Sen. Susan Collins taught a master class last week in how to dominate and control a narrative. With a decision that seems obvious in hindsight – but had much of the country and the entire state guessing in real time – Collins made the decision to stay in the Senate and not run for governor […]
Gov. Paul LePage – much like his counterpart in the White House – consistently violates the norms of governance. His disregard for the law and for civil, appropriate behavior are dangerous. The Legislature has reacted by contorting itself into a legalistic pretzel. The governor’s recent threats to depose sheriffs based on his flawed interpretation of […]
An internal memo for Sen. Susan Collins, that I obtained and confirmed as authentic, shows that Maine’s senior senator remains overwhelmingly popular and holds a commanding lead in any potential gubernatorial match-up. The memo, which was produced by Collins’ pollster Hans Kaiser based on statewide polling conducted Sept. 17-21, shows 70 percent of Maine voters […]
We are killing young black men. We are killing them on the streets, and we’re killing them with games. When they tell us there’s systematic and persistent racism, that they’re afraid for their sons, we should listen. We’re killing Native Americans. We’re abandoning them to poverty, isolation and early death. When they tell us that […]
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 […]
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.
