March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Brennan: Democrat looking better than ever

Editor’s Note: The following is the fourth in a series of individual campaign profiles on the U.S. Senate and House candidates.

BANGOR — It is the end of a hectic campaign day, and inside an aging Air Force base school built at the pinnacle of the Cold War, Joseph E. Brennan is serving up hot beans.

The serving line includes area Democratic candidates, longtime Bangor party operatives, and a few down-on-their-luck families who heard about the low-cost meal from friends. Campaign workers manage to collect a dollar from most of the 150 or so supporters who have gathered at the Downeast School cafeteria. Those who couldn’t afford the suggested donation were admitted free.

Outspent 2-to-1 by his Republican opponent, Brennan really needs the money. But so what? These people were hungry — and so were their children.

Helping those with the greatest need is a personal precept of intertwining moral and political convictions for the U.S. Senate candidate and those loyal to him. From the wealthiest to the poorest, Brennan supporters cling steadfastly to a common philosophical thread: Democrats are the party of compassion, hope and opportunity.

For Brennan, this opportunity may be his last. At 61, with his two most recent statewide races ending in back-to-back defeats, he never dreamed that a shot at the U.S. Senate was within his grasp. But Sen. William S. Cohen’s unexpected retirement gave Brennan a chance to toss the dice.

Eighteen years older than when he staged his first successful run for the Blaine House, Brennan has never looked better, felt better or talked a better game than he does today.

It is, from the view of his supporters, the moment to propel the former two-term governor and congressman into that rarefied league of great Maine Democrats that includes Edmund S. Muskie and George J. Mitchell. It is the moment that could elevate the Portland native from 1970s-era perennial candidate to elder statesman.

Outside the school, Todd Webster, Brennan’s campaign spokesman, pulls up in a van carrying the candidate and his wife, Connie. Word of his arrival quickly spreads inside, and supporters start chanting, “Let’s go, Joe,” to give Brennan the kind of rousing welcome befitting a U.S. senator.

Now there’s a bounce in Brennan’s step as he demonstrates an enthusiastic gait that was missing from his 1994 gubernatorial campaign. The lips, usually drawn and inscrutable, give way to a smile that remains consistently dependable. Tanned, trim and toned, Brennan looks and feels better than he has in years.

His entry into the race drew criticism from members of his own party who feared he brought a tired, mundane message to a race that demanded something new and dazzling. In fact, since winning his primary in June, Brennan has spent four months convincing fellow Democrats that he really is their man.

Although polls indicate that Susan M. Collins, the Republican nominee, commands the loyalty of nearly one in four Democrats, Brennan is confident of his ability to coax them back. And after finally forging a solid message that strikes upon a half-dozen traditional Democratic themes, the candidate’s hunch is paying off.

They are the same social and philosophical points he has made before, these hopes of safe neighborhoods, limitless educational opportunities, economic expansion and retirement security. Familiar goals pledged by a familiar face. At the moment, Brennan is a known commodity among unknowns. That could be his campaign’s greatest asset in a state where many voters are wary of change.

On message

Being on message, in the parlance of campaign staffs, means that you make your points well, stick to them and never miss a chance to whack your opponent with them. Brennan elevates the practice to an art form by seamlessly manipulating a stock answer to fit any question. Campaigning at the University of Maine this month, Brennan spent about two hours speaking at an anti-discrimination forum and then to Democratic students who had gathered at the Memorial Union.

Ranging in age from their late teens to early 30s, the enthusiastic group warmed to Brennan’s fundamental bill of rights for Maine families that promises to preserve the middle class, decent wages and effective environmental policies.

But Brennan’s commitment to provide greater access to educational opportunities evoked the strongest support of any issue that was discussed. That plan includes expanding direct student loans that bypass banks and middlemen in the guaranteed program. He also strongly supports President Clinton’s plan for a $1,500-per-year tax credit for the first two years of college, and a bill that would allow parents to deduct up to $10,000 in income on their tax returns per year to help defray college expenses.

“It’s been shown that the key to higher-paying jobs and a better standard of living is through earning a college education,” Brennan told the students. “We must be committed to making higher education accessible and available to all Americans.”

His remarks to the university crowd are about as courageous as a minister preaching to his choir. In this case, however, Brennan’s sermon is playing better to students than Collins’ promise of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and pumping its millions of dollars back into student loans.

Collin Worster, a 26-year-old graduate student, remains highly skeptical of Republicans in general, and particularly those who cannot provide “yes” or “no” answers to direct questions. He also tends to judge candidates by past political associations.

