OneMaine Talking Points
OneMaine Mission: OneMaine provides a rallying point for people who believe that Maine politics will be more pragmatic and effective when voters support state legislators who are less partisan and who consistently work across party lines to develop solutions that move Maine forward.
OneMaine Vision: A strong political culture in the Maine legislature that emphasizes effective governance over partisan politics.
THE ONEMAINE PERSPECTIVE
- Maine’s political process has broken down. As the extremes in each party gain influence, many people, including legislators, have found it difficult to voice an objection within their own party or to suggest a more moderate approach that would increase common ground between the parties. This hyper-partisanship – although not perpetuated by the majority – stands in stark contrast to Maine’s history of independent thinking, civil dialogue and common sense solutions.
- OneMaine provides a rallying point for pragmatic people in support of legislators who are less partisan and who consistently work across party lines to develop solutions to Maine’s pressing problems.
- OneMaine recognizes that there are many legislators in Maine already doing this good work, and those legislators deserve support.
THE ONEMAINE APPROACH
- OneMaine is not a political party, but rather a big tent under which Mainers of all stripes – Democrats, Republicans, Greens and unenrolled independent voters – can gather to support a political process that is focused on moving Maine forward.
- OneMaine believes that the political process can be made more effective by bringing together legislators, community members, businesses and other stakeholders who are willing to work across party lines.
- OneMaine is not advocating a strict centrist or “middle-of-the-road” approach and will not develop a policy platform that it expects candidates or legislators to follow. Maine’s challenges are complex and it is rare to have a clearly defined and agreed upon “middle” in any political debate.
- While a legislator’s policy agenda is important, OneMaine places a higher emphasis on the process used to make policy decisions. In other words, OneMaine wants legislators to reach common ground across party lines, to engage in civil dialogue and ultimately to help forge policies that support the needs their constituents over those of a party or other special interest groups. OneMaine uses the term moderate to describe this approach to politics and governance.
OneMaine works to improve the political process by taking action in two primary areas:
1. OneMaine provides a forum where moderates can gather to share ideas and strategies.
- OneMaine will facilitate conversations on issues vital to Maine and encourage civil and thoughtful dialogue.
- OneMaine will recognize legislators who act in accordance with OneMaine principles.
- OneMaine will take positions on statewide policy issues involving the political process when determined to be essential to OneMaine principles.
2. OneMaine actively supports candidates for the Maine legislature who share our goals and values, regardless of their political affiliations.
- OneMaine will mobilize its membership in support of the candidates it endorses.
- OneMaine will provide financial support to candidates through the OneMaine Political Action Committee (PAC).
7 Responses to OneMaine Talking Points
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Absolutely OK — the only people who believe it’s not are so partisan they decry besmirching others of their political ilk.
Nice post. Well aitucrlated. The unfortunate thing with debates and speeches is that they start with a pro-party base and as a result the field often gets filled with extremists who gain support from their voter base by scaring them with incorrect info. It would be interesting to see how the field would lay out if they faced the independent/neutral voters.
This is a productive question and discussion to which I would like to add that negative campaigning can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A candidate could avoid personal attack while focusing consistently on the topic yet could be using negative tactics that are not obvious. How? Because the candidate relies on the most immediate and personal motives of the audience. The common one is fear, and close behind are financial ruin, loss of face, a disastrous future for our grandchildren. You know the lot. The language and images can be crafted eloquently and rely on the audience’s imagination to make vivid the terrible consequences of voting for one’s opponent. Aristotle recommended relying on the highest motives of the audience. Virtue, the common good, justice, dignity–envisioning the positive consequences of supporting a policy. So envisioning a positive change in the status quo or the reinforcement of a valued tradition can be persuasive. Ad hominem attacks are easy to spot and say more about the speaker’s character than the opponent’s character. So I wouldn’t put them off limits. Remember how a little more than a year ago Eliot Cutler, the guy “from away” gained support from the series of negative flyers about his association with China? However, relying on the audience’s fears can be very subtle and shockingly effective. Remember what happened to Barry Goldwater’s campaign in 1964 after we watched the little girl picking petals off the daisy? It takes finesse to do it effectively. So I need to restate that negative campaigning that is well crafted can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Watch out for it. And, to sum it up, a skillful mix of relying on the audience’s negative and positive motives is the best way to get the most votes. The candidate who wins is the candidate who lets the audience write the speech and supply the image. Hopefully, that candidate is working for the common good.
it all in 1801, in a rrleay seen letter to a friend, bitter over his loss in the election of 1800, where candidates actually campaigned for the first time. Clouds black and gloomy hang over this Country threatening a fierce tempest, arising merely from party Conflicts, at a time when the internal and external Prosperity of it, and the national prospects in every other respect are the most pleasing and promising, that We ever beheld. I pray Heaven to dissipate the Storm. Adams was so sore because a press leak revealed that Adam’s supposed Federalist Party colleague Alexander Hamilton had declared him unfit. After Jefferson’s partisan pals in the press made this public, Adams saw the beginnings of a complex and bitter party rivalry that would only continue and worse.Let’s face it, there are serious pitfalls with party politics. Undeserving candidates can receive votes along a party-line ticket simply on momentum. Fear of reprisal may prevent endorsements that cross party lines and voters may hesitate to seriously consider candidates on the issues.Parties are wonderful however, as a vehicle for newcomers to get involved in politics without reinventing the wheel. The parties are all set up to recruit candidates, get them on the ballot and support them with existing organizational machinery . The local-national dynamic works well to multiply the power of those that share generally overlapping philosophies.I have hope personally though, that as information-sharing and technology race ahead, we may one day conduct politics more a la carte, creating personal profiles based on issues-based preferences and less on party affiliation. This way candidates could come to us for our votes instead of us having to settle on one of them.
Finally a place to come together that takes the best of both Democrats and Republicans and Independents and focuses on one Maine. Certainly we have our problems and it is important to focus on how WE can move Maine forward. There is no right or wrong way to making Maine a better place to educate and raise a family; to have a good job; to protect as well as have fun with our natural resources, to have the opportunity to think together about what we need to improve the economy, health and stability of Maine. This is oneMaine……..
This sounds all good but I have heard that many staffers are actually Democratic. Is this really a Democratic organization? It will be interesting to see what policies you support- welfare reform, tax reform, regulations, etc…The proof is in the pudding not the recipe.
Those are my questions also. I tend to vote Democrat, but I don’t support either political party. I hope at some point OneMaine will put down in writing what its “goals”,” values”, and “principles” are.