Keeping Maine blue!
The next meeting of the CCDC will be held on February 27. We’ll be holding the meeting from 4-6 PM, with a social hour followed by a meeting hour. Location and agenda will be posted shortly.
We think the earlier will better accommodate people’s schedules. We’re also considering a weeknight meeting at some point; let us know if you think that’s a good or poor idea.
If you’re anticipating a state income tax return this year, please consider checking the box to make a $10, $5 or $1 contribution to the Maine Democratic Party when you file your return.
This voluntary program is a simple way to give (the donation you choose is automatically deducted from your return) but helps us in a big way. Each year, these small gifts from many, many Mainers amount to thousands of dollars in support for the Maine Democratic Party.
Here’s how to support the Maine Democratic Party when you file your Maine State Income Taxes:
Look for Schedule CP in your income tax book. It’s titled “Voluntary Contributions & Purchase of Park Passes.”
The Democratic Party is listed on Line 1 of Schedule CP.
Check the box of the amount you’d like to contribute – $1, $5, $10 or Other – you can write in any amount you wish!
It’s really just that simple.
We’ll use these funds this year to help support Democrats at the state and local level who are committed to keeping tax bills fair for all working families. We’ve got a lot of work to do this year and we can’t do it without your help. Please consider making a small contribution to the Maine Democratic Party when you file your Maine State Income Taxes this year.
We also encourage you to support the Maine Clean Elections fund this year – a crucial tool for most Democrats campaigning in Maine. Checking the box on Line 1 of your regular income tax form will designate $3 to this fund and does not decrease your tax return or increase your tax payment. Help show that Mainers support clean and fair elections.
As always, thank you so much for your support.
Best Wishes,
Ben Grant, Chair
Maine Democratic Party
Congratulations to the Maine Democratic Party officers!
Chair: Ben Grant, Portland
Vice Chair: Janet Mills, Farmington
Secretary: Susan Cook, Bath (re-elected)
Treasurer: Betty Johnson, Lincolnville
Assistant Treasurer: Roy G. Gedat, Norway
Congratulations also to Pam Fenrich, Cumberland County Vice Chair, who was elected to the state Executive Committee!
Maine Can Do Better Rally to Save Health Care
Support the Affordable Care Act
Wednesday, January 19th, at 11:30am
On Monday, Maine Can Do Better postponed its Affordable Care Act rally in the wake of the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and the tragic loss of life in Tucson. The rally has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 19th, at 11:30am outside the State House.
Now, more than ever, we need to show Governor Lepage, Attorney General Schneider, the Maine Legislature, and Congress that Maine people want and support the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Will you join us at the rally?
Thanks to the ACA, children can no longer be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, insurance companies can no longer yank someone’s coverage when they get sick, young people can stay on their parent’s plans until they’re 26, everyone is eligible for free preventable care coverage and seniors pay less for prescription drugs.
Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act is under attack. Maine Governor Paul LePage and Maine Attorney General William Schneider plan to have the State of Maine join a politically motivated lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. House of Representatives is holding a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and a bill has been submitted to the Maine Legislature that would make it illegal to enforce the Affordable Care Act. If successful, these partisan steps to undermine this landmark health care reform puts the health care of thousands of Mainers in jeopardy.
We can’t let this happen.
Please join Maine Can Do Better for a Rally to Save Health Care on Wednesday, January 19th at 11:30am.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 19th at 11:30am
WHERE: Outside the State House in-between the State House and the Cross State Office Building in Augusta, Maine
WHO: Maine Can Do Better, concerned citizens, and you!
If you plan to attend the event, please email me at lizzy@engagemaine.org.
See you Wednesday!
Lizzy R. Reinholt
Communications Coodinator, Maine Can Do Better
The news wasn’t all good Tuesday night, but one of the brightest spots was the re-election of our favorite Congresswoman, Chellie Pingree. Steve Bloom was at the victory party at the Porthole, shooting photos of her supporters:
Watching the early returns
The littlest Chellie supporter?
Chellie appears before an enthusiastic crowd
The Cumberland County Democrats had a lively and positive presence at the Cumberland County Fair for 2010. Volunteers set up the booth and staffed it throughout the week of the fair. Michael Shaughnessy, who coordinated the volunteers, also contributed an eye-catching “hay ball” sculpture. (Photos by Stephen Bloom)
Future Democratic leader?
Democratic women!
Anyone reading this morning’s Portland Press Herald this morning woke up to something far more frightening than any Stephen King novel or Friday the 13th movie: a poll showing Paul LePage 14 points ahead in the gubernatorial race. The thought of a LePage administration should be terrifying to us all. Among the positions he has taken are approving the teaching of creationism in the schools, supporting off-shore drilling off the coast of Maine (despite the fact that there’s no oil there…) and engaging in an aggressive dismantling of environmental regulations. He’s adopted a strategy of trying to talk to the press as little as possible, so that his more ridiculous comments, like saying that DEP is requiring bison counts (completely untrue) go unnoticed by anyone but NPR.
The root of LePage’s support lies in falling support for the Democratic party, rising support for the Republican party, the “enthusiasm gap” between Democrats and Republicans, the general public’s lack of awareness of just how radical LePage actually is and the desire of some media (particularly the Press Herald) to portray Libby Mitchell as some kind of flaming left-wing radical. The enthusiasm gap should be a particular concern for us all. No one would argue that the last two years have gone as we would have wanted, given the disastrous recession, economic crisis and budget deficits that President Obama inherited. There are things that we would all like to see different, things we wish he had done. But there are also achievements we can be proud of, including passage of health care and financial reform. Yes, they are not everything that we wanted. But enactment of these reforms is a first critical step in creating a society reflective of Democratic values.
However we wish things had gone nationwide and in Maine, sitting home in November isn’t the answer. If we don’t spread the word of the disaster that awaits with a LePage administration (or, for that matter, a Republican Congress…) and don’t work to get everyone we know to vote, we will only have ourselves to blame for the disaster that will follow. We all have a role to play in creating the future we want for our state and nation. We have a great candidate in Libby Mitchell and we need to do everything we can to spread the word…phone calls, letters to the editor, volunteering…we can’t just wait for her campaign to go on the air with commercials and assume that will be sufficient. We need to be educating everyone we know about the stakes in this election and the role that we all have in defining our future.
This poll should serve as a wake-up call to us all, one that motivates us to do what it takes to elect Libby. This Sunday evening, we will have staff of the Maine Democratic party (www.mainedems.org) present at our meeting to discuss how we can support efforts to elect Democrats at all levels in November.  In the words of John Kennedy, “if now us, who? If not now, when?”
Reid Scher, Chair
The next meeting of the Cumberland County Democratic Committee will be held on September 12, from 6-8. We’re going to be meeting at an exciting location…A CCDC committee member from Cape Elizabeth, has opened a restaurant in Cape Elizabeth, the Local Buzz (www.capelocalbuzz.com). Â We will have a social hour from 6-7 (food and drink will be available for purchase…) and the meeting from 7-8. We’ll provide more information as the date draws near. Please join us!!!
Steve Bloom of the Cumberland County Democratic Committee has pulled together a list of candidates and contact information for the Nov. 2 election. Find your candidate and be sure to vote, either early via absentee ballot or on Election Day!