Gov. Paul LePage had conciliatory words for the Maine NAACP Monday, and despite his emphatic rejection of an earlier invitation, he made a point of attending a Martin Luther King Jr. event in Waterville.
LePage deserves credit for recognizing the need to make such a gesture. Damage control was clearly in order after the governor commented disparagingly about the state NAACP and its criticism of his refusal to attend its annual King Day celebrations.
The damage occurred on Friday in Sanford, when he was asked about the Maine NAACP’s complaints about his refusal to attend a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
“Tell ’em they can kiss my butt,” said LePage.
This is not acceptable language in any Maine high school or most workplaces, not so much because it is vulgar as because it is confrontational. Perhaps it was the vulgarity of the remark that caught the attention of the news media, though, because his “butt” appeared in headlines in Saturday’s newspapers. It was such an odd and unexpected thing for a governor to say.
Senate Majority Leader Jon Courtney, R-Sanford, had a loyal and understanding explanation, in which he noted that LePage “is not a refined politician, nor did he run as one.”
“It is refreshing to hear someone who doesn’t worry about every word that comes out of his mouth,” said Courtney.
As refreshing as it may be the first time you hear the governor say it, “kiss my butt” is a catch-phrase with a limited political appeal.
The next time the governor wants to fire up partisans and patriots with a rude insult, he’ll have up the ante. Who knows what the next phrase out of his mouth might be, but it could come back to bite him.
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.
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