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The voters at Preble Street

Chellie visited the Preble Street Resource Center yesterday morning for breakfast and a discussion organized by the Homeless Voices for Justice. Chellie has visited Preble Street before and when she was President of Common Cause and living in Washington, she volunteered at a soup kitchen there. So she was, as one reporter said, comfortable and at ease in this setting. "So many of us are just a job loss, an illness or a divorce away from homelessness," she said. "It reminds you why we should find compassion for people trying to get back on their feet."

A number of reporters showed up to cover the visit, including WGME News13:

Bangor Daily News profiles Chellie

Walter Griffin, writing in yesterday's Bangor Daily News, in "Chellie Pingree: Maine island living shapes longtime politician's views," tells how Chellie came to Maine, became a farmer, and eventually graduated from local public service to higher elected office.

The article details Chellie's start as a small business owner:

The farm eventually added cows and a flock of sheep, and she and some of her neighbors began gathering the wool for yarn. Pingree and her friends began knitting sweaters and selling them to tourists. It wasn't long before North Island Designs evolved into a full-time business providing income for a number of island women.

The cottage industry grew to the point where its products were sold in 1,200 stores nationwide with catalogs distributed to more than 100,000 homes. The business was sold after Pingree entered politics.

"It was a great business for women. It employed the most women on this island," she said. "It really upped the business at the post office."

You can read the whole article here.

Chellie fields callers' questions on Maine Public Radio

Many callers wanted to know where Chellie stands on a wide variety of topics, from the Wall Street rescue bill to the war in Afghanistan. To hear the show and Chellie's great answers, click on the player below:

League of Young Voters endorses Chellie

Here's what they said:

Chellie is the poster child of the successful non-traditional candidate. As a mother, a farmer, and a small business owner, Chellie rose through the ranks to become an effective and feisty politician. Her role as the president of Common Cause convinces us that she is deeply motivated by the issues and not by the power. Chellie has a ridiculous amount of ideas, all of which are grounded in real debates already happening in DC and locally. Her labor and environmental analysis impress us, as does her willingness to take on corporate power. But don't be fooled-- strengthening the economy is also a huge priority for Chellie. She proposes tons of ways to increase wages and bring people out of poverty: greater unionization of industry, education (higher and lower), green job initiatives, legislation to lower student loan interest rates, serious regulation of abusive lenders, strengthening Pell Grants, and tax credits like Opportunity Maine. When it comes down to it, she knows the issues and the government inside and out and has proven she can strategize and organize to get the job done. With a track record of successful leadership, we feel that Chellie is the most effective candidate to face the enormous challenges ahead.

Chellie's statement on the Wall Street bailout plan

Chellie released this statement this afternoon:

"Congress and the Administration must act quickly to stabilize our financial system, but also must hold those on Wall Street who contributed to this mess accountable.

"Any bailout plan must limit executive pay and cancel stock options so failed CEOs who abused the public trust cannot take our money with them into retirement.

"A bailout must also include protections for taxpayers, including a plan to pay back the American public and a way for homeowners struggling with their mortgages to negotiate better terms.

"This can't be a one-sided deal where the American taxpayers end up holding the bag for the irresponsible behavior of those on Wall Street.

Making the right choice

As I walked down the lovely, wooded path that leads into the Common Ground Fair, I thought of how much had changed in the many years that I had been going there--and how much was exactly the same.

I've been a MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) member for decades -- and served on the board and as Treasurer. Some of my oldest friendships were formed during the years I was very engaged in MOFGA -- Mort Mathers (who now runs the wonderful Joshua's Restaurant in Wells with his wife Barbara and their son Joshua) and Tim Nason of Dresden, who's running for the Maine Legislature in this election.

And so the Common Ground Fair, sponsored by MOFGA, has always been a favorite event. The Fair has undergone some changes over the years -- different locations, different exhibitors... and a lot fewer VW vans in the parking lot. The emphasis on organic farming and sustainability has remained consistent over the years, though.

