EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — It’s been more than 30 years since a 25-year-old Mike Michaud was elected to the Maine Legislature in 1980. He spent a quarter century in Augusta, eventually rising to Maine Senate President. Now, at 57, after spending a decade in the U.S. House representing Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, he’s running for a sixth term. Recently, during a brief rainstorm, Michaud sat down with the BDN to speak about how his time in Maine’s legislature shaped his views on politics.
Learn more about Mike Michaud and all the other candidates in this fall’s election at bangordailynews.com/race/2012-general-election/.
U.S. House District 2
Michael H. Michaud vs. Kevin L. Raye
This video is part of a series exploring the major candidates for Congress in Maine. Check back each week to learn more.
Mike exemplify the people of this Congressional district, a laborer who has done well, who believes in hard work, who has not forgotten his roots, in part because he’s kept them here, who has not forgotten who sent him to Washington and why. He knows it’s not about him, it’s about the rest of us, all of us. Prediction – on 11/6/12 – Michaud 56% Raye 44%
Bull pucky.
Well said.
Congressman Michaud, over and over again, has demonstrated that he cares about the people in his district, particularly those that life has dealt an unlucky hand. He has also shown that he has worked hard and found ways to be very effective on our behalf.
His opponent cannot say the same.
I note a lot of comments – pro and anti, but on one seems to dispute my prediction on the numbers.
I’d speculate that why a number do not support Congressman Michaud, and they’ll cast negative remarks – they still recognize a majority of citizens will support Mike over his Washington (DC) groomed opponent.
Kevin is not a bad guy, I wish him well in his business, but no matter what he says he’s a guy who has spent more time in DC than Mike has. Raye is hooked more to Eric Cantor, Karl Rowe and the political scheming of the extreme Right with all their hidden moneys and tax loopholing buddies.
It’s just where Raye’s past has been, while he’s from Washington County he’s too connected to Washington DC, working as a Washington, DC lobbyist why serving as an elected Washington County legislator. Just look what Raye did for Washington County insurance rates while serving as a legislator for them. Ask any business what’s happening to their rate since Raye voted to allowed the Insurance Industry to charge higher rated to rural areas.
CPPray – I don’t think your very good at math. Mike has been in elected to 5 two year terms, meaning he will have been in DC 10 years at the conclusion of this (and his final) term in office. Kevin Raye worked in DC for 6 years as Olympia Snowe’s Chief of Staff. 10 is greater than 6. Nice try. And another thing, the race is going to be a lot closer than 56-44, mark my words.
typical. Don’t let the FACTS get in the way of a good argument, right CPPray?
I think you need to check you math. My understanding is Raye was in DC close to twenty years (a little less – but not much less). Raye’s unwillingness to denounce the Romney/Ryan abolishment of Soc. Sec. and Medicare and to his own record of abandonment of his rural constituency in Eastern and Northern Maine will leave him about 10 points short. Raye will have a lot of out-side money come in, but people are starting to see through that type of influence peddling. I’ll stand by my prediction, but if even closer – I note you didn’t say Raye would win.
What a misrepresentation of the truth. No one is proposing abolishing medicare and social security. You are scaring people with a lie. The thing that has done the most damage to those programs recently is Obamacare grabbing money from medicare.
Ah, you buy into the “we’ll take the majority of Americans out of the system, either program, and Social Security and Medicare will be funded by …… ?” Oh, right, they don’t say. The money taken from medicare (by both Republican and Democratic proposals) was not money that went to people in the program, they are savings from over billing and over testing by service providers.
Interesting you would misrepresent the facts to claim a lie.
Charlie You know those medicare “savings” are mere reducing payments to providers. Reduced services are inevitable..
So exactly what proposal abolishes Social Security? What proposal abolishes medicare? You said there was a plan afoot to do that. …. Back up your statement! What plan??
No, unfortunately it is not me that needs to check my math. Kevin Raye worked for Olympia Snowe for 17 years. Of the 17 years only 6 were in DC. The other years he was in Maine working in her district offices. Following Kevin’s 6 years in DC he came home to Maine. Please stop twisting the truth. Facts are facts, lets debate those. And the fact is Mike has been in DC longer than Kevin. The Fact is Mike is now using $800/month for a taxpayer funded car. The Fact is the candidate with the most “outside” money in this election is Mike. I would submit that these facts suggest to me that Mike has lost his way and no longer can he say he is a DC “outsider.” I would note I said in my pervious statement that the race would be close, and I also said that this term Mike is serving now would be his last.
then why is he consistely voted one of the most useless congressmen in washington?
