Scattered Acres

Congressman Jared Golden, a back bencher, has distinguished himself once again by being the sole Democrat to vote against the “Build Back Better” bill in the House. Golden has a habit of voting against Democrats, starting with his vote against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker.  Golden is catering to “know-nothing” Trump voters of the Second District. He finds fault a provision favoring well-to-do homeowners and has taken the stance of a deficit hawk. Instead of explaining as a leader how “Build Back Better” addresses the serious needs of the rural Second District, Golden has prioritized his perfect over the good.  If some Maine Democrat doesn’t mount a primary challenge to Golden, then the party is moribund and devoid of leadership and imagination. In spite of his incumbency, it is hard to see how Golden can win reelection, having alienated a significant number of Democratic voters. A primary fight will make the division even more apparent.  Meanwhile, Bruce Poliquin, his li...

After my last post about 2nd District Maine Congressman Jared Golden, I contacted his office to let him know about my posts on March 11 and August 19, 2021. Neither of them were complimentary or supportive. Using my Maine address, since I am a Damariscotta property owner, I got a email back from his office thanking me for contacting him and advising me to seek help from Chellie Pingree of the First District if I needed any assistance.  Next, I received an envelope from Jared Golden seeking a campaign contribution. The cover letter states that three Republicans are set to run against him in ’22, including Bruce Poliquin whom Golden defeated in 2018, thanks to ranked choice voting. Golden claims he’s a victim of special interests, Super PACs and disinformation. It says nothing about what Golden stands for, his platform or his voting record. We do  know that as a Blue Dog Democrat, he is placing Biden's extensive second infrastructure bill in jeopardy.  Golden’s singula...

Thanks to ranked-choice voting, Jared Golden, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine’s Second District in 2018, beating the incumbent, Bruce Poliquin, by a hair when votes were redistributed. Golden was an attractive candidate with Marine Corps service in Iran and Afghanistan and as a graduate from one of Maine’s fine liberal arts colleges. He was reelected in 2020; but with fewer votes than polling had predicted. The District, however, was carried by Donald Trump which provided him with an electoral vote under Maine election law.   Wise to his constituency, Golden chose to show that he was no garden variety Democrat. The first thing he did upon arrival in Congress was to cast a vote for  Speaker of the House other than for Nancy Pelosi . I haven’t been following his voting record closely until he emerged this week as one of nine Blue Dog Democrats. This group insists that the House vote on the “hard” infrastructure bill and uncouple it from t...

Dear Jared Golden, I had high hopes for you. You have a good military record and you got yourself an education. But lately you’ve been voting Republican - and as a Democrat, uniquely so. Granted that your congressional district voted for former president Trump, giving him one of Maine’s electoral votes. But that does not call for a duly elected Democratic congressman to vote against the much needed aid for an ailing economy in the time of a global pandemic that is not yet over. You’ve gone about as far as you can go. Don’t even think about ever running for the Senate or state-wide office. The votes wouldn’t be there. Regrettably, you have become a follower of your constituents rather than a leader. And when the voters come to their senses about what is good for them, good for Maine and good for America, you might have a tough time getting reelected at all. Remember the old adage, “When the voters are given a choice between a fake Republican and a real Republican, they will choose the r...

It didn't take four years to know that Donald J. Trump would be an American catastrophe. If I didn’t know for sure before his inauguration, I was certain of it on the day of his inauguration. George W. Bush reportedly referred to Trump’s inaugural speech as "some weird shit" after the ceremony concluded. It took only Trump’s insistence on the size of the crowd to realize that he was prepared to construct a fantasy universe built on lies. No, his inaugural crowd on the Mall was nowhere near as large as that for Obama. Anyone who saw the pictures would know it.  That Trump was a nasty campaigner was nothing new. After all, the gentlemanly George H. W. Bush employed Willy Horton to beat Mike Dukakis and LBJ has a little girl counting the daisy petals left before Barry Goldwater would start nuclear war. But in office from the very first minute, one had to know that Trump was something different. One can disagree with his policies that squandered the goodness in America. But...

I’m not sure we need $600 each from the new slug of federal stimulus funds. While I always appreciate money that comes over the transom, we run a tight financial ship that provides for the essentials in life and small pleasures. In other words, as retirees, we plan prudently for what we need and what we want with the resources at hand.  Millions of people are hurting as a result of the pandemic through absolutely no fault of their own. That includes the laid off unemployed and the myriad of very small businesses that are forced to abide with pandemic guidelines that destroy their financial viability. Those who continue to work as before are doing well. What is needed is 1) a predictable safety net for the unemployed, 2) aid to keep small businesses with fixed expenses afloat until restrictions upon them are removed, and 3) aid for states, cities and towns that are working with reduced revenues and, incidentally, employ millions.  So do I need $600? $1,200 for the two of us? Do...