What is remarkable is the large number of energy efficiency and clean energy exhibits at the Fair this year. I saw solar hot water systems, high efficiency wood boilers, recycled long-life siding, and many other green building products. It's remarkable not just because of the ingenuity they represent, but because, 30 years ago, we were looking at the same kind of exhibits and having the same conversation we are now: how do we make the switch from oil to new forms of clean, renewable energy.

The tremendous potential of clean energy development, or, a trip to see R&D at the University of Maine

Amidst all the grim economic news -- the bailout or bankruptcy of big financial companies, high energy prices, and rising unemployment -- seeing all that is going on at the research and development facilities at the University of Maine was a welcome change.

Last week I spent an afternoon touring the facilities in Orono where exciting research and product development is happening in areas ranging from aquaculture to forest products to energy.

Habib Dagher met us at the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (AEWC), where there is a tremendous amount of new research and product development going on. For example, they are developing new blade technology for the next generation of wind turbines. Not only would the blades be more efficient but, because this research is ongoing at the University, Maine is well positioned to bring the actual manufacturing of these blades to our state.

9,000 new, good-paying, sustainable jobs

A new report released last week has put some hard numbers on something that I and many others have been talking about for some time: an investment in renewable energy development and energy efficiency would yield big dividends here in Maine.

According to the Political Economic Research Institute at UMass Amherst, a $400 million investment in Maine would create 9,000 new, good-paying, sustainable jobs -- that's the equivalent of adding 1½ new BIWs to our state. Just think of the economic benefit that would create for Maine at such a critical time. And while $400 million is a significant amount of money, it's what we spend every day on the war in Iraq.

Nationally this energy efficiency and clean energy stimulus would have roughly the same price tag as the stimulus checks sent out earlier this year -- but the benefits would be much more widespread. Nationwide, the report says two million jobs would be created. And since August marked the eighth month in a row of significant job losses, actually creating these high quality jobs would be a very welcome change.

You think the economy's great, right? Take my poll!

It's officially a recession.

The Labor Department reported last week that the unemployment rate in August hit a five-year high, at more than six percent. This is the eighth month in a row of large job losses -- 84,000 in August alone. The combined rate of inflation and unemployment -- the so-called "Misery Index" -- now stands at 11.7%, the highest it's been since there was another President Bush in office, 17 years ago.¹

In recent volunteer phone calls, voters overwhelmingly said "jobs and the economy" was their number one concern. I'm sure this is the case for just about all of us right now, but I want to know more about what this means exactly to you and your family.

Please take my quick poll and let me know what concerns you most about the state of the economy. http://action.chelliepingree.com/page/s/EconomicEffect

A different kind of contest

Chellie showed her stuff at the Windsor Fair's "Political Pull" cow milking contest over the Labor Day Weekend. A former blue-ribbon winner in this contest, Chellie put her farm experience to good work.

Family Picnic with the Painters' Union

It was a pleasure to see my friends from the Painters' Union at their family picnic in Kittery. I was lucky to have my son, Asa, and his son, Smith, with me -- and Smith was very glad to have the chance to jump in the bouncy castle, ride the pony, and get his face painted. They even had an ice cream truck full of all the ice cream you could ever want. I think Smith was starting to think that this political stuff might not be so bad. He is not quite 4 but he is great on the campaign trail and looked especially good when he had his face painted as a cat...

Here are Asa, Smith, me, and John Laughlin from the Painters' Union.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards visits Maine

America's newest Member of Congress came to Maine this week.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards is an old friend of Chellie's, and in many ways they are cut from the same cloth. It's inspiring to see them interact and listen to them talk.

Donna won a surprising upset victory over an 8-term incumbent in a Democratic primary this spring. Instead of serving out his term, her defeated opponent resigned and Donna won a resounding victory in a special election in June to became Congresswoman Donna Edwards.

Donna came to Maine to campaign for Chellie and, speaking at a gathering in Cape Elizabeth, she talked about the recent vote in Congress on FISA -- how she voted against the bill and why she wants Chellie serving in Congress with her.

Here's a post from the Campaign Blog that Chellie wrote about the FISA vote: Legitimizing Arrogance.

