Homestead mailing list

[SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>]

Akka Homestead wrote:
> My state has 13 Reps, 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats.
> 11 voted NO, 2 voted YES.  Those two were Democrats.
>
> I agree that those who voted for the bill are going to be chastized come 
> re-election time.  IMO, it means either one of two things, either they are in 
> the pocket of Wall Street with a lot of their own money on the line, OR, they 
> are simply followers of Pelosi/Bush.  Either reason is damning, I think.  We 
> need leadership.  We need someone who is not afraid to go against the flow, 
> to be unpopular for the sake of the country.
>
> I wonder...
> could it be that the lines of the parties is so convoluted now that a Southern Republican might approach, in his thinking, a Northern Democrat, and visa versa?  I know Maine is full of self sufficient, hard working mountain types who stick to themselves.  Sorry for the stereotype. 
No need to be sorry on our account; it's largely true and there are few 
among us who count ourselves "politically correct".
> North Georgia is the same.  North Georgia is Republican.  Is Northern Maine Democratic?  
Traditionally diehard Republican, and that where the idiot Collins is 
from.  She took a beating in the local papers today; they mostly come 
out on Thursdays here---too bad, sister.  I don't know as many folks 
from 'the county' (that would be Aroostook County and the northern parts 
of Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties; if you check a map you'll see 
where they stick up; they comprise about half of physical Maine) and 
those I do know are of a religious persuasion that's completely 
apolitical, but am aware just from the news, etc, that they are 
completely disgusted with the Republican party up that way, as is the 
lower part of Maine.  Maine is almost like 2 states, and in fact folks 
from the county are apt to say about someone from, say Augusta (roughly 
central) is "from Maine" and to tell a newcomer that they themselves 
live in "the other Maine".....so quite a schism there, but in politics 
not so much.  I read in Bangor paper a couple of years ago that 10% of 
Democrats in the state and 50% of Republicans had change their party 
affiliation to Independent or Green, so that's a lot of discontent.  The 
Republican Party has been in hot water here since the Reagan era and the 
whole Bush thing has pushed it over the edge.

I think the general truth is that many folks here are disgusted with the 
whole lot of politicians, period.  There are precious few who are 
willing to stand up and do the right thing, regardless of whence they come.
> Could they economically be the same and only differ in social conservatism 
> vs. social liberalism?
>   
In our particular state, there's a wide--very wide--economic gap between 
those considering themselves conservative vs liberal, not much of a 
noticeable gap socially, but that's just Maine, which as we've already 
noted, is its own beastie.

Now I'm gonna get my knitting and watch The Chick and The Drone.

Susan Jane, soaked