Read any good books lately? The state is on tenterhooks awaiting the results of this week’s election, and we really don’t want to think about anything else. Those results might be another four or five days coming, as the state processes Maine’s first ranked-choice voting ballots. In the meantime, what? Well, Vacationland is open for …
The primary election is next Tuesday, June 12, but we already know some of the names that will appear on the November ballot. Those would be the independent candidates who qualified by the June 1 deadline. Their names will appear on the November ballot in addition to those party candidates who win their primaries next …
The 128th Maine Legislature continues to assure us that they will reconvene and finish the business of the session. They had better. Rarely has a legislature left so much undone in the second year of a two-year session. Data searching at the Maine State House is not a simple proposition. The separation of powers seems …
Last weekend, Democrats held their state convention, featuring a parade of candidates for congressional and state offices lengthy enough that they were hard-pressed to get them all on stage in a single weekend. Between the open gubernatorial seat and their consuming desire to win back the 2nd Congressional District, the Democrats’ energy was running high. …
We are inching closer to the primary elections. Going in, none of the major party candidates has clear front-runner status in either the 2nd Congressional District (except for unopposed incumbent Bruce Poliquin) or the gubernatorial race. Let’s see if we can narrow them down. First of all, let’s call the race now for the 1st …
Bring up a party platform, and you will get eye rolls, arm waves and dismissive shrugs. “Oh, that! Nobody pays attention to the platform.” It is true that none of us could recite passages from our favorite platform, though a few of us could hum along, but it is supposed to be the defining document …
A review of this year’s legislative session looks remarkably similar to a competitive swimmer’s disqualification report. “Out of sequence.” “False start.” “Toes over lip of gutter.” “Delay of meet.” Legislators are guilty of almost everything except “early take-off.” There are many contributing factors to the unprecedented failure to complete the work of a legislative session. …
The ending of a legislative session is rarely pretty, but this one might qualify as one of the worst ever. It is not uncommon to have a pile of undone bills entering the final week, but somehow it all comes together in the last few days. Not this time. By statute, the Legislature was due …
Citizen initiatives are time-consuming and expensive. The process is found in Article IV, Section 18 of the Maine Constitution, labeled “Direct initiative of legislation.” Those words are substantive. A referendum is the only legislation that may be proposed by someone other than a legislator. No one else may bring a bill forward. Even governor’s bills …
The primary elections are edging closer, and one of the livelier races is the Republican primary for the U.S Senate seat currently held by Angus King. King, a former Maine governor, is right up there in the pantheon of Muskie-Cohen-Mitchell-Snowe-Collins as one of the most respected politicians in living memory. He has opposition all over …
