PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s blunt-spoken governor does not mince words when opponents dare to cross him but he has saved some of his harshest criticism for newspapers, once telling schoolchildren he is not a fan of papers and another time saying that reading one is ‘‘like paying somebody to tell you lies.’’
He is so right about that one!
Now the matter has gone to an extreme, with Governor Paul LePage, a Republican, and his administration cutting off comments to three newspapers, including one serving the state’s biggest city.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Bet You Will Love This Post About Maine
Yeah, he likes television.
Adrienne Bennett, the governor’s communications director, said Wednesday it was her decision to give a blanket ‘‘no comment’’ to the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, where LePage once served as mayor. All three daily newspapers are owned by MaineToday Media Inc.
‘‘All we’re asking for is objectivity and a balanced approach to reporting,’’ she said. “We’re not finding that MaineToday Media has done that with the LePage administration.”
Related:
Six Zionist Companies Own 96% of the World's Media
Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed
Operation Mockingbird
Why Am I No Longer Reading the Newspaper?
I don't believe you will find it anywhere across corporate AmeriKan media today. It's all lies, distortions, distractions, hoaxes, and staged script.
The announcement from the governor’s office was made after a Press Herald investigation of Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Patricia Aho, a former lobbyist portrayed as working behind the scenes to roll back environmental laws and rules opposed by her former clients in the chemical, drug, oil, and real estate industries.The three-part series was called ‘‘A lobbyist in the henhouse.’’
Cliff Schechtman, executive editor of the Portland Press Herald, said the administration simply does not like tough reporting and said the newspaper will not be doing anything differently.
‘‘This is about probing journalism that examines how powerful forces affect the lives of ordinary citizens,’’ he said. “That makes the powerful uncomfortable. That’s what this is about.”
It's also what the failure of the corporate media is about. They are the mouthpiece of the powerful.
Bennett said the decision was not based on any single news report and that she did not think the new policy would prevent the papers’ reporters from doing their work or lead to people being uninformed. People have other options, including the Associated Press, radio, television, weekly newspapers, and bloggers, and the MaineToday newspapers can use the state’s Freedom of Access Act for data, she said.
I don't trust any of those other ones; even when they have important stories it's always in the form of inside-out, upside-down, agenda-pushing s***.
‘‘We’re fortunate enough to have a variety of media outlets and news sources to choose from,’’ she said. The newspaper gag order would not apply during a natural disaster.
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"Maine governor criticizes rival with vulgarity; Officials decry behavior" by Alanna Durkin | Associated Press, June 21, 2013
AUGUSTA, Maine — The often-brash governor of Maine used crude language Thursday to express his frustration over the state budget, targeting a Democratic opponent with a sexually vulgar phrase to describe how he is taking advantage of the people.
Guilty as charged on the profanity part here. Ever hear of venting?
Governor Paul LePage made the remark about state Senator Troy Jackson to journalists from two television stations and one newspaper on Thursday. When one television reporter responded that people were bound to find the remark offensive, the governor repeated a variation of it.
I thought he wasn't talking to papers?
The governor, a Republican, spoke with reporters after announcing he would veto a two-year budget bill.
His remarks were targeted at Jackson, the assistant Democratic leader, who criticized the governor’s veto announcement and call for a 60-day reprieve to negotiate a new budget as a political stunt. Jackson said the state Legislature had enough votes to override the veto and that there was no need for lawmakers to negotiate with LePage.
LePage responded that Jackson ‘‘claims to be for the people, but he’s the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.’’
He added, ‘‘He is bad. He has no brains, and he has a black heart.’’
That's it? That's the remark? I thought it was going to be a lot worse.
State Senator Seth Goodall, Democratic leader, criticized the governor’s attack.
‘‘Mainers expect more from our leaders. There should never be room for personal attacks and insults on someone’s character,’’ Goodall said. ‘‘Language like this is offensive, no matter who says it. We expect more in our schools. We expect more at home around our kitchen table. And surely we expect more from our governor.’’
All right, all right, don't bunch up your bung hole!
LePage, who was elected in 2010, is known for speaking his mind. He once told the NAACP to ‘‘kiss my butt,’’ and he compared the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo.
Well, on that last one he sure is looking like a prophet.
See:
Slow Saturday Special: Obama's Overzealous IRS
Obama Lied About Libya and Political Enemies List
Sunday Globe Special: Muddling Through the Obama Scandals
Sunday Globe Specials: Getting a Hold of Obama's Scandals
Time to Impeach Obama
No Action on Obama Impeachment
Globe Minimizing Obama Scandals
Slow Saturday Special: Squelching the Obama Scandals
Government Snow Job?
Globe Scandal Coverage Sucks
Those last two sure look true.
And if you can see far enough you can join the party.
UPDATE: Mastering the internet: how GCHQ set out to spy on the world wide web
Related: Globe and the G8
But they weren't spying on you. Gestapo would have blown a load at that.
He was not of a mind to retract his comments when WMTW reporter Paul Merrill told him others might find them offensive.
‘‘Good. It ought to, because I’ve been taking it for two years,’’ he said.
I've been blogging about bulls*** newspapers for nearly seven.
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Also see: Slow Saturday Special: Maine and Medicaid
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"Maine governor considering a run for Congress; Also apologizes for recent crude, critical remarks" by Clarke Canfield | Associated Press, June 22, 2013
PORTLAND, Maine — Governor Paul LePage said Friday he is considering running for Congress in 2014, instead of seeking a second term as Maine’s governor.
LePage, a Republican, told reporters that he may run for the Second Congressional District seat now held by Representative Mike Michaud, a Democrat. Michaud, who is in his sixth term in Congress, announced last week that he has formed an exploratory committee for a possible run for governor against LePage.
When asked outside his State House office whether he thought crude comments he made Thursday about a Democratic legislator would hurt him in the 2014 gubernatorial election, LePage responded, ‘‘Who said I’m running?’’
He went on to say that he was considering a run for Michaud’s seat ‘‘because it can’t be any worse in Washington than it is here.’’
*****************************
LePage’s comment that he might not seek reelection comes as the potential lineup of major candidates has begun taking shape for the 2014 governor’s race.
LePage has filed papers and begun raising money, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush is headlining a fund-raising event for him July 2 at a hotel in Kennebunkport....
Not on the same page at all.
Brian Duff, a University of New England political science professor, said he doesn’t think LePage could win the Second Congressional District if he ran against a moderate Democrat....
Also on Friday, LePage apologized to Maine loggers for critical comments aimed at state Senator Troy Jackson, who is a logger, and for the sexually vulgar phrase he used when expressing frustration with the state budget, which he plans to veto. But he is not apologizing to Jackson.
Lepage said his remark was intended to stress the fact that legislators are raising taxes.
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Related(?): Small earthquake shakes area near Waterville, Maine
Must have been LePage.
