Some more big news out of Maine:
http://maineinsights.com/...
Democracy for America, a national progressive political action organization founded by former Gov. Howard Dean and with more 7,000 members in Maine, has endorsed U.S. Rep Mike Michaud for governor.
“Mike Michaud is the progressive, common-sense alternative to the extremist Paul LePage,” said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America. “Gov. LePage is so committed to his far right ideology that he’s willing to personally sentence 70,000 Mainers to a life without access to health care. Democracy for America members in Maine and across the country are looking forward to providing the boots-on-the-ground that will help send Gov. LePage packing in November.”
Democracy for America basis its endorsements, in part, on the strength of grassroots support a candidate has from the group’s local members and on whether or not the campaign is people-powered.
“I’m proud of this endorsement because it shows the strength of our campaign’s grassroots support,” said Michaud. “Our campaign is driven by the countless volunteers who are tired of the anger, ideology and division of the last three years. Their support has made this endorsement possible and will help me bring a new spirit of collaboration and respect to the Blaine House in November.” - Maine Insights, 5/9/14
And DFA released a new poll from PPP showing Michaud still in the lead:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/...
Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud is beating far-right Republican Governor Paul LePage by 4 percentage points in Maine's 2014 Gubernatorial race in polling, released today, conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) on behalf of Democracy for America.
In addition to showing Michaud besting LePage electorally, the new polling shows that voters continue to strongly disagree (57%-37%) with LePage's staunch opposition to providing nearly 70,000 Mainers access to healthcare through Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.
With nearly 51% saying that they are more likely to support Michaud following LePage's refusal to accept the federal funds to expand MaineCare, the Governor's willingness to derail the Affordable Care Act at all costs could prove to be the decisive issue in the Pine Tree State's gubernatorial race.
LePage's overall approval rating is also nearly 14 points underwater, with 52% disapproving and just 42% of Mainers approving of the way he's handling his job as Governor.
Michaud's been getting some great press lately.
http://www.pressherald.com/...
With the growth of partisanship and rancor in Washington over the years, elected officials face real danger if they evolve on an issue.
The need to stick to ideologically rigid principles instead of responding to new information means legislators can neither govern toward consensus nor represent the values of the majority of their constituents. We all use our life experiences to evaluate the issues we confront, but too often politicians cannot afford this luxury.
Rep. Mike Michaud’s decision to put the welfare of Maine women and their families ahead of personal ideology is at the center of NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC’s decision to endorse him to be Maine’s next governor.
When Michaud first ran for Congress in 2002, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC endorsed his opponent, a Republican who supported reproductive rights, back when pro-choice Republicans could run competitively. In Michaud’s first year in office, we gave him just a 10 percent rating, making him one of the worst Democrats in Congress when it came to supporting a woman’s freedom to make her own reproductive decisions.
After Michaud came to Washington, we continued to engage him and his staff on the real-world effects of legislation he was voting on. As he heard from his constituents in Maine – especially women – Michaud came to feel the weight of their personal stories.
Michaud came to understand that every decision has a story behind it, and that one-size-fits-all legislation could never serve Maine women and families. He came to understand that without access to family planning, economic and job security will always remain out of reach. And he grappled with the consequences of increasingly extreme legislation that had ramifications extending well beyond abortion access.
When the tea party’s rise shifted control of Congress back to Republicans, women’s freedom to decide what’s best for our families was put on the chopping block almost immediately. I think Michaud shared the shock of so many in our country as we watched the laser-like focus of an extreme faction robbing women of fundamental rights and freedoms.
In the last few years, Michaud has earned a perfect pro-choice score every year from our organization, meaning he has consistently voted for women and our right to decide when, where and how to have a family. - Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL, Portalnd Press Herald, 5/9/14
And he got a shout out for this:
http://www.sjvalley-times.com/...
Congressman Mike Michaud, D-Maine, reiterated the need for fair trade policies at an event in Washington, D.C. last night, May 6, with members of Printing Industries of New England (PINE), who recognized him for being a co-founder the Congressional Paper Caucus along with Congressman Reid Ribble (R-WI).
Michaud, who had worked in a paper mill for three decades, told PINE members that their work was central to supporting vibrant economies in local communities and that fair trade policies were needed to allow American businesses to not only survive but also flourish.
“One of my goals in co-founding the Congressional Paper Caucus and in advocating for American jobs over the course of my time on Capitol Hill is to ensure we’re doing everything we can to create environments where American businesses don’t just get by – but rather thrive,” said Michaud, according to a press release from his office. “I understand the perspective of many of those in the paper and printing industry, and they deserve trade policies that give them an opportunity to compete on a level playing field.” - St. John Valley Times, 5/7/14
And he's been speaking out against this:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/...
Braving thunder and rain, hundreds of protesters rallied outside of the Capitol building in Washington DC on Wednesdayto declare to the government that “the entire progressive movement is united” in the call to reject unjust trade deals and embrace an economy for all.
