Political Analysis of 2020 General Election
Progressive Dark Money About to Rock Our Political World
“Progressives believe that the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of a select few does more to damage the general welfare of the country than to promote it.” Progressive Army — Tenets of Modern Progressivism
Mainers, sportsmen and women, SAM members, conservationists, lovers of hunting, fishing, and everything outdoors — hear me! One of the most important election cycles of our life is on our doorstep, and groups that oppose our way of life are poised to gain greater influence. National and state Progressive groups, many hostile toward firearm rights, fueled by seething anger toward our President, are energized, organized, and better funded than at any time in history. With the election almost a year out, they are already here in Maine making preparations to receive unprecedented millions to influence the upcoming elections.
Billionaires like George Soros, and recently announced presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, are pouring money into urban areas like Portland, Camden, and Lewiston, hiring political operatives, setting up headquarters, recruiting idealistic and easily manipulated college students as foot soldiers, and reinforcing organizations they established in the recent past. Their targets are Republicans and rural moderate Blue Dog Democrats — our friends who consistently support our traditions and outdoor culture, like hunting and firearm rights.
These groups are already attacking Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in what will be one of the nastiest and most expensive U.S. Senate races in Maine history. Progressives don’t care that she was voted the most bi-partisan U.S. Senator in Washington; they see an opportunity to win every seat in New England. There are six New England states, and of the six, Democrats holds 32 of 33 Senate and House seats from a region that was once a Republican stronghold. With so many safe Democrat incumbents in New England, Democrats can shift most of their focus and money on winning this last remaining seat, and also shift the majority balance in the Senate from Republicans to Democrats. Progressives know this, and are trying to piggyback on party efforts, become more relevant, and force the Democrat agenda farther to the left. This is bad news for Republicans, moderate rural Democrats, and Mainers.
Who Are the Progressives in Maine?
Progressives in Maine are a minority of urban Democrats and Greens whose backbone is the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), based in Portland, and funded mostly by groups established by the controversial billionaire, George Soros. Soros usually focuses his millions in spending on pro-immigration and social justice issues. During the LePage administration, the Maine People’s Alliance successfully used the referendum system and the Soros’ organization (the Open Society Foundation), to not only put liberal policies on the referendum ballot, but to also build a progressive political network of paid canvassers and political operatives throughout the mostly populated urban areas of Maine. They have an impressive list of partners and allies (https://www.mainepeoplesalliance.org/allies) that make up the core of the progressive MPA network. They are public sector unions, progressive-leaning environmental groups, and social justice splinter groups based in southern Maine. This 50-member strong base will likely be used as the conduit to organize and distribute much of the progressive dark money that will flow into Maine in 2020.
George Soros and the Open Society Goes Guns for Your Guns
On September 4, 2019, NewsBusters reported that Soros was now spending millions on gun control: “Through his Open Society Policy Center, Soros’ money helped advocate the repeal of the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act” (PLCAA), which protects gun companies from lawsuits related to crimes committed with firearms. In total, Soros spent $8,520,000 lobbying for legislation that mostly focused on removing this liability protection. It is not a coincidence that on 12/5/2019, current presidential candidate and fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced a series of draconian gun control measures that he would introduce if elected President. This repeal was at the top of his list.
If Soros and Bloomberg succeed, this policy would be the end of firearm manufacturers, as it would open them up to endless frivolous lawsuits — and Soros and Bloomberg know it.
Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg Supplants Beto O’Rourke
Presidential candidate Robert Francis (Beto) O’Rourke rocked the Democrat’s world, when in a televised debate he announced that, if elected, he would confiscate AR-15s and other types of semi-automatic firearms. Do you think it is a coincidence that just a few short weeks later his campaign would spontaneously combust? It is likely that leaders of the gun control movement, like Michael Bloomberg, were losing their minds as Beto went off script. Up to this point in time, the press, gun control organizations, and sitting pro-gun control legislators have been able to control the message to sound reasonable, using language like “gun safety” instead of words like, “confiscation”. Worse, many in the progressive movement seized on his statement with a loud “Hell Yes!”
