Folks we could do so much worse than Janet Mills. She’s fiscally responsible, competent, and seems reasonably open minded.

Notwithstanding those with a radical political ideology, she’s really the best we could hope for given the state of US politics.

And I say this as what Reddit would probably call a “conservative.”

Penguin had his chance. He blew it by being an angry drunk through most of his two terms. It’s hard to believe the Maine would have an appetite for any more of that.

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Even though my username may indicate I'd prefer a batshit crazy candidate in LePage, give me some predictable and steady leadership that Mills will afford us, please.

I can't believe that after 8 years of his circus he is even in the running again. I mean Austin Powers pisses me off sometimes, but she is at least passably sane.

I hate that LePage will get voted in again. All it took last time was, what, 37% of the votes?

Fucking LePages political resume is a joke compared to Mills, and that other guy sounds like he doesn't know what he's doing, he is just there to throw a wrench on the cogs.

I think she did a good job during her term, pandemic and all that uncertainty. She earned my vote with her actions which is more than I can say about the other candidates

To a lot of people, throwing a wrench in the cogs is a good thing.

...but...but....but....he changed! At the ripe old age of 74 he's finally learned from his mistakes and he's totally different now!

I assume by “fiscal responsibility” you mean using the billions of federal COVID funds to supplement shutting down the state economy for nearly 2 years, slaughtering small business revenue while multi-billion dollar corporations made all time high profits quarter after quarter. Why do you think she claims “We have giving Mainers ‘relief checks’ without raising taxes.”? Because the state received 10 billion in federal funding!! Her economic and COVID policy forced people to stay home and not work while they gave some Mainers 800 dollars to ‘help out with inflation’. I’m not saying Paul Lepage is the answer here, but Janet Mills policies are far from fiscally responsible. Inflation is at its highest in decades, common household goods, oil, electricity and everything else you need to live are fucking exploding in price while wages lag behind. How does this resemble resemble fiscal responsibility in the slightest? Wake the fuck up

Janet closed my friends restaurant during Covid, they geared up with $12,000 in food to “reopen” only to have Janet delay restaurant reopenings again with less than 24 hours notice. Most of this food had to be donated or was spoiled.

She could give a shit about the people of this state, and has zero solutions. Her feel good commercials don’t convince anyone with half a brain.

That's how LePage got voted in last time. We don't need any useless wrench

Maine just saw a surplus of over $1B and is now significantly better situated than the average state in terms of its cash reserves. Working to secure comparatively larger amounts of federal funding is literally part of Mills's job description.

Oh, and Maine has one of the lowest inflation rates in the nation right now.

That's how it resembles fiscal responsibility.

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https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/2022/8/state-inflation-tracker-july-2022

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/05/10/budget-surpluses-push-states-financial-reserves-to-all-time-highs

Wait how are we on lock down again? She also literally took the money from the surplus for those checks and that was a Republican idea to begin with

You’re blaming a governor of a state of 1.3 million people for entirely global problems and you’re telling others to wake the fuck up?

She did a really good job considering what she had to deal with. Every single complaint you have are issues affecting nearly 8 billion people. So please, sit the fuck down.

You mean the pandemic closed your friends restaurant? He could have gotten a job as an essential worker. People aren't entitled to owning a business

You mean the billions in federal Covid funds that were handed out by President Trump? Those funds?

I completely agree, I despise the man and am disgusted by his “politics” even more. His holding up legislation, shady dealings, and overall using his position to make himself rich is terrible.

Not all my neighbors feel the same. They like that he’s making liberals angry. There is a weird disconnect in a lot of people who hate, but accept and pay taxes, but then don’t care or think about where those taxes go

LePage is unlikely to win.

Yes.

I would expect nothing less on this sub of morons.

Well, according to reddit, maybe.

I have my doubts about your enthusiasm

Lmao imagine thinking Mills is responsible for inflation and telling others to wake up hahahaha

Your friend apply for a ppp loan? That’s the kind of unforeseen emergency that should have gone to. Kind of insane your friend bought that much food coming out of a pandemic- sounds like they didn’t have much of a head for business and no amount of government assistance was going to save them from themselves.

This time is very likely different.

2010, Lepage won with 37%, Cutler received nearly 36% and the Democrat was the spoiler.

2014, Lepage won with 48%, Mike Michaud (horrible candidate) got 43% and Cutler was the spoiler with 8%.