“They say ‘Fast Track!’ We Say ‘Fight Back!’” the group chanted, referring to recent efforts by President Obama to push through legislation to cement the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, or TPP, without congressional deliberation. Thus far, the details of the deal have been negotiated behind closed doors, with the only information made available to the public via leaks.
Under the banner “Fair Trade is Not Free,” a diverse coalition of environmental organizations, good government groups, farm groups, and over a dozen unions took part in the protest, carrying umbrellas and placards, which read: “Stop Secret Trade Deals.”
“Let’s show Congress that the entire progressive movement is united in the fight for a 21st century global economy that works for everyone,” declared the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which organized the rally.
Speaking before the crowd, Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice President of AFL-CIO America, declared: “This is what solidarity looks like!” Gebre was joined by other speakers including Reps. Rosa deLauro (D-Conn.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Mike Michaud (D-Me.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). - Mint Press News, 5/8/14
Meanwhile, Eliot Cutler's (I. ME) is trying to convince voters he's an electoral spoiler:
http://www.onlinesentinel.com/...
Enter Cutler’s new strategy for what he calls the “split-the-vote question.” Rather than simply bristle at the oft-attached “spoiler” label that’s dogged him for the past three-plus years, he’s now offering his supporters an exit strategy.
“Here’s the deal I would propose,” the independent candidate told a worried young lad (who, for the record, looked at least a year or two away from voting age) at a recent rally. “If you’re for me and think I would make the best governor, put my bumper sticker on your bumper or on your bike. Put my lawn sign on your parents’ front lawn and don’t let them say no. Tell your friends at school and their parents whom you’re for and why. And stick with me.”
Cue the other shoe dropping ...
“If on the day before the election, or the morning you have to go vote, if you don’t think I can win, vote for someone else,” Cutler said. “But if everyone in Maine who thinks I’d be the best governor sticks with me, helps me, goes forward with me, we’re going to win in a walk. Deal?”
“Deal,” the young man replied, to rousing applause.
Stage managed? Probably, considering that Cutler’s campaign released the video and he’s stuck almost verbatim to the script during the “200, 300, 400 times” he’s had the identical conversation, he claims, with voters all over Maine.
But make no mistake about it, this marks a change in tactics for Cutler.
Six months ago, he wouldn’t even entertain the widely held perception that he was – and could again be – the grease on LePage’s skids to Maine’s highest state office.
Now, he’s addressing the “split-the-vote question” head-on and even offering his loyalists a last-minute emergency chute.
More on that “deal” in a minute. First, to be fair, a gentle reminder:
It’s not even the middle of May. Cutler, according to the current average by Real Clear Politics, is polling at 17.3 percent support among Maine’s electorate, compared with 38.3 percent for LePage and 38 percent for Michaud. - Morning Sentinel, 5/9/14
Yeah, good luck with that. meanwhile, LePage's buddy, RGA Chairman Gov. Chris Christie (R. NJ) is vowing to bring in the money to help the vulnerable LePage win:
http://bangordailynews.com/...
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, told reporters here Wednesday that his group would spare little effort to ensure incumbent Gov. Paul LePage is returned to the Blaine House in 2014.
“I will tell you I’m committed to spending what we need to spend here in order to give the people a full view of Gov. LePage’s record and the record of his opponents,” Christie said after joining LePage in chatting with customers at Becky’s Diner.
Christie said Maine’s race was one of the governors association’s top five nationwide: “A top-five race is a race where you’re going to spend time and financial resources,” he said.
Christie was in Portland to join LePage at a pair of fundraisers for the state Republican Party and for LePage’s re-election campaign. He said he and LePage — who once told a reporter he would be “the Chris Christie of Maine” — have become friends since the Maine governor was elected in a tight three-way race in 2010. - Bangor Daily News, 5/7/14
Makes sense that Christie would campaign for LePage becuase they're both embarrassments to their states:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Despite the show of confidence, both Republican governors have struggled through a series of largely self-inflicted controversies that jeopardize their political futures. The stakes are highest for the New Jersey governor as he eyes a 2016 presidential campaign.
Federal prosecutors launched a criminal investigation after internal documents revealed that senior members of Christie's team intentionally clogged traffic near the George Washington Bridge, apparently to punish a political adversary last fall. Christie has insisted he had no prior knowledge of the incident and fired the aides involved.
LePage, meanwhile, is facing a daunting re-election challenge. Since winning in 2010 with just over 38 percent of the vote, LePage has vetoed the most bills of any Maine governor. He's withheld millions of dollars in voter-approved bonds until the Legislature passed bills he wanted and briefly barred his commissioners from testifying before lawmakers.
Democrats seized on Christie's appearance with LePage as part of an ongoing push to tarnish the prospective presidential candidate's image.
"They seem to be two governors in America who have perfected the tirade, which usually leaves their constituents embarrassed for their words and actions," Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said before the visit. - Huffington Post, 5/7/14
If you would like to donate and get involved with Michaud's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.michaud2014.com/