Uninformed endorsements
The Bollard covers news of Portland, Maine. Though matters of national, regional or statewide scope often inform our local coverage, our focus is squarely on this city. As a consequence, our editorial board (yours truly) can’t pretend to have some super-informed, authoritative take on the campaigns for federal, state and county office this year.
We’ve noted, however, that a similar level of ignorance hasn’t dissuaded other publications in town from blowing their endorsement horns. To wit: the Portland Press Herald‘s endorsement of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR); or thePortland Phoenix‘s endorsement of U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (dude, that’stotally alternative!).
And by admitting, even embracing, this ignorance, we feel our political perspective more closely resembles that of the average voter.
In fact, like most voters in Maine, the author of these endorsements is not enrolled in a political party. Also like most folks, I choose candidates based on a variety of apolitical factors, like disgust, fear, righteous indignation, cynicism and spite. I have my pet causes and my unique tangle of ethical standards would-be office-holders must meet to get my vote.
For example, I only support pro-choice candidates who support gay rights and believe in dinosaurs. If you’re on the other side of any of those three debates, there’s no use paying robots to call me at dinner.
Here’s another ethical tripwire of mine candidates must avoid: Don’t fight terrorists by killing and terrorizing people. That’s a pretty important one. Screw that one up, like Senator Olympia Snowe, and you can kiss my vote goodbye.
Snowed under: Jean Hay Bright (left) and Sen. Olympia Snowe. (photos/courtesy Hay Bright; courtesy State of Maine)
So there’s one endorsement: Jean Hay Bright for U.S. Senate. She may not be a very good politician, but she’s unlikely to unleash massive death and destruction upon another nation’s people without provocation or justification. Snowe voted to do that, and that’s a pretty big fuck-up in my book.
Snowe lost my vote four years ago, and has since done next to nothing to win it back. Support for a flag-burning amendment (are you kidding?), defense of illegal surveillance and imprisonment, votes for anti-choice judges who may profess to believe in dinosaurs during confirmation hearings, but who privately confide to colleagues on the golf course that they feel “the jury’s still out” on that question….
Most Democrats denounce Snowe’s overall record as shameful, but they should be equally ashamed for failing to champion a politically viable alternative – like someone with name recognition, or experience holding elected office. Hay Bright, who has neither, deserves credit for stepping up and standing up to Snowe, especially since her party doesn’t have her back in this fight. She’s gotten no significant funding or grassroots support from fellow Dems, not a few of whom will undoubtedly vote Republican in this race.
Congressman Tom Allen comes to mind – that is, as someone you might think could’ve challenged Snowe and maybe even come close to victory this year, given the disastrous global war she helped launch and all that. But instead, Allen’s gunning for a sixth term in the House, his seat safe from Republican opponent Darlene Curley and anti-war independent Dexter Kamilewicz this year.
No balls, no endorsement.
Likewise, it’s tough to endorse Democratic Gov. John Baldacci for a second term in the Blaine House. He’s shown a lack of political courage on several issues we’ve covered, like the demise of Maine’s groundfishing industry and the passage of draconian drug laws. But unlike his principal opponent, Republican Chandler Woodcock, we’re certain Baldacci believes giant, flesh-eating lizards once roamed the planet, so we’re inclined to give him the nod.
As an alternative, independent candidate Barbara Merrill is as refreshing as buttermilk. A casino train to Montreal called the “High Roller”? Roll another one, Barb, I’m not high enough yet to appreciate this big idea. You’re suggesting we sucker our fellow Mainers into paying for a pricey new train by blowing their hard-earned wages on card and dice games? That’s fascinating. Do continue. How else do you propose to con us out of our money?
Green Independent Pat LaMarche is pretty cool. She’s partied with Bang-Bangs. But we’re not convinced her first public office should be Governor of Maine any more than we thought she should be the second most powerful person on the planet when she ran for the vice presidency two years ago.
Independent Phillip Morris Napier Thu Peoples Hero is an attractive alternative for those seeking to cast a “spite vote.” But he supports TABOR, which is a dumb idea, so we’re denying him our “spite vote” out of spite.
We endorse a no vote on Question 1, the citizen-initiated referendum to limit government spending based on population and inflation figures.
There are a lot of problems with this measure, some so significant that even prominent TABOR supporters like the Portland Regional Chamber and the Press Herald say it needs substantial revision. They’re counting on state lawmakers, whose failure to address taxes brought TABOR to Maine in the first place, to change or “fix” TABOR after a majority of Mainers endorse it as-is. This is a sane way to set spending policy?
Of course not. The only way to reasonably address government spending is to pay attention to it, to keep an eye on state and local budgets and the people we elect to make them. If they’re doing a crummy job, we can do better than make them jump through statistical hoops to reign in wasteful spending. We can vote their ass out of office.
We’re not inclined to vote Mark Dion‘s ass out of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s seat this year. Dion, a Democrat, is facing a Republican challenger, Edward “Ted” Blais, who’s been critical of county spending on the jail and corrections services, but we’re not convinced Dion’s blowing his budget pampering prisoners.
We admire Dion’s progressive, enlightened perspective on law enforcement issues. He’s proven himself to be a thoughtful cop in policy debates that encourage knee-jerk reactions, like the establishment of a residential program for non-violent, repeat offenders in the West End a few years ago. Dion’s drawn attention to the jail’s de facto role as our community’s mental hospital and substance-abuse treatment facility of last resort. “Expensive” is just one of many negative terms one could justifiably apply to this dysfunctional situation. “Immoral” comes to mind, too.
In another county race, it’s high time to kick incumbent Treasurer Diane Gurney to the curb. Once again, Republican challenger John Ridge is running to win this post and prove the part-time position shouldn’t exist. (The county already has a budget director who does all the heavy lifting.)
Axing the Treasurer position will require further action by lawmakers and voters, but we’re eager to see Ridge promote this worthy, tax money–saving idea. We suggest he set up a Web camera in his office, put his feet up on the desk, and spend his time mastering that stupid wooden paddle-ball game. Stream this footage on the county’s Web site with scrolling text reading “Your tax dollars at work,” and see if that generates some interest in this matter.
And finally, in the big race for Cumberland County Register of Deeds, we like Republican challenger Donna Chapman over incumbent Pam Lovley. Chapman’s running on a promise to improve customer service at the office of public property documents, and complaints from people who’ve had a less-than-lovely experience doing business there have reached our ears over the years. If you’re gonna treat this obscure contest as a toss-up, why not shake things up, instead?
— Chris Busby
Chris Busby is editor and publisher of The Bollard.
