AND ANOTHER THING …

The first publicly funded TV ad by Green Independent Jonathan Carter was a warm and fuzzy thing, suggesting that his ads were superior to those of the other gubernatorial contenders because they are bankrolled by $900,000 from Maine taxpayers rather than by special interests. His second publicly funded ad used the stereotype of the Italian-American as mobster to suggest that Democrat John Baldacci could not be trusted to keep his anti-casino promise. Perhaps his third publicly funded ad will tell the public how it can get its money back.

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When he began his uphill struggle to unseat 1st District Rep. Tom Allen, Republican Steve Joyce promised a campaign based upon “unabashed conservative” values. To recap the campaign so far, Mr. Joyce has questioned the incumbent’s patriotism, called him a “liberal extremist” and blamed him for immigration policy which, Mr. Joyce erroneously asserts, allowed two of the Sept. 11 hijackers to enter the United States from Canada. With his polling numbers barely beating out the margin of error, perhaps it’s time for Mr. Joyce to try being just a little abashed.

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The 2nd District campaign is too close to call, with Republican Kevin Raye and Democrat Michael Michaud running neck-and-neck in the polls. The two also are in a dead heat in complaining about the accuracy of the other’s ads, a contest that has resulted in an unprecedented amount of revising and rewording. With jobs the top issue in this economically struggling region, both candidates certainly have done their part boost northern Maine’s burgeoning proofreading industry.

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They say that the rigors of the campaign trail are a great catalyst for personal growth and state Rep. John Michael, independent candidate for governor, offers evidence – in recent weeks, he’s progressed from calling himself a “nigger” (in reference to disciplinary action taken against him by the Legislature) to saying the Democratic Party is only for one who is “gay, on welfare or a man-hating feminist.” Hey, it’s a short growing season.

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Democratic challenger Chellie Pingree says she is “disappointed” that Republican Sen. Susan Collins did not attend a debate hosted last week by the Maine Veteran’s Coordinating Committee. Considering that the two sides agreed to a debate schedule nearly a month ago that did not include this date, that the Pingree campaign continued to promote this debate despite repeated reminders by the Collins campaign that the senator had a previous engagement and that the result of this was a group of Maine veterans cynically manipulated into feeling slighted by Sen. Collins, it’s hard to imagine what causes Ms. Pingree’s disappointment.

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For real faux disappointment, how-ever, a Republican Party newsletter lamenting the return of negative ads by the friends of a certain Democratic Senate candidate wins the silk purse. The GOP was so beside itself it let slip the idea that, “You can wash a pig … but it always goes back to mud.” Slime, however, may the preferred medium for the makers of the newsletter.