MAINE, USA — NEWS CENTER Maine political analysts Phil Harriman - (R) and Ken Altshuler - (D) discussed several hot-button issues in this week's Political Brew—from guns to the court ruling on the controversial corridor project to abortion.
Gun Laws in Maine
This week, four people were killed, and three others were injured in a shooting spree in the towns of Bowdoin and Yarmouth. The alleged shooter was released from prison just days before, and the incident has reignited conversations about gun safety laws in the state. The Portland Press Herald editorial board published a piece, "Our View: When getting firearms is easy, nowhere is safe," which aims at state legislators for not recognizing the risk of gun violence in Maine.
ZACH: Do you think the Press Herald was right with this headline?
PHIL: Actually, I think they're a little off the mark, Zach...There's so much more to this story regarding what are we doing to prevent this type of incident from happening when we know someone has the potential to create this sort of heartache.
ZACH: Is it worth a closer look by lawmakers?
KEN: Of course. But it's not going to happen. I said long ago that nothing happened when Sandy Hook happened when you had 24 elementary school children slaughtered. This is minor... The NRA is too powerful.
CMP Corridor Legal Win
A jury unanimously sided with Central Maine Power Thursday in determining the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect project did establish "vested rights" and can move forward—the ruling overrides when Maine voters rejected the project back in 2021.
ZACH: What kind of precedent does this set?
PHIL: I think it sets the right one. I know people have extreme opinions on both sides of this issue, but the notion that if you don't like the outcome of someone who followed the law, who went through all the regulatory permitting process and then went referendum, and then retroactively undone what was legally done would have set a very chilling message to Maine's economy.
KEN: Phil is right. They passed every regulatory scrutiny. They did everything right. The issue was: did they accelerate the construction to have vested rights? Frankly, I'm surprised at the verdict because I think they did.
Supreme Court on Abortion Pills
All eyes were on the Supreme Court this week over a decision on the commonly-used abortion medication Mifepristone. It comes after a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that claimed the FDA approval of the drug back in 2000 was invalid. Late Friday, justices blocked the ban on the drug until they could rule on the FDA issue. (At our recording time, the court had yet to issue a ruling.)
PHIL: It's the most critical issue in the legal and political arena today. I think it's time for the court to make their decisions, make the Supreme Court make a final decision, and let's move on from this. There are way too many men involved in a decision about reproductive rights.
KEN: Well said, Phil! I love that a conservative judge in Texas became the most activist judge in the history of the United States by making his personal views make a decision.
Biden's Expected Announcement
According to multiple reports, President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign as soon as next week.
ZACH: There has been a lot of talk about whether Biden is "fit" for another term. Will that be a concern for Democrats, Ken?
KEN: I think most Democrats would prefer Joe Biden not to run again. I think Joe Biden does not have dementia, but he does appear to be feeble. The way he looks does not cause people to be confident in him. I think he can beat Donald Trump. I'm not sure he can beat anyone else.
ZACH: Phil, President Trump has announced his intentions. Ron DeSantis hasn't formally announced but was just in New Hampshire last week giving a stump speech. Does either of them have a chance against a Biden run?
PHIL: I think what we're seeing now is an increase in support among Republicans for Trump and the decrease in DeSantis support has everything to do with what is perceived to be this unfair indictment of him in New York; so it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out in the months ahead and how the public opinions change.
Winners & Losers
BETSY: My winners of the week was this week there were over 150 young people who came to the state house to just be involved in the process, to learn about the process, to talk to legislators about things they care about. I was thrilled to see those people there...It was Maine Youth Action Day and it was awesome.
The losers to me are the republican legislators in the Montana legislature who have barred the transgender representative from being on the floor of the Montana House. I don't know what we're so afraid of, but this is not how democracy works.
PHIL: My loser of the week is the federal housing finance authority who decided that people who save money, put down down payments, have good credit are going to pay more in fees then people who have lower credit scores. It's not the right message.
The winner this week for me is the number of high school seniors who are now hearing from the colleges that they applied to, and getting ready for the next phase of their life. Good for them.
You can catch Political Brew every week Sunday morning on NEWS CENTER Maine's Weekend Morning Report.