Maine Hodgepodge-- Good Stuff Between The Lines (I promise)

In 2010-- a year when Republicans surged everywhere-- I think less than 5 Democratic incumbents actually increased their support from the voters. One was Chellie Pingree of Maine, who Rachel Maddow interviewed about the newly opened Maine Senate seat above. In 2008, a year favorable to Democrats, Pingree won her congressional race to replace Tom Allen in the first district with 55%, while in Maine's other congressional district, longtime incumbent Mike Michaud, a Blue Dog, was reelected with 67%. Then came 2008-- the Blue Dog Apocalypse-- and Pingree, a stalwart and outspoken progressive, bucked the trend that swept Paul LePage into the governor's chair and saddled Maine with a teabaggy state legislature. Her percentage of the vote increased from 55% to 57%. Michaud, on the other hand, crashed. He went from 67% down to 55%-- his worst showing since first being elected in 2002. Maine has a funny political culture that isn't easy for an outsider to understand.

The first vote in Congress after the national Blue Dog Apocalypse that handed the House over to the GOP-- and after Maine elected LePage and that teabaggy legislature-- was to elect the new Speaker and the Democratic Leader. That was on January 5, 2011. All 241 Republicans voted for John Boehner to be Speaker. Chellie Pingree and 172 other Democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi to lead the Democratic Party. But the most conservative fringe of the Democratic caucus decided to put up their own candidate, an arch reactionary who lived in the C Street House with Jim DeMint and other right-wing sociopaths. They picked Heath Shuler. Eleven Democrats voted for Shuler against Pelosi. And one of those 11 was Mike Michaud. The other 10, simply put, were the 10 Democrats who went on to vote most frequently with the Republicans on the crucial rollcalls on 2011-12-- far right throwbacks like Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK), Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC), Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA), Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT), Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR), Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)... the worst of the worst. That's the pack in which Maine's bachelor congressman runs.


A few weeks ago, we looked at the Democratic primary race to find someone to run against Snowe. That's changed dramatically. Michaud is in. Pingree is in (though she hasn't officially announced) and former Governor John Baldacci, who served from 2003-2011, is in. (Before running for governor, he had served in Congress for 4 terms, where he was a member of the dangerous, right-wing C Street cult.) Independents-- and they make up almost a third of the voter base in Maine-- will probably have a candidate as well, which is how LePage wound up as governor. This time ex-Gov. Angus King and Eliot Cutler (the independent who threw the election to LePage) are both looking at running.

On the Republican side the highly unpopular state Senate president Kevin Raye, as well as former gubernatorial candidate Peter Cianchette and State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin are all making noises about running.

This was Snowe's stated reason to give up the seat:

"After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate.

"After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election. It has been an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege to serve the people of Maine, first in both houses of Maine's legislature and later in both houses of Congress. To this day, I remain deeply passionate about public service, and I cherish the opportunity I have been given for nearly four decades to help improve the lives of my fellow Mainers.

"As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and 'my way or the highway' ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.

"With my Spartan ancestry I am a fighter at heart; and I am well prepared for the electoral battle, so that is not the issue. However, what I have had to consider is how productive an additional term would be. Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.

"As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us. It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America.

"In the meantime, as I complete my third term, I look forward to continuing to fight for the people of Maine and the future of our nation. And I will be forever and unyieldingly grateful for the trust that the people of Maine have placed in me, and for the phenomenal friendship and assistance I have received over the years from my colleagues, my supporters, and my staff, both in Maine and in Washington."

And, no doubt, that has a lot to do with why she's retiring. But perhaps a scandal starting to engulf her husband, former Gov. John McKernan, figured into her decision as well.

The U.S. Justice Department, 11 states and the District of Columbia are backing an employee whistleblower lawsuit against Education Management Corp. (EDMC), a company once run by former Maine Governor John McKernan. McKernan continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He also is the husband of Senator Olympia Snowe (R - Maine).

The complaint alleges that the for-profit college chain was illegally paying recruiters based on the number of students they could sign up. EDMC allegedly based recruiter salaries on their sales abilities and also gave recruiters prizes, including expensive trips, based on their ability to bring students in. Federal law bans for-profit colleges that accept federal aid from compensating employees based on their ability to recruit students. Harry Litman, an attorney for the two former employees who are serving as whistleblowers in this case, said EDMC's violations were obvious.

"It did it flagrantly," Litman said. "It did it for many years. It lied to the federal government about it. And [employee incentives] fueled their explosive growth to $2.5 billion a year, almost all of which is taxpayer money."

The federal government has been looking into whether for-profit colleges have been defrauding taxpayers by enrolling students who are not qualified, and therefore more likely to default on their student loans.

UPDATE: Michaud's Out

Of the race, I mean. He sent this out:

While I have been humbled by all the support and encouragement I have received in the last few days, I've decided to not run for the U.S. Senate this year. I want to continue to represent the wonderful people of Maine's second district and keep working on the unique issues and challenges we face. I am also very proud of what I have been able to accomplish on behalf of Maine's and America's veterans and that work must continue.

I join many Mainers in being frustrated with how Washington operates and believe that both sides of Capitol Hill have fallen into a partisan rut. However, I am proud of being able to work across the aisle to deliver results and I think, for now, I can best continue those efforts in the House.

Wise decision.