The LePage nitpickers have turned into raging bloodhounds. There is nothing juicier than a charge of racism. It polarizes. And in the world of political propaganda, that’s exactly what the concept is meant to do.

The slur imprints on emotional judgment, thereby eliminating any chance for mature rationalizing. Gov. LePage, at this stage of his political life, should know better. The Greeks said it best: “Who the gods wish to destroy, they first make angry.”

LePage was baited by being called a racist. He reacted with a 19th-century code of honor. In today’s jaded sense of “no-nos,” he needs quips like Hillary Clinton’s “What difference does it make?”

Robert Denbow

Saco