2018, Mills got 50.3%, Shawn Moody got 43% and third party Terry got 5.9%.

I doubt this dude (Sam) gets anywhere close to Terry’s 5.9%. He’s basically completely unknown and people are wary of spoilers. I also think Shawn Moody was a stronger candidate for independents than LePage will be. He is a local business owner and seemed honest. LePage has a mini Trump following but I think he will turn off independents.

That said, WE ALL NEED TO VOTE.

"Janet closed my friends restaurant." Sorry about your friend's restaurant, but can you explain how there are thousands of restaurants which continue to operate in the state that weren't closed by "Janet"

LePage only wants to line his pockets.

Don't be governed by a guy who campaigned in Florida and wants to sell all our public land to the highest bidder.

Thank you for the insight.

1. She has the incumbent advantage. An incumbent has not lost re-election for governor since 1966.

2. Roe vs Wade decision is still energizing the democrat side. LePage is not convincing anyone that he wouldn't support restrictions on abortion now that it's possible.

3. Mills is consistently polling ahead, with post-roe polls giving her a 10+ point advantage. 538 gives her a 93% chance to win.

4. Sam Hunkler isn't getting any traction at all as a 3rd party candidate, so it's unlikely we'll see a spoiler situation with him.

That said, VOTE.

Who pays for the 1B? The American Taxpayer. Perhaps if the feds and the state hadn’t shut down the economy, they wouldn’t need to pump billions of tax money (that we don’t really even have) into “COVID relief”.

Ahh yes the republicans love spending money they don’t have just as much as the democrats

I’m sorry are you actually trying to blame a state governor for federal monetary policy? Do you even understand how the US political system works…?

Nah, you're right, your friend's restaurant is more important than overwhelming hospitals and people dying

Thank you for paying more attention then me, and for your insight. I will definitely be voting.

I don’t live in Maine but hearing Hunkler is really hilarious. I love hearing stories about him from people.

Lepage and Thelander signs are everywhere. People need to vote and close the damn door on this shit bag once and for all

Boo hoo

He was a proto-trump. Makes total sense that he’d try his hand at it again knowing he has the “likes angry people” idiot vote.

Mainers were dying and hospitals were being overwhelmed. According to you, profit over American lives is more important. Your friend could have use safety nets to adapt and overcome change.

$12,000 is not much food for a large restaurant. It is a lot when you’ve been struggling to survive for months.

They had larger bank accounts to handle the bullshit delt to them… I don’t think that’s rocket science.

My wife worked the Covid wing at this exact time. Of the 100 available beds, 2 were full.

At the time of you turned on the tv they blatantly lied and said the hospital was full.

The only people who will back Janet Mills are those who still back brain dead Biden. There is zero logic in the decision, only “must vote D, R is evil.”

$12k in fresh food and vegetables means that your friend was planning on $36k a week- in essence meaning of your friend was running it close to the bone he lost all of a month and a half worth of profit- once again something a PPP loan would have easily covered. Sounds like your friend failed to plan- that isn’t on Mills. Let me guess, your friend a fail-son that inherited some money isn’t he?

Giant Douche vs Turd Sandwich. AGAIN

Lesser of two evils. I would choose her over LeChonk any day of the week.

Murica.

Hospitals were NOT overwhelmed at this exact moment FYI… they were only overwhelmed according to our governor, WGME and WCSH.

Maine Medical center had a significant number of beds open (with 2 patients in the Covid wing). My wife worked this wing every day before you tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. People on this sub are so uninformed.

Your info isn’t close to correct unless you talking margins at a cheap diner.

No, this person earned every dime in life. People here are so accepting. Someone fails and they fucking love it, sick.

Nobody loves it- but blaming Mills for your friends failed business without acknowledging that your friend sucks at business- is a bit ridiculous. Look we all wish he was a better business person- he wasn’t. He sucked at it and his workers and business paid the price- happens all the time- just ask Trump Airlines, Trump University, or Trump Steaks- not everyone is cut out to run a business. A profitable restaurant typically runs at a food cost of about a third with a profit margin of 3-5%. If your friend wasn’t doing that, it goes a long way to explain why his business struggled.

> shutting down the state economy for nearly 2 years

My dear sweet summer child. We had a deadly, highly contagious, global pandemic going on. Was she supposed to simply ignore it? Silly child. If she'd done that, you would have been upset when everyone around you died from Covid because she didn't do enough. Governor Mills was in an impossible situation. She still is as people blame her for things that are not in her control.

