It was cold on Friday.  Before my core started to shiver violently I was forced to the heat of my car.  Paulie and I were petitioning at the West Gate of Bath Iron Works.  We found more registered Republicans than I anticipated among the heavily-Union-influenced workforce.

One young man insisted on meeting me.  I told him I’m running as a Christian man.  He told me he’s a “heathen.”  He really liked my narrative, even … or maybe especially … because I said I was a Christian.  He just took it on board along with his deep distrust of government in general.  He appeared to me to be primarily interested in working politically to maintain his personal liberty.  I can work with that.

I can’t, and won’t, work with the following.

Another man I’ve never met who has great power in Maine politics is proudly Christian.  I cannot say who he is because he’s accomplished goal number one in the insider cabal’s “ethics” of power management.  It’s very simple.  Once in power every person is bound by an unspoken confidentiality.  Nothing real gets done in the open.  Rules, hearings, media reporting etc.  All of it is theatre.

It is all designed to drain away the good will of earnest newbies/volunteers.  It’s like Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment for Republicans — Never say anything in public that is critical of another Republican.  This “ethic” is what has gotten us to the point where “good Christians” won’t enforce simple principles articulated in the Republican platform.  Marriage is between a man and a woman.  Yet, Maine’s female Republican National Committee liaison is openly married to a woman.

Another example.  One of the most powerful Republicans in Maine is the leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine.  I used to lead that group.  My temptation was always to become more Republican than Christian.  I fought it every day of my twenty years there.  The new guy hasn’t.  Instead, when I showed up a year ago in Republican circles talking truth he showed up the following month to shoot down the truth about sex outside of marriage.  You’d think if there were one institution in Maine that would ferociously defend basic Christian definitions of marriage, family and sexuality it would be the CHRISTIAN Civic League.  But no.  He is more Republican than Christian.

Nobody does anything about all of this because, “That would be mean.”

Wrong.

To do something about all of this would be principled.  It takes courage.

Nobody in politics has any.  They are all out to protect their own self interest — their paychecks and careers.

As Governor I will stop this.