Many in the gun control movement realized that if O’Rourke was successful in labeling Democrats as the party of gun confiscation, the resulting blowback from voters, and the already nervous moderate Democrat candidates, could end any political momentum they had created for 2020. Beto needed to go — and go he did!
Bloomberg Splashes onto the Scene
No billionaire is more committed to gun control than Michael Bloomberg. He has started gun control organizations throughout the country, including in Maine, and he has publicly declared war on the NRA. In the not-too-distant past, as Mayor of New York he instituted the “stop and frisk” policy that allowed officers to stop city residents and search them randomly for weapons. At the height of his program, and in one year, over 600,000 New Yorkers were stopped without cause and searched. Problem is, the vast majority were African American and Hispanic. In a landmark civil-rights ruling, the federal court crushed the policy. This from the Center for Constitutional Rights: “a federal court found the New York City Police Department’s highly controversial stop-and-frisk practices unconstitutional. In her thorough 198-page ruling, Judge Shira Scheindlin found the NYPD’s practices to violate New Yorkers’ Fourth Amendment rights to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and also found that the practices were racially discriminatory, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Fast forward: Bloomberg just announced he would run as a Democrat for President. In his first speech to a predominantly black church in Brooklyn, he apologized for the “stop and frisk” policy. This letter writer in The New York Timessaid it best: “It’s too late and too facile, especially coming at a time when it serves Michael R. Bloomberg’s electoral interests. Especially when he defended the tactic for years in the face of undeniable evidence that it was racist and illegal. He even said, ‘I think we disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little.’”
For a party courting minority voters like African Americans and Hispanics, Bloomberg’s entry into the Presidential race creates serious and legitimate openings for opponents to rightly claim racist hypocrisy! For that reason, I do not believe Michael Bloomberg has a snowball’s chance in Haiti to win the Democrat primary. Instead I believe he is running to be on the stage to retake the gun control message from the Beto O’Rourkes, and to reset the debate from “confiscation” to “commonsense gun regulation”. In addition, by running for President, he can use existing party infrastructure to build a predominantly progressive network of gun control activists across the country. When he loses in the June 2020 primary, he can then feed his gun control money into the same network of progressive groups as George Soros, thereby amplifying his message and resources.
The Perfect Storm of Money and Anger is Building on the Horizon as Progressives Begin Attacks on SAM and Gun Owners — They Will Go After Anyone Who Defends the Right to Own Firearms and Defends Our Outdoor Traditions.
There are several new progressive groups that have emerged in the last year. “Suit Up Maine”, a supposedly all-volunteer grassroots group of “so-called” Mainers, claim they are working to raise awareness around issues such as civil rights and social justice. They are the group that holds sit-in vigils at the offices of Senator Susan Collins. They recently attacked SAM on social media, claiming we were a puppet of the NRA. They also posted a picture of our staff, with posters on their site wanting to know “names”. I thought the threat was serious enough to go public. I appeared on the radio program WVOM in Bangor the next day to expose them. A group called “Lewiston Indivisible” followed suit, with the same types of threats. A quick Internet search immediately connected these two groups to — you guessed it — the Maine People’s Alliance, and George Soros!
Every Legal Firearm Owner Should Be Concerned
This election cycle, two billionaires, Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, will lead a cast of fellow billionaires and national progressives with financial resources that is unprecedented in modern political elections. They will be seeking like-minded progressives to run as candidates for office, who will vote to take your firearm rights, and in many cases our outdoor culture. Using their endless supply of money, they will accelerate the establishment of progressive political bulkheads in every populated area of Maine. They will hire paid canvassers to swarm over the countryside, to tell you how wonderful their favorite candidate is and how horrible their opponent is.
They have, and will, use their money to buy up media outlets well before the election. And because their money is unlimited, media outlets will raise their ad rates to levels their opposition cannot afford. They will squash and manipulate the debate by buying their opposition out of the media market.
