This AMG poster seems to think so:
The mural has been removed, and the New York Times has blasted LePage in an editorial.
No matter how LePage steps in it, the Left is there with firehoses to make him look good. It’s like a Buster Keaton movie, and Buster always triumphs no matter how many banana peels are in the mix.
I might agree, if we define “winning” in the same way Charlie Sheen does. As in, winning is some sort of code word for ignoring all consequences and just doing whatever you damn well feel like.
But if we define winning as something similar to “acting like a decent Governor for all Mainers” or “getting more people to vote for you next time than the 38% that did in 2010″ or “not seeming like a complete dick,” then I don’t think LePage is winning.
I seriously don’t know where this poster, Thrasybulus, gets his information, but it seems to me that everyone who voted against LePage now despises him and half of those who did vote for him now regret it.
If Maine allowed recalls, he would be recalled. Easily.
How is that winning?
The big question coming up is how much will the legislature abandon him on the budget? How much flack do local Republicans want to take defending a nutcase? If they are going to have to join some Democrats to override a LePage veto on the budget anyways, what is their incentive to maintain party unity on smaller things?
We are only a few months into the four years. This is unprecedented in Maine, having a Governor self-destruct so quickly and thoroughly.
Without a doubt, Paul LePage is the BEST governor since Jim Longley.
Damn shame we can’t clone him.
Today the State and Local Government committee voted in the majority not to take merit or longevity payments away from State Employees to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy.
In the majority.
The Republicans are embarrassed by the Governor. The State treasurer has been caught in slanted facts, and lies of omission.
Some of the Repubs want to be re-elected.
Did they vote on something? I thought Monday was a work session and I don’t see anything in the news about it.
LePage is winning on AMG, that’s for sure. Today I tried to log in for my daily dose of AMG illogic and discovered that I was “blocked.” Banned, after eight years of being the “loyal opposition.” I tried to be civil, respectful, and reasoned in my arguments, despite being called a troll, immature, below average, low I.Q., etc. I seldom stooped to their level except when they attacked my granddaughter and her two female parents.
Lately, my primary theme has been that LePage is only hurting himself and his cause with his ridiculous personal actions. Apparently, that’s what got me booted, as I haven’t called anybody names or anything, though I did ask Naran why she wasn’t picking on the AMG mural “art critics” while criticizing me for complaining about how Texas can’t match shades of blue when making a sign that should have come out of the MDOT sign shop.
I have a theory. Since the AMG messiah (a term they shamelessly use for President Obama) has told the President to go to hell, has told the NAACP to kiss his butt, and laughs at his critics who he terms as idiots, I think the AMG ruling class has been emboldened to be likewise in their discourse with dissenters and harsher in their treatment.
Or, my sin could be that (a) I’ve quoted amglolz with his spot-on assessment of the difference between the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and 9/11 (there is none regarding impact on Maine) and/or (b) I’ve been caught posting opinions here calling into question the philosphies of Messrs. Distributist and Emrich.
Or maybe it was calling into question Jim Cyr’s assertion that “Portland has blood on its hands. Lots of it” when it comes to the cause of 9/11.
Whatever. I wonder if we’ll see any more from Tim Wright or threeifbywire or other anarchists such as myself. I sure as hell won’t know because I’m done with those jerks. As Groucho said, “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.”
I would say I’m sorry, Joe, but being banned from AMG is like being told you can’t shove sticks into your eye sockets anymore.
You will probably find yourself more productive at work, get promoted, be seen as more relaxed and engaged by your children, and you will lose five pounds.
Seriously though, I didn’t see you do anything worthy of being banned other than mentioning this site. You and Gerald should form a support group.
Naran once posted that I was afraid of criticism because I would not let her register and comment here. It was just an automatic over-sensitive security feature (there have been hacking attempts since day one- and from Maine IP addresses) that had restricted her from logging in. I sent her an email telling her that she was unblocked and please, please comment on something, but sadly there is nothing yet.
It is sad that someone such as yourself who is generally polite and adult in their speech is banned and yet the person saying Maine liberals are responsible for 9/11 just goes on and on, but that is how the Maine Republican Party rolls these days.
State and Local voted against cutting Merit and Longevity pay with all Dems (one absent) and with the help of one R and (one absent).
The two missing members can vote within 48 hours but the outcome looks to be the same.
This is now sent to Appropriations for action.
The Chair, Rep. Thomas was visibly disturbed and said that (paraphrase) he was only afraid that if State Employees got this they would show their greed and want more. After all the budget does not contain shut down days equally a 4.62% cut.
There is a 2% cut to longevity pay, a 2% cut to pay for tax cuts, and crippling cuts to pensions, but we are going to be “greedy”.
