Todd Benoit, in his June 24-25 column, identified one-half of the Democrats’ clear and simple strategy for keeping John Baldacci in office. Calculating that George W. Bush is unpopular in Maine they aim to tie Sen. Chandler Woodcock to the president.

The other half is to condemn the Republican nominee as a conservative ideologue while representing Gov. Baldacci as a moderate. Ben Dudley, state Democratic Party chairman (BDN op-ed, June ), defending himself against Benoit’s scorn for the CW=GWB ploy, uses the conservative label to tie the Republican candidate to President Bush, thereby attempting a double-whammy. The premise of his argument is that since Sen. Woodcock “fails to offer specifics … we simply have no other model for conservative executive leadership” than the Bush model.

Actually, the GOP candidate’s primary campaign literature is about as specific as any political handouts have ever been. He supports the Taxpayers Bill of Rights as a means of controlling state spending. He proposes to reduce the top marginal income tax rate; wishes to introduce competition into Maine’s insurance market and aims to establish an effective Government Oversight Agency to evaluate our government programs.

He will introduce legislation to bring Maine’s tax law into conformity with national tax laws; vows to enact Medicaid reform; and promises to respect the voters’ referendum decisions.

It seems to me that there are enough specifics here to give Dudley an opportunity for specific criticism. He could explain why Democrats think it is a bad idea to allow taxpayers a direct say in the disposal of their incomes. The evils of competition in the insurance market could to with some explanation. The reasons for Dudley’s presumed preference for ineffective government oversight should make fascinating reading. I’m sure we are all anxious to hear why he thinks investors are anxious to come to Maine to be more heavily taxed than in any other state.

Dudley disregards this opportunity. He stays on message and that simple message is that Woodcock is like Bush because the two “… share conservative ideologies” while Bush is our “only model of conservative executive leadership.”

Let’s examine the “striking similarities” he alleges. Woodcock is “stridently” anti-choice? Actually Woodcock and “strident” go together about as well as Elmer Fudd and “articulate” but let that go and ask Dudley whether he considers Mike Michaud, Democratic representative for the 2nd District, to be a conservative ideologue. Michaud is anti-abortion, along with more than 30 other Democratic congressmen.

Dudley sees Woodcock’s plan to bring Maine’s tax code into conformity with the federal government’s as meaning “tax cuts for the wealthy.” Is he implying that the taxpayers in Maine who are hit with our maximum income tax rate when they earn less than $20,000 are “wealthy”?

President Bush has allowed the federal deficit to skyrocket without exercising his constitutional veto powers even once. Speaking as a conservative, I do not recognize this as a implementation of conservative ideology. Neither does Woodcock. That’s why he voted against Baldacci’s scheme to pay for current state expenses by floating a half billion in bonds. I offer a quote from Dudley’s column: “Is that the sort of fiscal responsibility Maine needs.”

Woodcock is accused of proposing to remove the regulations on the insurance industry “that protect Maine consumers.” Maine’s consumers should check their insurance bills to see how well protected they are. The Democrats’ official megaphone’s fear of “marketplace reforms” is misplaced. Woodcock is not proposing reforms. He is proposing to create a health insurance marketplace. Such a thing does not exist in Maine at present.

I notice that Dudley has nothing to say about the Democratic consultant who told Benoit about the scheme to subtly brand Woodcock as a “hick teacher.” This may resonate with a few urban hicks in Portland under the delusion that Franklin County is populated with heavily armed mouth-breathers who eat their peas off a knife; but most Mainers are aware that we are a pretty civilized bunch.

Most of us replaced our thunder jugs with indoor plumbing years ago and it is rare to see livestock grazing on Farmington’s main street these days.

John N. Frary is chairman of the Franklin County Republican Committee.