Welcome back!

Stay tuned for the all new MainePolitics.com … coming soon!

Obama coming to Maine to boost new health care law

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is going back on the road Thursday as part of his campaign to build public support for his new health care law.

His public relations push will take him to Portland, Maine. It’s the second in a series of outside-the-Beltway health care-focused events. The first was in Iowa last week. The White House says the events will be held regularly though the end of the year.

Thursday evening, Obama will stop in Boston for two Democratic National Committee fundraisers. One is a reception at the Massachusetts State House, the other a dinner at the Boston Opera House.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/01/1558185/obama-going-to-maine-to-boost.html#ixzz0jrj161AE

Three-way deal could put expanded gambling options to vote

By Kevin Miller
BangorDailyNews.com

AUGUSTA, Maine — The proponents of an Oxford County resort casino

Now 3 Casinos in Maine?

have reached a tentative deal with the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Hollywood Slots for a November ballot question seeking to expand gambling in western, eastern and central Maine.

The agreement emerged Wednesday roughly a week after Passamaquoddy leaders, who have been battling to gain gambling rights on tribal land for nearly 20 years, questioned the fairness of potentially allowing slots and table games in Oxford County.

Representatives of Penn National Gaming, which owns Hollywood Slots in Bangor, had also urged lawmakers to reject Black Bear Entertainment’s Oxford proposal.

But after a week of private negotiations, Black Bear officials have agreed to a new, three-pronged ballot measure that would appear on the November ballot alongside the company’s original proposal. A legislative committee could vote today whether to endorse the plan.

If approved by the full Legislature, the new ballot question would seek voter approval for a resort casino in Oxford, slots and table games in Washington County and the addition of table games in Bangor.

“We have to be true to Oxford County and we have to be true to the people who signed the petitions,” said Black Bear spokesman Peter Martin, whose company gathered more than 100,000 signatures to get the original Oxford proposal on the ballot. “But in the end we have to win. We do believe there is merit in bringing in Penn National and the Passamaquoddy Tribe.”

The tentative deal remains fragile, however, and will have to survive the turbulent political process before voters could have their say on the matter.

Martin warned that Black Bear would back out of the three-party agreement — and instead push ahead with its campaign for a solitary resort casino — if the Legislature changed any aspects of the proposal affecting Oxford County.

Several members of the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, which was briefed on the agreement Wednesday, also expressed concerns about approving such a complicated “competing ballot measure” so late in the legislative session without a public hearing.

“I don’t think we have the time, or I haven’t been convinced, that we can put together a well-thought-out competing measure of this scope,” said Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond.

But other committee members said there will be plenty of time for public debate if lawmakers approve a competing measure.

“There is going to be a public hearing and it is going to last from when we adjourn until November,” said Rep. Stacey Allen Fitts, R-Pittsfield. “People will be able to endorse it or not endorse it at the ballot box, which is the beauty of this.”

According to the outline provided Wednesday, the alternative ballot question would seek voter authorization for:

• A four-season resort in Oxford featuring slot machines and table games such as poker and blackjack plus a hotel, convention center and restaurant.

• Up to 500 slot machines and 20 table games at a Washington County casino-racetrack, or racino, built within 30 miles of the two Passamaquoddy reservations.

• The addition of table games at Hollywood Slots on Main Street in Bangor.

The majority of the tax revenues generated from the Oxford casino would go to public education in the state.  Continue…

President Clinton Endorses Mitchell for Governor

President Clinton endorses Libby Mitchell for Maine Governor

Former President Bill Clinton today endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Libby Mitchell. In an email to her supporters, he notes her tenure as chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, a position she was appointed to by his administration.

Full release and email after the jump.

Pres. Clinton Calls for Maine Voters to Support Sen. Libby Mitchell for Governor

Former president hails Libby’s experience, asks Maine people to contribute to campaign

AUGUSTA – Former President William J. Clinton today encouraged Maine voters to support Senate President Libby Mitchell’s campaign for Governor. Clinton sent an e-mail to thousands of Mainers asking them to contribute to her campaign.

