# Gov. Lepage goes even farther off the rails **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 26, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012 "2016-08-26T14:16:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/1 "2016-08-26T14:16:13Z")
> **[‘Prove I’m a racist’: LePage challenges Westbrook lawmaker in obscenity-laced...](https://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/26/prove-im-a-racist-lepage-challenges-westbrook-legislator-in-obscenity-laced-voice-mail/)** > > The governor later says he wishes he and Rep. Drew Gattine could have a duel and 'I would point (my gun) right between his eyes.' All of the related headlines linked from that page happened in the past couple days. This is a new low, even for him. This racist fool is an embarrasment to our state. He has joined Trump in attacking the Khan family. He has also, yet again, threatened the life of a state legislator. I would like to see him face charges for this. Making death threats is a serious crime. It is also very fitting that his daughter now works for the Trump campaign. ---
**Author:** ![aliensshow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@aliensshow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aliensshow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/2 "2016-08-26T14:53:08Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > [‘Prove I’m a racist’: LePage challenges Westbrook lawmaker in obscenity-laced voice mail](http://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/26/prove-im-a-racist-lepage-challenges-westbrook-legislator-in-obscenity-laced-voice-mail/) > All of the related headlines linked from that page happened in the past couple days. > This is a new low, even for him. This racist fool is an embarrasment to our state. He has joined Trump in attacking the Khan family. He has also, yet again, threatened the life of a state legislator. I would like to see him face charges for this. Making death threats is a serious crime. > It is also very fitting that his daughter now works for the Trump campaign. He still hasn’t capitulated to the people who hate him, huh? How unfortunate for you. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/3 "2016-08-26T14:58:57Z")
Idiotic lunatic? Sure. Charging him for a death threat? I don’t know, maybe Maine has some screwy laws. Here it has to be a credible threat. Wishing that 19th century dueling was still a thing is not a credible threat. Wishing someone was dead might be against the rules here but it isn’t against the law. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/4 "2016-08-26T15:05:01Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > [‘Prove I’m a racist’: LePage challenges Westbrook lawmaker in obscenity-laced voice mail](http://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/26/prove-im-a-racist-lepage-challenges-westbrook-legislator-in-obscenity-laced-voice-mail/) > He has also, yet again, threatened the life of a state legislator. I would like to see him face charges for this. Making death threats is a serious crime. I don’t claim to be an expert in the legal nuances, but, it’s not a death threat, exactly. Specifically, Hizzoner stated that he wished it was 1825, and that he could challenge the legislator in question to a duel. Which he still is free to do, I guess, so it’s all a bit passive-aggressive. ETA, what **Loach** said. EATA, never whatever silly drivel **aliensshow** says. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/5 "2016-08-26T16:05:42Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > EATA, never whatever silly drivel **aliensshow** says. So you’re saying he should capitulate to those who hate him? I agree with this attitude. And unless Hillary capitulates to those that hate her and send herself to prison then I am not going to vote for her. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/6 "2016-08-26T16:19:00Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > [‘Prove I’m a racist’: LePage challenges Westbrook lawmaker in obscenity-laced voice mail](http://www.pressherald.com/2016/08/26/prove-im-a-racist-lepage-challenges-westbrook-legislator-in-obscenity-laced-voice-mail/) > All of the related headlines linked from that page happened in the past couple days. > This is a new low, even for him. This racist fool is an embarrasment to our state. He has joined Trump in attacking the Khan family. He has also, yet again, threatened the life of a state legislator. I would like to see him face charges for this. Making death threats is a serious crime. > It is also very fitting that his daughter now works for the Trump campaign. You don’t really understand what “death threats,” are in the context of criminal law, but you are happy to suggest that the criminal law be used anyway. Is that a fair statement of your position? ---
**Author:** ![aliensshow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@aliensshow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aliensshow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/7 "2016-08-26T16:42:46Z")
This can be tough for idiot liberals to understand. Normally all they have to do is call a conservative a “racist” and that conservative will bow, scrape, and kiss their pinkie rings. That it’s not happening with LePage has to be baffling and infuriating in equal measure. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/8 "2016-08-26T16:43:12Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So you’re saying he should capitulate to those who hate him? I agree with this attitude. And unless Hillary capitulates to those that hate her and send herself to prison then I am not going to vote for her. Maybe you could consider expanding on your usual snarky, one-line drive-by, and explain what you think ‘capitulation’ means in this context. I’m pretty sure what it doesn’t mean for most people is, ‘fail to leave a profanity-laced phone call wishing for the good old days of pistol duels at dawn’. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/9 "2016-08-26T16:45:22Z")
> [@aliensshow](#): > > This can be tough for idiot liberals to understand. Normally all they have to do is call a conservative a “racist” and that conservative will bow, scrape, and kiss their pinkie rings. That it’s not happening with LePage has to be baffling and infuriating in equal measure. No, Republicans don’t do that any more. Most of them, that is. Led by Their Candidate, they bow & scrape to the KKK & similar folks. They’re finally admitting that’s The Republican Base. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/10 "2016-08-26T16:53:23Z")
> [@aliensshow](#): > > This can be tough for idiot liberals to understand. Normally all they have to do is call a conservative a “racist” and that conservative will bow, scrape, and kiss their pinkie rings. That it’s not happening with LePage has to be baffling and infuriating in equal measure. Did Rep. Gattine (the person with whom Gov. LePage left the non-capitulating voice mail in question) actually call the Governor a racist? Cite, please. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/11 "2016-08-26T17:00:46Z")
