Is Maine libertarian? (Portland, Bangor: homes, homeschool, university)

[krem1234]

This is a question I've had for a while - some time ago I looked at a map that showed the 2012 Republican primary results by county and saw that northern Maine had a few counties where Ron Paul had a majority. Plus judging from the state laws, like the regulation of firearms, it seems to be a pretty libertarian state. Does this hold up in reality? Are there many people in Maine that are libertarian-minded?

Thanks

[broadbill]

Ron Paul got some counties in Maine because he bothered to visit the state and Romney didn't....Maine usually goes democrat by a pretty wide margin. So by that metric, No-Maine is not libertarian by any stretch of the imagination.

Yes, there are plenty of Libertarian-leaning folks in this state, just like in every other state.

[CoastalMaineiac]

You will still see newspaper headlines about people being locked in cages over actions that don't hurt anybody but themselves, so I'd have to give an emphatic "no" as a response to that question.

[maineguy8888]

I would say that Maine is definitely more liberal than libertarian.

[bangorme]

Maine is an odd mix of poor-liberal-independent minded but dependent on government handouts-cantankerous that causes us to vote insistently. On one hand we have four liberal representatives and senators, yet a conservative governor. We were the only state to vote for Ross Perot (before he started to talk to people that didn't exist). I'd say that Maine is... confused lol.

[Maineguy04654]

Depends on how you look at Maine. Southern Maine has more population and if far more liberal. While MAINE that part of the state located north of Bangor is more self sufficient thus leans more right. Portland open carry a firearm the police will harass you even though it is legal. Up here you can walk down the road with a handgun on you;re side and a rifle on your shoulder and nobody will give you a second look. Those on the dole tend to gather together on mass thus gain political power. Live off welfare and you vote for the hand that feeds you.

[Submariner]

In our township it seems that folks are mostly conservative independents. In the last caucus Ron Paul got a heavy turn-out, however internal GOP stunts made it appear otherwise. A minority candidate 'won'.

I am involved with a few groups on the state Uni campus, where you would expect it to be purely liberal. Dems are there; however I have been seeing a lot of conservatives among the adults there.


Maine is divided into 2 congressional districts. #1 is very small and includes the urban area around Portland and Southern coast. #2 is the other 95% of the state.

The population density around Portland is so huge that it carries all state ballots.

Much as Boston carries Mass; and L.A. - San Fran metroplex carries the huge state of California. A small densely packed urban area has so many voters that it carries the rest of the state.


How do you gauge it? We are a mix.

Maine is very gun friendly, except Portland.

Maine is very open to hunting / fishing, except ...

Maine allows bear-baiting; hunting with dogs; and dog-sleds; these are all activities that Dems have been made illegal in most other states.

When questions are on the ballot to raise taxes, 9 out of 10 times, Maine's voters will vote to raise taxes.

Maine is extremely homeschool friendly. Few other states are this good with homeschooling.

Maine has also had 40 townships that have gone through the process to burn their town charter, as a method of lowering their town's taxes.


Overall Maine has small pockets that are Dem, those pockets are extremely populated so their vote carries the state. At the same time most of Maine is rural, and acts conservative.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Overall Maine has small pockets that are Dem, those pockets are extremely populated so their vote carries the state. At the same time most of Maine is rural, and acts conservative.

Well, this isn't quite right. There are many districts (northern Aroostook county for example) where oftentimes there isn't even a Republican on the ticket.

There are two kinds of Democrats in Maine. Southern Maine has the Teddy Kennedy Democrats. They are well to do liberals. The rest of Maine has the poor Democrats that know which side their bread is buttered on. As I said earlier, the non-Democrats (and probably a majority) just vote in very unpredictable ways. It could be a liberal, or it could be LePage, or it could be Ross Perot. I do know one thing, none of them ever saw a bond issue they didn't like.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by bangorme

Well, this isn't quite right. There are many districts (northern Aroostook county for example) where oftentimes there isn't even a Republican on the ticket.

There are two kinds of Democrats in Maine. Southern Maine has the Teddy Kennedy Democrats. They are well to do liberals. The rest of Maine has the poor Democrats that know which side their bread is buttered on. As I said earlier, the non-Democrats (and probably a majority) just vote in very unpredictable ways. It could be a liberal, or it could be LePage, or it could be Ross Perot. I do know one thing, none of them ever saw a bond issue they didn't like.

They do love raising taxes.

[arctichomesteader]

Libertarian doesn't necessarily equal republican. Ain't many liberty-minded dems in the Portland vicinity though, that's for sure.

Funny you should mention the university submariner. I'm taking some forestry classes here (there? I'm in VT 4 days of the week, ME 3, most weeks here). I've found the politics of the students seems to vary depending on their field/major. The forestry students run more conservative (lots of gunowners), the "women, gender and sexuality" students are going to be predictably way to the left, along with the sociologists, and others who love cities and controlling others. I think the more detached from the real (natural) world people get, the less rational their thinking.