>hadn’t shut down the economy

Again. DEADLY GLOBAL PANDEMIC. Good grief.

Obviously not.

Maybe when we have ranked choice for the race…

Honestly, I feel like there's a loophole there that needs closing - not just a two term limit. Period. Not two terms and leave and come back and try for a third.

>people are wary of spoilers

I think you're right. I think most people are so disgusted by LePage getting in the first time, they won't risk it this time.

Or I hope, anyway.

COVID. You dip. COVID. A deadly, contagious virus. A global pandemic. Get a clue.

They didn't want hospitals overwhelmed. Staff/patient ratio, if you're so clever, I'm sure you understand it. but maybe not since you seem to think Janet personally is responsible for your friends' restaurant failing. (spoiler: she isn't)

This tells me all I need to know about your morals right here. If you can back anyone like Trump or LePage... That's pretty low and disgusting.

She's somewhere between incompetent and a liar on some policies but she's done a lot of good. Especially in COVID. We've had one of the best outcomes out of any state. She's honestly a really good choice.

Pretty sure if you ask him, he doesn't make mistakes.

At least Democrats try to help people by spending money. Republicans just want to grease their own wheels

Try again. Do you know Nancy Pelosi, Barrack Obama, and the Clintons net worth? Not anything you can make on a federal employee? Try in the sums of hundreds of millions. Their hands are just as dirty as the republicans.

Did I say anything about them being clean? No. I'd just rather have competent politicians than petulant children who can't run on policy so they create culture wars to keep their brain dead constituents angry. The Dems don't have an Hour of Hate like the GOP does on Fox every night

7 months is all it took for Comrade Mills to empty the coffers, two years under Marshall Law (a.k.a. state of emergency) which destroyed hundreds of Maine businesses, sent thousands to the unemployment line, two years of school closures further dumbing down the kids beyond what the schools had already accomplished and let us not forget what she did to the owner of Sunday River Brew Pub. There is no "balanced" budget without federal dollars, hence two years of state of emergency an inconvenient truth. The lack of courage and leadership exhibited by Mills is appalling. Let the heard animals (cancel creatures) begin their onslaught, 3,2,1...

Who again was dying in mass droves? Was it the young, healthy, physically active individuals with no underlying health conditions? Or was it the obese people with sedentary lifestyles and poor life choices who chose not to take care of themselves for entire lifetimes? The statistics become very interesting if you understand these keys facts

Mmm yes. Why shouldn’t you blame a business owner for the government forcing them to close their business for months on end!? It IS that business owners fault to involuntarily close their doors and stop ALL revenue because for your “health and safety”.

The scariest thing anyone can say is “Hello I’m from the government and I’m here to protect you”.

• Do you remember the Japanese internment camps in the 1940s, the war on drugs, the Vietnam war, Invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The government provided CRAZY amounts of free money to businesses to support them- with a simple application process and completely forgivable loans that could in essence be used for anything- yes I blame someone who couldn’t figure out how to adapt even despite the considerable help from the government that individual people and workers did not receive. Btw, not sure quoting Reagan is a great look- the senile old coot couldn’t even remember selling arms to Iran and Iraq to funnel money to death squads in SlCentral and South America.

Ditto. It's going to come down to which side turns out, and LePage voters are very motivated.

Share?

Fuck them all, every last one of them. Too many of you on the left AND the right are caught up saying “the other side says and does ABC, they are the enemy, I am righteous!!!” Perhaps you have been misled and have been taught to hate your fellow American for having similar values, but opposing means for economic and political policy

That's not thier fault, they have a disease! I can't stopping eating dominoes and sitting on my ass because of my disease!

Fuck him too. And yes, shut down the economy and make the entire US populace reliant on federal funding. ‘Follow these strict federal policies so you can get your federal money’ (because we took away all other ways for you to survive). Sounds like communism (and not the Red scare of the 20th century)

Actually if you look at the picture above, he’s the same color as Trump, lol

Nobody took them away- I don’t know about you but I was getting food from Restaurants way more during the pandemic to support them. Smart ones adapted and switched to pickup and delivery. Other ones perished- kind of a whole survival of the fittest thing.

I wouldn’t say “survival of the fittest”. More of “Comply or lose everything while those at the top still do whatever the fuck they want”

“I have money and power, you do not”. “Do what I say”

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Not sure about you - but I generally don’t eat at restaurants that don’t comply with government requirements. Love the health department.

