The last two weeks have been a mess in Maine. Things begin with a Facebook post about a biological male winning a girl’s high school track and field event, which kicked off a firestorm that is still burning.
The post attracted national attention from President Donald Trump, who got into a conflict with Gov. Janet Mills last Friday over Maine’s decision to continue to allow trans athletes to compete in girl’s sports despite an executive order to the contrary. The media celebrated Mills’ “see you in court” quip, and some very delusional people are trying to talk up a Senate run, but she has clearly gotten herself in political and policy trouble, and there may not be any way of coming back from it. Lots of federal funding is on the line, and there is virtually no pathway to her “winning” the fight. We tell you why.
Then, this week, Democrats in the Legislature took the unprecedented step of censuring Rep. Laurel Libby, supposedly over her social media post. We contend that the censure was really a punishment for bringing public attention to a deeply unpopular policy that is being pushed and defended by an extreme-left group of lawmakers and staffers in Augusta. When you examine the situation, the hypocrisy demonstrated by the majority is quite stark.
And then there’s the state budget, which is still a mess and all signs now point to the Democrats once again pushing through a partisan budget, ignoring Republican input. All of this and more on this week’s Pine Tree Pulse Podcast.