All media markets will be consumed by the Collins Senate race, while progressive groups use their unlimited supply of money to win the ground game throughout Maine for legislative candidates who are loyal to policies promoted by the Bloombergs and Soroses of the world.
No Republican or Reasonable Democrat Will be Spared
No Republican or Democrat who doesn’t agree to support the progressive political agenda will be spared. Just last session, progressives at the Maine People’s Alliance threatened two rural Democrats, then-Representative (now Senator) Luchini, D-Hancock, and Sen. Dill, D-Penobscot, that if they did not vote the MPA way, they would face a primary. It didn’t matter to the MPA whether the policies were appropriate for the two rural legislative districts — it was their way or the highway! Each survived their race, but the MPA delivered on their threat and the message was sent to every Democrat seeking office — vote their way or else. We have many Blue Dog Democrats who support firearm rights and the outdoor traditions we care about. Without them last session, and in the past, we would not have been successful. Progressives know SAM stands in the way, so they will try to crush us or strongarm Democrats to distance themselves from us, and at the same time from their constituents. It is crucial we defend all of our friends and push back against their intimidation.
For Republicans already in the minority at the statehouse, the situation is bleak. The money pouring into Maine will be to defeat Collins and push gun control. With limited funds and the U.S. Senate majority at stake, national Republican contributors will rally behind Collins, which means little resources will be available to defend state Republican House and Senate seats. Every seat lost to a progressive is a lost friend.
What Does It Mean for Rural Maine and the Rural Culture?
A progressive who supports gun or hunting rights is as rare as a Wooly Mammoth. Just look to progressive states like California to see what a future under progressive rule would be like. If we have learned one thing from the most recent national and state elections, it is that the political divide between rural and urban areas of the country and within our state are growing. Vote totals in the bear and background check referendums showed urban voters strongly supporting both initiatives, and rural voters opposing in droves. It also showed Democrats winning big in populated urban centers and Republicans winning rural areas, with few exceptions.
The problem with most recent elections is that urban centers are becoming more politically progressive and rural areas more conservative; consequently, where this dynamic begins to go off the rails and swing the political advantage to progressives is because urban areas are also where the wealth is concentrated. This disturbing trend means rural residents in sparsely populated areas have a diminishing ability to raise money to defend their communities from those who impose their political will from another region of the state or nation. Progressives realize they are the minority, but their advantage is money. Absent the ability to win issues on their merit, they will attempt to win control of our lawmaking process by financial superiority.
We are about to enter an election where a few billionaires and a minority of progressive activists, buoyed by an endless supply of money, are about to overwhelm our Republic. These same people have shown nothing but contempt for our firearm and hunting rights, as well as our culture. If we love our way of life, we must fight for it!
What Hope Do We have?
The best thing we can do is to educate ourselves and our friends. When political operatives come to your door, ask who they work for. Use the Internet to research who these groups are, and what they stand for. Educate your family and neighbors about those candidates who support our outdoor rights and culture, and those who do not. By all means, become a savvy voter. Candidates will often dodge questions on topics like guns and hunting — don’t let them. Make it clear you want an answer, and if not, you’ll vote for their opponent. As an average Mainer it is nearly impossible to compete with billionaires, but what they can’t buy with money is the deep love and passion we feel for the outdoors, and the freedom which our Constitution guarantees.
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2019 November/December Legislative Report
Sportsmen and Women had a Good Legislative Session
Unfortunately, Gun-Control Advocates Returning in 2020
Gun Control Bills Fizzle
In the last legislative session, SAM was at the tip of the spear negotiating gun control and gun safety legislation. There were over a dozen perennial gun control bills, mostly driven by out-of-state organizations. In addition, the same groups introduced a very controversial “Red Flag” bill that enabled individuals to seek a court order to temporarily take firearms from individuals. All these bills failed, including the “Red Flag” bill, and we negotiated a new bill, LD 1811: “An Act to Enhance Personal and Public Safety by Requiring Evaluations of and Judicial Hearings for Persons in Protective Custody Regarding Risk of Harm and Restricting Access to Dangerous Weapons.” The bill was supported by the gun rights community and over a dozen other organizations, and it passed easily. The bill strengthened the protective custody statute for individuals in a mental health crisis, who are released without treatment and may be a danger to themselves or others. The bill is now part of the U.S. Congress debate as a much better alternative than the so-called “Red Flag” legislation.