The word is that the Gov is going to come after health care, pay scales, and benefits (Why should you be paid for being sick?) during contract negotiations with the intent of offering such a bad contract that he can force an impasse, letting him impose the worst of his conditions with no negotiations.
Thank you for the update! Please post more updates like this, I enjoy knowing what happens beyond the headlines.
Which Republican voted against the cuts? Is there a record of the vote on the Legislative webpage?
Inviting Naran to post is like teaching a dog to talk. You can do it, but the dog just doesn’t have that much to say.
Thanks for the kind words. On Day Two of my AMG withdrawal I find that despite eating much more chocolate than usual that I’ll never be as portly as Dan Billings or Paul LePage and that’s OK.
Almost on cue, my bumper sticker from http://www.MainesMajority.org came yesterday, proclaiming that “The opinions expressed by our governor do not necessarily reflect the views of 61% of our people.”
There have been a few other changes. I surprised myself yesterday when I came home and petted my dog instead of kicking him, the way I used to. The pain in my left hip has unexplicably subsided. And my wife’s American Chop Suey actually tasted good.
All in all, I think this is a good thing!
Pretty soon the twitches will start, and you’ll be filled with an overwhelming urge to demand birth certificates from strangers.
It appears I took my self-imposed exile at just the right time.
Naran has this OCD thing going on where she must catagorize topics to save band width. See “Bullfighting”. Wacky incongruity. I also see her as a LAPage apologist on all kinds of newspaper articles that seek to tidy up or normalize crazy shit.
AMG is getting sterilized. It reminds me how desperatly my aunt tried to dress up my crazy, brain damaged great uncle to bring him to family functions.
Since departing AMG I’ve noticed a clearer complexion, a reduction in hair loss and far fewer traffic snarls in Portland.
Moving around text based threads to save bandwidth is so 1996.
I think Tim Wright may have been banned, as well. It’s frustrating to read that rag and not call out the strangeness. I’ll probably quit reading for that reason, but I’ll actually miss keeping up to date on the latest craziness. It’s insulting to be kicked out of their private little forum but it simply hardens my resolve to be more effective in the larger arena of the public forum — the one that counts.
Nice to see people wearing 61% stickers — noticed three yesterday in the Rockland area.
One could see a Tim Wright ban coming a mile away. Who is left? Charlotte? Frankly I thought she would go before you, Joe.
Is there really just one liberal left? I can’t think of any others.
But I stand corrected — a saw a post from Tim posted yesterday. I guess it was just me they decided to pillory. In addition to Charlotte, I thought we’d see Domino go the way of people who are all of a sudden no longer in evidence.
No PM or anything. At least LePage left a voicemail for Dora on her cell phone when he fired her. I really regret the $10 donation I made to their clusterfest.
I was once a pretty regular poster on AMG. How long ago? Well, other “wingnuts” (a term they applied to lefties) and “Kool-Aid drinkers” (ah, civility!) included Wingman, the Lewiston Liberal, and Not Born Yesterday. I expect I quit one step ahead of the posse, but I quit.
Still, for a quite a long time I would visit AMG almost daily, to see what fresh hells they would descend to. Gradually, I noted a clear shrinkage in both the number of posters, and the range of opinions; it almost seemed like the Stalinists purging the Trotskyites. (“Hey, Naran, is that an icepick?”)
Some folks may be old enough to remember when every traveling carnival had a “freak show,” where people would pay to laugh at people with birth defects (including, of course, bearded ladies). That sort of thing just isn’t done any more — I suspect it’s illegal, but more importantly, very few people would find humor in that sort of human suffering.
That is, to me, what AMG has become: A grotesque caricature of conversation and political discourse, that is not entertaining in even a repulsive sort of way. I simply don’t need to witness their bigotry and hatred to know it’s there. And I don’t want to contribute to any appearance of popularity by adding even one site visit. I will confess that I do go to AMG from time to time — but it is only when I go from here, and even then I am usually willing to take LOLZ’s word for whatever it is you happen to be mocking.
That said, I do think it is a good thing that someone calls them out when they lie, or say things that would offend normal people. And to do it with the thing they hate most: humor. Thanks, LOLZ.
But hey Joe, I can only suggest that you spend that time formerly spent on AMG reading the many, many “mainstream” news sources on the web. You may find yourself asking, as I have, why I ever spent so much time trying to reason with people for whom “mainstream” — a synonym for moderate, balanced, fair and inclusive — is a dirty word.
You’re welcome! I like knowing not EVERYONE hates me.
I’m sorry for you, Joe, that your $10 was so terribly wasted. By now it has probably been converted into a customized vibrator bearing the Governor’s likeness.