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Our two-party system is failing average citizens. I believe the Democratic and Republican parties serve to divide citizens; maintaining those divisions has become more important than governance. However, a Gallup poll found that “eight in 10 U.S. adults agree on a variety of issues that reflect core aspects of U.S. democracy.”
One area of agreement is the idea that “political leaders should compromise with the other party to get things done, even if they don’t like some parts of the compromise.” Unfortunately, our two-party system requires a cult-like adherence to party.
Gubernatorial candidate Rick Bennett is offering Mainers a different sort of politics. A Republican turned independent, Bennett is a state senator with years of legislative experience.
Bennett has witnessed partisan politics preempting real solutions for average citizens and has evolved into a leader who wants better for the people of Maine. Bennett has witnessed what he calls “entrenched interests, partisanship, and a tendency toward short term crisis management instead of steady, long-term reform.”
In his words: “The simple fact is that the cost of living has grown to be unsustainable for many Mainers, such that many can no longer afford to stay here, work here, raise families here, and plan for the future with confidence. A Maine where teachers, police officers, and essential workers cannot afford to live in the communities they serve — and are still forced to rely on food pantries — is a state with a failing economic model.”
Supporting Bennett is an opportunity to improve Maine’s politics and Maine’s economy.
Patricia Callahan
Augusta