By who? Where is the poll data? Is this a real poll or just the one in your imagination?
Yeah. He’s
“kept his roots here” alright. Too bad that the rest of him lives in
D.C. for all but 25 days a year! This guy
Consistently
ranked as one of the least effective, least powerful, least respected &
least intelligent members of Congress every term he’s been there! Why keep sending him back? He plays on the veterans, gun owners, the “working
man” (how’s those mill jobs doing since he’s been in?) who keep sending him
back as part of a larger coalition of hard left groups to get elected, then
supports policies that are against his very core supporters. He’s got his life time pension, his lifetime
med care (& it ain’t the Obama care that HE voted for either.) Time for NEW
BLOOD.
“Consistently ranked as”…..Did you pull that directly out of your backside, or from some other orifice?
Let’s see those rankings you are talking about.
HERE IS HIS RANKING FOR THE SMALL BUSINESSMAN
http://www.nfib.com/Portals/0/PDF/AllUsers/issuesElections/how-congress-voted-112th-nfib.pdf
Read it for yourself, Michaud voted 0.0% of the time for Maine small business as well as small business in general. Therefore since small business supports 70+% of all employed then Michaud failed to support any small business anywhere and that includes those who depend on small business for their livelihoods. And, this is just the small business point of view let alone anything else like “national security” “tax reform, health care, etc, etc.
Really, a ranking system where every Republican is good and every Democrat is bad must make you feel great! I ment a serious ranking, not one put on by a right wing front group that has the word “business” in it’s name. NFIB defines “good for business” as being a Republican, which does not work in the real world, as job creation in the last 60 years has been a Democratic specialty.
The NFIB represents more than 350,000 small businesses nationwide.
Yup, and it doesn’t represent about 27.2 Million of them.
The NFIB is the single largest group of small businesses in the country.
The membership drives the debate and the forms the policy of the organization. Before a position is taken the membership is polled.
I’m sorry. You must have meant only those ranking surveys which agree with your preconceived viewpoint.
http://thatsmycongress.com/house/repMichaudME2112.html
Nice link.
3,500 NFIB members in Maine. Several “Blue Dogs” were honored by the NFIB this year, Mike was not one of them. Mike is only one of two “Blue Dogs” to earn a ZERO rating…
It is time to lay off the partisan crap and face the truth.
Ha! Don’t expect me to provide the education you’ve missed along the way, but there are several sources of power rankings for our elected representatives. Try Knowlegis.net or Congress.org for the most accurate data, also several others out there for you freeloading types. In any event, @ this post time, you have 13% of the total comments on this page. (Maybe you should concentrate on making just a few concise posts & you could avoid, uh, “filler” referring to your ample “backside” & “orifices.” Ugh, very bad visual…)
Oh, my mistake! I did not realize there was a comment limit! I am really sorry about that. There are others who have made about as many comments as I have on this post. Should I warn them about going over the limit, or have you been designated with official responsibilities?
It’s quite clear that you work for the Committee to Re-Elect Michaud in some form or another!
You do know members of Congress get the same pension and health care as all government employees? At twelve years he’d get about 24% (2% per yr) which they contribute into (and Social Security- which they contribute into as do all employees – and he’ll has to be 62 before he can collect. Not that under current situations is bad. Too bad we/government allowed the private sector to drain private pension and health care accounts in the 90’s.
Michaud has done nothing for the State of Maine or this country. He has repeatedly voted party line regardless of what this issue is because he knows if he does not do so the party will take away his re-election money and he will be left to fend for himself. Michauds only power in congress is that he’s a sure vote for anything the Dems want to pass. Michaud is part of the problem with our current congress and need to be replaced. If he gets re-elected it will on be because his union buddies send him back like they always do.
Congressman Michaud has voted against every trade agreement put in front of him, with both Democrats and Republicans in control. You should look up the House Trade Working group, which is a coalition of like minded representatives who fight against the outsoursing of American jobs. You are simply wrong here. And don’t give me those vote’s 90% of the time party line blah blah, those numbers include procedural votes and the naming of post offices.
Here is info on the House Trade Working group, for those who are interested:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Trade_Working_Group
Mike a Laborer? No. He was a Union rep when he “worked” at the mill. lol
Mike is a nice guy but useless.