“I am proud to ask you to join me in helping to elect my friend, Libby Mitchell, Governor of Maine,” said Clinton. “My trust in Libby has never been misplaced. She has served with distinction throughout her career, being the first woman chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, and the first in the country to preside over both a houses of the state legislature.”

Libby is running as a Clean Elections candidate in this race. To qualify for Clean Elections, she must raise $40,000 in seed money from individuals. She also needs Maine residents to give 3,250 $5 contributions to the Clean Elections Fund on her behalf.

He added “Running clean is a challenge. Breaking through as a woman candidate is really hard. I’ve seen it first-hand. Libby has the experience and the know-how to do it.”

Clinton hailed her service as the first woman chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston – a position he appointed her to during his administration.

A resident of Vassalboro, Libby has served nine terms in the House and three in the Senate. She also directed the Maine State Housing Authority. During her time in the legislature she has been a tireless advocate for education; successfully championing legislation to improve Maine’s K-12 and higher education systems and sponsoring first in the nation legislation that used state funding to expand the Head Start program.

Continue to see full letter from President Clinton…

Seth Wescott makes Maine proud at the 2010 Olympics!

(Flicker Photo)

Seth Wescott is from Sugarloaf, Maine (Carabassett Valley) about an hour or so where I live now and about 20 minutes from the town of Eustis where my grandmother bought a hunting camp over 70 years ago (which to this day still has no electricity, has gas lights, a wood stove, and an outhouse). If you don’t hunt, fish, downhill ski, cross-country ski, snowmobile, snowshoe, or snowboard, well, this area of the state is not for you! For Seth, however, it’s home and where he got a good part of his training to earn his gold in snowboarding at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver this year! We are so proud of him. Congratulations Seth!

Kay – WhiteNoiseInsanity.com

Progressives On the Move: Engage Maine

By Juliana L’Heureux
Democrats and Republicans are equally mystified about why a 60 vote super majority in the US Senate didn’t move health care reform legislation to a definitive vote, at least not yet. I recently told a Democratic activist and leader in Augusta’s Maine State House that it didn’t make any sense to be a registered Democrat if the party isn’t leading. Why be a Democrat when the party doesn’t take a firm stand for something and stick to it?

I know state legislators who say they don’t want to rock the political boat because it might mean loosing the next election. Give me a break (!) – they worry about the next election, in Maine? We live in a state with term limited legislators. Eventually, in a state with a population of only 1.2 million people, there’s plenty of time for the tenacious of heart to be re-elected, given the rate of legislative turnover.

Out of this timid political re-activeness, one group bolting out of the gate to change the debate is Engage Maine. It’s young, progressive, intelligent, professional and doing what no political party dares to say publicly these days. Engage Maine is standing for progressive values where others fear to tread.

In fact, Engage Maine is supporting a professional communications campaign to raise awareness about the importance of raising revenues to meet Maine’s budget needs. Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen, step right up and see the one, the only, the amazing – brave group of activists who dare to use the “t” word in public.  Continue…

Pothole Politics

(BangorDailyNews.com) Frost heaves and potholes are symptoms of state government’s unwillingness to adequately fund a comprehensive transportation policy. Maine’s Route 15, a vital link from Bangor to the Moosehead Lake region, has begun resembling a roller-coaster ride, and local officials are demanding the state Department of Transportation begin fixing the road.

Their concerns are well-founded. The precarious central Maine economy relies heavily on tourism. If the Plum Creek development plan comes to fruition, that tourism could grow significantly.

Moosehead Lake innkeepers recount how prospective guests often ask about the roads linking I-95 to the region; the innkeepers wonder if their prospective guests are picturing a stagecoach line where streams must be forded and wild animals kept at bay. Rep. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, who serves on the Legislature’s Transportation Committee, lent some truth to that myth by referring to Route 15 as a “goat trail.”  Continue…

A clean mind and dirty hands Moral dilemmas for the Maine Clean Election Fund

By AL DIAMON |  February 10, 2010 (ThePhoenix.com)

Three people walk into a bank.

