In his veto message, LePage claimed that improving the quality of teachers required “a larger more coordinated statewide solution,” before lashing out at the teacher’s union, which would partially fund the certification program. The governor said the union requires teachers to pay dues “which are squandered on a host of activities not even remotely related to professional development” and singled out its position on marriage equality:

“The MEA announced its endorsement recently of the same-sex marriage proposal on the November ballot,” LePage said in a press release Tuesday. “This announcement is an example of what the union is choosing to focus on rather than expanding and enhancing opportunities for teacher development.”

LePage had lashed out at the teacher’s union after members unanimously voted in favor of marriage equality on Sunday. “Too often, however, union bosses worry about a wide variety of efforts — political campaigns, lobbying, protecting bad teachers, insurances sales, and providing golf and skiing discounts — which are not related to furthering the education of our children,” he claimed, dismissing science which has shown that legal and social inequalities undermine LGBT families and their children. Research has also shown that schools that discuss gay and lesbian people are safer for LGBT youth than schools that don’t.

Unfortunately, the governor has a long history of opposing equal rights. In 2010, he claimed that “there is no place for transgendered students in the state’s primary schools” and that the Maine Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, needed to be reformed.

Gov. Paul LePage (R-ME)

But even given his history of obnoxious bluster and stupid comments, a line from his Sunday speech to the Maine Republican State Convention revealed just how callous and clueless he is about the problems facing his constituents.

A Dirigo Blue video of LePage’s speech includes a section in whcih he talks about the need for welfare reform. He told the assembled convention delegates:

LePAGE: There is such thing as a free lunch, but you’re picking up the tab. Maine’s welfare program is cannibalizing the rest of state government. I am compassionate and committed to our children, our elderly, and our disabled. But to all you able-bodied people out there, get off the couch and get yourself a job.

Watch the video:

If LePage had done his research, he would know that even with the job growth the nation has seen in recent months, there are still 3.4 job seekers for every one job opening. And this has been made worse by public sector job cuts — LePage’s Maine reduced its public sector workforce by five percent over the past year, the second largest reduction in the country.

Later in the speech, LePage promised he and his allies in the legislature would tackle the issue, boasting “Republicans are not the party of kicking the can down the road.” Apparently, they prefer kicking the unemployed and insulting them in the process.

(Click on the image to read the pledge in its entirety.)

This November, Maine residents will have the first-ever opportunity to vote for marriage equality at the ballot, and though polling is strong and steady for the measure, opponents are just beginning to ramp up their own efforts. Anti-gay conservatives Paul Madore and Mike Heath — activists whose heated rhetoric has been squelched in past campaigns — have launched the “No Special Rights PAC” to oppose the referendum. Today, they took their first action, interrupting the beginning of Pride Week at the University of Maine to distribute a “truth pledge,” which refers to the ballot initiative as promoting “Sodomy Based Marriage.” Individuals who take the pledge are encouraged to refer to the freedom to marry as a “special right,” a “hellish” and “evil” doctrine, and an “attack by demonic forces.” Here are some excerpts:

I pledge that I will:

1. Go to the polls and vote NO on Sodomy Based Marriage in November.

3. Use the term “Sodomy Based Marriage” and avoid the deceptive terms “same sex or gay  marriage.”

4. Inform my friends and neighbors that the term “same sex marriage” contains two contradictory terms, and is therefore, illogical, false, and absurd.

5. Marriage is a Covenant that is entered into between two people and is based on a  difference in gender; and there can be no moral or legal right to a practice which defies logic, common sense, and the Natural Law itself.

9. Reaffirm the Christian Church’s teaching that a child must never be denied the right to have both a mother and a father. Oppose the hellish doctrine that parents of the same sex make better parents than parents of the opposite sex, an evil doctrine which is now being advanced by the homosexual rights movement.

11. Pray that God will deliver our State and Country from this attack by demonic force, and that marriage between man and woman will be restored to its rightful place of honor, to the glory of Almighty God.

The pledge also refers to marriage equality as “an attack on the religious freedom of all Christian men and women” that oppresses, silences, and persecutes “those who hold religious or moral objections to homosexuality” and seeks to introduce “homosexual indoctrination into the curricula of our schools.” Madore also told reporters that homosexuality represents a “culture of death.”