“Collins has an ad running where she’s supposedly for student loans and higher education, but she was a member of John McKernan’s Cabinet and the university got cut more under his administration than any one I can ever remember,” he said.

Gender mender

After years of running for Cumberland County district attorney, the Legislature, governor and Congress, Brennan has developed a political persona that is reliable, predictable and nearly impervious to unwanted inquiries. If Brennan doesn’t want to answer a question, it makes no difference how many ways a reporter asks it. The bottom line is always the same: zilch.

Still, every once in a while, Brennan offers a brief glimpse beyond the “public Joe” to reveal the genuine character that lies beneath. One such occasion occurred shortly after this spring’s schism in the Maine Democratic Party when Brennan successfully maneuvered U.S. Rep. John Baldacci out of challenging him in the June primary for the Senate. Party fund-raisers and bosses were skeptical of Brennan’s ability to pull off a win, given his failing grades in the last two gubernatorial races.

But Brennan insisted, even while knowing that a number of young Democrats — particularly progressive women in the party — were looking for new blood. In an interview after Baldacci’s announcement that he would not risk his seat in Congress for a Senate gamble, Brennan reflected on those within his party who opposed his candidacy. Always charitable, Brennan smiled weakly and then leaned forward, dropping his voice to a tone that demanded your attention.

“You know, the last time I checked, this was still a country where anyone who chooses to can run for public office,” he said.

And that was that. Prominent Democrats could withhold their money, but they couldn’t block Brennan from the ballot.

There were repercussions to the left and even in the center. Democratic women, who apparently share Hillary Clinton’s “can’t get enough of that Johnny Baldacci” addiction, felt spurned and vowed they would vote against Brennan in November.

For much of the summer, Brennan and his staff mulled over possible solutions to winning back the support of Democratic women, without much success. The road back wasn’t found in a press release, campaign speech or television ad. Instead, on Sept. 14, the Maine Sunday Telegram featured a “Women’s Issues” story that clearly identified differences between Brennan and Collins among female voters.

Collins supported increasing the minimum wage by 50 cents an hour, while Brennan backed the current 90-cent hike. Brennan backed the ban on assault rifles. Collins wanted to repeal it. Brennan would have voted against confirming Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas because he “believed Anita Hill.” Collins was undecided. Brennan wanted increased funding for the Head Start program. Collins was undecided. Brennan supported more money for job training. Collins was undecided. Brennan supported a law guaranteeing 24 hours of unpaid leave per year to allow workers times to care for sick children or attend school conferences. Collins was, again, undecided.

The newspaper story worked, and all of the points became boilerplate in the Brennan stump speech and remain so to this day. By offering no position, Collins opened the door for Brennan to define her, taking some party crossover votes with him.

Back at the Downeast School, Christina L. Baker, a Democratic candidate for Bangor District 117, was among those who wondered after the primary what Brennan would do for women. An ardent Brennan supporter, she now thinks many women simply did not know what his stands were on key issues.

“I believe that it was a matter of Joe getting the information out about his past record,” she said. “I think that most women were simply unaware of his record. Once we were informed, we began to see Joe in a different light, as a man who has a history of supporting equality for women, the poor and minorities in a way that was not in the forefront of his primary campaign.”

Still, Democratic women continue to elude Brennan. After enjoying the support of a presidential visit this month (there’s talk that Clinton could be back in Maine to campaign for Brennan and others just before Election Day), nearly one in four Democrats polled in a Bangor Daily News survey say they will vote for Collins.

But not if they talk to Baker first.

“You know I would love to see more women in Congress,” she said, “but not women who are willing to be part of a group that would do women and children in. I think we’re now able to see that this goes beyond male and female politicians. Women want candidates who represent their interests, and they will most certainly advocate for a male candidate first if he represents those interests.”

Name: Joseph Edward Brennan Residence: Portland Party affiliation: Democrat

Born: Nov. 2, 1934

Parents: Father, John J. Brennan, union stevedore; mother, Catherine Mulkerrin Brennan.

Education: University of Maine School of Law, 1963; Boston College, 1958, with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Family: Married to the former Connie LaPointe. Has one son and one daughter from a previous marriage.

Elected public offices: U.S. representative, 1st District, 1986-90; governor, 1978-86; attorney general, 1975-78; state senator, 1972-75; Cumberland County district attorney, 1968-70; state representative, 1964-70.

Appointed positions: None

Private sector experience: Lawyer in private practice, 1963-75 and 1990-96; English teacher at Oxford High School, 1959.

Military service: Two years in the U.S. Army, 1951-53.


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