Arguably Endorsements, Pt. 3

Initiative Questions – TABOR and that other one

Here's the State electionizin' link that explains who, what, and to a lesser degree, why, regarding each of the Initiative / Referendum questions – including the always-fun-at-a-party TABOR.



Question One / TABOR
The Playas:
TABOR No
TABOR Yes

My guaranteed vote: No.

I think TABOR is spiteful, and nothing but an ill-advised frontal assault upon the edifice that is Maine's bloated public spending system. I will vote No on 1. The "send them politicians a message" reason for voting yes derives from resentment and will cause far greater harm than good.

Viewpoints/Endorsements:
Bangor Daily News: TABOR No
Portland Press Herald: TABOR Yes
Waterville Morning Sentinel & Augusta Kennebec Journal: TABOR No
Lewiston Sun Journal: TABOR Yes
Brunswick Times-Record: TABOR No
York County Coast Star: TABOR No
Courier Gazette: no position yet taken.
Camden Herald: TABOR Yes.
Bar Harbor Times: TABOR No
Lincoln County News: No position taken, but Victoria Wallack outlines the guts of TABOR.

BDN columnist Todd Benoit ponders how Maine might look after a win for TABOR Yes! Good and scary question.

Syndicated Augusta writer Victoria Wallack reports how much is being spent by the opposing sides.

Al Diamon grumpily opines that the promises to offer a compromise are smoke and mirrors.


State Senator Peter Mills

The Press Herald offers this fig leaf of sorts in the aftermath of its near shocking TABOR endorsement, which is more like a gesture of rationalization. The reporter to his credit provides this insight from a certain prominent state Republican who looms large for Republicana as Tuesday approaches:

Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, said lawmakers had the TABOR proposal in hand and used it as a starting point when they drafted the LD 1 spending formula. He said LD 1 was crafted to reach the same goals of TABOR without hamstringing government or interfering with other new state laws, such as the complex school-funding measure called Essential Programs and Services. Compared to LD 1, Mills said, TABOR is primitive.

"We are way beyond TABOR," he said.

One more example of why the Maine Republican Party could never bring itself to nominate Peter Mills as its standard bearer. The GOP's frothing Government-hater wing clearly dominates state and national party leadership these days. Yet, their internal supremacy destroyed all prospect that they could have unseated Gov. Baldacci and retaken the Blaine House for the first time since the early 1990s. If Mills was running as the Republican candidate for Governor right now, there would be no viable Barbara Merrill campaign and Governor Baldacci would be as nervous as George Bush the Elder circa late October 1992.

But he ain't, there is, and he isn't.



Question Two:

My likely vote: Yes.

While we're here, it's also important to recognize the flipside of TABOR/Question One, which is Question Two and the proposal to firm-up the requirements for getting an Initiative question onto the ballot. Mt Desert Islander provides this sharp overview of the issue. Here's the BDN endorsement for Yes on 2.