Total Maine ‘In the Arena’: Strikes on Iran and polling in race for Maine Governor
The panel discusses Congress’s role as the Trump administration carries out attacks on Iran.
MAINE WELL HEY THERE AND GOOD SUNDAY. WELCOME BACK TO TOTAL MAINE. IT IS TIME NOW FOR SOME EXPERT INSIGHT WITH OUR IN THE ARENA PODCAST PANEL. WE’RE GOING TO TALK AGAIN ABOUT IRAN. LAST SUNDAY WE WERE JUST OVER 24 HOURS INTO THIS NEW CONFLICT. WE’RE NOW SEVERAL DAYS INTO THIS OPERATION. HAVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS EVOLVED AT ALL, BASED ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE VOLUME OF THE STRIKES AND ALSO RETALIATION THAT WE’RE SEEING ACROSS THE REGION. ETHAN, LET’S START WITH YOU. YEAH. IT’S JUST REALLY AFFIRMING HOW TRAGIC IT IS THAT DONALD TRUMP WALKED AWAY FROM THE DEAL THAT OBAMA HAD NEGOTIATED WITH NATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD BACK IN 2015 THAT PUT US ON A TRACK OF NONPROLIFERATION IN IRAN, KEPT SANCTIONS IN PLACE TO KEEP PRESSURE ON THAT GOVERNMENT. DONALD TRUMP WALKED AWAY FROM IT IN 2018 AND SAID, I CAN NEGOTIATE A BETTER DEAL THAT WILL HELP TO STABILIZE THE REGION. NOTHING HAS BEEN FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, AND NOW WE ARE IN A PLACE WHERE WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT, AND WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY ARE GOING TO DIE. PHIL SEVERAL DAYS INTO IT NOW, WHAT’S YOUR ANALYSIS? TOTAL SURPRISE. I DIDN’T SEE THIS DECISIVENESS UNFOLDING, BUT NOW THAT IT HAS, I’M JUST SO IN AWE OF THE MEN AND WOMEN IN THE MILITARY, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE. LET’S PRAY FOR AMERICA. PRAY FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, FOR THE WORLD, THAT THIS ACTION ENDS QUICKLY. AND THAT PERHAPS, AS NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN ONCE SAID, WE CAN FINALLY HAVE PEACE IN OUR TIMES. AND WE CERTAINLY HOPE SO. PAT, WHAT’S THE ROLE OF CONGRESS HERE? AND HAVE THEY DONE ENOUGH? WELL, YEAH, THAT’S AN IMPORTANT THING TO LOOK AT. OF COURSE, CONGRESS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DECIDE WHEN THIS COUNTRY GOES TO WAR AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF PUSHES TO TRY TO GET A VOTE ON THAT AND IT’S AND THAT’S GOING TO KEEP COMING UP. BUT THE PROBLEM IS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, NOT JUST DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BUT OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, CONGRESS HAS BEEN ALL TOO WILLING TO LET THE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATIONS MAKE DECISIONS ON WHERE WE’RE GOING TO LAUNCH ATTACKS WITHOUT GETTING ANY AUTHORITY. WE’RE ALSO SEEING IT DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS HAD ESSENTIALLY UNLIMITED POWER TO IMPOSE TARIFFS, WHEN IN FACT CONGRESS HAS THE POWER TO DO TAXATION AND TARIFFS. SO THE CONGRESS REALLY HAS NOT STEPPED UP TO INSIST THAT THEY HAVE A VOICE HERE, AND THEY REALLY MUST AND IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE WHY IF YOU’RE, IF YOU’RE, THE REPUBLICANS ARE IN CONTROL OF CONGRESS AND TRUMP IS THE PRESIDENT, THEY’RE WILLING TO LET HIM HAVE WHAT HE WANTS. BUT IF YOU’RE ANYBODY WHO THINKS CONGRESS MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, WHEN NEXT TIME THERE’S A DEMOCRAT IN CHARGE, IT SEEMS YOU’D WANT TO STAND UP AND SAY, NO, TELL US WHAT YOU WANT AND WE’LL GET IT FOR YOU. DOES THIS CONGRESS HAVE THE ABILITY TO CLAW THAT POWER BACK? I DON’T THINK SO. NOT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. SHIFTING NOW TO WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT ON YOUR PODCAST THIS WEEK, ONE OF MANY THINGS, OF COURSE, THE DEEP DIVE IS THE LATEST UNH PINE TREE POLL. AND THIS IS GIVING US SOME MORE INSIGHT INTO MULTIPLE RACES. WHAT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT HERE ARE THE RACES FOR MAINE GOVERNOR AND REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES. SOME NEW INSIGHT WE’RE GETTING. YEAH. INTERESTING NUMBERS. LEADING THE PACK FOR THE REPUBLICANS IS BOBBY CHARLES, A FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE WITH A 16 POINT LEAD OVER HIS CLOSEST RIVAL, FORMER SENATE MINORITY LEADER GARRETT MASON WITH CHARLES AT 28, MASON AT JUST 12. THE REST OF THE FIELD IS ALL IN THE SINGLE DIGITS, WITH DAVID JONES, BEN MIDGLEY AND JONATHAN BUSH AT 7.6 AND 5%, RESPECTIVELY. NOTABLY, THOUGH, ALMOST A THIRD OF THE GOP ELECTORATE IS UNDECIDED, PHIL, AND THAT MEANS UNDECIDED IS THE TOP ANSWER IN THIS QUIZ. