Alfond: Gov. LePage should stop campaigning and start leading
AUGUSTA — On Monday, Gov. Paul LePage reversed decades of tradition by delivering his State of the State address in writing, rather than in a speech before a joint session of the Maine Legislature.
In the address, he called lawmakers “socialists” a dozen times and blamed the Legislature for the state’s drug addiction crisis, all while patting himself on the back and reiterating his pledge to spend the rest of the year electioneering on the campaign trail rather than governing.
“The State of the State is traditionally an opportunity for the governor to lay out a vision for Maine for the coming year, but Gov. LePage has squandered that opportunity,” said Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond of Portland.
“He could have shared a blueprint for our economy, but instead he gave us an unproductive rant about socialism as if we never won the Cold War,” Sen. Alfond said. “These eight pages contain the same thing we’ve heard from Gov. LePage for years. There’s little that’s new, and no real path forward. This missive makes clear that Gov. LePage would rather orchestrate a big political fight than do his job. Rather than leading the state, he is focused exclusively on the next election.”
BACKGROUND:
Gov. LePage says he’s “in his office every day,” doing the people’s work, and chastises lawmakers for “gamesmanship.” But despite Gov. LePage’s bluster and right-wing efforts to throw wrenches in the gears of progress, this Legislature has done big things for Mainers, including:
- Passage of a bipartisan budget deal (over LePage’s veto) that provided tax relief to 580,000 Maine families while investing in Maine’s students, seniors and communities.
- Protection of energy efficiency programs and voter-approved conservation efforts, in spite of LePage’s opposition.
- Real action to fight Maine’s drug crisis, including the hiring of 14 new MDEA investigators, meaningful investment in drug treatment, and expanded access to life-saving, anti-overdose medicine.
Meanwhile, Gov. LePage has retreated from the State House. Instead, he’s spent his time:
- Jet setting to Las Vegas, Iowa and New Hampshire to hobnob with right-wing politicians and presidential candidates;
- Campaigning at so-called “Town Hall” meetings, where he can play fast-and-loose with the facts and focus on the upcoming legislative election; and
- Pushing for regressive welfare and tax policies so out-of-step with the mainstream that not even the full weight of the Maine Republican Party apparatus could obtain enough signatures to get them on the ballot.
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