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I had always been told growing up that Maine politics was something different and special.  Contrary to other states, elections in Maine were viewed as civil contests of substance, generally pitting good people vs. good people, with tame attack ads, and mostly constructive, positive campaigning.

Yes, even in the most tame political environment, you will always find some sketchy things going on, but in Maine they were the exception, not the rule.  Rarely – if ever – would you ever see an ad like this, and if you did it would be roundly attacked as bitter partisan garbage.

The reasons for this were plentiful.

First of all,the candidates who run in Maine are less corrupt, and throwing mud at them makes little sense.  Earlier today I was trying to think of the last huge political scandal that erupted in the state of Maine – sleeping with interns, pay to play, trips to Argentina to see your mistress, stealing pennies out of the Shriner’s jar at the convenience store – but I simply could not think of anything.  Go search in Google, you won’t find anything either.

Maine has consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt states, politically.  We just don’t have “green balloons” type scandals happen here.  Maine pols are certainly not perfect, and there are always rumors about a particular ethical problem or seedy affair, but they never amount to anything.

Some of them probably should – but the larger point is that most people who seek office in Maine are down to earth folks who aren’t particularly evil. Read the whole story »

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