Too Many Bragdons? Maine's Transition Begins

I noticed today in the Portland Press Herald that Gov-elect LePage has named his transition team. I was surprised to find that he named Tarren Bragdon to an unspecified role.

Tarren Bragdon is a former Maine state rep and is now CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think-tank that describes itself this way:

"The Maine Heritage Policy Center is a research and educational organization whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise; limited, constitutional government; individual freedom; and traditional American values–all for the purpose of providing public policy solutions that benefit the people of Maine."

Fine and dandy. But if you dig a bit further, you'll come across this great September article from the Lewiston Sun Journal . The LSJ contextualizes the Maine Heritage Policy Center within a growing national trend of conservative (and non-profit and therefore supposedly non-partisan) policy institutes that aggregate conservative cash and spend it through the release of partisan policy papers. They also point to this New Yorker article which analyzes the reach of Americans for Prosperity policy centers nationwide. It's astounding the amount of corporate money floating out there, influencing local elections and blurring the lines between policy, education and electioneering.

Interested, I checked to see if Maine has an Americans for Prosperity chapter. We do. And who do we have as the Director? Trevor Bragdon, Tarren Bragdon's brother. Small world?

Though LePage is quoted in the PPH story as saying he doubts Tarren Bragdon will play a role in his administration, his appointment to the transition team sends a clear message to Mainers: extreme conservatives in Maine will operate under the belief that Nov. 2 handed them a mandate for change. No more Bangor rallies with 25 people. No more voter-rejected policy initiatives like TABOR.

Maine has a Republican Governor and Republican-controlled Legislature. Let the transition begin.

Eliot Cutler does know our fortune: Paul LePage

I've been ignoring the possibility of a third party candidate in Maine for as long as possible. Why? Because I know a third party candidate has some of the perspective I'm looking for in both a leader and politician - balls and vision. Usually they can't win though, and so I try to look the other way knowing that in the end I'll be both voting for and against one of the two major party candidates. In the case of Maine's gubernatorial, two things have made this strategy crumble: the utter ineptitude of Libby Mitchell's campaign and the very real possibility that we will wake up on November 3rd with Paul LePage in the Blaine House. Scary on both counts.

Eliot Cutler has always been there, fuzzy, in the background. The first push to the front was the incessant internet advertising. Then came the rising poll numbers, steady over the past month, all the way up to last week's Critical Insights poll putting him dead even with Libby Mitchell. And both well behind Paul LePage.

There's some earth moving in Maine this week. Momentum, once on the side of the underdog, cannot be stopped. A third party candidate needs believability and last week's poll gave Cutler just that.

But that's not the only thing! Do you know what else gave Cutler some believability this week? The Maine Democratic Party mailer tying "China's Lobbyist" Eliot Cutler to the loss of Maine jobs to overseas labor markets, most notably, China. On this mailer we have juicy quotes like "Maine jobs could go to China" and "As recently as this summer, while running for Governor, Cutler welcomed to Maine a group of Chinese businessman promoting Chinese involvement in our economy." What does that even mean? This mailer is a pathetic jumble of "China" sentences and a photo of Eliot Cutler. If it came from LePage's campaign it would be one thing; into the recycling bin it goes.

But because it came from the state Democratic Party I immediately think two things:

1. Eliot Cutler is a contender.
2. I should look into Eliot Cutler because this mailer manages to be both offensive (really, fortune cookies?) and wildly impertinent (really, isn't this election about job creation?).

And suddenly, Mainers, we have a three horse race.

If it is Paul LePage

Really?

"If it is to be, it is up to us?" If it is to be why do we need to do anything?

I'm so confused.