In Maine’s gubernatorial race, it appears that Independent candidate Eliot Cutler has all the momentum. Republican front-runner Paul LePage has maintained a weak lead with roughly 33% support in the polls, while support has begun to erode for Democrat Libby Mitchell. But support for Cutler has doubled over the last month, leaving him poised to give LePage a run for his money on election day. At the same time, Cutler has received a virtual avalanche of endorsements from newspapers across the state in recent weeks, including those of the Bangor Daily News, the Lewiston Sun Journal, the Portland Press Herald, the York Weekly, the USM Free Press, the Portland Phoenix, and the Times Record. As we approach the final weekend before the election, Cutler is well-positioned to overtake the Democrat and potentially come out on top in the race for the Blaine House.
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How old did you say you are, paulie? 11? 12?
LOL! Good one!
Yukon PLAStered
Yukon PLAS FTW
Maybe PLAS will work in the Yukon. Give it a try!
We need to convince a special elections candidate to try PLAS.
Whether LP, GP or Independent.
I remember you got very involved in Joe Kennedy campaign after Nov. 2008 elections special election.
We need to try PLAS asap.
Are there any special elections coming up after Nov 2?
Would you like to be part of the solution in 2012?
Or do you prefer to remain part of the problem?
paulie, looks to me like your most significant disagreement with PLAS is the 40% max figure.
Well, as long as it’s not NCAS.
Even on economic issues there are some on which we agree, like opposing bailouts. Where do Greens stand on occupational licensing laws? I would think they would oppose eminent domain abuse by government ion behalf of private interests. I’m sure they oppose corporate welfare. Many libertarians agree with Greens on opposing corporate personhood and nonconcensual limited liability. To the extent that the military-industrial and police-prison-industrial complexes are economic issues, we tend to both be on the same side. Probably other stuff I’m missing.
Good point. With Davis, the disagreement is on some issues tangentially related to foreign policy, although the only one I know of is the (non) Mosque (that is not) at Ground Zero. She says she agrees with 80% of the LP platform; I’ve been unable to get a hold of her, but I’m guessing the 20% may be foreign policy. The rest of it is personality conflict.
Cutler should try PLAS. That’s the only way he can prove to me that he’s not a part of the Ralph Nader criminal conspiracy to destroy Catholic Trotskyist goddess Libby Mitchell. If Cutler wins, it will be despite himself; he is not trying to win, he is trying to get the Republicans into office.
d.eri @ 22 – you are correct that Libertarians & Greens agree on many issues – the ones you mentioned and sometimes others.
I watched part of the New York Governor’s debate, and on economic issues Howie Hawkins and Warren Redlich took diametrically opposed positions.
Actually, it was interesting to see Kristin Davis and then Warren Redlich say very similar things on taxes, government spending, regulation etc.
New York has so many parties that an alliance of Greens & Libertarians would only be a start.
d.eris, on the assumption that for the 2012 elections the GP & LP will continue to make the same mistakes…
We need a progressive presidential candidate man(me) and a libertarian vice presidential candidate woman-a stand in will be needed, to form an Independent fusion ticket. Because the GP&LP will nominate their losing tickets.
& we will need a website to post voting recommendations for every ballot and ballot issues and initiatives.
hmmm, with respect to a particular campaign, whether progressive, conservative, liberal, libertarian, or whatever, that’s something I’d have to think about, it would depend on a number of factors, including the candidate him- or herself, the political environment, my other responsibilities etc. But I’m open to the idea/possibility.
d.eris, would you be available to support a try at inclusive progressive movement/presidential campaign in some capacity?-you name it.
@22, you said that quicker & better than I could!
Well, somebody contact them & try it!
Gene, though we shouldn’t minimize the differences between the Greens and the Libertarians, we shouldn’t let that blind us to those issues on which they converge. Off the top of my head: opposition to corporate welfare, electoral and voting reform, potential agreement on capping bureaucrat pay (one of Redlich’s major points of emphasis), strengthening of civil rights, anti-surveillance society and police state, rational drug policy, not to mention Redlich’s continual emphasis on “schools, parks and bridges.”
