Video & Multimedia

dsteve01

(312 posts) Tue Oct 22, 2013, 03:35 PM Oct 2013

Gov. Paul LePage: "About 47% of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work"

Let this be a lesson to the American people. Heed his humble words of truth and valor.

Awesome blog from Maine on the topic:

The quote is stunning, both for how ridiculous it is on its face as well as how closely it mirrors a comment made by 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who also took aim at 47% of the population (those he said were victims, dependent on government and therefore voting for his opponent) in a leaked video that did significant damage to his campaign.

Just to be absolutely clear, LePage’s statistic is completely wrong. Currently, around 65% of Mainers over the age of 15 are working or are unemployed and actively seeking work. Of the remaining 35%, almost all are retired, are caring for children or other family members, are pursuing education or training or have a disability that prevents them from working. Only a tiny fraction aren’t working for other reasons. The conservative Heritage Foundation, using U.S. Census data, puts this number at 1.1% nationally.

Maine is known for our strong Yankee work ethic and we have a higher labor force participation rate than the rest of the country, despite our more elderly population. We work harder, longer and often in more dangerous occupations than people almost anywhere else.

We deserve a Governor who is proud of Maine, doesn’t falsely believe that half the people he was elected to serve are lazy and useless and doesn’t govern as if this were true.

Let's remember that this guy is calling upon his experience as a manager for an Antiques firm. That's not exactly cutting edge technology for the next generation of workers.

13 replies

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Highlight:

Gov. Paul LePage: "About 47% of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work" (Original Post) dsteve01 Oct 2013 OP

Somehow- ruffburr Oct 2013 #1

Can't kids be considered "able-bodied"? Plucketeer Oct 2013 #2

If nearly half the able-bodied in Maine don't have jobs, doesn't that MAYBE say something about kestrel91316 Oct 2013 #3

way to get the vote of working people noiretextatique Oct 2013 #4

This 47% meme... MyshkinCommaPrince Oct 2013 #5

It's roughly the percentage of the national electorate that votes solidly Democratic Downtown Hound Oct 2013 #9

Huh. Given that Maine's unemployment rate is only 7% Downtown Hound Oct 2013 #6

Good sources there dsteve01 Oct 2013 #7

As a Mainer, let me be clear: this dipshit MUST GO! However,... MarianJack Oct 2013 #8

Well I hope you guys are planning to put this s*** for brains moran Left Coast2020 Oct 2013 #11

Mike Michaud, our 2nd district Rep, is running against him. MarianJack Oct 2013 #12

The man is a consummate liar and TeaRadical nutjob. We will oust him next year. RBInMaine Oct 2013 #10

AS A 40 YR RESIDENT OF MAINE, THE STATE I TRULY LOVE, i NEED TO SAY drynberg Oct 2013 #13

ruffburr

(1,190 posts)

1. Somehow-

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:07 PM

Oct 2013

I think he's lying through his teeth. Really half the people in Maine don't have jobs, some how that's bullshit or they are all extremly wealthy.

Plucketeer

(12,882 posts)

2. Can't kids be considered "able-bodied"?

Reply to ruffburr (Reply #1)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:17 PM

Oct 2013

Maybe that's part of this dweeb's "calculations. And WHY IS the jobs situation so bad in Maine - as in so many other places? Republican obstruction - that's why.

Just another lying Republican. What'll be REAL NEWS is when one surfaces that tells the straight truth!

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)

3. If nearly half the able-bodied in Maine don't have jobs, doesn't that MAYBE say something about

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:32 PM

Oct 2013

THE LACK OF JOBS in his state????? Ya think???

Of course the truth is, he's just a lying teabagger asswipe.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)

4. way to get the vote of working people

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:33 PM

Oct 2013

NOT. FAIL!

MyshkinCommaPrince

(611 posts)

5. This 47% meme...

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 04:40 PM

Oct 2013

I'm becoming curious about this "47% don't want to/won't work" meme that the Right has been pushing. I'm sure there are variations which don't include the percentage. When did it start? How is it being used? What is the effect on discourse, on public opinion, when it is used? How is it a distortion?