There were two other SAM bills that passed the legislature related to this subject, both sponsored by Rep. Patrick Corey, R-Windham: one to create a School Safety Center at the Department of Education, to constantly update and improve security measures and training in Maine schools; and another incentive-based bill to establish a sales tax exemption for gun safes and lock boxes. That bill remains in the Appropriation Committee, waiting for final approval and funding.
Out-of-State Big Money Groups Coming Again in 2020
Although we were successful in killing all the bad gun bills this last session, the opposition has regrouped and they are coming again in 2020. Funded by billionaires George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, pro-gun control legislators in Maine have reintroduced many of the same bills we killed last year. Below is a partial list of the gun control bills being proposed for the next session and their sponsors. It just never ends!
(CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY; CRIMES; ENDANGERING) LR 2887: “An Act to Amend the Statute Regarding Endangering the Welfare of a Child to Include Allowing Children Access to Loaded Firearms without Permission.” Sponsor: Representative Doudera of Camden.
(POSSESSION) LR 2645: “An Act to Require a Person Who Owns a Firearm to Purchase Liability Insurance.” Sponsor: Representative Cooper of Yarmouth.
LR 2692: “An Act to Safeguard Children by Aligning the Laws Concerning the Possession of Firearms on Nursery School and Child Care Facility Properties with the Laws Governing the Possession of Firearms on School Property.” Sponsor: Senator Gratwick of Penobscot.
LR 3071: “An Act to Stop the Trafficking of Firearms.”
Sponsor: Representative Gramlich of Old Orchard Beach
(The next three are particularly interesting, as they refer to the misleading term “assault weapon.”)
LR 2829: “An Act to Amend the Definition of the Term “’Machine Gun.’”
Sponsor: Representative Doudera of Camden
(WEAPONS SALES) LR 2812: “An Act to Ban the Distribution of Assault Weapons without Proper Authority.” Sponsor: Representative Reckitt of South Portland.
(CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY: WEAPONS SALES) LR 2953: “An Act to Prevent Mass Shootings in Maine by Banning Assault-style Weapons.” Sponsor: Representative Morales of South Portland
Department Receives Long-Needed Funding Boost
In Maine, hunting generates 3,400 jobs, mostly in economically challenged rural areas of the state. Fishing in Maine provides a similar 3,330 jobs, and together with hunting they generate nearly $.75 billion in economic activity. These amazing numbers are generated with a tiny marketing budget, as most of the State’s marketing dollars are spent promoting coastal tourism. For years we have battled to get some money spent in the areas outside coastal Maine, and finally, Governor Mills proposed and DIFW has received an additional $250,000 in new marketing and communications dollars. In the coming months we hope to see a new plan on how those dollars will be spent, but we hope it will be outside the Gold Coast of Maine.
DIFW Landowner Relations Program Receives Additional Appropriation
With over 95% of Maine in private ownership, access to private land for hunting, fishing, and trapping is paramount. That means constantly working to build positive relationships between outdoor recreationists and landowners. The small but effective landowner relations program at DIFW, led by Warden Rick LaFlamme, got a well-deserved funding boost to the tune of $150,000. From initial discussions at DIFW, it appears the new funding will go to address illegal dumping.
