As we get to know our governor Paul LePage I guess we can say he likes to speak his mind, a lot. He is different then most governors. In just four months he has sparked controversy many times with his words and deeds. Just when I thought he was settling into a routine, Governor LePage came up with another great idea. Turns out he's just like many of us – he wants to be a TV star. Paul LePage wants to launch his own television show called “Inside the Blaine House.”
I didn't know what the Blaine House was until I researched this article. It's the governor's mansion, basically, and LePage wants to be in a reality show from his house. His reasoning for doing this is to get his message across to the Maine people without all the interference from the state house press corps. LePage has had a strained relationship with the media. He wants to speak to Maine people directly, not through the press. According to the Lewiston Sun Journal, “There will be no edited sound bites or one-sided stories.” LePage believes this is the best way to to talk about the issues with Maine people while encouraging them to find out the facts with their own research.
The show would air via the Internet and Channel 9. Democrats, however, say Governor LePage is stepping away from his promise of government transparency. Time Warner Cable said that LePage's show would first start out on the Internet on a biweekly special at 5 p.m. Next it would move to cable on Channel 9. Everybody is not totally OK with the idea. However a former governor of Maine, Angus King had is own call in TV show called the Capitol Connection. He loves the idea and supports LePage fully.
“It’s a chance for the governor to speak directly to the people in a direct and unfiltered way,” King told the Lewiston Sun Journal. “I think it’s a a great idea. I applaud him for it.” Meanwhile, Maine State Historian Earle Shettle worth doesn’t ever remember any other governors with T.V. shows.
Although the governor's idea reminds some of an Augusta version of “Jersey Shore,” producers of the show have said that some pre-taping will ensure quality dialogue about meaningful issues. Cameras will shoot people asking LePage questions and the governor answering them at the Blaine House. The idea is unfiltered messages from the governor, although to some it may look like propaganda. Says Brain Pomerleau, a former electrical engineer doing video production “Were trying to provide a platform where these people can speak directly to the public... without being controlled by the media.” When he refers to “people,” he is talking about government officials.
Who knows what Governor LePage will think of next.
(Material from The Lewiston Sun Journal was used for this story)
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