Alan Caron: Maine Democrats have only themselves to blame for LePage victory

An article that was posted on November 6 in the PPH (Pingree Press Herald) takes the view of why the Democratic party may have taken such a beating. This from the perspective of a Democrat. When done with the article check out the comments as many of them offer an interesting view of the election.

PPH (Pingree Press Herald)

Congratulations to Republican Gov. Paul LePage and his team for a well-run, smart campaign. They never wavered on making government spending, welfare and immigration their galvanizing issues. LePage didn’t commit a major gaffe. His debate performance was strong, and he actually gained support during the race.

In the wake of Tuesday’s losses, the first instinct of Democrats will be to blame others: big money from away, independent candidate Eliot Cutler and a Republican “wave.” That would be both a mistake and a lost opportunity.

Democrats need to go back to the drawing board and take a hard look at their priorities, their messaging and who they’ve been nominating for higher offices. They need to look inward rather than outward. They promised to do that kind of “soul-searching” after 2010, but there wasn’t much evidence of it this year.

Those who can’t imagine why LePage was re-elected have not been listening carefully enough to Maine people. In growing numbers, Mainers are frustrated about the state’s economy and stagnation. In part, they blame a government that has outgrown our means and that cannot be sustained without continuing tax increases, which, in turn, hurt the economy.

The election of Paul LePage was made possible because of the growing perception that Democrats have forgotten the working people and taxpayers of Maine, and that won’t change until Democrats in Maine pay more attention to those voices, and actually do something about it. Rightly or wrongly, voters are coming to feel that Democrats are incapable of changing a government that they are so busy defending.

Full story: PPH (Pingree Press Herald)

Will Illegal Aliens Receive Benefits in Maine?

Not if Governor Paul LePage has taken a common sense action - declaring to Maine cities and towns that the State will no longer fund general assistance welfare for illegal aliens. In doing this Maine will be in compliance with Federal law which prohibits states from providing welfare assistance to illegal aliens.

"Illegal aliens who choose to live in Maine are not our most vulnerable citizens. We need to take care of Mainers first. I think most Mainers would agree" Governor Paul LePage is quoted as saying. Illegal aliens contribute little to the state but manage to drain the limited resources that should be available to law abiding citizens. The citizens of this state should come first.

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