June 10, 2021
As we lobbied aggressively in support of LD 550 — the bill to banish political indoctrination from Maine’s K-12 government-run schools — we recalled Reagan’s admonition: “When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat!”
As you know, we have never shied away from confrontational politics, so we didn’t agonize over our decision to encourage Maine First patriots across the state to light up the phones in Augusta. Our call to action contained a biting critique of GOP legislators who attempted to gut and dismember the bill in committee.
We wanted to make it clear to the squishy Republicans that there would be a price to pay for scuttling the bill. Our objective was a clean up-or-down vote on the bill, without the distraction of any poison-pill floor amendments.
And that’s exactly what happened in both the House and the Senate! We now have a recorded vote that Maine First patriots can use a club against vulnerable incumbents in next year’s legislative elections.
In floor votes this week, all Republican legislators supported the bill in its original form — even the GOP members of the Education committee who voted to gut the bill just a couple of weeks ago.
They felt the heat of potential primary challenges, and that helped them see the light.
We can now focus our attention and our resources on targeting the weakest Democrat incumbents, rather than fielding primary candidates to challenge wobbly Republicans. And I can assure you that we will not assist or endorse any GOP general election candidates unless they pledge to make the LD 550 vote a major issue in their campaigns.
The House vote was on Monday, followed the next day by a vote in the Senate. I want to tell you briefly about a couple of the ignorant, dishonest floor speeches by our state Senators.
Sen. David Woodsome, R- North Waterboro, is a retired public-school teacher. He was one of the Gang of Five (all Republicans) who torpedoed LD 550 in committee back on May 12th.
In a rambling, self-centered speech, Woodsome admitted that when he was teaching a high-school class on controversial issues in the 70s, he “took sides.”
He also violated Senate rules by referring to the committee amendment (the so-called “minority report”) which was not before the body.
Woodsome said he had “concerns” about the bill, but that Sen. Rafferty (the Democrat chair of the Education committee) assured him that his concerns “are already being taken care of.” Woodsome concluded by stating he would be voting against the bill
Then Rafferty rose to lavish praise on Woodsome, calling him “the perfect teacher.”
After another Democrat senator bloviated for several minutes about her experience as a teacher, Woodsome rose a second time (at the 11:46:56 mark on the video) to complain about the bill. He said that he “didn’t like the title [of the bill]. You don’t prohibit discussion.”
Of course, there is nothing in the bill or the title about prohibiting discussion. Woodsome’s dishonesty about the bill speaks volumes about his character.
He then began to discuss (again) the minority report which was not up for debate or a vote. Senate President Jackson allowed Woodsome to read the summary of the amendment into the record.
After Woodsome finished and sat down, Jackson reminded members that “it’s really not appropriate to discuss the minority report.” But that’s exactly what he allowed Woodsome to do, not just once, but a second time.
Not a single Republican Senator rose to object to this blatant disregard for the rules. Were Senators Timberlake and Pouliot (our GOP leaders) napping?
Jackson’s rambling, nearly incoherent remarks (at the 11:48:45 mark) were punctuated by his nervous, buffoonish laughter. It reminded me of Kamala Harris.
And Woodsome? After his emphatic opening statement and his promise to vote against the bill, he voted for it!
If you have 14 minutes to spare, watching the Senate video will give you some sense of what a clown show the state Senate is. And how much work lies ahead for Maine First patriots who want to run the clowns out of town.
If you’re able, consider making a gift to support our work at Maine First Project. Whether it’s $10, $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can afford, your generous contribution will enable our team to continue shining a light into the darkest corners of the swamp at the Statehouse.
Best Regards,
Hon. Lawrence Lockman, R-Bradley
Maine House of Represnratives, 2012-2020
Co-founder & President
Maine First Project