Several New Hunting Opportunities for Kids and Adults
The Legislature endorsed several new opportunities for hunters. SAM introduced a comprehensive overhaul of the turkey hunting management plan through Senator Black, R-Wilton. The bill would have broadly expanded the bag limit on turkey in appropriate Wildlife Management Districts to 6, and made other changes. Immediately the new Commissioner, Judy Camuso, entered into discussions with us, and after just a few meetings it was obvious the Department was receptive to increasing turkey bag limits — and they were willing to do it without a new law. As a result, we withdrew our bill and the Department implemented a new fall, 5-bird bag limit in some Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs)as well as an earlier season, which would start in September.
We have a similar SAM bill related to bear management that would expand bag limits and opportunity. That bill has been carried over until the next session in 2020. Initial discussions between SAM and DIFW have been very productive, and we remain hopeful.
A new “Cast and Blast” opportunity was created, that started the grouse season on the last Saturday in September. Another bill was passed that directed the Commissioner to establish a new Thanksgiving Day Youth Turkey hunting day, and finally, another bill will allow the use of crossbows in the regular archery hunting season for deer.
Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) Bond Still Needs Funding There is still one big item to be resolved, and that is a new General Fund Bond to replenish the deleted LMF program. In the last voter-approved LMF bond, SAM, working with well-respected deer biologist and SAM consultant Gerry Lavigne, was successful in amending the LMF program to prioritize the purchase of land that contains critical wildlife habitat like deer yards and trout spawning habitat. There was not consensus in the 2019 session, and we could not achieve a necessary 2/3 vote to put the issue on the ballot. But we feel really good about our chances. In the last LMF bond, this new prioritization of critical habitat led to the purchase and protection of 5,000 acres of deer yards and the permanent protection of miles of trout spawning habitat in the Forks region, near Jackman.
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2019 September/October Legislative Report
Four SAM ILA Bills Held Over Until 2020 Legislative Session
As the summer wanes, SAM is beginning to focus on new and unfinished legislative matters. We introduced several bills that were passed into law, like the shooting range bill, sponsored by Rep. Corey, that stops hostile neighbors from building an empty shack next to an established range and then calling the police. This was a dishonest use of the hunting rules which made it illegal to hunt near farm buildings (300 feet), and they used it to shut down shooting ranges. Perhaps these landowners should have purchased a home a little further from an existing range, just like building homeowner who chose to build or buy next to a chicken farm or gravel pit.
We have four SAM ILA bills that were held over and will be resolved in 2020. One, sponsored by Senator Black, gives the Commissioner of DIFW the authority to expand hunter opportunity to harvest an additional black bear using all methods (baiting, hounding, or trapping), and lowering bear permit fees. The bill was introduced to slow the uncontrolled growth of the bear population. Obviously, the Humane Society of the United States and their allies are balking, but I think we will succeed. We met with a group of stakeholders at the end of the session, and an amendment is pending re-adjournment.
Hunting on Public Reserved Land
Currently, state law bans the discharge of firearms within, 300 feet on either side of marked trails on Public Reserved lands when marked hiking trails are created. That creates a 600-foot wide no-shooting (and hunting) zone along these trails. Another SAM bill held over, LD 1270: “An Act to Create Certain Recreational Opportunities on State-owned Land”, sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, is held over until next year. The bill creates a new hiking trail designation where hunting would be allowed when and where appropriate. Heavily populated and crowded trails would remain no discharge, but some rural, sparsely-used trails could be open or created that would allow hunting – with proper signage, of course.
Another SAM ILA bill, sponsored by Senator Davis, would allow the use of mineral blocks, designed to benefit wildlife, in the spring and early summer. The blocks were inadvertently banned along with other feed two years ago. There was no real justification for banning mineral blocks, and our consulting biologist, Gerry Lavigne, concurred that they were beneficial to wildlife health.
The fourth and final bill was sponsored by Rep. Corey, our good friend from Windham. The bill created a sales tax exemption for the purchase of gun safes and other firearm safety devices. The bill received a unanimous ought-to pass report from the Taxation Committee and went on to pass the Legislature and was later placed on the Appropriations table. That means, in order to become law, the bill needed funding: $80,000, to be specific. The Legislature did not fund the bill in the biennial state budget, so in order to keep the bill alive it was carried over until 2020. I guess incentive-based gun safety measures aren’t a Legislative priority! Who would have guessed?