After the 2006 election when Democrats took control of Congress, many people were disappointed that we didn't see greater change in Washington. At the Cape Elizabeth event, Chellie & Donna talked about the need to send not just more Democrats to Washington, but "better Democrats."

Island campaign stop with a chocolate bonus

I don't think there are many congressional districts in the country where some of the campaigning is done by boat -- but I'm glad I live in one of them.

This week we took advantage of one of the most beautiful days of the summer to load some campaign signs onto a boat and head over to Isle au Haut.

It is a beautiful island with a small but dedicated year-round community. And Isle au Haut holds a special place in my heart because they gave me 100% of the vote in the Democratic Primary this spring. Granted, that was just 16 votes, but it's pretty rare for any candidate to ever get 100% of the vote -- so it's not something I will soon forget.

Matt Skolnikoff organizes the Democratic Town Committee on Isle au Haut and has done a wonderful job creating a vibrant organization in a very small community. I was flattered by the turnout at a reception they had organized. (See the photo at left.)

Healthcare system overhaul -- 82% of us want it

A new study from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund confirmed what I hear on the campaign trail every day: Americans are deeply unhappy with our healthcare system, and they believe we need nothing short of a complete overhaul.

In the study, "Public Views on U.S. Health Care System Organization: A Call for New Directions," 82% of Americans said our healthcare system needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt. And what's interesting to note is that the numbers are nearly the same among those who have insurance and those who don't--it's not just the 46 million Americans who are without coverage who are suffering from a broken healthcare system--it's nearly every one of us.

In a recent Washington Post article, Cathy Schoen, one of the senior researchers at the Commonwealth Fund, described just a few of the stories they heard:

Sen. George Mitchell headlines a great campaign event

I wanted to take a moment to share some pictures with you from a wonderful event we had on Mount Desert Island recently and also take this opportunity to say a special thanks to Eleanor Kinney and her parents Gilbert and Ann Kinney for opening their family home on Mount Desert Island and to Senator George Mitchell for attending and speaking to the crowd.

While MDI is not in the 1st Congressional district, I was glad to visit the area where I lived when I was a student at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. We have lots of good friends in the area -- supporters from my previous campaign, friends from the days I was a student and, more recently, a trustee at COA. And the folks at the event have the same concerns that I hear when I travel around the 1st District: they are worried about the economy and jobs, rising energy prices and want to see us overhaul our broken healthcare system.

Here are three photographs from the event:

It was a lovely evening for a party.

Senator Mitchell addresses the group.

Polly Guth makes a point to me and Peter Ralston.

A visit to FMC Rockland

The North Haven ferry docks next to the FMC plant in Rockland -- so anyone going to the island is pretty familiar with the outside of the facility, but I bet not many of them really know what is going on inside. This summer I got a chance to tour the facility with my daughter Hannah. (I'd been inside before, but it was Hannah's first time.)

FMC Rockland is a carrageenan factory -- turning seaweed into a powder that is used as a thickener and binder in everything from pharmaceuticals to toothpaste to chocolate milk. If you open up your kitchen cupboards and start reading the ingredient labels of what's in there, you're bound to find more than a few things with carrageenan in them.
Not only is the Rockland the only carrageenan factory in the US, it's the largest in the world. Twenty-four hours a day workers take seaweed that is harvested in warm water aquaculture farms in Asia and South America and turn it into various grades of high quality carrageenan. Not much of the seaweed that grows in the cold waters of the North Atlantic can be used, although there are a few places on North Haven where I've gathered Irish moss with my kids, which we took home and boiled for Irish pudding.

Working together to find local energy solutions

Last week, Exxon Mobile announced they made more money last quarter than any company in the history of the United States -- $11.7 billion in profit in twelve weeks. $90,000 every 60 seconds. As Maine families struggle to figure out how to pay for $4 a gallon gas and home heating oil and rising electricity rates, the profits of Big Oil "swell," as the New York Times put it.