That is what I mean by split ticket, Robert. In NY, there’s obviously also the possibility of cross-endorsing.
Howie Hawkins wants more government and higher taxes. Warren Redlich proposes less government and lower taxes. Hawkins represents the reactionary ideas of the New Deal/Popular Front era of the 1930s, Redlich represents the modern idea of free markets and free minds.
There is no possibility for a coalition between Greens and Libertarians in New York. If the Green Party ever gets a leadership that understands that government is the biggest polluter, the biggest cause of poverty and the THE cause of war, then we can talk.
RPl- LOL!
Yeah….shit nuggets
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Shit%20Nuggets
NF, if I go to Yukon I could very well come back with a backpack full of nuggets.
Resulting in either gp/lp or lp/gp ticket?
You mean a fusion ticket? Either gp or lp gov & gp or lp lt. gov?
Split ticket?
Yukon still holding…
Agreed, Cutler is probably better than the dem or rep. But that doesn’t necessarily say much.
In the New York gubernatorial race, on the other hand, Green Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Warren Redlich have been doing press conferences and interviews together fairly regularly over the last month or two. Could form the basis of a productive working relationship there.
Yes.
Unfortunately, there’s also this:
http://www.web.gpnys.com/?p=8535
Why would one necessarily have to drop out? Why not run a split ticket?
Hawkins & Redlich would have to agree on which to drop out & endorse the other at a press conference.
Only campaigning together is not enough. Cobb & Bad’n campaigned together.
“do you think Cutler is a real Independent? He has past ties to the democratic party”
I’m not exactly sure what you mean by *real* Independent. Cutler is indeed running for governor as an independent, i.e. without a party affiliation, unlike, say, Democrats or Republicans who just call themselves independent as part of their campaign shtick.
If a “real” independent is someone who has never had any ties to the Democratic or Republican parties, or any other party for that matter, then “real” independents are going to be rather few and far between. Independents don’t just fall out of the sky. Over 40% of people who describe themselves as Independents are former Democrats or Republicans. And many more are probably too ashamed to admit as much.
I’d say insofar as Cutler is not bound or beholden to the Democratic or Republican party machines and their corporate masters and constitutive interest groups, but rather to the people of Maine, there is no question that he is a superior candidate to those of the Democrats and Republicans, and that he is independent.
But I’m not unsympathetic to the Green-Libertarian alliance, in fact, I support the idea. But the Maine gubernatorial race is the wrong place to look for developments on that front. In the New York gubernatorial race, on the other hand, Green Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Warren Redlich have been doing press conferences and interviews together fairly regularly over the last month or two. Could form the basis of a productive working relationship there.
Call for Robert Milnes… Mr. Milnes the Yukon Chamber of Commerce is on the phone.
Deran, Tancredo is just a recycled republican. One of many reps & dems who try it. A few successfully e.g. Lieberman.
Sure, third party & Inds. are doing a little better.
But so what? It is too little too late. It is not enough to make any significant difference.
I vote for the Yukon, Bob. Stay warm!
Actually, the opposite is true, Milnes. It seems apparent that momentum continues to build for indie and other party candaites. It looks like independents and Greens and Libs actually look like they may take more votes than usual, not to mention the probability a few may win. And let us not forget Mr. Tancredo, who looks posed to take the Colorado state house.
The political situation in the USA is really bad for third party & Independents. It is extremely polarized in favor of the reactionaries. only a major inclusive progressive movement has any chance of changing things.
Even Teddy Roosevelt failed in 1912 & would have difficulty in 2012.
I’m going to decide soon what to do. I may decide to go to the Yukon anticipating catastrophe. I may continue to try the inclusive progressive movement idea. It would help to get some more support. I have gotten little here at IPR. I have gotten a lot of ridicule. That is not helpful.
I do plan on Nov. 3 to say I told you so here.
d.eris, do you think Cutler is a real Independent? He has past ties to the democratic party. He’s just another reactionary as far as I can tell.
Let’s face it. The entire system is lousy with reactionaries.
Only a complete sweep out of dems & reps by progressives & Libertarians might work. & the libs should clean house of rightists.
I look forward to saying I told you so on Nov 3.