Here is How You Can Help Richard Bennet Cast Electorial Vote

Friends,

We need your help.

We have planned a rally and march from our office at 9 Higgins Street (just a short walk from the State House) – in order to surround Chairman Bennett with strong supporters before he makes history and casts Maine’s first split Electoral Vote.

Now, I don't think it's overly dramatic to say that I do not want to see him having to wade through a crowd of protesters without a strong contingent of proud and strong supporters by his side.

So please, help us help Chairman Bennett as he makes history casting Maine's Electoral Ballot for Donald J. Trump.

I know you have probably seen the news coverage about the flood of emails and phone calls Chairman Bennett has received trying to convince him to change his vote. It is not happening.

Chairman Bennett is an honorable man who respects our republic and the people that comprise it. He WILL cast his historic vote for President-Elect Donald J. Trump, and no amount of protest will persuade him to go against the wishes of Maine’s Second Congressional District.

Please come rally, march, and stand by Chairman Richard Bennett's side this Monday, December 19th.

google maps route to state house

We will start at our office, 9 Higgins Street in Augusta, with coffee and cocoa at 1 pm. Then, we will march together to the State House and accompany Chairman Bennett into the building so he can cast our historic Electoral College vote.

It has been decades since Maine has had a Republican elector, and Chairman Bennett is New England’s ONLY  Republican Elector. 

Let us celebrate peacefully, and stand strong together as a party united.

For our planning purposes, please RSVP on this Facebook event, or email Maine GOP Communications Director Nina McLaughlin at nina@mainegop.com if you plan on attending.

Thank you so much, and we look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

Jason Savage
Executive Director

Court Reform - Are Judges Truly Impartial?

The Maine Voices piece in the PPH is interesting for those who support court reform. John Massaro, the author, has a couple of excellent points with which many people would agree, and some directly political points which are unknowable, more speculative and therefore less meaningful for judicial reform..

Massaro is absolutely right that a legislative Judiciary Committee - either state or federal - should raise questions in committee about the politics and ideology of judicial candidates - both new appointments and re-appointments. Judicial ideology and political views are inescapable for anybody - judges included - and unavoidably bound to have an impact (for better or worse) on judicial decisions. The public and the oversight committees need to know how the ideological deck is stacked, and it needs to be in the record for future reference. 

Mr Massimo indirectly raises an important, often taboo question: are judges truly impartial? While the "bench" has standards for judges and political behavior, these are for the judges' public 'persona'- not the "inner judge". Knowing a judges partisan and ideological leanings, as recorded in an appointment hearing, might help litigants to decide about when to challenge a judge's impartiality, about bias or conflicts of interest.

In Maine judicial appointment hearings for the vetting of judges in the Judiciary Committee are truly woeful: a perfunctory, innocuous "white wash". The committee relies almost entirely on unpublished, unexamined Maine Bar surveys, used exclusively by the Governor's appointment advocate.   As a result committee questions for judicial candidates are beyond banal.  Almost at the level of: "Read any good books, lately?" "Think the rain will ruin the rhubarb?" Judicial vetting function in public by a committee of the legislature is vital and badly in need of repair with more serious evaluation of judicial candidates.