Bitl Green

Malne
already experiencing significant difficulties?
kPgge seems to be using his political po\iler to *gef
a political opponent. He wrote to the school atternpting to dissuadethem from triring Bves. In a follow
up press release defending his position, the governor '
wrote, *To provide hallla-million dollars in taxpayer
funding to a charter school that would be headed by
Maine's most vehement anti-charter-school politician
is not only'the heigfit of hSrpocrisy, it is absolutely
:

unacqtable."
braffiiness of the act has left just about GVIYonewtro follows politics sturrred or eirrcrgSzd,.'Most cn'
the far left want to impeach the governor, which they
unnted to do before tttis. Most on the left and centerleft are considuin$ an impeachr.rent.'Some rigtrt of . :
center are considering the idea. Ttre far'4ght is tHlted
with what the governor is doing.
I don't remember a serious effort to impeach a
Maine governor. Heated debates, sort of like this, used
to swirl around Governor Jim longley. However, those
were over policy not over practice.
The Press Herald did an interesting thing. It published a highlighted box with the law on "Improper
?Ftre

Influen ce.'
When you see something tike that, you think,
'Ttrey're going to impeach Governor LePage!"
Ttren you read it, look up "pecuniary,o and try to
ftg.rt out in ten rninutes what lawyers spend three
y."tr in law school learning.
My defirritive fesponse says this could go either
Fpyr., If thpy do HXpeAsh the epver{ror [i"lgppgcQ1 ,
mtnns btifig to trail, like BiU Clinton) he-could be , .
=
found guilty. Itts'a tou$ onC because the governor will
that he withtreld money from a public instihrfion
thqthe ffintthirft was tleingtun'well and thatb a
rather good argurtent.
Those on the far left are thinking, 'This will lake
the governor out of offic."
Ftrosrener, being found gulty of "lmproper Irrfluene?
i: l Class D Crime, It]: gunistr.aUlg^ty a two thousadd
dollar fine and-up to 364 dalts in jan:
.,:
It's not even a felony. ,,If you did get him out of office, yox would get
Governor Michael D. Ttribodp&u, the curreht President,
of the Senate, Thibdeau is a nice gu)t whls,r*ebji ,i page says he graduated from Hampden Academy, but
"

June

3O,2015 TIC-fOllt

doesn't list a college.

',, He osrns dnd operates TB F,quipment on the odlin
Road in Bangor, which sells and rents tractors and
sttrff to folks who need them around central and
slightly northern Maine. He represents the towns of
Bumharn, Fr
oit,.ftiedom; Islesboro; Monroe,
Montville, Northport, Palermo, Prosptrt, searsmont,

searspoft, stockton springs, swan Island, Ttrorndike,

Troy, Unity, Wells and Winterport.
He openly opposed gay marriage saying that it
wasn't about rigftts, :It's about a sociat agenda.' He is
also a big anti-welfare campaigner.
I'm not saying that's good or bad. I am saying it's
sort of like the governor we have llour.
Ia.st winter, he and his wife started a cempany that
is the only one in Maine to make plastic snorn/ shovels.
That was a forhritous bit of timing, so-perhaps he's a
good businessman.
I also think this kind of thing goes on all the tim,e..
(see obama vs. The $rpreme cor:rt this week.) Ttre
difference is that Governor IePage is brazen. HeIl
openly use his pqrer to cnrsh his political opponents.
His style is aryfully rough and eauses him to lose
credibility. Most otherpoliticians are more subtle.
Heck, theNew England Patriots defensive line is more
subtle.
This week he showed that form again. Ttre son of a
poli Lcal cartoonist was at Dirigo Boys State a leadership prggraln for high school juniors of which, I am a
distirrguished ahrmnus. The boy asked the go\remor
what he thougfit of his Iiathert political carloons. Lpa8e reptid that he'd like to shoot him.
, Wo$r. Think about that for a while.
which is all th more material for a politicat cartoonist or an oratorical adviser, lifte m5lself.
Bill @een-arn

fu sen futttrdng nhvltsnt.setffit on

ontllffiII-f in hrt-

B:ill Greqt's Maine. Jt rs btwdffist

Iard and, WLee"w Bar1ryr.