Typical party-line hack, tax-and-spend Democrat and look how THAT has helped America these last four years!
Right, that’s why his own home town is an economic toilet and what little that has been done wasn’t done by him.
$800/month for his taxpayer car. He hasn’t forgotten who he represents…
Mike may have not forgotten who sent him there but he certainly doesn’t have the same DC outsider values he used to have. He funds his campaigns with outsider DC PAC money. Mike has graduated to DC INSIDER!
Barf.
Whats he doing about jobs?
What have the Repub Congressmen done about anything?
Nothing! They have been far too busy obstructing everything so that “that man” isn’t re-elected … Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky
Nothing, he has one.
Nationally,republicans want nothing to do with anything that may create jobs, and their records shows that.Creating jobs would help re-elect Obama so they certainly didn’t want to see jobs created from day one!
Wow, your statement should take the breath away from anyone doing a rational discussion of these issues. Jobs have cratered under Obama, thousands have just stopped looking, he has put forth NOTHING to alleviate the problem (because he has NO clue how private sector jobs are even created) and every single one of his policies and regulatory attempts have squelched/squashed and neutralized ANY type of job creation that might have happened.
I honestly can’t think of a thing Mike has done while in Washington DC.
A rather unspectacular career is an understatement.
He has been Nancy Pelosi’s lacky and votes the way she tells him to 100% of the time. In return she funds 90% of his re-election bids. He is about as bright and effective as Joe Biden.
thought policemen can be on the take too.
Speaking as a Veteran I will be proudly voting for Mike once again .
I to am a veteran but don’t see things the same way you do. Maybe i missed something all these years and should change my vote convince me.
You do realize that he is the ranking member and former chairman of the Veteran’s Affairs Health Subcommittee and when the Democratic Party retakes control of the house he will be on the short list for the chairmanship of the entire committee.
He has done a lot to protect VA funding from the absolutist tea party, who want to cut anything and everything to protect tax breaks for people who don’t need them.
It’s not fair how you use facts and reality against these other posters. ;)
Reality says that it is highly unlikely that Democrats will control the House in the new session. Democrats need to flip a minimum of 25 seats in order to gain a majority. That is unlikely to happen. The best they will be able to do is maybe 5 or 6.
Here is a RCP breakdown as it stands and you can see the the predictors already say that Republicans will hold over the 218 seats needed to maintain the majority.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/house/2012_elections_house_map.html
In 2014, if Obama holds the White House, history tells us that the Republicans should widen their margin again. It may be 2016 before Democrats have a realistic shot at holding Congress again and then they are likely to need wave election conditions.
Michaud, nice guy or not, will continue to be a non-player well into the future if he retains his seat.
Cheese: I don’t disagree with some of this. I would say that the GOP is generally still favored to hold the house, although Romney’s diminishing returns seem to have caused some movement toward Democrats in house races since the convention:
http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/ratings/house
Needless to say, stranger things have happened. Also note, Maine 2nd is not even considered anything close to a tossup at this point. Mike is strongly favored.
I think the contention that the GOP is likely to gain seats in 2014 does have historical merit, but the last time a GOP Congress was this bitter and overreaching (1998), they lost seats in the same scenario.
Also, please see my original post for my answer to the “non-player” comment. It is simply not true.
Thanks for the link. Nice big Red map there. :) It is basically the same data I posted. It would take a major shift or world shaking event for Democrats to take the house this time out.
I saw that the 2nd CD is not considered to be in play. I was commenting on your statement that Michaud would be the chair of that major policy making Sub-Committee on Veterans affairs…. I am sorry but if that is his claim to fame then that makes him a non-player in my book. If he was chair of Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Armed Services, Banking maybe he would be a player…. but Veteran Affairs sub-committee?? That makes him the House Maid not a player.
Maine’s 2nd has one of the highest percentages of Veteran’s per capita of any district in the country, so his committee spot puts him in a great position to actually represent his constituents, which he does. There are 435 members of the house, and if you believe that only the chairman of 4 or 5 major committees have any real power (which is not how it works, the real levers are pulled at the subcommittee level), then this whole exercise is moot. Kevin Raye will not be chairing Appropriations at any time soon.
I understand how thing work. Members of a minority party siting on minor sub-committees are Congresspeople too…. Just not that far up the food chain.