The first, a soccer mom in Spandex, withdraws money from the ATM in the lobby, and departs for her Pilates class.

The second, a disheveled meth addict, pulls a gun and forces a teller to hand over a wad of bills. He too departs for that Pilates class, where he steals valuables from the lockers.

The third bank visitor is wearing an expensive suit and tie, hand-crafted leather shoes, and a watch that cost more than a car. He makes a legitimate withdrawal at the ATM before his meeting with the bank president, where he presents fraudulent documents that convince the president to loan him millions that will be squandered in a pyramid scheme involving phony Pilates studios.

Who’s the most moral?

I think we can agree that the soccer mom’s money is clean — even though she’s carrying on simultaneous secret affairs with the bank president, her Pilates instructor, and John Edwards; is ignoring obvious signs her 15-year-old son is operating a pornographic Web site from his bedroom; and she drinks coffee grown in non-environmentally friendly conditions by workers who aren’t paid livable wages.

I don’t think there’s any argument the meth addict’s funds are dirty — even though he used a portion of those proceeds to pay his child support and make a substantial donation to Haitian earthquake relief. He’s also scrupulous about bringing reusable cloth bags on his shoplifting excursions.

Here’s where it gets tricky, because the third bank customer obtained his cash from two sources. He withdrew some from his account. That’s clearly OK. But he got the rest from a con job. And that’s wrong. On the morality scale, how does he rank?

That question is too sticky for a guy who makes his money in journalism and Powerball tickets, so I defer to the experts at the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.

In late January, this august body (slightly pudgier than a July body, possibly because it’s been skipping Pilates classes) was faced with an issue not dissimilar to that raised by our Madoff-like bank scammer. After considerable deliberation (involving about the same amount of time contestants have to answer the “Final Jeopardy” question), the members decided it would be acceptable for gubernatorial candidates who qualify for public funding — “Clean” money — to also, under certain circumstances, accept private donations — including filthy cash from meth dealers and Ponzi-scheme operators.

That’s because the Maine Clean Election Fund may not have enough money to pay for all the gubernatorial campaigns that want their invoices for TV spots and lawn signs covered by taxpayer dollars. Currently, eight of the 23 potential goobs are seeking public funding (Green Independent Lynne Williams announced last week that she could not “in good conscience” take the public money she wouldn’t have qualified for anyway). Several others are about as likely to get that funding as I am of leading a Pilates class.

Nevertheless, if just four Blaine House hopefuls fulfill the requirements to go “Clean” in the primary, and three make it to the general election, the fund will go broke.

Clearly, a contingency plan is needed, and the ethics commissioners have come through with one that bears an uncanny resemblance to that third bank customer.  Continue…

Maine lawmakers call for jobs bill

AUGUSTA — While President Barack Obama calls for passage of a jobs bill in Washington, Maine’s top legislative leaders are also calling for bipartisan congressional action to enact a job-creating package.

Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell and House Speaker Hannah Pingree, both Democrats, held a State House news conference today to call for a jobs bill that benefits small businesses.

Mitchell, of Vassalboro, said she hopes a bill passes in Congress that includes tax incentives for small businesses that hire new employees. That was seconded by an Augusta businessman, Roger Pomerleau, who said businesses are holding off hiring until the future becomes more certain.

Pingree, of North Haven, said the nearly 150,000 small businesses in Maine provide potential for new jobs.

The 2010 Comprehensive Daily Kos/Research 2000 Poll of Self-Identified Republicans

Aetna contributions to Sen. Snowe and Sen. Collins

“it is impossible for elected Republicans to work with Democrats to improve our country. Their base are conspiracy mongers who don’t believe Obama was born in the United States, that he is the second coming of Lenin, and that he is racist against white people. They already want to impeach him despite the glaringly obvious lack of high crimes or misdemeanors. If any Republican strays and decides to do the right thing and try to work in a bipartisan fashion, they suffer primaries and attacks. Even the Maine twins have quit cooperating out of fear of their homegrown teabaggers.”

More…