Paul LePage
Maine Gov. Paul LePage
continues his fruitless effort to compete with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the "Asshole Republican Governor" title. LePage's effort is fruitless because of Maine's small size and because he lacks Christie's sheer force of presence, not because he's any less of an asshole, as his comments at the Maine Republican Party's state convention demonstrate:
"Maine’s welfare program is cannibalizing the rest of state government," he said. "To all you able-bodied people out there: Get off the couch and get yourself a job."
That last line earned a standing ovation.
See what I mean? Total Chris Christie wannabe. Next thing you know he'll be setting up an opportunity to scream at someone and put it on YouTube.
It will probably come as little surprise to learn that LePage has championed a variety of tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, and has targeted state Medicaid spending for cuts.