BUT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES HESITATE TO ENDORSE IT
by Sharon Rondeau
(May 29, 2010) — The platform of the Maine Tea Party movement which includes sealing the borders, state sovereignty, term limits on congressional seats, and protecting the unborn, was adopted at the state Republican convention held the weekend of May 7-9, 2010.
However, state gubernatorial candidates do not fully endorse the platform, although when called upon by Democrats to reject it, they did not. Candidate Bill Beardsley reportedly sent an email which said, “I support the spirit behind the new platform, though the letter of the document does leave room for improvement.’’ Beardsley’s campaign platform can be found here. He advocates school choice, including charter schools, and lower taxes.
Another Republican candidate for governor, Bruce Poliquin, reportedly stated that “he agrees with some parts of the platform, but finds others ‘unnecessarily divisive.’” Poliquin’s website statement about education reads, in part: “Maine is one of only ten states which doesn’t allow state-funded charter schools. Across the country, charter schools have proven extremely successful in providing a better education for millions of students, while often saving money. Their flexibility fosters innovation in teaching and learning which other schools might adopt to better help our kids. Maine students should be given the same opportunities as other children across the nation.”
According to another report, the tea party-backed platform passed by “an overwhelming majority.” The platform rejects the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and describes health care as “a service” which should be delivered via “market based solutions.”
A report in a Maine online newspaper stated that four members of the Knox County Republican Committee were mainly responsible for the changes in the party platform. One of the four, Steven Dyer, vice chairman of the Committee, remarked, “I had no inkling this would pass, and frankly we’d been told as much by people running the convention.”
The Utah Republican Convention produced a similar result the same weekend when three-term Senator Robert Bennett was ousted to make way for two other Republicans before a June 22 primary to be held if neither wins 60% of the vote.
The state of Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820. It is home to the Penobscot Indian tribe. Its state constitution can be found here. The famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland in 1807.
Watch for Snowe and Collins to pull a “Specter”. It will speak volumes of their true motive; to serve the people vs. being the self serving career politicians they are and who make such moves in order save their political hide.
Specter as he soon found out, there are consequences of such motives and actions…..
I love it! Go Maine Republican Party!
I agree with highlander and kenneth.
I don’t know about anybody else, but i want somebody who’ll represent a really radical point of view when they cast their vote in congress, that view being that they should adhere to the constitution. Funny that should be considered radical, but unfortunately it is. I feel that only a radical departure from our current path can save us. Anything remotely resembling the status quo is disaster straight ahead.
Let’s hope they remove Snowe in 2012 and Collins in 2014 and replace these RINOs with Conservatives.
In rather typical Republican fashion, the Maine candidates don’t strongly stand for something – they simply comply with the way the wind blows. I would rather have someone like Dale Peterson of Alabama as governor. There is no chance you don’t understand his views.
A vote for someone that does not fully agree with the platform is a vote for someone that will do as he pleases after election. This is the problem we have now so how is this better?