Madore and Heath’s rhetoric is unabashedly anti-gay, but it’s important to note that all of the rhetoric fits the models offered by groups that use tamer language, like the National Organization for Marriage and Catholic Church. By framing the effort around so-called “religious freedom” and protecting children, No Special Rights PAC is fighting with fear and trying to erase same-sex families and the many faith communities that support them.

NRSC's "The Angus King Backroom Deal?" ad

In a new ad, the campaign arm of Republican Senators accuses Democrats of secretly conspiring with King’s campaign. The NRSC’s evidence? The NRSC. The key piece of data used in the ad to support the claim is a quote from the NRSC’s executive director in Politico. The only other “evidence” is that a Democratic senator “declined to comment.” Watch the spot:

King, who endorsed Republican George W. Bush in 2000, but Democrats John Kerry 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, has said he will not decide which party to caucus with until after the November election — a fact noted in the same Politco story the NRSC cites.

It is an interesting strategy by the NRSC — propose a theory with no evidence, get the press to report on the theory and include a quote, then cut an ad about the theory quoting yourself.

All of us are sensitive to what are clearly discriminatory acts or speech, or even appearances of being unfair or unkind. Today, the cause for the legal recognition of various human relationships is often equated with non-discrimination, fairness, equality, and civil rights. But when we say that these relationships cannot be called marriage by legal definition, we are not discriminating, but rather, we are marking the obvious and essential difference between marriage and every other form of relationship.

Considering his letter is part of a whole new “Beauty of Marriage” campaign, it’s unlikely that these teachings will be limited to Sunday school classes. After all, during the 2009 ballot initiative to overturn marriage equality, Question One, Maine’s Catholic churches took extra basket collections to support the campaign, contributing well over $550,000. In fact, the leadership of Maine’s Catholic diocese was at the forefront of that fight, with its public affairs director, Marc Mutty, leading the “Yes on 1″ campaign. In the fly-on-the-wall documentary Question One, Mutty described how he regrets his role in the “awful” campaign, and admitted that the campaign used inaccurate statements to scare voters. Watch the clips:

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a constitutional challenge to a Maine law that requires those seeking to raise and spend money in state election campaigns to organize as a political action committee for that activity, and make significant disclosures about their financial operations.   That was challenged in a petition, National Organization for Marriage v. McKee (11-599), after the state law was upheld by the First Circuit Court.

Though this may be perceived as a non-event, it represents a huge defeat for the anti-gay organization’s secrecy and as well as its self-victimizing claims that supporters of “traditional marriage” are persecuted for their beliefs. NOM was one of the top fundraisers supporting Maine’s Question 1 in 2009, a people’s veto of marriage equality legislation that ended up passing. For three years, NOM has used this lawsuit to keep the sources of its funding hidden, but now the organization has no other avenues to appeal, having lost every step of the way.

Though their identities remain unknown, NOM has a select group of donors that fund most of its operations. In the meantime, it purports to have a broad base of “members,” even though it doesn’t collect any money from membership dues. It is particularly fortuitous that NOM faces this loss in addition to its similar setback in Washington state, as both states are planning for referenda to approve marriage equality this year. Unfortunately for Brian Brown, John Eastman, Maggie Gallagher, and the rest of the NOM crew, free speech does not come without the cost of accountability, and the world might soon see just how NOM has paid for its.

Though Maine Republicans were considering voter ID legislation at the beginning of the year, Democrats vociferously objected because the bill could prevent thousands of Mainers from voting, particularly elderly individuals. On Friday, Republicans acceded to those objections, striking the voter ID language from an election law bill. This is the second time voter ID has failed to pass the GOP-controlled Maine legislature. Last year, a voter ID bill failed in the Senate after first being passed by the House.

In 2011, half a dozen states passed similar voter ID measures, from Texas to Wisconsin to South Carolina. As a result, millions of poor, rural or minority voters could be barred from voting in the 2012 election, a level of disenfranchisement not seen since the Jim Crow era.

Maine Republicans were chastened during the 2011 session after they passed a bill to eliminate the state’s 38 year-old law allowing for Election Day registration, only to see their move overturned by a citizens veto in November. More than 60 percent of Mainers rebuked the legislature and voted to restore Election Day registration.