Actually If Raye were on the same committee as a member of the majority party he would hold more influence than Mikey.
The tea party is the republican party.They are pro-life but have no problem sending them to a war they start and forgetting about them when they come home.
I can think of plenty the Kevin Raye has done to me in Maine and it isn’t pretty.How many jobs has he created as part of this current administration?How many tax breaks for the rich? Insurance?A clone for the tea party.we don’t need another “just say no “to any democratic proposal in the House.
No, I guess instead we need a Pelosi-clone, tax-and-spend Dem who has not led on ANY kind of legislation or policy direction for all his time in DC.
One needs to pay attention.
Well, ummm, he’s kept the seat warm…maybe he learned that from Jock McKernan when he was Governor.
attention deficit disorder must make life difficult.
Apparently Mikey has had a job down in DC driving forklifts because he sure hasn’t done much else for his constituents.
Mean Mister Mustard is going to need a mustard plaster after his outright whooping in November.
as a vet i can appreciate the fact no one in congress has done more to help veterans than mike, in spite of consistent republican opposition.
FACT CHECK: Romney Would Slash Veterans’ Benefits
Mitt Romney appropriately praised veterans , but has suggested the privatization of veterans’ health care, breaking the promise to our men and women in uniform. The Romney-Ryan budget – if cuts were made across the board – could cut the funding for Veterans’ Affairs by $11 billion
FACT CHECK: Mike Michaud is as bright as Jokin’ Joe Biden. Draw your own conclusions.
http://pinetreepolitics.bangordailynews.com/2012/05/29/youve-come-a-long-way-mike/
Yeah..he is good for people…
I can’t wait for a nice “puff” piece about Kevin Raye. Unless I missed it of course. I have a feeling I’ll be waiting awhile.
if you like gov. lepage you’ll love kevin raye.
I don’t like Gov. LePage’s bombastic demeanor all the time, but his policies are helping people who actually work and pay taxes in this state. My comment was meant to enlighten the willful bias that we can surely expect from the BDN. I’ll apologize if they prove me wrong. I won’t hold my breath though.
What’s not to like about Kevin Raye? As a society, we once heralded self-made businessmen such as Kevin. Now, many view those people as “EVIL” capitalists. He’s a “Made in Maine” success story and we all know those are a rarity in the past 30 or so years.
Congressman Michaud cares about the working people, the people of Maine and he really cares about our wonder Veterans! That’s why he’s only at home in East Millinock 25 days out of the year the rest of the time he’s working for us! ! Mike says to Congress ” No budget,no pay!”.and “We must not go on vacation till all our work is done”…Just the other day my very right-wing nephew from New Jersey, who always votes Republican..Said to me after reading Congressman Michaud’s web-sight and his policies he would vote for Mike if he lived in Maine!!
Bangor Daily News, why is there a bar covering the words that says “Print,email,share,tweet,7,like and pin it” that I can’t x out or move??? It’s hard to read articles or write with that thing in the way!!
He’s part of the corrupt, thieving Pelosi tribe that passed Obama care without even knowing what the bill contained. He’s part of the bunch that helped us get 5 more trillion dollars in debt. Send him back? So he can do more of the same for us? Oh, and last time I looked Kevin Raye is not part of the govenor’s administration. Raye will beat Mikey this time around. If he doesn’t you have no one else to blame for what your gong to get for 2 more years.
32 years in elected office and all about the guy down on his luck. This guy and the rest of his cronnies both left and right need to go home they have done nothing in the last 3.5 years. If he is such a strong leader then why aren’t things happening in Washington like taking care of the peoples business instead of all this bickering. Mike can come home and he is still young and go back to work in the mill until he retires. What we need in Washington is new blood and leadership.
“Mike Useless Michaud” has lived on the backs of one of the most economically hardest hit areas of the US and makes more than 8 times than that of his own home town- He Should Be Ashamed
He supports Obama 99% of the time. That’s exactly what we don’t need. Is he in the closet or single by choice. I heard a rumor he is gay.
And if he is, what’s wrong with that? Come on.
Nothing at all. Not very often it’s kept private anymore. He has been a strong advocate for gay marriage and was in favor of repealing don’t ask don’t tell and a roman catholic.
Creepy dude.
KEVIN RAYE 2012 !!!!
The question is, why are you wasting our time when we all know that he is the least effective congressman in Washington DC!