Phil: Boy did you miss out while you were celebrating your anniversary in Italy. Congratulations on 10 years, by the way!

Ethan: Well, thank you. We had a lovely trip with lots of wine, fine food and incredible scenery. But what did I miss?

Phil: Secret recordings. Illegal campaign coordination. Ducked debates. Questionable ads. Personal indiscretions.

Ethan: Well, to be honest, between glasses of Chianti, floating the canals of Venice and hiking the trails of Cinque Terre, I did sneak a peek at the headlines you mention.

Phil: Mary thought you were reading Italian poetry right? So, what’s your take on Sen. Gratwick (D-Bangor) getting caught on tape telling a constituent that Michaud was the equivalent of the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz: “If he only had a brain!”

Ethan: First, no one should be complaining about an elected official being taped in a conversation with a constituent. Second, Sen. Gratwick should have known better than to try to tell a constituent what he wants to hear. That said, the whole recording should be released, as Republicans look like they’re hiding something by concealing the rest of it. But in the end, Sen. Gratwick was definitely caught with his pants down.

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Phil: Speaking of getting caught with your pants down, how about Democratic Rep. Brian Jones getting busted for having “personal relations” in a parked car?

Ethan: When I was in the Senate, they always taught us that if you’re gonna risk destroying your marriage, don’t drive up in a car that has your legislative plates! In all seriousness, at this point he should drop out and focus on his recovery. If alcoholism is truly his demon, he can run again after a couple of years of sobriety.

Phil: Agreed. How about the Maine People’s Alliance orchestrating an ethically questionable “Michaud for Governor” conference call with nonprofits? The recording appears to show several groups engaging in improper electioneering.

Ethan: Quite the contrary. But the real story, unfortunately, is that Steve Robinson from the Maine Heritage Policy Center may have won a ride through the criminal justice system for illegally taping that call.

Phil: You may be correct. Recording a call in which no one knows you are there and in which you haven’t been invited is as close to wiretapping as you can get.

Ethan: Dick Cheney would be proud of the young man.

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Phil: In the end, I am not sure whether it was illegal (he said he got legal counsel giving him the go-ahead), but it was definitely unethical. No place for that tactic in Maine.

Ethan: And then lying about his role just crushed his credibility. The cover-up always gets you.

Phil: It pains me to say it, but the center should speak up. Were his actions approved or not? His future as an opinion leader may not be ruined, but he has harmed his organization and himself enough that he has to be held accountable. And the same goes for the Maine People’s Alliance, which needs to be called to the carpet for trying to bring nonpartisan groups into partisan tactics.

Ethan: In terms of debate ducking, to what lengths will Gov. LePage go to avoid being in the same room as Eliot and Mike? Missing the energy forum simply because he didn’t want to sit at the same table turned an opportunity into a two-day negative story.

Phil: The format that was agreed upon was very different. Instead of simply addressing the crowd, as he was led to believe, he was going to be placed in a debate setting. When he realized what was unfolding, it was better to simply move on.

Ethan: A little too paranoid for me. The organizers were more than willing to accommodate the governor’s need to have the stage to himself. In fact, Cutler, who was already there, happily stepped aside. But the governor already was running for the hills.

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Phil: Speaking of running for the hills, did you see State Sen. Vitelli (D-Bath) acknowledge that she joins Michaud in supporting welfare for people who have entered the U.S. illegally?

Ethan: First of all, Michaud does not support aid to illegal immigrants. He has said Le- Page’s policy denying benefits to those who are undocumented will penalize those who are legally here, but whose paperwork has not been finalized due to backlogged bureaucracy.

Phil: You may want to check the tape. Michaud said he agrees with cities giving welfare to people here illegally.

Ethan: What part of Michaud’s quote, “I will not tolerate welfare … for people who are in this country illegally” do you not understand? Period.

Phil: Well, the question asked of Sen. Vitelli was simply, “Do you support taxpayer money going to illegal immigrants?” Her answer? “Yes.” Period.

Ethan: Her answer was in the context of showing compassion for asylees escaping domestic violence and the terror of war who are awaiting official legal status. Seeing the entire recording might be useful to your analysis.

Phil: What really might be useful to our analysis is if we could focus on substantive issues that directly affect opportunities for Mainers, instead of all these distractions.

Ethan: Or simply drink more wine in Italy.


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