With most voters focused on the economy and our nation’s crippling $16 trillion debt, it’s no wonder independent Angus King is bristling at the discussion of his fiscal record as governor. King was a good cheerleader for Maine, but his fiscal management record shows he lacked the discipline to make decisions that would positively affect Maine over the long run.
King has been roundly criticized for leaving the state of Maine with a $1.2 billion projected deficit at the end of his term. King’s new advertisement has him looking sternly into the camera and proclaiming “There was no deficit.” But a simple review of the public record shows King is wrong.
His successor, Gov. John Baldacci, said in his inaugural speech: “State spending is out of line with state revenues, creating a billion-dollar deficit.” In his 2006 Democratic Convention speech, he said, “When I entered the Blaine House, coming out of the recession, we had a $1.2 billion budget deficit.” And in a 2006 debate, Baldacci said, “When I became governor we had a $1.2 billion shortfall and the highest tax burden in the nation.”
Reporters have also detailed King’s deficit, over and over. In 2010, a Maine newspaper reported that Baldacci “inherited a $1.2 billion budget deficit when he took office in 2003.” Twice this year, a MaineToday Media fact-checker reviewed the billion-dollar deficit claim and pronounced, “ The numbers check out.”
King has argued about the use of the term “deficit” to describe the projected shortfall at the end of his term because Maine requires a balanced budget. Clearly, King’s political opponents are not the first to use the term. Whether described as a deficit or structural gap, which assumes the state will meet all its legal expenditure requirements, the bottom line is that Baldacci needed to cut spending to deal with the fiscal state of Maine that King handed him.
We have to look at the actions our next senator will take in Washington. Our nation is $16 trillion in debt, and we’re spending more than $1 trillion a year more than we’re bringing in. The most pressing duty of our next senator will be to break this pattern. We need to reduce spending, reduce the debt and get government out of the way, so our small businesses can thrive again.
I want to be Maine’s next senator so I can stand up for our future generations. I believe the choice next week is clear, and I humbly ask for your support Tuesday.
Republican Charlie Summers is a candidate for U.S. Senate.
Seriously BDN? I hope you asked the other candidates to make a similar “contribution”. Please, leave the political appeals to the short 1 paragraph letters where people promote their neighbors for local office. Enough already.
What Summers so conveinently does not say is that when King was Governor State Bond interest rate’s were so low, beyond even what they are now, that to not take advantage of them at that time would have been seen as political stupidity, more so with the road’s in the shape they were in (and are rapidly becoming again, especially up here in The County). Did Angus spend State Bond money ? Sure he did, as he was required to in order for the State to meet it’s obligation’s to us voter’s. And the money he spent, and the Bond’s icurred, are both still here and are now a regular piece of the State’s budget process as is with every State’s budget process. What has Charlie contributed besides a bunch of commercial’s that are polite ‘whining and crying’ piece’s that don’t have an ounce of actual, practical contribution ? I’m, and I’d bet the rest of the State, are still waiting. Charlie, it’s time you had someone get that ‘fire-in-the-paint locker’ motivation in gear before it’s too late. Nov. 6th is a lot closer than you appear to realize.
Yes, and he did as he was required to, spend approved bond money, unlike the current Governor.
Again, this is a political campaign speech and he should pay for it.
If he claim to be on the fence, then it makes it more likely Angus will be getting wind mill money for his friends. he can sell his vote to the highest bidder. His companies will be getting the pork and Maine mountain tops and ratepayers will be gettinggggggggggggggggg
that sounds more like a republican judging from past performances
I’ve asked this question to Drew Brandewie, who until a few days ago was a member of the Summers for Senate campaign, but received no answer:
“Does Sec. of State Summers think the Maine Constitution mandates that every biennial budget be balanced?”
My guess is that Lance Dutson and other members of the Summers campaign are monitoring the comments to this opinion piece by their candidate, so maybe they will respond. Charlie Summers is, after all, a constitutional officer – he ought to have some idea what the Maine Constitution requires.
On 2 October the BDN ran a story with this headline:
LePage faces structural budget gap of $756 million without cuts, more revenue
I hope that Summers pays for this political campaign ad. I also hope he makes a pro rata refund for the considerable portion of his time as Secy. of State spent campaigning. Humbly? Hardly.
Charlie Summers for Senate.
yeah, tea party charlie is about as honest as the rest of the republicans running, not at all
he worked for olympia and she wont even support him, that alone says a lot
BDN is doing a good job here in allowing equal time.
“King has been roundly criticized for leaving the state of Maine with a $1.2 billion projected deficit at the end of his term.” Well, “roundly criticized” by your campaign and your surrogates.
It is nice to see the word “projected” finally show up. Maybe the folks who don’t understand the state budget process think we sold $1.2B in bonds to pay our bills, but the rest of us know better.
Charlie your running days are numbered and your State job is also, better start looking for employment.
He will say, “Hey…I promised to be a hardcore ideologue, to never work with the opposition, and to fix no problem if it’s not fixed entirely to my Party’s liking. Isn’t that what you voters want?” The Party leadership will be equally puzzled, once again.