State Rep. Diane Russell (D) pointed to this episode to explain why Republicans opted against pursuing voter ID again this year. “Last November, 60% of Maine voters overwhelmingly rejected the Republican election suppression agenda,” Russell, who sits on the committee that removed the voter ID language, told ThinkProgress. “It is a real testament to Maine voters that Republicans decided against pursuing another failed election suppression policy by killing voter ID.”

Former state Sen. David Trahan (R), who served until December 2011, agreed with this take. “I do think that the referendum question–Question 1–changed that dynamic,” Trahan told the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. “And I think you’re going to see some gun-shy folks revisiting something to do with voting.”

Friday’s move likely puts voter ID to rest in Maine for 2012.

Pingree’s husband, hedge fund manager S. Donald Sussman, has been a significant contributor to Equality Maine. Activists there announced last week that they had collected sufficient signatures to place marriage equality on the ballot this fall.

Courage offers hope and encouragement to men and women who desire to live in accordance with the church’s teaching on homosexuality — specifically that the dignity and identity of every person is not determined by their sexual attractions, but by their relationship with the Lord and their striving to live the virtues of faith, hope and charity.

It’s fairly obvious that Bernard is implying that non-heterosexual identities are not worthy of dignity. Given one of the goals of Courage speaks to “the problems of homosexuality,” the ministry’s motives are clearly to impose guilt and shame as it discourages gay people from ever experiencing love. Combined with the large sums of money the Church commits to fighting marriage equality and defending “religious liberty,” condemning the gay community seems to have become one of its highest priorities.

Some of the signatures collected

The group also released a new poll, which found that “a majority (54 percent) favor allowing same-sex couples to legally marry in Maine” and echoes the growing support for equality nationwide:

“Marriage is going to be decided at the ballot box,” Betsy Smith, Executive Director of Equality Maine, said on a call with bloggers. “We feel very comfortable about winning, it’s the reason we made a decision to go.” Smith said the campaign has invested in a “paid persuasion canvas program,” knocked on 110,000 doors and engaged in 40,000 conversations with Mainers and persuaded 22 percent of opponents to be more supportive of marriage. Advocates also stressed that same-sex marriage has already been approved by the legislative process and signed into law by the governor, describing the campaign as an effort to bring that law back. The wording of the initiative has not yet been finalized, but the measure will be titled, ‘An Act to Allow Marriage Licenses For Same-Sex Couples and Protect Religious Freedoms.’

Smith added that there is a small chance that opponents will try to dilute the marriage equality question by proposing a competing measure to legalize civil unions or domestic partnerships. “It is highly unlikely that will happen,” she said, explaining that “it is a complicated process and high hurdle to jump…it would also be very difficult for them to find support for a competing measure…[and] it’s very difficult for them to find a majority of support to pass civil unions.”

In 2009, the referendum to overturn marriage equality passed by a vote of 53 percent to 47 percent.

Tens of thousands of Mainers responded by petitioning for the matter come to a referendum. Issue 1 was one of the most-anticipated votes on election day this year, with pundits watching closely to see how citizens would react to the Republican-led war on voting, which ramped up in states across the country this year.

Recognizing the referendum’s importance, voting rights opponents poured money into the campaign to repeal election day registration. In fact, just two days after the state’s campaign finance reporting deadline, a secret conservative donor funneled $250,000 into the race, allowing the No On 1 campaign to make significant TV ad buys in an inexpensive media market.

Per state law, however, the identity of donors must be revealed within 45 days after the election. In fact, the entire $250,000 worth of late money came from a single source: the American Justice Partnership.

The AJP is a conservative legal organization based not in Maine, but in Michigan. On their website, the group states they are fighting against “the scheming George Soros money machine” which is “trying to sabotage your right to vote,” a claim apparently made without a hint of irony. Though the AJP doesn’t disclose where its funding comes from, the Bangor Daily News notes that it has partnered with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the past, a group that has been instrumental in the proliferation of voter ID laws across the country.

The AJP’s secret $250,000 contribution ultimately accounted for over 78 percent of all the money raised by the No On 1 campaign. In other words, over three-quarters of the funding for opponents of election day registration in Maine came from Michigan. (This money was then used to run ads decrying “outsiders from other states” who were influencing the Maine election.) With Mainers of all stripes explaining to ThinkProgress why they cherish having the option to register at the polls on election day, it’s not altogether surprising that the predominance of financial support for No On 1 came from out of state.