> [@aliensshow](#): > > This can be tough for idiot liberals to understand. Normally all they have to do is call a conservative a “racist” and that conservative will bow, scrape, and kiss their pinkie rings. That it’s not happening with LePage has to be baffling and infuriating in equal measure. You forget… this guy is the governor of _Maine_, a state so singularly unimpressive that, other than Stephen King, I’m hard-pressed to say what historical or cultural events occurred there over the past 200 or so years, other than a ship named after the state blowing up in Havana harbor. And that wasn’t even _in_ Maine. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/12 "2016-08-26T17:05:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You forget… this guy is the governor of _Maine_, a state so singularly unimpressive that, other than Stephen King, I’m hard-pressed to say what historical or cultural events occurred there over the past 200 or so years, other than a ship named after the state blowing up in Havana harbor. And that wasn’t even _in_ Maine. The first [satellite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar) to send video had it’s ground station in Maine. [Seth Wescott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Wescott) won the first ever olympic gold in Snowboard Cross. Maine is also the home of actress [Anna Kendrick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kendrick) WW2 saw naval battles in Maine waters. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/13 "2016-08-26T17:09:22Z")
… Like I said. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/14 "2016-08-26T17:12:12Z")
> [@aliensshow](#): > > This can be tough for idiot liberals to understand. Normally all they have to do is call a conservative a “racist” and that conservative will bow, scrape, and kiss their pinkie rings. That it’s not happening with LePage has to be baffling and infuriating in equal measure. Most decent people would be ashamed to be called a racist. ---
**Author:** ![aliensshow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@aliensshow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aliensshow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/15 "2016-08-26T17:16:45Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > No, Republicans don’t do that any more. Most of them, that is. Led by Their Candidate, they bow & scrape to the KKK & similar folks. They’re finally admitting that’s The Republican Base. You might want to remind the KKK that they’re Trump-supporters. > **[VIDEO=\> KKK Grand Dragon Endorses Hillary Clinton | The Gateway Pundit |...](https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/08/video-kkk-grand-dragon-endorses-hillary-clinton/)** > > For some reason this didn’t make it into her racism speech yesterday in Reno. ---
**Author:** ![aliensshow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@aliensshow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aliensshow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/16 "2016-08-26T17:19:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Most decent people would be ashamed to be called a racist. Only if those calling them racist have any credibility whatsoever. HTH ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/17 "2016-08-26T17:22:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > You don’t really understand what “death threats,” are in the context of criminal law, but you are happy to suggest that the criminal law be used anyway. > > Is that a fair statement of your position? Lepage went on record saying that he wished it was possible for him to shoot and kill Gattine. Now obviously that isn’t possible. It would be illegal for Lepage to shoot Gattine. But does the fact that killing somebody is illegal render a death threat invalid? Doesn’t every death threat, by its nature, contain the threat of an illegal act? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/18 "2016-08-26T17:23:19Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You forget… this guy is the governor of _Maine_, a state so singularly unimpressive that, other than Stephen King, I’m hard-pressed to say what historical or cultural events occurred there over the past 200 or so years, other than a ship named after the state blowing up in Havana harbor. And that wasn’t even _in_ Maine. It’s the US state closest to Africa. No wonder LePage is afraid of Smoove B invading. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/19 "2016-08-26T17:25:53Z")
Oh, it’s most prominent politician was named… [Blaine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._Blaine). “Blaine from Maine” must of been a helluva slogan! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012/20 "2016-08-26T17:40:47Z")
> [@aliensshow](#): > > Only if those calling them racist have any credibility whatsoever. HTH Here are some public statements made by Governor LePage: “Let me tell you something: Black people come up the highway and they kill Mainers. You ought to look into that!” “You know and I know and everybody in the state knows that the overwhelming majority of the people that have been arrested this year, coming out of Connecticut and New York, have been black and Hispanic, it’s not a matter of race, it’s a matter of fact. Are there some white ones? Yes, there are some white people.” “These are guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty – these types of guys – they come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home. Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road.” “If I am a racist for trying to get black people and Hispanic people and white people and Asian people who come up with heroin that will kill Mainers, then I plead guilty. I do plead guilty.” It’s not just talk either. The Governor says ninety percent of the people being arrested for drug crimes in Maine are black or Hispanic. Demographically, Maine is 95% non-Hispanic white. On a nation-wide, whites commit more drug crimes than blacks or Hispanics. This is not surprising - this country has a much larger white population than its black or Hispanic population. This effect should be even more pronounced in Maine due to its demographics. So it’s virtually certain the overwhelming majority of people who are committing drug crimes in Maine are white. But ninety percent of the people being arrested for drug crimes are black or Hispanic. The conclusion must be that Maine law enforcement is targeting black and Hispanics for arrest while ignoring white people committing the same crimes. And that’s racist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-lepage-goes-even-farther-off-the-rails/764012.md?page=2)