Looking for the Looniest Person in U.S. Politics? Can’t Count Out Paul LePage
By any standard, Maine’s governor, Paul LePage, is a mean-spirited nutjob; the more you read about him the more clear this becomes.
But is his climate change denial connected to the lethal rise in the population of infectious disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes? From the article:
Across the United States, tick- and mosquito-borne diseases, some potentially lethal, are emerging in places and volumes not previously seen. Climate change almost certainly is to blame, according to a 2016 report by 13 federal agencies that warned of intensifying heat, storms, air pollution and infectious diseases. Last year, a coalition of 24 academic and government groups tried to track climate-related health hazards worldwide. It found them “far worse than previously understood,” jeopardizing half a century of public-health gains.
Yet in Maine, Gov. Paul LePage — a conservative Republican who has questioned global-warming science — won’t acknowledge the phenomenon. His administration has suppressed state plans and vetoed legislation aimed at limiting the damage, former government officials say. They say state employees, including at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, have been told not to discuss climate change.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the people of Maine; it must be repugnant to live in a state governed by such a nasty lunatic. Fortunately, “time’s up,” as they say. LePage is going into the election season with an approval rating of 41%, and a disapproval rating of 53%, tied for fourth highest in the country. Buh-bye.
Craig,
I’ve met governor Paul LePage and listened to him speak on a number of occasions. I also know people who know him well. Based on such a brief acquaintanceship I can’t really express any great knowledge his character.
Paul LePage, and this is just my opinion, is not a “West Coast” or urbane sophisticate. But he’s certainly not crazy! Paul LePage is like so many men of his type and background, he hearkens back to the original north eastern frontier-folk. Like all of us, he posesses strengths and weaknesses.
Paul LePage can count among his strengths, hard work, loyalty, honesty, efficiency,and a capacity for reform to benefit taxpayers. He can be a very talented and incorruptible administrator(he’s the lowest-paid governor in the US on a meager $70,000 pa salary) .
One of family of eighteen children, LePage put himself through school and University obtaining a BSc and an MBA. He served his hometown of Waterville as City Councillor and Mayor between 1994–2011, despite the Waterville being a Democrat stronghold.
The voters of Waterville regard his time as Mayor as being a period of great reform and financial rebuilding. He remains highly regarded.
LePage won both his election and re-election as Governor from a very low poll position (41% is actually quite good for him, at that rate he’d easily win re-election).
Coming from a humble background, without great personal wealth, the Governor earns many people respect for his honesty and sacrifice to serve in public life, and his often misreported blunt, candid, politically incorrect observations.
However, unfortunately despite his many admirable abilities, Governor LePage is also stubborn, narrow minded and rigid on many social and environmental issues. Men like LePage find it difficult to work within the confines of democratic checks and balances, especially with hostile media and opposition dominated legislatures.
At 70, Le Page is seeking re-election at a time when most Governors in the modern era find serving two terms mentally and physically exhausting.
LePage is not a “opportunist reactionary” , he sincerely believes in what he thinks are the old fashioned stern values he grew up respecting. Liberalization and social change frighten him and his supporters.
His is a world of personal hard work, no excuses, no drugs, no abortion, individual responsibility, the ethics of the frontier. He is sincere in his desire to provide the dignity of meaningful employment to the people of Maine. He despises welfare and poverty trap programs and politics.
However, when confronted in his personal life by social problems he’s certainly capable of kindness and generousity. His Catholic faith produces contractions.
On my third trip to Maine I helped to promote a campaign to restriction on bear hunting in Maine. The result was as disastrous as the 2004 attempt to ban using traps, bait, and dogs to hunt bears in Maine.
Although initially privately sympathetic, Governor LePage was alienated (as was the electorate) by the antics of a very vocal minority of “out of State” interlopers. These demonstrators saw the campaign as an opportunity to push a radical, leftist, extremist social agendas, thereby confusing the issue and derailing the campaign.
In the end, it was the poor Bears that suffered !
With the Governor’s assistance and support, real reform could have been achieved. I swear had my companions not prevented me from demonstrating my anger toward the smugly self-righteous group expressing how good it felt they had won a ‘moral victory’ by alienating the Governor and prominent conservative forces in Maine into opposing the campaign, I would be still enjoying the State of Maine’s hospitality for 20 years to life !
If I could have passed a law substituting those self-satisfied selfish, irresponsible leftist demagogues to be hunted, trapped, baited, and have dogs set upon them, instead of the Bears, I would’ve put up the bounty myself !
This is the great tragedy of politics in the Western world, the middle, moderate ground is disappearing, as just shouting “hooray for my side”, now passes for debate.
President Trump and the other populists may symbolize this increasing divide, but we are all responsible. The media is not blameless, but nor are the viewer/readers who prefer sensationalist hype instead of real news.
The paparazzi couldn’t exist without a paying audience, so who is really to blame ?
We all want environmental reform, but how can that be ever achieved when most advocates delight in introducing irrelevant political/ideological issues knowing they will derail any real moderate degree of reform and progress ?
Paul LePage should really get his facts straight! He and the people who agree with him are causing great harm to us and the environment! The first step to putting a stop to climate change is to acknowledge it!