As T. Boone Pickens has pointed out, our dependency on foreign oil sends $700 billion out of this country every year--he calls it "the largest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind."

On the island of North Haven -- my home for the last thirty-five years, I'm proud to say we're doing something about it. My neighbors on North Haven and Vinalhaven voted last week 382 to 5 to pursue a plan to build two or three wind turbines to provide power for the islands. The two islands are part of a power co-op, owned by the consumers -- a rate-payer owned utility. We pay a lot for electricity and can see that rates are only going to go up further.

Rising electric rates are going to be an increasingly serious problem for Maine families and businesses -- just this week, for example, the PUC approved electric rate hikes of up to 32% for medium and large businesses in Maine.

I think we've found a better solution on North Haven and Vinalhaven: Instead of paying increasing expensive electric bills every month, with the money going out of our community, out of state, and even out of the country, the wind turbines bring the promise of decades of steady rates with the money staying right here. In the winter, the turbines are expected to produce more power than we need, allowing us to sell the excess back to the grid.

Renewable energy has economic advantages that extend beyond steady, predictable electric rates -- and Maine is in a good position to capitalize on those opportunities. Maine construction companies are already creating jobs and making money installing wind turbines, and research at the University of Maine composite lab into more efficient blade design looks promising too.

Making the switch from foreign oil dependency to home grown sources of renewable energy is not without challenges, however -- and federal programs like the Production Tax Credit and a Renewable Portfolio Standard will be necessary to provide the stability and predictability the fledgling renewable power industry needs to become self-sustaining. Sadly, the president and some Republicans in Congress have repeatedly refused to enact these measures, choosing instead to funnel billions of dollars in subsidies to the big oil companies.

We face some big challenges in this country right now, but with those challenges come big opportunities -- if we make the right choices. And in a week in which the newspaper carried both the news of Exxon-Mobile's record profit and the decision of my neighbors to move forward with a wind power project, that choice couldn't be clearer.

Congressional oversight: it's a tough job but someone has to do it

I'm watching with interest the struggle over whether Karl Rove and other White House advisors have to testify before Congress. Just yesterday, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that there's no legal basis for the administration's argument that White House aides are immune from congressional subpoenas and that Bush's former legal counsel, Harriet Miers, must appear before Congress.

As reported by Matt Apuzzo of the Associated Press:

Bates, who was appointed to the bench by Bush, issued a 93-page opinion that strongly rejected the administration's legal arguments. He noted that the executive branch could not point to a single case in which courts held that White House aides were immune from congressional subpoenas.

"That simple yet critical fact bears repeating: the asserted absolute immunity claim here is entirely unsupported by existing case law," Bates wrote.

While this ruling can be appealed, its strong and definitive language implies that such an appeal might not succeed. Nor should it.

The founding leaders of our country believed in a three-part sharing of governmental power, with each branch jealously watching the actions of the other two. What a concept! This separation of powers led to the ingenious, although often unwieldy, system of checks and balances that is integral to shared authority. No one branch of the U.S. government should have supremacy over the other two.

So, when leaders in Congress abdicate their oversight responsibility -- as happened from 2000 through 2006 -- and give the executive branch free rein, bad things happen. Let us count some of the ways: waging an unnecessary war and mismanaging another one; injecting partisan politics and cronyism into the workings of the Justice Department, the EPA, and other governmental agencies and greatly reducing their effectiveness; allowing Big Oil and Energy to write our energy policies in secret; permitting the erosion of what once were thought to be constitutionally protected civil liberties; disregarding international laws regarding torture and prisoner treatment; installing right wing conservative judges in the Supreme Court - the list could continue for pages.

Oversight shouldn't be impacted by partisanship, although in this cynical atmosphere I feel like PollyAnna for saying so. If the next Congress, of which I hope to be a member, and the next president are from the same party, Congress still must provide its mandated checks, period.

When you're elected to Congress, you take a vow to uphold the Constitution and its system of checks and balances. That vow doesn't say, "Unless it's politically uncomfortable."