The remainder of this Legislative Report is provided on our website: sportsmansallianceofmaine.org. The information was provided by the Department of Inland fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW) and contains 28 pages of bills tracked by the Department and our organization. The file contains links and final disposition of all the bills tracked during the first year of the 2-year legislative session. Many of the bills have already been in the SAM News, but for those who would like to see all the bills that were worked, please visit our website. Again: sportsmansallianceofmaine.org.
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2019 July/August Legislative Report
The legislature is still in session as I write this report. Some bills have been resolved by defeating the bill, amending it, or passing it. This report is only going to address the bills which have passed and become law. A future report will speak to the remaining bills.
LD 27: “An Act to Allow the Use of Crossbows during the Archery Season on Deer.”
For a period of three years, beginning in 2020, LD 27 allows a person to hunt deer with a crossbow during the open archery season on deer and the fall season on turkeys. It also states that a person using a crossbow must have an antlerless deer permit to harvest an antlerless deer during the regular archery season. It also requires a report back to the committee.
LD 33: “An Act to Establish Thanksgiving Youth Turkey Hunting Season.”
This bill directs the Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to consider establishing a special youth turkey hunting day during the fall season. The commissioner has the authority to do it currently.
LD 79: “An Act to Protect Shooting Ranges.”
This is a SAM bill, and it allows the discharge of a firearm on a sport shooting range that is within 100 yards of a building, if the shooting range was established and in regular operation prior to the erection of the building.
LD 265: “An Act to Increase Opportunities for Hunters, Anglers, and Sporting Camps by Expanding the Season on Upland Game.”
This bill establishes that the open season on upland game must begin on the last Saturday in September, and authorizes the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish the length of the season. It also removes ring-necked pheasant from the definition of “upland game.”
LD 490: “An Act to Give the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife the Authority To Change the Opening Dates of Trapping Seasons Based on Weather Conditions.”
This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to change a trapping season opening date, if weather conditions make that change necessary.
LD 528: “An Act to Increase the Number of Clubs That May Be Issued a Special Dog Training Area License.”
This amendment replaces the bill and adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause. It increases from 5 to 8 the number of clubs per county for which the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife may issue a special dog training area license.
LD 881: “An Act To Ensure Equitable Treatment of Super-Pack License Holders in Antlerless Deer Permit Lotteries.”
This amendment replaces the bill and adds an emergency preamble and an emergency clause. It specifies that a person who obtains a Super-Pack license also receives an antlerless deer permit under certain conditions, and the opportunity to enter a bonus antlerless-only deer permit lottery. It also allows a Super-Pack licensee to enter an antlerless deer permit lottery if that person does not obtain an antlerless deer permit under certain conditions specified in law.
LD 932: “An Act Regarding Moose Permit Sub-permittees.”
This bill requires the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to transfer a moose permit to a family member who meets eligibility and permit requirements and who is not otherwise prohibited from holding the moose permit if the permit holder dies at any time prior to or during the moose hunting season if a moose has not yet been harvested under that permit.
LD 1147: “Resolve, to Direct the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife To Study Registration Fees for All-terrain Vehicles and Snowmobiles.”
It directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to review, in consultation with interested parties, the current registration fees for all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles to consider alternatives to the current fee structure and the potential effects on revenue that these alternatives may have. It requires the Commissioner to submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife detailing the alternatives considered and any recommendations. It gives the committee the authority to report out a bill based on the Commissioner’s report.
LD 1298: “An Act to Enhance Fish and Wildlife Laws.”
This bill provides the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife the authority to change the closing date of the recreational ice-fishing season by rule. It also amends the rule-making provision of the law governing open seasons for fishing to explicitly provide for adoption of emergency rules.
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