Blaine House Bloopers: Did They Say That?

1 Republican Paul LePage has been a fierce opponent of expanding the state sales tax. But on what items did he say he might be willing to slap the 5-percent levy?
a. journalists
b. water extraction and topsoil removal
c. ski tickets, golf fees, lawyers’ bills
d. dog grooming, haircuts, prosthetic limbs

2 Democrat Libby Mitchell has been resolute in defending the work of the legislature in dealing with the economic crisis. Which of these statements did Mitchell make?
a. “We are not the enemy. We do not feel we have ruined Augusta for the last forty years.”
b. “The legislature has made heroic efforts, and then the recession has indeed set us back.”
c. “If you believe that government is best when it is saving lives and educating children, building roads and bridges, saving railroads, when it is not the enemy but the servant of the people, then you must be a Democrat.”
d. All of the above.

3Which candidate said this: “I have little patience for drivel and slogans. I’ve been around the track too many times, for one thing”?
a. Paul LePage
b. Shawn Moody
c. Kevin Scott
d. Libby Mitchell
e. Eliot Cutler

4 Finish this quote by Paul LePage: “The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Maine Constitution gives (sic) Mainers sovereignty over . . . ”
a. “the waters off the coast of Maine.”
b. “Canada.”
c. “health care.”
d. “the education and parenting of our children.”
e. “journalists.”

5 All of the gubernatorial contenders have been critical of Governor John Baldacci’s school consolidation plan. Can you identify who made each of the following remarks?
a. “I personally am still grieving over the loss of school unions. . . . My town did its duty. It joined with other towns and so its [property tax] rate increased.”
b. “I’m not a real fan of how this played out.”
c. “[My town] gave up its school union. We had a shotgun wedding with [other municipalities] and our [tax] rate is going up. We would like a divorce.”
d. “The Education Committee was rendered totally impotent, because the governor had decided this was the most important thing he wanted. . . . There was no room for discussion.”

e. “People don’t feel an ownership regarding how we went about school consolidation and many people feel angry. They feel threatened and the loss of their belief in their local schools and that’s a bad thing because successful schools have community involvement.”

6 According to Kevin Scott’s Web site, what Maine needs “to propel it into the top twenty business friendly states in the country” is . . .
a. “a kick in the butt.”
b. “a world-class zoo.”
c. “political Viagra.”
d. “a cheerleader, a ‘Brand Champion.’ ”
e. “more venture capital.”

7 Match the candidate to his or her first-day-on-the-job promise.
a. “First day on the job, I will set the tone for our state’s workforce and will do all I can to support Maine’s businesses. Lowering energy and health care costs while increasing tax incentives will rekindle organic business growth.”
b. “Day one, I come down to Kittery and take down the sign, ‘Maine, The Way Life Should Be’ and put up one that says, ‘Maine, Open for Business,’ with the governor’s phone number underneath.”
c. “Our goal is to empower citizens so they can build stronger, more vibrant communities for their families and neighbors to live in. We do that by committing to education and health for every Maine child, not K through 12, but early childhood through graduate training.”
d. “As governor, I will help you create and strengthen the Maine brand. I have done it before.”
e. “The legislature that we have — part-time, friends, and neighbors — they need a peer [as governor].”

Quotations from interviews by the author, candidate Web sites and speeches, MaineToday Media newspapers, Bangor Daily News, Portsmouth Herald, Maine Public Radio, and Village Soup newspapers.

Answers: 1. C; 2. D; 3. E; 4. A; 5. A-E: Libby Mitchell (she voted for the consolidation bill); 6. D; 7. A – Shawn Moody; B – Paul LePage; C – Libby Mitchell; D – Eliot Cutler, E – Kevin Scott