A Vote for Net Neutrality

Great news this week from the FCC (and I haven't had the chance to say that many times of the last seven years). By a vote of 3-to-2 the Commission has confirmed what many of us have known for sometime -- that it's wrong for Internet providers to discriminate against certain kinds of online traffic. The specific case is about Comcast and their attempt to slow down the traffic of some customers. But the issue at stake -- Net Neutrality -- is much bigger.

Someone commenting on a Matt Stoller post at OpenLeft made this point: "This issue still needs us explaining it to...anyone who will listen." It's a good point, and it's easy for those of us intimately familiar with Net Neutrality to forget that this isn't even on the radar screen for much of the public. But it should be. If the big telecoms (and many Republicans) get their way, the open and free Internet we have all come to take for granted could quickly become not-so-open and not-so-free.

Net Neutrality -- a guiding principle of the Internet since its beginning -- means that content is all treated equally. It means that when I'm reading the New York Times online, my Internet provider lets me download the page the same way I would download, say, the pictures of Harriet Pendelton's surprise 80th birthday party on the website of my town of North Haven.

But that's not what companies like Comcast and Verizon want. They want the ability to slow down certain kinds of traffic. For example, they might decide that content providers who pay them get full-speed service, while those who don't get relegated to a "slow-lane." So without Net Neutrality, the New York Times might pop up on my screen almost instantly but I might have to wait a while to get to the important stuff (such as Harriet's birthday pictures.)

Think about what this means: small Internet startups might not be able to afford this gatekeeper's fee, and their second-class status could prevent them from competing with companies that have deeper pockets. With Net Neutrality, the level playing field that gave us Google, YouTube and eBay when they were start-ups would suddenly start to tilt in favor of the big, established players.

As president of Common Cause, I joined a coalition of groups ranging from the Christian Coalition to Consumers Union, and we went to Congress with over a million signatures asking that Net Neutrality be made law. Unfortunately Republicans in Congress refused, and without this week's FCC decision, there would have been nothing protecting American consumers from big telecoms who wanted to create a pay-to-play environment.

Two FCC Commissioners in particular -- my friends Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps -- deserve special recognition. As Matt Stoller points out, these two have been fighting the good fight for Net Neutrality and issues like media consolidation. We're lucky to have them at the FCC but all too often they've been blocked by the three Republicans on the Commission.

We need to make Net Neutrality the law. We need to elect a Congress that will make it a priority to keep this important principal intact -- and insure equal and open access to the Internet for all.

Report from Netroots Nation

It was Saturday morning in Austin and I was sitting a few feet from a stage where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been taking questions from thousands of progressive bloggers gathered for Netroots Nation. Chellie is well known in this community for her work at Common Cause fighting for net neutrality and against media consolidation and for her willingness to take a stand, even when it isn't politically popular.

The recent FISA bill passed by Congress included immunity from telephone companies that may have illegally listened to our calls or read our email. The blogosphere wasn't happy about it and neither was Chellie (she blogged on the subject on Huffington Post just after the vote.) But you have to give the Speaker credit for not only coming to Netroot Nations to give a speech, but for using most of her time to take questions on FISA and dozens of other topics, from No Child to Left Behind to getting out of Iraq.

When it came to a question on global warming the Speaker looked down at her Blackberry and said, "It's funny you should ask that because I just got an email from a friend about that."

But instead of her reading the email, Al Gore emerged from the shadows and strode onto the stage -- the room went wild.

Old Hallowell Day

(This post was written by Joan Sturmthal, who's also pictured at right.)

Saturday was the day of one my favorite events of the year, the Old Hallowell Day parade down Water Street in historic Hallowell. I have watched the parade many times but this year I decided to walk in it to show my support for the Democratic candidates in the upcoming election.

I put on my Chellie Pingree t-shirt, my Obama hat, and grabbed a Tom Allen sign and met up with the Kennebec County Committee, along with Senator Sharon Treat and Sharon Benoit. There was a great crowd, including three cars decorated with signs. It was fun walking down Water Street with about 50 fellow Democrats and people waving from the sidelines along the way. We are very excited about our great candidates this year and showed the crowd by cheering from start to finish. The crowd was so enthusiastic that they even joined in on some of our cheers!

