s lost many. He has a running war with the teachers of Maine and unions generally and has tried to dismantle the middle-class. Where he’s been most effective is in demonizing the poor. That’s easy to do, because there are enough people ready to take that bait. LePage even went so far as to claim the poor were part of the reason that businesses do not want to relocate to Maine; until he was “outed” on that charge.. LePage has been a big thorn in the side of Democrats working and living in Portland. A Portland resident, Elizabeth, 83, said recently: “He grew up in the gutter and he still lives there.”
Shame on the Friends of the Eastern Promenade – what WERE the tone-deaf Friends thinking?
editor’s note: This IS a political infommercial that “As Maine Went,” a best-selling account of the LePage administration, is available for sale at Longfellow Books, on Monument Way, in downtown Portland. The paperback was written by Mike Tipping, the cost is $12.95 and the book is published by Tilbury House Publishers.