NaBloPoMo Month - "I Lead..."
Entry #4 - 11/04/2013
The state slogan for Maine in Latin is Dirigo and when translated to English means, I Lead...and that slogan could take on a whole new meaning come November 2014, if Representative Mike Michaud has anything to say about it...considering he could be the first gay governor in the United States of America.
Aggregated data collected from Pew Research Center in March 2013 and May 2013 indicates that the General Public favor legalization of gay and lesbian marriage by 50%. Democrats show their favoritism of the hot button issue by 62% while Republicans continue to practice 2004 politics and only favor gays and lesbians marrying by 33%.
These numbers came into play today when Maine Democrat, Representative Mike Michaud a contender for his parties nomination for Governor declared today in a column that appeared in the Bangor Daily News and Portland Press Herald that he was in fact a gay man in Congress. And for those of you who are keeping count, that brings the total number of openly gay members of the United House to seven, and there are eight total openly gay legislators in Congress including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.
But what is so historic about Representative Michaud's announcement is not only the fact that he could become the first openly gay man elected to the post of Governor in the United States, but that he was so to the point about it and more importantly not wanting his truth to impact his state and the election that he has a vested interest in. In an effort to squash the "whisper campaigns" and "insinuations" from those opposed to his candidacy, he simply stated, "They want people to question whether I am gay. Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: 'Yes I am. But why should it matter?'"
In a society that worries far to much about who's zooming with who...will this coming out of the Michaud have an impact on the Gubernatorial election nearly a year away? If previous votes that pertain to gay marriage in Maine is any indication it appears no - in a recent poll conducted by Bangor Daily News disapproval of gay marriage in Maine is down 38%, while 62% of Maine residence say marriage equality has had "no impact" on their lives. What a novel concept..."NO IMPACT" it's funny how the idea of two men in a loving and committed relationship has had no impact on straight citizens of Maine, just as I am sure a man and a woman has had no impact on gay citizens of Maine - other than the idea of being denied civil liberties in other parts of the country...Oklahoma included.
Governor Mary Fallin announced her re-election campaign last month. She also ordered the National Guard to stop processing requests for military benefits for same-sex couples in September...and by doing so ignored a directive from the Pentagon. Governor Fallin based her reasoning on a 2004 law. It's no doubt that the Governor will campaign for re-election based on 2004 data regarding this issue. A decade later it's sad that one state could elect the first ever homosexual Governor, while another (hey Oklahoma!) is denying benefits to the National Guard! And let's hope that Governor Fallin doesn't preach to us about the sanctity of marriage...considering the fact she's DIVORCED!
Michaud put it best when speaking on if his sexual orientation would impact his nearly 30 years of public service or his job as Governor of Maine..."My personal life has never factored into how I do my job and it's not going to factor into how I do my job as governor. Let's move forward and talk about the issues that matter to Maine."
And talk about the issues that matter to all of us, not just in Maine but in the United States and in our own state. Who's zooming who should not longer be an issue. I'll continue to follow the Michaud election and hopefully a year from now write a post about his election night as the Governor! Can you imagine the Inaugural Balls and Galas!?!
Aggregated data collected from Pew Research Center in March 2013 and May 2013 indicates that the General Public favor legalization of gay and lesbian marriage by 50%. Democrats show their favoritism of the hot button issue by 62% while Republicans continue to practice 2004 politics and only favor gays and lesbians marrying by 33%.
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| U.S. Representative Mike Machuad |
These numbers came into play today when Maine Democrat, Representative Mike Michaud a contender for his parties nomination for Governor declared today in a column that appeared in the Bangor Daily News and Portland Press Herald that he was in fact a gay man in Congress. And for those of you who are keeping count, that brings the total number of openly gay members of the United House to seven, and there are eight total openly gay legislators in Congress including Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin.
But what is so historic about Representative Michaud's announcement is not only the fact that he could become the first openly gay man elected to the post of Governor in the United States, but that he was so to the point about it and more importantly not wanting his truth to impact his state and the election that he has a vested interest in. In an effort to squash the "whisper campaigns" and "insinuations" from those opposed to his candidacy, he simply stated, "They want people to question whether I am gay. Allow me to save them the trouble with a simple, honest answer: 'Yes I am. But why should it matter?'"
In a society that worries far to much about who's zooming with who...will this coming out of the Michaud have an impact on the Gubernatorial election nearly a year away? If previous votes that pertain to gay marriage in Maine is any indication it appears no - in a recent poll conducted by Bangor Daily News disapproval of gay marriage in Maine is down 38%, while 62% of Maine residence say marriage equality has had "no impact" on their lives. What a novel concept..."NO IMPACT" it's funny how the idea of two men in a loving and committed relationship has had no impact on straight citizens of Maine, just as I am sure a man and a woman has had no impact on gay citizens of Maine - other than the idea of being denied civil liberties in other parts of the country...Oklahoma included.
Governor Mary Fallin announced her re-election campaign last month. She also ordered the National Guard to stop processing requests for military benefits for same-sex couples in September...and by doing so ignored a directive from the Pentagon. Governor Fallin based her reasoning on a 2004 law. It's no doubt that the Governor will campaign for re-election based on 2004 data regarding this issue. A decade later it's sad that one state could elect the first ever homosexual Governor, while another (hey Oklahoma!) is denying benefits to the National Guard! And let's hope that Governor Fallin doesn't preach to us about the sanctity of marriage...considering the fact she's DIVORCED!
Michaud put it best when speaking on if his sexual orientation would impact his nearly 30 years of public service or his job as Governor of Maine..."My personal life has never factored into how I do my job and it's not going to factor into how I do my job as governor. Let's move forward and talk about the issues that matter to Maine."
And talk about the issues that matter to all of us, not just in Maine but in the United States and in our own state. Who's zooming who should not longer be an issue. I'll continue to follow the Michaud election and hopefully a year from now write a post about his election night as the Governor! Can you imagine the Inaugural Balls and Galas!?!
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