At the end of the parade, we stopped by for a "sneak peek" of the new Kennebec County office, right on Water Street. I am looking forward to joining them there in the future for some phone banking!

Happy Birthday, Scarborough!

This past weekend, Scarborough celebrated its 350th anniversary of being a great town. In Maine summer fashion, the residents celebrated with a festival. On Saturday morning, Chellie joined local Democratic committee members and volunteers for one of the biggest parades we have been in so far this summer. Gathering in front of the Scarborough High School, we had the perfect spot to watch the beginning of the parade form and head down Route 1.

As our part of the parade started to move, Chellie, Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen's wife, Diana Allen, State Senator Phil Bartlett, and Sean Flaherty (running for the State House) led a group of cheering supporters as we walked. Along the route, people clapped and cheered, encouraging Democrats in this election year of change. Clapping, cheers, and waves met us at every new group of people we walked by on the street.

It was a great parade -- it's very clear that Scarborough knows how to celebrate its birthday!

Portland rally with Governor Howard Dean

I just returned from the rally with Chellie and Governor Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, here in Portland. A few people who couldn't attend asked me to fill them in on what Gov. Dean said, so I brought along my iPhone and took notes.

The room at One Longfellow Square was filled with an enthusiastic crowd -- surprising, considering that it was a perfect beach day for anyone who didn't have to be at work.

Maine Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings came on stage before Chellie and talked about the importance of the youth vote in the coming election. "We have chance to right wrongs," he said, referring to the misdeeds of the Bush Administration.

Chellie was next: "This is a political year like no other. As I've said many times on the campaign trail, this will be the most important election of our lifetime -- universal access to health care, developing sustainable energy sources, getting out of Iraq -- there's so much to be done."

The 4th around the District

I couldn't imagine a more perfect day for a parade than last Friday. A warm summer morning, clear skies and red, white & blue bunting everywhere--it was the Fourth of July in Maine. And the Chellie Pingree for Congress team was out in force.

I met up with Chellie at 7:00 a.m. in Rockland and, after a quick detour to the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru, we hit the road and headed for Sanford and their Independence Day parade. Adam Cote joined Chellie at the front of the parade, just behind the fire trucks. There was a warm reception for Chellie and Adam: lots of friendly waves and words of encouragement from the folks lined up along Main Street.

But at these parades, it isn't just "good luck Chellie!" that we hear. Many people actually shouted out something about an issue that's important to them. Sometimes it was something general like "You go down to Washington and straighten them out Chellie!" but often it was quite specific -- about universal healthcare or the price of heating oil and gas.

A Fourth of July parade may seem an unlikely place to discuss national priorities -- but it's evidence of how seriously Maine people are taking this election. Voters know -- as Chellie does -- that we are at a critical point in history with some big decisions to make and some big problems to discuss. (Come to think of it, that kind of open discussion is what our country is all about, so maybe a Fourth of July parade is really the perfect place.)

I was with Chellie for that Sanford parade, but other members of the campaign and Chellie's supporters were spread out throughout the district...

Celebrating Chellie's volunteers

It was a sunny Sunday evening about two weeks after the election when our Portland-area volunteers joined Missy and me along with staff members Barb, Lisa, Cassie, and Alan at the home of Alison Smith. For months leading up to the June 10th primary, we have been lucky to have a group of dedicated volunteers who were always willing to pitch in on the campaign. This party was no different. With a borrowed grill from Karin Roland and a camping BBQ brought by Philip Lee (which had malfunctioning legs, so we had to keep the grill directly on the ground), Deborah Jabar's hamburgers, Alison's veggie patties, and my hotdogs, we had all the materials for some great cooking. Unfortunately, we had a little trouble starting the grill.

Luckily for us, members of Chellie's crew are never scared of a little challenge and Mike Wilson, Bill Bickford, and Isabelle Clark put their heads together to try to get the fire going. Once they determined the main problem, which was that I had bought the wrong charcoal, they were able to find a solution, and soon the backyard smelled of BBQ.

