MAINE, USA — President Donald Trump came to Maine Friday to thank the people who work at Puritan Medical Products in Guilford for the long hours they have spent ramping up production of swabs needed for COVID-19 testing. The president acknowledged that he is tested every other day.
Our NEWS CENTER Maine political analysts agree that the people at Puritan deserved this moment in the spotlight.
Republican Phil Harriman says it's important to spotlight the creation of more jobs. "It was a great great day for the workers and especially for Piscataquis county which, as we all know, is one of the most economically depressed areas of the state."
Democrat John Richardson agrees with that sentiment to a point.
"It was nice that he pointed out the workers at this company because they've done a fabulous job, Richardson says. "But I do think it was nothing more than a thinly veiled political event that the president sorely needs in that area."
The politics of the day included a meeting attended by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, in which President Trump likened Gov. Janet Mills to a dictator for not fully reopening the state, echoing the talking points of many Maine Republicans.
Mills responded by saying, "I've spent the better part of my career listening to loud men talk tough to disguise their weakness, and that's what I heard today."
Richardson believes Trump is "just picking on Gov. Mills and the Democrats because he understands that the Republicans are trailing in the second Congressional district."
And Harriman says the name-calling was not needed, because the president was making his points on topics such as helping Puritan create jobs and much-needed supplies.
"So when he got to the comments about opening the state up, the crowd roared again," Harriman says. "That's all he needed. He didn't have to label Gov. Mills as a dictator. It was unnecessary."
At a roundtable discussion with people from the fishing industry, President Trump signed an order lifting commercial fishing restrictions at a national marine monument off the Gulf of Maine, a designation made by President Barack Obama.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SPEAKS TO MAINE FISHERMAN
Harriman says it remains to be seen whether the change will make a difference for Maine fishermen. But he points out that the more important step was raising the matter to the president of how a tariff and trade war with China and the EU has been hurting the lobster industry by eliminating lucrative overseas markets for their catch.
Richardson agrees, saying, "The truth is the tariffs are killing the fisherman in Maine. And if the president wanted to seriously do something to assist them, rather than having a photo op, he would step up and do something about the tariffs that are harming our fisherman because they can't get the product exported."
This past week, the Legislature's labor committee held a hearing to look into problems with the state's unemployment system. Lawmakers from both parties were angry that Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman did not show up to answer questions. Gov. Mills says she instructed Fortman to skip the meeting and focus on the work to solve the problems many people are having accessing unemployment benefits.
Harriman says that it seems like a page out of Gov. LePage's book. LePage regularly refused to allow commissioners to appear before the Legislature.
Says Harriman, " I think we need to move away from this process of not showing up. The Legislature is a co-equal branch; they have a right and a constitutional responsibility; they should have access to this information."
He also says this "tells me the department of labor's got bigger problems than perhaps we are aware of at this point."
Richardson says, "It was a huge political mistake on the part of Governor Mills. No one should ever be too busy to come to meet with an equal branch of government."
Political Brew airs Sundays on The Morning Report.
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