Was it a win or a loss?

By Ken Frederic

    As this is being written, it’s been a week since Maine voters went to the polls and gave us a result that both pleased and disappointed everyone. Deservedly disappointed were the pollsters who got it so wrong. Others who earned their disappointment were the pundits and politicians who took the vote of entire groups for granted and were so arrogant they didn’t even try to mask their contempt for the voters and taxpayers. There were gains and losses, and it’s our choice whether we wallow in disappointment at what was lost or cheer what was won.

    We all suffered a mega dose of hateful political advertisements this year and now that we’ve been blessed by their abrupt end we are being assaulted by resentful diatribes from those who relentlessly deplore that those who disagree with them had any success. Were these the rants of inarticulate, hateful juvenile losers they’d be amusing in a pathetic sort of way. They aren’t. These are the beliefs of those who see themselves as so superior to the rest of us that they believe themselves fit to dictate because we just won’t make the right choices.
    BDN headlines proclaimed that “Republicans will now taste their bitter harvest” and there would be “A rough ride for Mainers over the next four years of LePage”. One amusing assertion: Maine voters made a huge error by focusing on what Governor LePage did rather than what he said. (If you enjoy being insulted, see Edgar Allen Beem, Nov. 10, “The Universal Notebook.”)
    Our President told us that he heard the third that voted and also heard the two thirds who didn’t. He’s not alone in repeating this one third deception.
    So, just in case you also don’t know:
    The Washington Post estimated 36.6 percent turned out nationwide. The turnout in Maine was 59.3 pecent. Other states with participation rates over 50 percent were Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Governor LePage was elected with the most votes of any Governor in Maine History.
    The coordinated national attacks on the electorate, especially when coupled with Jonathan Gruber’s revelations and Senator King’s humiliating response hopefully will foster even more rejection of the pseudo-elite-wannabe-dictators. Moreover, those fuming in disappointment would do well to recognize the extraordinary turnout in those states where they were rebuked in senate races and in gubernatorial races.
    Closer to home, despite “my side” losing virtually every local race, I prefer to celebrate Governor LePage’s success, as well as Bruce Poliquin’s, and the change in the Maine Senate. Perhaps we’ll see no more clown noses in committee rooms, and ‘compromise’ will no longer mean Republicans’ unconditional surrender. We can hope spending won’t measure accomplishment and we’ll stop thinking of success in terms of how many other states’ destitute we import. Maybe we can also stop talking about raising the minimum wage and expanding dependency to compensate for the jobs we exported through irresponsible taxation, abusive regulation and the pursuit of imaginary ‘green energy’. I hope, if we hear another word about how ‘stupid’ the electorate is, those arguing that point will experience the power of stupid people acting in large numbers.
  Another View is a Maine Press Association award-winning column written by an individual who is a member of a group of concerned citizens who meet regularly to discuss issues of public interest.