Do you know how close Joe Biden came to losing the election? Terrifyingly close! According to the vastest figures available on line, Biden won Arizona and 11 Electoral votes by 10,457 popular votes, Georgia’s 16 Electoral votes by 11,779 popular votes, and Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral votes by 20,682 popular votes. Biden won these three states by 42,918 votes. Together they account for 37 Electoral votes which, if gone to Trump, would have caused a tie in the Electoral College and thrown the election into the House where Trump wins the majority Republican states.  OK, a tie. But additionally, if Nebraska’s single Biden Electoral vote from the 2nd Congressional District hadn’t gone to Biden by 22,091 votes, Trump wins. Or if Nevada’s 6 Electoral votes hadn’t gone to Biden by 33,596, Trump wins.  Under the Constitutional provisions for the Electoral College and the custom of winner-take-all by states, Biden won the presidency by a mere 65,009 votes. Imagine that. The loss of a ...

There is light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 vaccine is on the way. It may not be here for all of us for a while and it may not be soon enough for some who will succumb to the virus. The vaccine is welcome news, nevertheless. But the pandemic didn’t have to be so bad. Trumpian leadership failed from the beginning. The president’s vanity trumped the simplest of defenses - a mask, social distancing, limited travel. That a vaccine was developed at warp speed is a tribute to the science that Trump has so disparaged.  A second pandemic is upon us. It’s the assault on truth. It may turn out to be far more dangerous, more widespread, and long-lasting than the coronavirus pandemic that we know. Again, it didn’t have to be this way. President Trump is on record for tens of thousands of lies. As a narcissistic sociopath and pathological liar he is under the delusion what what he says is true. And a good many millions of people believe what he says. His lies have gone viral . Trump’s pow...

President Biden’s first job is to sooth the wounds that Trump has brought upon America. In that regard, he should form a unity government that includes some responsible Republicans (a rare animal, indeed). This will infuriate progressives (of which I consider myself one), but the Democratic Party did not do well down ballot. It’s a time for healing. In particular, Biden can give the rural, white, partially educated, Trump supporters not what they want, but what they need. What they need are respect, decent employment, education, medical care, community, etc. What to do? My list in no particular order: 1) Omnibus Infrastructure Program for the Future. - Includes widespread repairs and updating; Broadband extension to rural areas; Clean energy  and conservation measures; Climate change defense and amelioration; More I haven’t thought of. It’s a jobs program.  2) Employment and Income Security. - $15/hour minimum federal wage; Equal opportunity employment; Pages from the New Deal...

TW3 was a TV program of the sixties that satirized the week's political, social and cultural events and actions. Among the luminaries on the screen were David Frost, Nichols and May, with cameo appearances by Gloria Steinem, Tom Lehrer and many others. But what could they have done with the week just passed?  Number 1, Saturday: Trump announces the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace the recently deceased RBG on the Supreme  Court. He couldn’t have picked a more polar opposite justice. McConnell promises to rush Senate confirmation, negating his principle of not elevating a nominee to the court so close to a presidential election.  Number 2, Sunday: The New York Times publishes information about Trump’s tax returns and his business losses. Trump paid $750 in the first two years of his presidency and nothing in many preceding years. As a businessman, his business loses were staggering.  Number 3, Tuesday: Trump blusters interruptions at what was billed was the...

Donald J. Trump is his own Joseph Goebbels. For those who don’t know the name, Goebbels was Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany. Trump is his own minister of propaganda. Between Goebbels and Hitler, the big lie was perfected by repeated articulation.  Trump has indicated publicly that he may not abide by the results of the coming November election. He claims already the despite the polls showing Biden ahead nationally, that he has won the election and any contrary result will be due to a rigged election. How often have you heard rigged election? This repetition is the big lie in process.  Trump is beyond violating traditional American norms. He is beyond his own personality disorders and flawed character. He is undermining faith in American institutions at every turn. He is trashing the Constitution. American democracy as we know it is under dire threat. It behooves everyone who believes in democracy, rather than authoritarianism, to address the threat. You can do t...

Followers of this blog may wonder why it has been silent for almost two weeks.  The news is breaking fast.  Trump this. Trump that. There are an abundance of good writers who are on top of each hour. Too much for me to digest, reflect on, and write about. It's not just current events that command attention. Folks are beginning to speculate of what things will be like on November 4 and the days and weeks to follow. "We'll have to see what happens". 

  Democrats:    1) Democracy is in deep trouble.    2) Trump is not fit for the office.  Republicans:    1) Praise Trump from whom all blessings flow.     2) Biden is the socialist's stooge. 

I saw my first convention on a small black and white screen TV in 1956. I saw then President Eisenhower make his way in a cavalcade of motor vehicles to the Republican convention site at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. That’s right, the Cow Palace. I saw his opponent, Adlai Stevenson, campaign in Boston’s Mechanics Hall. He tried to “talk sense to the American people”, but lost handily. The next convention of memory was the Democrats of 1960. Kennedy had the nomination locked up, so only the VP pick remained. Kennedy picked rival Lyndon Johnson and the convention erupted in boos.  1968 was a year to remember in many ways. The Democratic Convention in Chicago takes the prize for drama. LBJ had dropped out; Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated. There were lots of loose delegates which headed toward VP Hubert Humphrey. The backdrop however, was the Vietnam War and the hippy movement. Humphrey carried the burden of Johnson’s war and so became a target of protest. And protest there was ...

