Maine's Governor Openly Calls for Race War Against People of Color

[Zaac]

Calls are mounting for Maine Republican governor Paul LePage to resign after he doubled down Friday on openly racist statements he made calling for a race war against people of color.

LePage made the remarks during a press conference at which he sought to defend himself against accusations of racism. During those comments, he indicated that people of color are the enemy and should be shot.


“A bad guy is a bad guy,” he said. “I don’t care what color he is. When you go to war, if you know the enemy, the enemy dresses in red and you dress in blue, you shoot at red… You shoot at the enemy. You try to identify the enemy. And the enemy right now, the overwhelming majority of people coming in are people of color or people of Hispanic origin.”

...

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/maines-governor-openly-calling-race-war-against-people-color

He's hoping for a spot in a Trump administration.

 

[OnlyaSinner]

He's hoping for a spot in a Trump administration.

As a Maine resident, I find the some of the governor's recent comments and actions to be inexcusable. However, the above post makes a leap of (il)logic that I don't believe is justified. LePage's "declaration of war" is against out-of-state people bringing illicit drugs to sell in Maine. He also falsely stated that nearly all such drug-importers/sellers people are Black or Hispanic. (The evidence clearly refutes this contention.)

For the OP's title to be correct, LePage would have to have declared war on ALL people of color, including Mainers whose in-state roots go back generations. His statements on the subject were ill-advised (an understatement), but exaggerating their scope merely offers his apologists room to discredit his critics.

 

[Zaac]

As a Maine resident, I find the some of the governor's recent comments and actions to be inexcusable. However, the above post makes a leap of (il)logic that I don't believe is justified.


LePage's "declaration of war" is against out-of-state people bringing illicit drugs to sell in Maine. He also falsely stated that nearly all such drug-importers/sellers people are Black or Hispanic. (The evidence clearly refutes this contention.)

For the OP's title to be correct, LePage would have to have declared war on ALL people of color, including Mainers whose in-state roots go back generations. His statements on the subject were ill-advised (an understatement), but exaggerating their scope merely offers his apologists room to discredit his critics.

It's not my headline. And he's the one who called people of color "the enemy". His comments again affirm the pervasive attitudes of a lot of white people in this country when it comes to Blacks.

And then he turns around and says:

"Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage," LePage is heard saying in a recording first reported by the Portland Press Herald. "I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist. You c*******r, I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and, you little son of a ***** socialist c*******r, I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you."

Soon after leaving the profanity-laced message, LePage leaked the story of the voicemail to two reporters, telling them he wished it was 1826 so he could challenge Gattine to a formal duel.

"I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since he's been in the Legislature to help move the state forward," LePage told the Press Herald.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/paul-lepage-drew-gattine-voicemail-threat

 

[OnlyaSinner]

Was the thread heading taken from a media article? I had no way of knowing who created it, and did not assign it to anyone. And LePage's "enemy" is specifically the drug dealers. That he then made the bogus 90%+ claim makes it look blatantly racist, when I suspect it was more ignorantly racist. Not sure which is worse.

That voicemail tirade is not his first one made in lost-temper mode, and while I don't think he has any intention of causing physical harm to the legislator, I also know that if I ever sent a similar message his way, I would soon be having long discussions with LEOs (and probably prison guards.)

 

[Zaac]

Was the thread heading taken from a media article? I had no way of knowing who created it, and did not assign it to anyone. And LePage's "enemy" is specifically the drug dealers. .

OaS, I think the link is in the first post.

That he then made the bogus 90%+ claim makes it look blatantly racist, when I suspect it was more ignorantly racist. Not sure which is worse

Yeah I think it was MLK Jr who made the comment about conscientious stupidity or sincere ignorance.

That voicemail tirade is not his first one made in lost-temper mode, and while I don't think he has any intention of causing physical harm to the legislator, I also know that if I ever sent a similar message his way, I would soon be having long discussions with LEOs (and probably prison guards.)

So he's done this before? YIKES! He seems a lot like Trump. That's too much of a loose cannon to be somebody's governor.