LePage a litmus test for whether your publication will *ever* describe ANYTHING as "racist". https://t.co/IxRaZehWw7 pic.twitter.com/5RHo6DeTXn
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 30, 2016
In honor of the proverbial gently-reared lady who “wouldn’t say ‘shit’ if she had a mouthful of it.” Because the real social solecism is calling an old white man the R-word!
From Maine’s Portland Press-Herald, “In the morning Gov. LePage says he might resign; by afternoon he discounts the idea”:
… In a morning radio interview, LePage said he was totally at fault for leaving a threatening voice mail last week for a Democratic lawmaker whom he believed had called him a racist. He later invited Rep. Drew Gattine to the State House to have a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday, and Gattine accepted.
LePage also raised the possibility more than once on the radio that he may not finish his second term because of the controversy, which has stretched on for a week.
“I’m looking at all options,” the Republican governor said while appearing on WVOM, a Bangor talk radio station, Tuesday morning. “I think some things I’ve been asked to do are beyond my ability. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to finish it. I’m not saying that I am going to finish it.”
He said later in the interview: “If I’ve lost my ability to help Maine people, maybe it’s time to move on.”
Some six hours later, in a tweet posted from his Twitter account, LePage backed away from any suggestion that he was considering resignation…
The uncertainty comes after several days of sustained controversy that began last week when the governor told an audience in North Berwick that he’s been keeping a three-ring binder of drug dealers and that 90 percent of those dealers are black or Hispanic. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of drug dealers arrested in Maine are white, and critics have said that even if the governor’s numbers were accurate, he is wrong to focus on race….
During his radio interview, LePage did apologize to the people of Maine and to Gattine’s family for leaving a threatening voice mail last week, but didn’t apologize to Gattine directly.
“When I was called a racist I just lost it, and there’s no excuse,” the governor said. “It’s unacceptable. It’s totally my fault.” LePage said being called a racist for him was, “like calling a black man the ‘N’ word or a woman the ‘C’ word. It just absolutely knocked me off my feet.”…
Incidentally… and no surprise, given LePage is a Republican…
… While LePage has repeatedly emphasized his concern about the impact of drug addiction in Maine, state spending on addiction treatment during his administration has actually declined…
He’s unfit for his current position, but maybe the RNC can offer him a replacement job as their national mascot / cheerleader? Because I sense he’d do much better as an opener for Trump ralies than that Reince Priebus guy…
Apart from deploring the Disloyal Opposition, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Tuesday Evening Open Thread: The <em>NYTimes</em> “Sh… ugar” TestPost + Comments (138)