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY, THAT THE UNDECIDED IS THE ONE WHO’S GOING TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THESE GENTLEMEN ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT IT’S VERY TELLING THAT, THERE ARE SO MANY CANDIDATES. WE’RE NOW, WHAT, 60 DAYS, 90 DAYS OUT FROM THE PRIMARY ELECTION, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF MOVEMENT. SOME WILL GET OUT, AND SOME WILL REMAIN IN. ETHAN, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE REPUBLICAN NUMBERS? IT’S INTERESTING FOR SURE. I MEAN, BOBBY CHARLES IS NOT SOMEBODY THAT I EXPECTED TO BE IN FIRST PLACE. I KIND OF HOPE THAT HE WINS BECAUSE HE’S SO FAR OUT THERE ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE BUT I’M REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE HOW MANY OF THESE REPUBLICANS ACTUALLY STAY IN THE RACE. YOU KNOW, THEY PUT A LOT OF RESOURCES IN. THEY’RE STILL IN VERY LOW SINGLE DIGITS. SO NOT A LOT OF HOPE THERE. I EXPECT SOME WILL DROP OUT. WELL, ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, THE FORMER HEAD OF THE MAINE CDC, DOCTOR NIRAV SHAH, IS LEADING THIS FIVE WAY RACE WITH 25% SUPPORT. SECRETARY OF STATE SHEENA BELLOWS IN SECOND WITH 19%. FORMER SENATE PRESIDENT TROY JACKSON IS THIRD WITH 16%. AND PERHAPS MOST SURPRISING, THE TWO CANDIDATES WITH PRETTY DEEP PEDIGREES WHEN IT COMES TO NAMES IN MAINE POLITICS. HANNAH PINGREE AND ANGUS KING, THE THIRD, ARE PULLING UP THE REAR WITH TEN AND 5%, RESPECTIVELY. 23% OF DEMOCRATS ARE UNDECIDED. ETHAN, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THOSE NUMBERS? YOU KNOW, I’M NOT SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF NIRAV SHAH. HE’S NOT A VERY TESTED CANDIDATE AT THIS POINT. SO FOR HIM TO BE UP FRONT, I THINK IT’S MOSTLY AROUND NAME RECOGNITION. I THINK IT’S A VERY GOOD POLL FOR SHEENA BELLOWS. SHE’S PRETTY CONSISTENTLY BEEN IN SECOND PLACE, REGARDLESS OF WHO’S IN FIRST AND IN A RANKED CHOICE RACE THAT’S GOING TO MATTER. BUT THE THING THAT I THINK IS THE MOST INTERESTING OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT BOTH THE REPUBLICAN AND THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, BUSH, PINGREE, KING, EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE MILLS VERSUS PLATNER NUMBER, JANET MILLS, ALL THOSE BIG NAMES, THEY’RE ALL FAR BEHIND. SO CLEARLY, MAINE VOTERS ARE SAYING, WE WANT SOMETHING NEW IN MAINE POLITICS. WE’RE NOT GOING FOR THE OLD GUARD. EVEN IF YOU JUST HAVE THE NAME OF THE OLD GUARD. THAT’S PRETTY, THAT’S A PRETTY DIFFERENT YEAR. YEAH, THAT’S A BIG TAKEAWAY. YEAH. REALLY TELLING THAT, THE PEOPLE WITH THE HIGHEST NAME RECOGNITION, THE BIGGEST LEGACY, IF YOU WILL, IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, ARE THE ONES THAT ARE LAGGING, IN THIS RACE. A LOT OF MAINERS STILL HAVE YET TO MAKE UP THEIR MINDS. IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING RIDE AS WE APPROACH SPRING AND SUMMER. GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. REMEMBER NEW EPISODES OF IN THE ARENA DROP EVERY THURSDAY. YOU CAN WATCH ON OUR WEBSITE, WMTW.COM, WATCH IT O
Total Maine ‘In the Arena’: Strikes on Iran and polling in race for Maine Governor
The panel discusses Congress’s role as the Trump administration carries out attacks on Iran.
In this week’s “In the Arena” segment of “Total Maine,” the expert panel discusses the Trump administration’s decision to carry out airstrikes on Iran.They’ll also discuss Congress’s role after the House and Senate failed to pass war powers resolutions that would have limited the president’s ability to carry out further attacks, and weigh in on a new University of New Hampshire poll that provides insight into the primary races for Maine governor.
In this week’s “In the Arena” segment of “Total Maine,” the expert panel discusses the Trump administration’s decision to carry out airstrikes on Iran.
They’ll also discuss Congress’s role after the House and Senate failed to pass war powers resolutions that would have limited the president’s ability to carry out further attacks, and weigh in on a new University of New Hampshire poll that provides insight into the primary races for Maine governor.