AUGUSTA – Republicans and Democrats across the state are squabbling over Gov. Paul LePage’s record number of vetoes in the wake of a final round of rejected legislation.
While Democrats claim LePage’s record 83 vetoes in the current session have scuttled too many worthwhile bills, Republicans say Majority Democrats are ignorant of how to operate in divided government and have pushed too many far left proposals.
In a fundraising email to Democrats, Maine Democratic Party Field Director Jonathan Hillier drew attention to LePage’s veto of bills to increase the state’s minimum wage, impose stricter environmental regulations, and expand welfare programs.
“The Democratic majorities we elected in the legislature worked for motnhs to pass these common sense protections for the people of Maine. And they worked hard yesterday to override the vetoes of the Governor,” wrote Hillier. “Unfortunately, most of these attempts were unsuccessful because of Republicans who put loyalty to LePage ahead of loyalty to their constituents.”
Hillier asks supporters to donate money to the Maine Democratic Party in order to fund 100,000 phone calls and door knocks by September 1.
In a press release from the House Republican Office, House Minority Leader Kenneth Fredette (R-Newport) defended LePage’s uninhibited use of the veto pen, blaming the high veto rate on Democrats’ inability to work with Republicans.
“They’ve been acting like they have a liberal Democratic governor,” said Fredette. “Instead of coming together as members of leadership or on legislative committees and saying to Republicans, ‘let’s get something done together,’ Democrats have simply steamrolled through a hyper-partisan, extremist liberal agenda,” he said, pointing to Democratic attempts to cripple charter schools, expand welfare programs, repeal bipartisan workers’ compensation reforms, and more.
“Nobody should be surprised to see this many vetoes.”
The GOP statement points out that Republican Gov. John McKernan, who held office from 1987 to 1995 while Democrats controlled both houses of the Legislature, ranks sixth (14 in 1989) and seventh (13 in 1993) for the most single-year vetoes in Maine history. Governor LePage, by contrast, has vetoed over 80 bills so far this year.
Fredette said Democrats’ radically liberal proposals, not divided government, explains the differences between McKernan and LePage’s use of the veto.
Assistant Minority Leader Alexander Willette (R-Mapelton), who is also a Republican candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat, agreed with Fredette, point to successful consensus-building efforts in the previous, Republican-controlled Legislature.
“Mainers are not liberal people and they expect pragmatism, not political score-keeping,” said Willette. “There have been occasions where Republicans switched their votes to sustain vetoes when new information arises, but the real story here is the high number of vetoes overall and the Democrats’ inability to work with Republicans to pass good, bipartisan legislation.”
S.E. Robinson
Maine Wire Reporter
[email protected]
Both sides need to accept responsibility for their hyper-partisan behavior and reflect on the consequences these choices have on their base. When your so busy playing gotcha politics, you forget why you’re there. Too many press releases feed these tit for tat behaviors. Most should be ashamed of their lack of work toward re-defining and building a Maine government for the next 50 years.
Longtime Augusta insiders call this past session the most acrimonious and partisan they have ever seen.
Reminds me of what it feels like to have called someone vile names; only to have that person whip your butt…..`and what does that say about you’?
The new found respect for LePage is papable, and the B-rats are scattering and muting their potty mouthed reactions.
I heard Katz give the governor respectful backing….I interpreted this to mean even he ‘now has the governor’s back’…….History is told by winners!
Say, didn’t that model-moderate independent governor Angus King veto a minimum wage bill? And isn’t it at least possible to have common sense objections to still more regulations and an enlarged welfare state?
I am not amazed at the number of LePage’s vetoes because he is merely adhering to his Oath to support the Constitution(s), which the liberals in the Legislature continually fail to do. At the end of Article IV, Section 1 of the Maine Constitution, it states that “[T]he Legislature,…, shall have full power to make and establish all reasonable laws and regulations for the defense and benefit of the people of this State, not repugnant to this Constitution, nor to that of the United States.” LePage vetoes those that are repugnant to one, or both, of those apparently forgotten (or intentionally abused) documents!
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