Eric Shinseki
Well one thing's for sure, Eliot Cutler (I. ME) is just a big of an asshole as Governor Paul LePage (R. ME). First onto LePage:
http://www.pressherald.com/...
Less than an hour after President Barack Obama announced the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, LePage blasted Michaud, the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and also LePage’s Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, for failing to act on deficiencies before now.
“What is most stunning is that the VA Office of Inspector General has issued 18 reports to Congress since 2005, exposing long-term gross mismanagement of health care for our nation’s veterans,” the governor said in a statement, which came from his gubernatorial office, not his campaign office. “For years Michaud has told the people of Maine he has inside knowledge on what happens at the VA, but he took little to no action about this scandal until an election year. We now find out that he should have known about these deficiencies for nine years.
“It is unconscionable that Mike Michaud waited until an election year before he finally took some action.”
Dan Rafter, spokesman for Michaud’s congressional office, said that prior to Shinseki’s resignation Friday Michaud has been increasingly disappointed with the information that has come out about long waiting lists at VA clinics and efforts to cover up any problems.
Late Thursday night, Michaud joined a growing chorus in Congress to ask for Shinseki’s resignation. He previously had reserved judgment. - Portland Press Herald, 5/30/14
Now onto Cutler:
http://wabi.tv/...
Independent candidate Eliot Cutler also piled on Michaud releasing a statement agreeing with Governor LePage and questioning Michaud’s leadership.
“You have to ask the question –Where’s Mike? Where’s his accountability? This is an issue of failed and ineffective leadership, and effective leadership is what the office of governor is all about,” Cuteler said in his statement. “Mr. Michaud says that these are “political” questions that people are asking. He should tell that to veterans who have waited for months to get help, to the families of those who have died as they waited.
Michaud released a statement on Shinseki’s resignation calling this a “sad day” and thanking Shinseki for his service.
“Now is the time for us to move forward – Democrats and Republicans, VSOs and veterans – to work together to address the systemic failures within the VA, and to ensure our veterans receive the high-quality care they deserve.”
A spokesperson for the Michaud campaign says those criticizing Michaud on this issue are simply using veterans as political pawns. It remains to be seen whether the VA scandal will be a major factor for Maine voters in November. - WABI TV 5, 5/30/14
Ok, first off, Michaud agreed with Shinseki resigning:
http://www.sfgate.com/...
Michaud, the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, joined a number of members of Congress Thursday in calling for Shinseki to step down amid revelations about VA healthcare system failures. The secretary resigned Friday in a meeting with President Barack Obama.
Michaud, a Maine Democrat, says in a statement Friday afternoon that Shinseki "was becoming the focal point of the issue" and it was right of him to resign. The statement said Shinseki's presence atop the VA "was distracting us from addressing the very serious problems" in the department.
Maine's other representative, Chellie Pingree, also said in a statement that "cover-ups of outrageously long wait times at VA hospitals" necessitated change. - AP, 5/30/14
Also, this angers me because not only is it a desperate attack on both LePage and Cutler's ends, neither one of them are to be trusted when it comes to public service:
http://bangordailynews.com/...
In more ways than one, the $925,000, no-bid contract Gov. Paul LePage’s administration signed with the Alexander Group offered a lesson in vetting and process.
Long before it was found that the consulting firm had plagiarized much of its work, there was a lack of public confidence that was destined to taint any proposal put forward by the Alexander Group.
The LePage administration announced in November 2013 that it had signed the contract with the welfare consulting group led by Gary Alexander, Rhode Island’s former health and human services chief, two months after the two parties agreed to a no-bid deal.
The administration chose its preferred vendor without issuing a request for proposals that would have allowed it to review multiple bids and choose the most qualified vendor at the best price. As a result, there was no public vetting process LePage administration officials could point to, to assure skeptical Maine lawmakers and taxpayers the state had retained the most qualified consultant for the job.
Even aside from the plagiarism, the poor quality of the two analyses the Alexander Group has produced were confirmation of that skepticism and conclusive evidence that Maine had wasted public funds on two unoriginal, politically charged documents. And Maine has produced far superior results in the past for far less money through processes that involve extensive public vetting. Such public processes, in turn, engender public confidence.
In 2012, the Legislature charged the Maine Department of Health and Human Services with assembling working groups to review the state’s Medicaid and general assistance programs and produce recommendations for both short-term savings and long-term reforms. - Bangor Daily News, 5/27/14
Not to mention Cutler sucks big time as well:
http://bangordailynews.com/...
I have Googled for information about the work independent gubernatorial Eliot Cutler has done for Maine, in Maine, since he ran for governor four years ago. I came up with nothing.
So far as I can see, Cutler made a fortune in China at a time when Maine lost jobs to China and then came back to Maine and with his fortune bought a mansion on the sea.
At present, a majority of people in Congress are millionaires. There is only one former mill worker, and that is Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District.
It seems clear to me that a former mill worker who then worked in Maine state government for 20 years and then spent 11 years representing Maine in Congress knows more about Maine and the needs of ordinary people than someone who spent his life either working in Washington, D.C., (for Sen. Ed Muskie) or in China.
Cutler’s run last time gave us Gov. Paul Lepage. BDN columnist Jim Fossel points out in his May 16 column that Cutler has a right to run. Of course he does. But until we have instant run-off elections (where a voter checks first and second choices), Cutler is a spoiler. Or he was four years ago.
I suspect Michaud’s life-time dedication to Maine, in Maine, will save us from another four years of LePage come November. I’d be more comfortable, however, were Cutler to resign himself to simply enjoying the fruits of his labor in China. - Bangor Daily News, 5/30/14
With LePage looking vulnerable and voters realizing that Cutler is a spoiler candidate, both of them will try whatever dirty tricks and attacks they can to take down Michaud. Well I say lets help Michaud fight back against both of these scumbags. Click here to donate and get involved with Michaud's campaign:
http://www.michaud2014.com/