MAINE, USA — NEWS CENTER Maine political analysts, Republican Ray Richardson and Democrat Ken Altshuler, talked about a wide range of issues in this week's Political Brew, from the bills to expand abolition access in the state to Proud Boys convicted in connection with the January 6 capitol riots.
Eliot Cutler Convicted
Former gubernatorial candidate and prominent political figure Eliot Cutler was convicted on child pornography charges. In a plea agreement, the judge sentenced him to nine months in jail and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life. Child welfare advocates are arguing the punishment does not go far enough and that Cutler should have faced federal charges.
KEN: It's astounding to think that someone who came 1.5 percentage points from being governor was convicted. This also shows that you never know, right? A lot of people were critical of the sentence he received. When you look at the average sentencing in the state of Maine for this offense, it really is in line six to nine months. I think that's a pretty short sentence, particularly for somebody who's prominent.
RAY: I mean, I know, Eliot, we've had dinner together at The Grill Room. He's probably been in my studio 30 to 50 times over the years. Stunned is that's not even a word that's near strong enough. Eighty-thousand images of children under 12 years old. I just can't fathom it. The sentence, Ken's right, it's consistent. It just seems short. But he would have gotten probably years had it been prosecuted by the federal government.
Abortion Debate
Abortion was again up for debate in Augusta this week, with people on both sides filling the state house to testify. Lawmakers pulled an "all-nighter" to hear hours of testimony. Among the bills was one proposed by Governor Janet Mills that would, if passed, allow abortion after viability if it's deemed necessary by a doctor.
ZACH: Ray, I know you're opposed to expanding abortion access, but are Republicans really likely to stop any of these from going through?
RAY: Well, when you consider the people in the horseshoe, the elected people that were on the committee, all the Democrats sponsored the bill. So it's going to come out of committee ought to pass. I do think they ought to pause, though, just for a moment. There are some pro-choice Democrats who think post-viability is a bridge too far. And when you add 675 people signed up to testify and the Capitol police said 2200 people came into the state capitol that day, and only 65 testified in favor of it, that would give me some pause to think maybe this is a bridge too far.
KEN: It's not a surprise that more people show up to oppose it because those who feel strongly the most strongly about it will come and testify. Now, let me say the caveat. I don't know anyone who's pro-abortion. It's pro-choice. And the decision, I know you and I disagree on this, but you know what? I believe it's a choice between her and her doctor. And there are situations scarce. This is a very rare situation. But it is a critical situation where a woman and a doctor decide it's necessary to end the pregnancy, and I support it.
Lawsuit Over Budget
This week, some House Republicans joined on to a lawsuit against Governor Mills and Democratic leaders, claiming the legislature violated the state constitution by passing the state services budget along party lines with a simple majority. Lawmakers then temporarily adjourned to ensure it became law more quickly.
ZACH: Ken, I want to start with you. Many people say this lawsuit is a long shot, but does it look like it is gaming the system?
KEN: Well, of course, it's gaming the system that politicians do. And if Republicans were in charge, they'd game the system, too. A 1940 Supreme Court decision says it's entirely up to the governor to decide what circumstances they can do this. It's a long-shot lawsuit. It's politics. It's whether they should have or shouldn't have. They can. And they did. And that's politics. Live with it. Republicans would have done the same thing if it benefited them to do so.
RAY: Well, except that they did. But that's okay.
KEN: They're not in power.
RAY: Right? No, no. But I'm talking about when they were in power. But no, I think this lawsuit is frivolous. I personally, look, I don't agree with what they did. Governor Mills and the Democratic leaders said they were afraid there would be a government shutdown. No Republican legislator I've talked to was talking about that. So they wanted to game the system because they have big spending plans, but they didn't break the law.
Debt Ceiling
Republicans and Democrats in Washington cannot agree on raising the debt ceiling. Republicans want to raise it but with some significant spending cuts. Leadership is supposed to meet with President Biden next week.
ZACH: Ray, will Republicans budge here?
RAY: Oh, I think they're going to. I think the White House might budge a little bit. At the end of the day, this is one of the dumbest fights that we do. We spent the money, and now we need to borrow the money to cover the bills that we've already promised. I mean, it's not like we're borrowing money for new spending. This is to cover stuff we've already agreed to. I think the debt ceiling fight is crazy. Do we need to do something? Sure. We're 32 trillion in debt. The CBO projects this to $52 trillion in debt in the next ten years. Something's got to be done. But let's face it, anyone in leadership in Washington, Republican or Democrat, just doesn't have the stones to do what's right.
KEN: I've talked about this before. This was never an issue. This became an issue suddenly in the last year, and the political situation and Donald Trump three times raised the debt limit. No, nothing tied to it. So this is all political maneuvering. They will make a deal because they have to, but this is a non-issue that very conveniently became an issue of political fodder. It's really irresponsible and really could damage the world economy.
Looming Border Crisis
Congress is gearing up for what could be a major immigration crisis next week. Title 42 is ending, which went into effect under President Donald Trump at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing border officials to expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum. Both Republicans and Democrats are worried about this and working to keep those restrictions in place.
ZACH: Ray, this isn't a long-term fix.
RAY: No, of course not. We haven't had comprehensive immigration reform in this country since 86 when Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to 3 million people. For some reason, it is the job of Congress to secure the border and allow a big door. Ronald Reagan talked about it in his farewell to the country. If we're going to have walls, let's have big doors on them where people are welcome...So this is a really bad situation. It's going to be made worse when Title 42 goes away. But in no way, shape or form does any of this solve any problem whatsoever. And until we find people with greater intellect and greater courage, we're going to be in this situation.
ZACH: Ken, do you think Title 42 should stay in place or something similar?
KEN: Well, what Title 42 was intended for is not true anymore. It's not a health thing. But I was glad it was kept in place because I think Joe Biden was not handling the immigration situation appropriately.
Proud Boys Convicted
The fallout from January 6 continues. A jury in Washington convicted several Proud Boys involved in the Capitol riots this week for seditious conspiracy.
ZACH: Ken, is this justice served?
KEN: Yes, it is. I think the Justice Department has done an excellent job on their prosecutions. It's very difficult to hear some Republicans understating the significance of the insurrection, which I think was an insurrection. And Donald Trump, by the way, is praising the proud boys. It says a whole lot about Donald Trump's character. But yes, prosecute to the full extent of the law. This organization is. Frankly, it's a white supremacist organization. The less power it has, the better. So good prosecution, good verdict. I was very happy to see it.
RAY: White supremacist organization run by a black guy. It's the funniest thing in the world. My attitude has been the same from day one. I don't agree with Ken that it was an insurrection. If it was, it was the dumbest one ever. But it was a riot and a stain on our Capitol. I think everybody involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that has been my place. If they can prosecute these guys and find him guilty, do it and throw them away. You know, this isn't America. This is not what we do.
Winners & Losers
KEN: The winners, I think, are the people of Maine for having spring finally here. It's 70 degrees, according to Todd Gutner, having beautiful weather—time to get out and enjoy yourself. So the people of Maine, to me, are the winners.
The losers, I have to say, are transgender [people]. And I want to say this because, you know, it seems to me that they have become a new target for, frankly, hate, in my opinion. And they're a small minority. They deserve protection. And instead, they've been attacked by legislatures. And I think they are the week's losers because of their persecution.
RAY: Well, I'm going to agree with Ken on the weather. We turned the heat off in our house, and it was 44 degrees yesterday. So I'm going to agree with you. It's nice to have some spring. I don't really have a loser. I mean, we're Americans. We're all winners.
You can catch Political Brew every week Sunday morning on NEWS CENTER Maine's Weekend Morning Report.