Sunday, October 31, 2010
Maine Politics Down Globe Memory Hole
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler leads the two other independents in the five-way race for governor. But a survey last week shows him lagging behind Republican candidate Paul LePage and Democrat Libby Mitchell, who appeared to be in a neck-and-neck race, making votes for Cutler potentially pivotal in the outcome....
But not a SPOILER like my man Ralph Nader, huh?
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Also see: Tea Party Will Lose For Winning
Around New England: Globe Giveth Maine....
Around New England: Maine's Murder Mysteries and More
Turning the Money Page in Maine Governor Race
Reading the Mimicking Mimes of Maine's Next Governor
Yeah, Globe can't be liking the politics up there (or anywhere) these days.
Of course, Democrats are always from the people and for the little guy, right?
"Democrat in Maine race has ‘opulent lifestyle,’ GOP says
PORTLAND, Maine — Hedge fund manager S. Donald Sussman has never sought the spotlight. But the fiancé of US Representative Chellie Pingree has become a campaign issue in her reelection bid.
Republicans are criticizing Pingree’s use of Sussman’s private jet and raising questions about whether his investment company benefited from the federal bank bailout.
Maine GOP spokesman Lance Dutson said Pingree is living an “opulent lifestyle’’ with Sussman’s “royalty-level wealth,’’ while regular Mainers struggle with high unemployment and a stagnant economy. “We’ve got this picture of Chellie Pingree as a fighter for the common person in Washington, standing up to special interests,’’ Dutson said. “But as the onion layers unpeel, we see that’s really not the person she is. She’s traveling on a $10,000-an-hour private jet.’’
None of the cretins thrown up for office are.
Pingree, who plans to marry Sussman next year, says Sussman’s success and wealth has not changed who she is or how she has voted in Congress.
“I feel my opponents are trying to turn it into a tabloid story instead of an election campaign about where the differences are and how I cast my votes, who I fight for, how I represent the people of Maine,’’ Pingree said.
Well, I am reading the newspaper.
Polls show Pingree ahead of Republican businessman Dean Scontras in the race to represent Maine’s Democratic-leaning First Congressional District. Pingree first won the seat in 2008.
One seat saved, 'eh?
While much of the campaign has focused on typical Democrat-Republican themes such as taxes and the role and size of government, it has also drawn in Sussman, 64, the founder and chairman of Paloma Partners, an investment firm in Connecticut.
I'm tired of the "typical" "debate."
Sussman and Pingree, 55, met at a birthday party in 2007, and got engaged after the 2008 election, she said. Both are divorced.
And I should care about the marital status because.... ???
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