Though AJP’s website correctly warns that “Your right to vote is at stake”, it’s groups like AJB and ALEC that are threatening that right in the first place. Maine voters stood up to the influence of voting rights opponents in November, however, passing Issue 1 by an overwhelming 61-39 margin and restoring election day registration in the Pine Tree State.

In 1996, Maine voters passed the Clean Elections Act, making it the first state in the country to have public financing for state elections. Since that time, state legislative and gubernatorial candidates have used public financing, as the Maine Public Broadcasting Network writes , to “discourage the use of special interest money out of state and, allow candidates to spend more time running for office instead of fundraising.” The system has been so successful that in 2010, “more than 80 percent of legislators used Clean Election money,” according to the Bangor Daily News.

Here’s how it works. Once candidates collect a certain number of $5 qualifying checks, they receive a set amount of funds – just under $5,500 for contested state representative races – to run their campaign. If their opponent or an outside group spends additional money, the “clean elections candidate” receives matching funds as well.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar matching funds provision in Arizona. As a result, Maine legislators agreed to revisit their state’s law and bring it into compliance.

However, Republicans are using the opportunity to try to undermine the state’s entire public financing system. Though a number of ideas have been proposed by the Maine Ethics Commission to bring the state’s program into compliance, Republicans rejected those proposals in a party-line vote yesterday. Instead, GOP lawmakers simply eliminated the matching funds provision without offering any alternatives to fill the void:

In a strict party line vote on Tuesday, Republican members of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee narrowly favored stripping the matching funds provision from the Maine Clean Election Act.

Maine lawmakers have been struggling since that court ruling with a way to address the elimination of matching funds and have debated two options put forth by the Maine Ethics Commission.

Under the first option, the state would pay candidates fixed amounts upfront — $7,716 for House candidates and $33,617 for Senate candidates, significantly more than the current allocations. Under the second, clean candidates could get extra payments by collecting additional $5 checks from private donors. In order to qualify for public funding in the first place, candidates need to collect a minimum number of such donations.

Republicans have rejected both.

State Rep. Diane Russell (D), one of the clean election law’s leading proponents, told ThinkProgress that the effort to roll back Maine’s public financing system could have national ramifications. “Maine is the model state,” said Russell. “If they kill public financing here, they put the stake in the heart nationally.”

The full legislature will take up the issue in January.

Ignoring those failures, Maine Republicans –including Gov. Paul LePage — have pledged to continue their fight to restrict voting rights and will revisit their voter ID bill when a new legislative session begins in January, the AP reports:

But after a voter ID bill that passed the House failed in the Senate this year, lawmakers decided to carry it over to the session that starts in January. And Republican Gov. Paul LePage believes the issue needs to be revisited, notwithstanding Tuesday’s vote, said spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett. [...]

The voter ID bill had more than 80 co-sponsors — all Republicans — when Rep. Richard Cebra introduced it.

The Naples Republican sees his proposal as a reasonable, constitutionally sound means to protect Maine elections from fraud. He also dismisses assertions that such laws deprive citizens of their right to vote.

Republican attempts to “protect…elections from fraud” continue to ring hollow, however, as such fraud is incredibly rare. But in Maine, where city and town clerks monitor elections, fraud is even more uncommon. According to the ACLU, the state has had only two cases of voter fraud at the polls in the past four decades, and a recent study on Maine’s student voting fraud — one of the main problems cited by state Republicans — found that the “problem” didn’t actually exist.

“I don’t think, in the entire time I’ve been working the polls, I don’t think anyone has ever come in and claimed to be someone they weren’t,” Harlan Baker, an election clerk in Portland, told ThinkProgress’ Scott Keyes last week. “I’ve never witnessed it.”

Maine’s Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster is defending the tone of the ad, arguing that it was designed to “educate” the public about EqualityMaine, “one of the advocacy groups involved in the coalition that wants to retain the state’s 38-year-old EDR law.” “We’ve talked about the different left-of-center groups that are supporting this referendum and questioned why they’re doing that,” Webster said. “That’s all this is.”

Meanwhile, a recent poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) found that support for EqualityMaine’s “agenda” — which includes marriage equality — is increasing among independents in Maine. Fifty-one percent of voters say they support marriage equality, including 53 percent of independents. In 2009, EqualityMaine lost its campaign to preserve marriage equality when a referendum to overturn same-sex marriage passed by a vote of 53 percent to 47 percent.