Pat LaMarche

LaMarche for Governor
Maine needs a new way forward. Green Independent Pat LaMarche has plans for taking us in the direction we all say we want, but with different ideas and approaches than the ones that have us stuck where we are. Her ideas include real innovation to lower the cost of health care for both businesses and individuals, and she has a mindset that government must neither neglect society’s weakest members nor fail to boost its most promising rising stars.

Maine has seen what LaMarche’s established-party opponents can do, with the likes of Democrat John Baldacci, Republican Chandler Woodcock, and longtime-Democrat-turned-independent Barbara Merrill. LaMarche would bring good people into her cabinet — including talented Republicans and Democrats with specialized expertise — to forge a multi-partisan approach based on what the best ideas are, without worrying about which party the brainstorm came from.

It is time for real change, and Pat LaMarche will brighten the future of Maine.

Snowe for US Senate
As far as independent-minded centrist politicians go, you don’t get any better than Republican Olympia Snowe. Her crystallizing doubts about the war in Iraq will make her an important player in determining the future of US policy in the Middle East.

Her leadership on keeping the Internet “neutral” — meaning that accessibility, reliability, and speed of online traffic would not depend on how much money you can spend securing a top-notch connection — is a very important position for which all Americans, not just Mainers, should really be grateful.

Her measured consideration on all subjects before the Senate is a vital service to our nation that many elected officials are neglecting, at our peril. Neither of her opponents, Democrat Jean Hay Bright and independent Bill Slavick, is a serious challenger to Snowe’s experience, expertise, and integrity.

Snowe is a bulwark of moderate Republicanism, but we can’t let this opportunity pass without mentioning that other members of her party are bent on looking backwards and isolating the US, rather than looking forward and making America part of the world community.

Allen for US House
Tom Allen, the incumbent Democrat in Maine’s 1st Congressional District, should be reelected. His record of fighting for Maine is strong, and though he has been criticized for giving up his seat on the House Armed Services Committee, he has proved effective in other ways, particularly in pushing the control of prescription-drug prices at the federal level. His opponents are not serious alternatives. Independent Dexter Kamilewicz is a single-issue candidate, and while opposing the war is important, Maine needs more than that in an elected official. And Republican Darlene Curley is not prepared for a federal-level office, not least because she is a registered nurse whose healthcare policy is poorly articulated.

Strimling for Maine Senate 8
Ethan Strimling, the Democratic incumbent, has forced the Maine State Retirement System to divest from Sudan, supported wind power, and required police to notify domestic-violence victims if their attacker purchases a gun. Strimling is also the director of Portland West, a nonprofit helping disadvantaged Portlanders, is strong-willed and progressive, and should return to Augusta. Green Independent Kelsey Perchinski has her heart in the right place, but hasn’t demonstrated the in-depth understanding of the issues she’d need to serve. Republican David Babin is a social worker who supports TABOR and thinks too many people are fleecing the MaineCare system.

Brannigan for Maine Senate 9
Democrat Joseph Brannigan has enough experience in Augusta — seven terms in the House and four in the Senate — to be able to stand up for what he believes is right. Republican David Fernald, though his efforts with the Maine Technology Institute are encouraging, does not appear to hold any positions other than what party leadership espouses. Brannigan, director of the nonprofit Shalom House, which assists adults with mental illness, is well-placed to help Mainers in need, and has seen enough state budgets to be able to spot fishy numbers.

Brautigam for Maine House 113
Anybody who gets called on by the state’s attorney general to argue a landmark prescription-drug-discount case before the US Supreme Court gets our vote. Democrat John Brautigam is that man, and he won the case, protecting Mainers from exploitation by pharmaceutical companies. He also supports raising the minimum wage, upping teachers’ minimum salaries, and single-payer healthcare. Repeat Republican opponent David Elowitch, who lost by 55 votes in 2004, espouses fiscal conservatism, but his ideas appear to be nothing more or less than the standard party line. Portland needs original, creative thinkers, not parroters of others’ views.