Archive for 'Federal'
Did The DNC Just Throw Pingree And Michaud Under The Bus (By Association)?
Posted on 02. Jul, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
In response to a recent flap over the Chairman of the RNC appearing to oppose our presence in Afghanistan (something that was later clarified by the RNC), the Democratic National Committee released a statement, hammering the Chairman over what it perceived as his opposition to the President’s plan in that conflict.
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Education Money Lost and Money Gained UPDATED
Posted on 01. Jul, 2010 by Derek Viger.
There’s good news and there’s bad news on the education front. Let’s start with the bad news.
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Chellie Pingree To Vote Against Obama’s War
Posted on 01. Jul, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree took to Facebook to announce her opposition to any “war funding” in the supplemental budget: I plan on opposing war funding in the supplemental budget. The war in Afghanistan has gone on too long, has cost us far too much in lives lost and dollars spent, and is not making America [...]
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Romney Throws His Support Behind Republican Slate
Posted on 28. Jun, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
The early bird favorite for the Republican nomination for president in 2012 – Mitt Romney – is wasting no time weighing in to the Maine political scene this year. Today, Romney’s “Free and Strong America” political action committee (which, for those non junkies out there, serves as his political machine in preparation for his run) [...]
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Stalled FMAP Funding in Senate Will Affect Spending
Posted on 28. Jun, 2010 by Stephan Burklin.
Last Thursday, federal revenues that Augusta legislators expected to balance this year’s budget dried up, leaving Maine $85 million short. Maine state legislators had been counting on increased federal funding for social programs like Medicaid, unemployment insurance, SCHIP, and TANF, but the temporarily higher reimbursements for the programs were rejected by the Senate. The discontinuation [...]
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Snowe and Collins Continue to Fight “Carried Interest” Tax Hike
Posted on 25. Jun, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
A few weeks ago I wrote how important Senators Snowe and Collins were to the success or failure of the “carried interest” tax hike bill. Now Maine Watchdog has picked up the issue with their own story. “Mike Burgmaier, a former Maine-based venture capitalist, said the potential changes could have “pretty significant and negative impacts [...]
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Bonanza – A Day In The Life Of Congressional Candidate Dean Scontras
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by Garrett Murch.
This past Tuesday I tagged along the campaign trail with Dean Scontras, candidate for Maine’s 1st Congressional District seat. What an eye-opening day. I believe we made a total of nine stops around town, none of them set up simply to be with fellow Republican enthusiasts. Although my conclusions may paint me naïve (as so [...]
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Big Labor Targets Snowe And Collins On So-Called “Jobs Bill”
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
AFSCME and Americans United for Change (you may know them as “Big Labor”) are aggressive backers of a bill pending in the Senate that purports to deal with jobs, but which conveniently also contains a large tax hike on those long-term enemies of the unions: investment funds. The bill has become contentious as a result [...]
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Oil Spill Used To Pressure Senators On Environment
Posted on 18. Jun, 2010 by Augusta Insider.
The advocacy group called VoteVets.org, mostly known for its opposition to the Iraq war, is delving into a new arena: the environment. The group was last involved in Maine politics during the 2008 cycle, when they aired an ad starring Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx (D-Brunswick) criticizing Senator Susan Collins for her support of the [...]
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Olympia Snowe Is Wealthiest Member Of Maine Delegation
Posted on 18. Jun, 2010 by Matthew Gagnon.
The Press Herald today reported on the new financial disclosure reports on the assets of members of Congress, noting the comparative wealth of Maine’s four person delegation: New financial disclosure reports show U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe continues to be the wealthiest member of Maine’s four-member congressional delegation. The Sun Journal of Lewiston says the annual [...]