Legitimizing arrogance

Today Maine Congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud voted against the FISA bill that the House Leadership endorsed -- a bill that not only gives retroactive immunity to the telecom corporations Verizon, ATT&T and others for illegal wiretapping, but makes it unlikely we will ever even know who were the lawbreakers and who were the victims. I'm proud that our two Democratic Representatives stood up against the powerful telecom lobbies and said no.

Maine has tough privacy laws, which is why the Maine Civil Liberties Union helped 22 Mainers take their case to our state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) demanding to know whether or not Verizon had been letting the Bush Administration tap their phones or read their email. Verizon's response -- that they hadn't engaged in wiretapping as part of a "fishing expedition" -- had a definite non-denial-denial sound to it.

When the PUC demanded the company swear to the truthfulness of what they were saying in their press releases, the Bush Administration leapt into the fray, suing the Maine Public Utilities Commission to prevent them from pursuing the matter. It would violate state secrets for these Mainers to know whether their phones were tapped or their email was read, the Administration said.

I never thought I'd see the day when the U.S. government could listen in on phone conversations or read private mail without first obtaining a warrant from a court. That sounds more like something that happened in the Soviet Union. But in a double sleight of hand, not only does this new legislation say such unmonitored surveillance of American citizens is permitted, it blocks any opportunity to test the premise in the courts. The Administration says "Nothing to see here folks. We're just keeping you safe. Go on home." And then slams the courtroom doors in our face.

Why would the House -- which has the responsibility for enforcing oversight of the administration's activities, and which earlier this year passed a much better bill that didn't immunize the telecoms -- vote to legitimize that arrogant behavior? This action makes it all the more difficult, if not impossible, for any of us to find out the extent of the Administration's illegal spying. (Oh, wait. The new bill says it's not illegal if the President says it's not illegal. That's in there, too.)

When Congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud were sworn in, they took this oath:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Clearly, they took that oath seriously. I am running for Congress to fill the seat Tom is giving up as he challenges Susan Collins for the Senate. If I am fortunate enough to be elected this fall, I will remember their courage and independence when I take that same oath.

Cross-posted at Turn Maine Blue, Open Left, and Huffington Post.

Thank you.

Dear Friends,

Today we have a victory to celebrate, a moment to savor, and then an exciting campaign ahead of us. And I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thank you for all you did in this campaign. I am grateful to all of you who volunteered in these weeks and months, to my team, and everyone in the First District who has honored me with their support.

I also want to say thank you to my opponents -- Mike Brennan, Adam Cote, Mark Lawrence, Steve Meister, and Ethan Strimling. I know the sacrifices that running for office entails, and I appreciate the commitment, the energy, and the ideas they brought to the race.

In the five months ahead, we have a lot of work to do, but I'm looking forward to continuing the campaign with an even larger group of Maine voters. I'm eager to continue this essential conversation about the future of our country, and I hope that one day soon we'll look back and say 2008 was the year we brought real significant change to America, starting with true universal health care; an end to the war in Iraq; and economic, energy, and environmental policies that get our country back on the right track.

Again, thank you for joining this campaign and for your support.

All my best,

Election Day

Throughout this entire campaign, you've been right there beside me. This is the most important election of our lifetimes, and I am so excited about the change we can make together -- but first, we've got to win this primary! I've got three simple yet important requests for you:

Endorsements

You can find the list of public supporters here or click "read more."

A Bath Iron Works start to the day!

6:00 a.m. -- [posted by Jackie] We met Charlie Finn and Bill Gilson, long time union activists, at BIW at the south gate this morning at 6:00! Chellie, my son Dan, who drove, and I enjoyed the gorgeous morning scenery on the ride up to Bath. We made a quick stop for coffee in Brunswick to ensure we were all awake.