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Exactly what “coffers” did she empty?

If he gets elected and sells Baxter (currently a constitutional impossibility), I will declare war on the human race for allowing this to happen.

I feel the same way about her as I do Joe Biden. “I’d rather not, but holy shit that other guy Jesus fuckin Christ”

Hmm I wonder what the body composition and lifestyle of those COVID deniers were 🤔🤔

Signs can't vote.

You had me at "Marshall law".

Must be talking about that 800 dollar check most taxpayers got recently.

I’m just curious: do you think obesity, surviving cancer, and age are justifications for a death sentence? I only ask because that’s what your comment sounds like.

I’m hoping you reply that you were just speaking hyperbolically, and that you’re not so jaded that you can still feel sympathy for the over one million people who died and their multiple millions of survivors who in many cases couldn’t even say goodbye to them.

Cause if you’re saying those people DESERVED to die horrifically and alone, that would be pretty psychotic.

Sounds like your friend didn’t have enough capital in reserve to weather a global pandemic. I’m sorry for all his poor employees who probably got even less support than he did.

At least he can lick himself up by his bootstraps and start again, unless he’s morbidly obese or lazy or something.

What is it you like about LePage? Is it how he hates educators? His blatant racism? His lengthy drunken harassment of opponents?

There’s so much to choose from…

He's burned so many bridges. Anyone who has any clue about current events that works in education hates him. I'm sure the same can be said for many industries. I know a lot of old school republicans that can't stand him. Hopefully he loses, but I still won't hold my breath. A lot of old and/or moronic racists in this state

I am 50 years old, and I can’t think of a single time in my life that wasn’t characterized by “economic uncertainty and social upheaval.”

I know, immune compromised people are such fatties /s

Dude, psychotic is not the preferred nomenclature, sociopath, please.

Voting for Lepage because he’s hilarious. He had the best commercial about Mills backpacking through Europe. Voted Trump in 2016 then Voted for Biden because he’s funnier than Trump. Clown World. Might as well have a laugh.

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I just think it’s hilarious that republicans like to spout off that she’s drained the rainy day find, but aren’t smart enough to research and find out that it’s still got like $500 million in it.

Wow you are trotting out Reagans big lie cause the current GOP lies aren't enough? They are there to protect you as much as they are protecting the public from a massive epidemic, or pollution, or any other problem brought on by greed and ignorance that science and government have the capacity to fix. So sick of complaining about the government, it has its pro lems but still it is always worse when the GOP gets control cause their real God is money not JC who they would want to kill or jail again if he showed up today. We all know this. The government is just an easy target that deflects from the crimes business has committed for profits. Classic example the forever chemicals we have to deal with now where known by the manufacturers as dangerous but they kept that secret as long as possible, just like the fossil fuel companies and global warming. I trust the government more than any private company like DuPont or ExxonMobil, unless it is controlled by GOP and Trumpers, they are POS trash that have no business running anything.

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Did we even shut down the economy? I feel like things went back to a little below normal in about a year or so.

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Let me guess, single issue voter who votes GOP down ballet because of guns?

Good take.

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Indeed. We hit the pause button, tried to minimize loss of life (Gods forbid)... But the economy chugged along.

Janet Mills saved this state from being a shithole like the southern states. Please shit on your local Republicans.

Duly noted. I’m not a smart man, but I try.

It's almost as if the only constant is change....

Is this Majorie Taylor Greene in disguise? 🤣

PPP

You seem to have a pretty good understanding of the creatures!

Ok Majorie…now crawl back onto the hole you came out of.

Already cast my ballot turned in, wife's as well. How's that for motivation?

LePage is coming back. Enough with the bullshit. Red wave. Get ready

Feel like he had even less of a filter than trump dude called black and Hispanic people the enemy

My goodness. Lepage had no momentum at all. His major talking point last election was the rainy day fund which has tripled since then. Mills isn’t great but if she just keeps looking like Mrs Clause she will win.

Liar

I read many a dumb, ill informed comment on social media and your's is right up there.

Liar.

Liar

Liar

Liar

Wait for real? Thought he was some nobody lol.

Were you born last night or did you sustain a concussion? All of these nonsense takes seem to raise those possibilities.

Move to russia

OK edgelord, deep breaths.

Loser. Move to Russia

Move to Russia. Putin loves you.