We don’t have cable, so I don’t get to see Fox News very often. Usually it’s at a motel while traveling. This time it was an overnight in the hospital for a routine procedure.  What I saw on Fox and Friends was a parade of cynical, hard-nosed commentators with the singular purpose of advancing a right wing political agenda. Well, I’m not sure I saw an agenda, but what I saw was a constant tear down of Democrats. The big issue was socialism , socialism ,  socialism , without ever defining it. The second big issue was violence in the cities with plenty of video up close and personal. Often words were attributed to Democrats only identified by mug-shot, but not by name. And during the hour or so I watched, I saw virtually no reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who get their information solely from Fox News, some critical thinking is needed. Viewers should fact-check and verify what they hear and see from other sources. Fox News is carbon-copy of the Trump campaign pla...

Donald Trump has defined the landscape for the general election. It’s rigged no matter who wins. He has questioned voting by mail. He has sent in his lackey, Louis DeJoy, a big Republican donor, to sabotage the US Postal Service which now admits it cannot handle a deluge of voting by mail. He claims the process is fraught with fraud. Fearing loss by popular vote and in the electoral college, Trump has undermined the legitimacy of the election. There are three possible election outcomes. The first is that Trump will squeak a narrow victory as the electoral college distorts the popular vote as it did in 2016. The second is that Biden will win the popular vote and gain a narrow victory in the electoral college. It’s in the states with close votes that the claims of rigging will be raised. In either of these cases - a narrow Biden win or a close Trump win - legitimacy of the victor will be questioned.  There is only one outcome that can set the republic back on course. That is a Democr...

I was coming up the Maine Turnpike yesterday and what I saw was a lot of out-of-state money. There were cars from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and a smattering of other states all bringing money to Maine. You could see plenty of water craft on top or behind - kayaks, canoes, surfboards, speedboats; camping gear and trailers; plenty of bikes - all destined for a vacation in Vacationland . And it all translated into money. That’s what we need in Maine, money from out-of-staters. We love it. It’s good money! - But don’t bring the virus! But there’s another kind of out-of-state money that people don’t like so much. It’s the money that’s going to the senatorial campaigns of Sara Gideon and Sue Collin. It’s an obscene amount of money. In July the Bangor Daily News reported that forty million dollars had been dedicated to the two campaigns; somewhere around $30.00 for every man, woman and child in the state; more than $50.00  for every actual voter.  It seems like...

First, let’s get the often business out of the way. I don’t mean that one should vote many times in the same election. That would be illegal; it would even be cheating. By often , I mean that one should vote in every election that comes along - federal, state and local. I cast my first vote in 1956 and I haven’t missed a presidential or state election since - well, maybe a primary here or there, but you get my point.  About early : If you don’t know who you’re going to vote for before the campaigns start, it’s unlikely that you’ll know any better as they roll along. The track record of national candidates is pretty well known before they run. What the campaigns add are obscuration of uncomfortable realities and negative aspersions upon an opponent. Rarely is there a coherent statement of policy positions that isn’t softened with platitudes.  And more about early : The coronavirus shows little sign of tapering off to safety levels before the November 3 election. And all th...

Maine, Vacationland , is a case study in the tradeoffs between keeping COVID-19 under control and keeping the economy running.  Maine is a beautiful state with a variety of draws for vacationers and tourists - the rugged sea coast with tidal rivers, sandy beaches, a myriad of pristine lakes, wildlife, challenging mountains, and a foody scene in Portland second to none. These attractions generate a lot of income. Tourism is a mainstay of the Maine economy.  And it’s partially shut down to the chagrin of those dependent on the industry.  Maine is second only to Vermont in having the lowest number of new coronavirus cases per capita in the last week. It is among the three lowest states in total cumulative cases per capita. And that’s the way we want to keep it.  How does Maine do it? First, it has the geographical advantage being at the “end of the line”, with the Canadian border closed. (But so does Alaska with a much high infection rate.) Second it has a ...

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Fox News, “It wouldn’t be fair to use taxpayer dollars to pay more people to sit home than they would get working ...” The Washington Post noted that “Part of the problem stems from a push by administration officials and GOP lawmakers to reduce a $600 weekly payment of enhanced federal unemployment benefits.” $600 for a forty hour week amounts to $15/hour; for fifty weeks of work it comes to an annual income $30,000. Curiously enough, $15/hour has been cited as a living wage. So why would anyone seek out a minimum wage job if you can get twice as much doing nothing?  At present, the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour and 20 states hew to this standard for jobs falling under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ten of these are states in the old Confederacy. The District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction with a $15.00 minimum wage; others are headed that way in the future. California comes in at $13.00 followed by Massachusetts at $12.7...