Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

July 17, 2012

Letters to the editor: A lesson in authenticity

In the July 10 Portland Press Herald, Gov. LePage is quoted as saying that anyone offended by his comments comparing the IRS to the Gestapo should be "goddamned mad at the federal government," i.e. not at him.

The governor's supporters often say that he's only saying what's on his mind. Many add that he has the guts to say publicly what he thinks, making him "authentic," not some pandering politician.

But does saying whatever comes to mind make you more "authentic" than a speaker who carefully crafts his or her words, perhaps with the help of others?

The affair reminded me of a column by Michael Gerson, formerly the head speechwriter for President George W. Bush, published March 12 of this year in the Washington Post. (The subject was Rick Santorum's criticism of politicians who use teleprompters rather than speaking extemporaneously.)

"(Santorum) assumes that authenticity is identical to spontaneity. ... This elevation of instinct and impulse is deeply unconservative -- akin to arguing that the only authentic love is free love. Conservatives generally assert that discipline and preparation reveal authentic commitments, not discredit them.

"It is actually a form of pride -- in a politician or anyone else -- to believe that every thought produced by the firing of one's neurons is immediately fit for public consumption. The craft of rhetoric involves the humility of repeated revision. The careful appeal to an audience is a form of courtesy ...

"But a prospective president should care about rhetoric for deeper reasons: Because language and leadership are inseparable. Because history is not shaped or moved by mediocre words."

Timothy Burris

Great Diamond Island

Jeers, cheers for column about 'geyser of trash talk'

I found Bill Nemitz's column in the July 11 edition of the Press Herald ("Mortified by a geyser of trash talk") to be offensive.

Bill is sure LePage doesn't know what a mixed metaphor is. Neither do I, but I function reasonably well.

LePage's disagreement with Obamacare, according to Bill, is "because, because 'We hate Obamacare!' "

Does Bill have similar disrespect for the four Supreme Court justices who concluded that Obamacare was unconstitutional?

Yes, a lot of us in Maine pronounce "governor" as "guvnah." That doesn't indicate we are stupid (as implied by Bill).

"Trademark stupidity"? That's constructive.

Pete Wilson

Cumberland

Hooray for Bill Nemitz! I agree with every word he wrote about our guvnah ("Mortified by a geyser of trash talk," July 11).

LePage is a rude, crude, obnoxious bully and a total disgrace to the state of Maine. I'm sure that his cronies will be screeching and hollering at your newspaper for allowing Bill Nemitz to speak the truth.

Bill Nemitz is one of the reasons I subscribe to your newspaper. He deserves a raise for having the courage to tell it like it is.

Alicia Klick

South Freeport

Well, Bill Nemitz, you're back -- and with a vengeance. I almost choked on my coffee July 11 as you called the governor stupid and smugly laughed at his limited vocabulary usage ("Mortified by a geyser of trash talk"). Funny, if it weren't so sad.

Bill, as the mouthpiece for the liberal beliefs of MaineToday Media, you take potshots at any and all who aren't in lockstep with your and your cronies' positions. You speak of "us" and "we" and "the whole world" as if all of Maine is in your camp.

(Continued on page 2)

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