Maine is so close. Despite the best efforts of Gov. Paul LePage, his Department of Health and Human Services and his acolytes in the Maine House of Representatives, a major achievement is within reach. While all political eyes last week were focused on the rollout of Medicare for All by Sen. Bernie Sanders, there was […]
The best economic development strategy for Maine is to focus on the businesses and people who are already here. The chances to land significant, game-changing investment are limited, and we’ve shown ourselves incapable in the past of differentiating between a scam – see Cate Street – and massive, job-creating and positive investment, such as Statoil, which […]
In 1971, I was born in the United States, my mother, a Dutch national, and my father a US citizen. After they split up, my mother and my older sister went back to The Netherlands. My father and I stayed in the United States. No one asked me about the arrangement. I was a baby, […]
Turning left down Penobscot Avenue in Millinocket on Friday, there were cars lining the street. Storefronts were open for business, and there were people strolling around. Not so long ago, it would take a contentious public meeting at town hall to draw so many cars. But that’s in the past. There’s a new air about […]
The hatred and bigotry on display in Charlottesville and its aftermath are shocking to the system and, for most people, they create a straightforward choice between right and wrong. White supremacy, Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan are wrong. Theirs is an ideology built upon hatred and destruction. There are no “fine people” marching with swastikas; […]
Saturday. Nothing. Sunday. Nothing. Monday. Nothing. Tuesday. It’s bad. It’s not my problem. That was Gov. Paul LePage’s reaction to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend. For LePage, his silence speaks as loud as his usual bluster. Speaking on the radio Tuesday morning, LePage broke his silence when questioned by the hosts. “My […]
Gov. Paul LePage may, in fact, run against Sen. Angus King in 2018. I doubt it. But let’s call it a big maybe. That said, his latest outbursts – against King, against Sen. Susan Collins – aren’t about that race. They’re about kissing up to President Donald Trump. LePage “wrote” an OpEd for the Wall […]
Earlier this year, The Washington Post added a new slogan to its flag: “Democracy dies in darkness.” It’s an expression that the paper, and one of its most famous journalists, Bob Woodward, started using regularly during the campaign for the presidency last year. The sentiment has been mocked and there’s been speculation that it was […]
With health care hanging in the balance for millions of people, including 117,000 Mainers, earlier this week we were treated to the musings of a Texas blowhard named Blake Farenthold. Farenthold is a member of Congress from Corpus Christi. He’s a lawyer and talk radio host. He’s been accused of sexual harassment by a member […]
For politicians, there are three types of pictures you should always avoid. Police mug shots. Funny hats or clothes. And the blurry hand trying to block the camera. The first tells people you’re a criminal. The second says you’re trying too hard and opens you up to ridicule. And the third says you’re hiding or […]
David Farmer is a political and media consultant in Portland, where he lives with his wife and two children. He was senior adviser to Democrat Mike Michaud’s campaign for governor and a longtime journalist. You can reach him at dfarmer14@hotmail.com.
