We want to give credit where credit is due and point out Senate District 13 candidate Laura Fortman’s letter to the editor.
In her letter, Fortman denounces – her word – recent attacks on her opponent by the Maine Democratic Party.
The first attack was the subject of last week’s editorial. We use the plural “attacks” because later in the week, we received a second attack mailer against Dow.
As ridiculous as the mailer about how Dow is personally responsible for Wiscasset traffic, this one tells us Dow “turned his back on veterans returning home from war” and drones on in the same vein.
The traffic mailer was silly. But to attack a candidate’s patriotism is pretty low, a step or two above going after a candidate’s race or religion, or insulting their minor children.
The Republicans are equally guilty of distortion and negative tactics. Our file folder full of attack mailers from past years holds plenty of evidence.
These tactics demean our public servants. They bring shame on the parties, their leaders, and their members. Each one pushes the already dismal level of political discourse deeper into the gutter.
We wish Dow and Fortman the best of luck in the upcoming election.
We hope Senate District 13 voters will join us as we listen to and consider the philosophies and principles they would bring to Augusta.
Before we conclude, we want to extend an invitation. If you see an attack mailer or another example of negative tactics in your district and think it merits more attention, mail it to J.W. Oliver, c/o The Lincoln County News, P.O. Box 36, Damariscotta, ME 04543 or email a photo or scanned document to joliver@lcnme.com.
We can’t write about every mailer, but we are hearing about attack mailers in other local districts and are curious to know what else is out there.