They hate you the most, when they know deep in their dark souls your right and intellectually honest, whilst they wallow in emotionally based victimhood

He's a climate change denier and a charlatan. He once proposed opening 10 million acres of Maine woods up to development. He wishes to open our shores up to oil drilling.

He's an obscene and vulgar old prick with no heart and no love for what makes our state great.

He only loves money.

Florida Paul Lepage or actually lives in Maine Janet Mills? Hmmm...

His exact quote was, “I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

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I'm gonna laugh my ass off if Lepage gets elected again, not because I want him to, or mills either, or a goat... actually a goat would probably be best.... Vote goat this November

What did people feel like in the late 90s? I was just a kid, but from a naive retro-perspective I see a between-major-conflict time with a booming economy. Pre bubble and post recession. Interest rates reasonable and inflation tamed. Unemployment lowest since pre oil crisis. I guess looking at a lot of music then, there was anti-establishment vibes? But I watch a lot of snl from these times and the weekend updates just seem so tame compared to either what they could have been for years before or shortly after.

Like what the heck could people be complaining about then?? (I know people will always complain.... Just curious)

I agree. Lepage will get the minimum republican voting block which is not going to be more than mills as it is likely less % wise than moody; because

1. He's way more polarizing than moody, so no one is swinging his way like they may have for moody. No Republican didn't vote moody, but some non-republicans may have. No republican won't vote lepage, but less non-republicans will

2. Old people that vote lepage have died

3. Flatlanders working remote from blue states have moved here post covid

And while #3 wasn't enough to vote in fellow flatlander sara gideon, it's probably enough to vote in mills. Not only has there been more time for them to settle, mills and collins are both regarded publicly as more centrist than their opponents

Gonna be shocked if lepage wins

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Lol, you are weak sauce. You don't kn9w shit

Don't know why they DV. You are at least voting for lepage for a REAL reason. Maybe the only one.

Why? People want to solve real problems, not spend all day bullying the constituents

Oh for sure. I’m chaotic neutral. Doesn’t matter to me who wins; in the end I just hope the funniest person wins. Politics are utterly as useless as the people you vote for. May the funniest man and or woman win!

There too busy inbreeding

Dumb

Yes, he's that too

Damn, how the hell do you italicize?

The 1990s were great in retrospect. The problem is that the good bits only lasted about six years, which is really nothing while it's happening. The decade started with the worst crime rate that anyone had ever experienced, a recession, and the lingering belief that we would all die of a nuclear war any second.

Clinton got elected in 1992 and things started to get better, but not fast or dramatically enough that many people noticed. Meanwhile, the media ("Y2K!" "Violent Video Games!") and the Republicans ("Lewinsky!" "Travelgate!" "Whitewater!") managed to convince half the country that everything absolutely sucked and was things were going to get worse. By the end of the decade, Clinton had been impeached, the tech bubble had burst, and 9/11 was right around the corner. If you blinked, you missed the good parts or never really felt them anyway.

Asterisks on either side of what you want to italicize.

Highlight the text and hit the italicize button at the bottom left of the reply box.

Right next to the bold button and the link, strikeout, code, ^(superscript), and triple dot more buttons.

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Too many Mainers I know are “willing to give him another shot.”

Remember 1998-2001 -- Bill Clinton overseeing a booming economy and surplus budget.

I'm old enough to remember LePage having the Millinocket mills sold to one of his buddies for $1. The guy dismantled the mills, sold them for scrap, never paid any of the subcontractors and after he made millions -- left the towns millions of dollars in unpaid taxes. That is the LePage way

Hilarious. I own two restaurants and we were able to get PPP money to weather the storm. No deep pockets. It was hard but maybe your friends are idiots.

When Democracy fails because we elected a GOAT, I will have the last laugh

Democracy ain't exactly winning right now.....

It can…If the citizens “wanting” democracy participate in its existence.

The view isn’t good from the other side. Trust me.

I’ve had Covid, it was a mild cold for a day. Pneumonia and the flu are also deadly.

Scared, don’t leave your fucking house.

That is NOT everyone's experience and certainly not scientific proof. It's killed or permanently injured millions.

Where did you get your epidemiology and virology degrees from to know more than the doctors?

​

>Scared, don’t leave your fucking house

Are you a sociopath?

The caring and loving liberals in this sub are fucking evil people. 😂🤦‍♂️

I am not… I know this triggers you because it’s not directly from a Democrats mouth.

I am not…

I absolutely love the US… why would I move to that hellhole?

Maybe they are… congrats to your sucess!