BY RAMONA DU HOUX

June 23, 2013

From the Washington Post to MSNBC LePage is a headliner because of his crass remarks which reflect badly on Maine. Businesses have shied away from investing in the state and people have reconsidered living here. But what’s worse is that behind the rhetoric and insults are polices that have hurt the state’s economy.

As a political analyst said, “he uses his outbursts to hide the realities of his poor economic choices and how his budgets hurt Maine people. While all other New England states have seen growth these past two years Maine’s economy hasn’t. His budget should have been voted on and rejected by the legislature from the start as even staunch Republicans would have never agreed to shift taxes on to towns by over $400 million for two years.”

Add that to choosing a commissioner for the Department of Environmental Protection that used to be a lobbyist for companies that abuse the environment. The Portland Press’s investigative report unveiled the apparent corruption in the DEP. Here’s Rachel Maddow’s summary about that scandal and LePage’s outbursts:

Here’s the Washington Posts article: Paul LePage’s eight greatest hits
By Sean Sullivan, Published: June 21, 2013 at 1:50

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) is a man who speaks his mind. He told reporters Thursday that Democratic state Sen. Troy Jackson “claims to be for the people, but he’s the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.”

Add that to a long list of things LePage — who is politically vulnerable and notably said Friday he is considering running for Congress — has said and raised eyebrows in the process. Below are the eight examples of why the words “LePage” and “controversy” have often appeared in the same sentence.

1. Telling President Obama to “go to hell.” During his 2010 campaign, LePage said that “as your governor, you’re gonna be seeing a lot of me on the front page saying ‘Gov. LePage tells Obama to go to hell.’”

2. “Kiss my butt.” In 2011, LePage’s decision not to attend Martin Luther King Day ceremonies in Portland and Bangor hosted by NAACP groups became a source of tension. In response to a reporter’s question about NAACP’s dissatisfaction over a perceived pattern of him declining invitations, LePage, who has an adopted son from Jamaica, said: “Tell them to kiss my butt.” LePage did attend a King Day breakfast in Waterville.

3. Comparing IRS to Gestapo. In 2012, LePage said, ”What I am trying to say is the Holocaust was a horrific crime against humanity and, frankly, I would never want to see that repeated. Maybe the IRS is not quite as bad — yet.”

4. Walks out of press conference. Questions from reporters about his wife’s residency prompted LePage to angrily storm out of a press conference in 2010.

5. “Women may have little beards.” LePage in 2011 dismissed concerns about the chemical BPA in plastic bottles, saying: “The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards.”

6. A fear of newspapers. LePage said in February that his “greatest fear in the state of Maine” is “newspapers.” He added: “If they were fair and balanced, I would be a supporter.”

7. “We might as well … get our guns out.” Earlier this year LePage said, “The minute we start stifling our speech, we might as well go home, roll up our sleeves and get our guns out.”

8. See ya later. Did we mention LePage has a knack for walking out when he isn’t pleased? He walked out of a state legislative committee meeting after not being allowed to speak earlier this year.