It seems like a pretty standard attempt to divide the populace by making it all right to resent, even hate, one's neighbor. Is it being used to divert concern about or discussion of unemployment? Is it being used to attack disabilities? Disabled persons, particularly those with mental health difficulties, seem to be targeted with the "you just don't want to..." or "you won't..." or "you aren't try hard enough to..." message. This already vulnerable sector of the population is an easy scapegoat.

I've wondered whether it wasn't really an accident that the Romney 47% recording was leaked. They seem to be embracing the message it put out. What if they wanted to introduce that set of ideas into the public discourse, but it was too risky to do it openly? Was it introduced in a sideways manner in spite of the risks to the Romney campaign, because the Right anticipated greater gains later from being able to use the ideas once they were commonplace? Or were these ideas already out there, openly, in subtler forms?

How are we countering these ideas? What is the effect of our efforts to counter them? I'd be interested in seeing some study or analysis of this. Hmm.

Downtown Hound

(12,618 posts)

9. It's roughly the percentage of the national electorate that votes solidly Democratic

Reply to MyshkinCommaPrince (Reply #5)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 06:30 PM

Oct 2013

At least according to Romney. Romney was basically saying that there were 47% of the people that would vote for Obama no matter what. Romney then made up his own reason for that (it certainly couldn't be because people find Republicans repulsive or anything), in his mind translating that into those people want nothing but free stuff form the government, and that's why they wouldn't vote for him.

Downtown Hound

(12,618 posts)

6. Huh. Given that Maine's unemployment rate is only 7%

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 05:32 PM

Oct 2013

Which is 0.3 below the national average, I'd say that in addition to being an asshole, Governor LePage is also a blithering idiot.

http://www.maine.gov/labor/cwri/laus.html

dsteve01

(312 posts)

7. Good sources there

Reply to Downtown Hound (Reply #6)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 05:42 PM

Oct 2013

nice find.

MarianJack

(10,237 posts)

8. As a Mainer, let me be clear: this dipshit MUST GO! However,...

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 05:51 PM

Oct 2013

...Marden's isn't an antiques business. It's a business that sells all the stuff that was too crappy for other retailers to sell. They don't even cut the prices that much, either.

PEACE!

Left Coast2020

(2,397 posts)

11. Well I hope you guys are planning to put this s*** for brains moran

Reply to MarianJack (Reply #8)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 10:01 PM

Oct 2013

on the unemployment line soon. This is a really sick puppy.

MarianJack

(10,237 posts)

12. Mike Michaud, our 2nd district Rep, is running against him.

Reply to Left Coast2020 (Reply #11)

Wed Oct 23, 2013, 06:19 AM

Oct 2013

He SHOULD be able to win. If it were a straight up 2 way race there'd be NO doubt. Unfortunately, Elliott Cuttler, the independent who insured Lepage's 38% "victory", is running again. Hopefully, there won't be as many of us who'll buy his snake oil this time. As highly as I regard Libby Mitchell, our 2010 candidate, Michaus is a stronger contender. I also think that he won't make the same mistake that Libby did of being the only clean elections candidate. She ran out of money 2 weeks before the election and was unable to answer the shitstorm of negative advertising by LePage & Cutler. Hopefully, in spite of Cutler, we'll be able to send LePage's puffy teabaging ass back to his real home in Florida next year. He is an asshole of major proportions! Yuck & YIKES!

PEACE!

RBInMaine

(13,570 posts)

10. The man is a consummate liar and TeaRadical nutjob. We will oust him next year.

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 08:33 PM

Oct 2013

drynberg

(1,648 posts)

13. AS A 40 YR RESIDENT OF MAINE, THE STATE I TRULY LOVE, i NEED TO SAY

Reply to dsteve01 (Original post)

Wed Oct 23, 2013, 08:58 AM

Oct 2013

I am personally very embarrassed by this "GlueBoy Governor" that we unfortunately elected by less than 39%. (It was a 3 way and mistakes happen...) Anyway, GlueBoy is still hitching his star to Rmoney with his infamous 47% remark...astoundlying...hey, GlueBoy, as a reminder, Rmoney lost in 2012 big time, including in the Pine Tree State of Maine. His "facts" are not even close and he just fires from the "kill my butt" hip. This sad guy will be a winning answer in the 2025 version of Trivial Pursuit. And his old job was manager of Marden's which ain't close to antiques, it's just what the sign says, "Surplus & Salvage"...basically stuff other folks don't want.

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