On Ultimatums

Robert F. Bukaty | APReading Governor Paul LePage’s weekend radio address today, I am once again struck by the sheer, audacious hypocrisy of his argument against considering the hospital payments and the federal health care money at the same time.

This is the guy who first linked the hospital debt agreement to the liquor contract, then linked it to the voter-authorized bonds, refusing to sign them until it was passed, and then linked it to everything, threatening to veto every other bill on every other issue if things weren’t done exactly to his specifications and timetable.

Suddenly, when Democrats included his repayment plan with another (much more intrinsically relevant) policy, it’s an unfair “ultimatum.”

Even in his address today, in the exact same moment that he’s castigating democrats for bringing two issues together, he again reminds us that he’s holding hostages: “Once the hospitals are paid, I’ve promised to issue voter-authorized bonds that will grow our economy, including the 2014 transportation infrastructure improvements and $53.5 million for conservation, clean water upgrades, and construction and energy-efficiency projects at post-secondary educational institutions.”

Mike Tipping

About Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.