Willy joined us and we all greeted the hundreds of BIW employees on morning shift as they streamed into the Yard. I have done this stop many times in the past. This visit, I was particularly pleased to see the warmth and enthusiasm with which workers greeted Chellie. They reached out for the pamphlets, and 500 pieces disappeared quickly. They sought her out, veering from their routine path to say "hello," "good luck," or "I've already voted for you!" Many people stopped to talk with Chellie about the high cost of gas, some expressing concern about next winter.

It was a terrific way to jump start the next-to-last day of campaigning.

Phones are ringing all over the county

8:30 P.M. -- I just got home from delivering my last set of call sheets to volunteers. In this final weekend before the primary, like everyone in the campaign, I've added extra tasks to my regular job of online communications director -- in my case, organizing GOTV for Lincoln County. I blanched when I first heard how many phone calls we needed to make but today I delivered call sheets to an amazing 50 or so volunteers from all parts of Lincoln County.

As I drove home, I thought about how volunteering on a campaign builds a community. Today, as I met with these supporters in coffee shops, church parking lots, in their backyards, in their shops, and at their back doors, I heard about what motivated them to spend some of their precious weekend making phone calls for Chellie.

Classic Maine campaign stop

3:00 P.M. -- Now here's a classic campaign stop: the Freeport dump, with my son Asa, daughter Cecily, and Wayne Hollingworth.

In Freeport, which is usually full of tourists and shoppers from all over the world, people are worried that the high price of gas may have a chilling effect on the tourist season, "The trains can't get up here soon enough," someone said to me.

High energy prices = buy local.

A number of people took campaign signs and buttons home and a surprising number of them said they had already voted for me. Maine's no-excuse absentee and early voting rules make voting a lot more convenient for many people, and contribute to Maine's record of high voter turnout.

OOB with Bill

1:00 P.M. -- We met up with Bill Bickford in Old Orchard Beach, walking Main Street and talking to all the people who worked in all of those businesses, including some who took a campaign sign to put in their windows. It was nice to drop into Hogan's Variety to visit with State Rep. George Hogan and his wife at their store.

In Old Orchard a few people seemed to think that the season was getting off to a slow start but were hopefully looking forward to business picking up after school gets out.

A morning of farmers' markets

10:30 a.m. -- We started the morning early, at the Farmers Market in Kennebunk, where we met Linda Wilson-Dinino just as the market was opening. I enjoyed talking to the vendors who had brought their flowers, vegetables, baked goods and crafts.

One woman was selling dried flowers she had collected abroad -- she spent most of last winter in another country because she said she liked the healthcare system there. Another vendor had some beautiful yarn, and since I've been both an organic farmer and a wool vendor, there was plenty of shop talk going on. There was also talking about the rising costs of everything--from flour to gas--that end up being passed along to the consumer.

The GOP, Big Oil and climate change

An important bill that would create a cap and trade system for greenhouse gases died in the Senate yesterday.  The Lieberman Warner bill fell a few vote shorts of what was needed to move it along.  Republicans did everything they could to derail the bill, including a parliamentary maneuver that caused the entire 419 page bill to be read out loud.  That took 9 hours.  Don't these guys know we've got some serious problems we need to be dealing with?

A rainy afternoon in Scarborough

4:00 P.M. -- We met Beth George at one of my favorite Scarborough places -- Lois' Natural Foods. Great egg salad.

Beth put out some of her spelt focaccia and cheese and lots of people stopped by to talk. The economy and health care dominated the conversation.

We visited two other Scarborough businesses. Next, I'm heading down to Biddeford with Hannah for a reception. Wish the sun would come out!

Portsmouth Herald endorses Chellie

"Chellie Pingree has proven over many years that she is a leader. She is unafraid to take on giants as large as the pharmaceutical industry and even Congress itself and is savvy and intelligent enough to win. She has the grit and determination necessary to be a strong, progressive voice for Maine."

LINK TO ARTICLE

Thursday afternoon with Leila

6:00 P.M. -- Representative Leila Percy and I had a great afternoon. We started out on Maine street in Bath where we stopped in most of the stores and had some great conversations about everything from the concerns about what this summer's economy will bring to the great local products people were promoting.

From there, we headed down through Harpswell to talk with fishermen and even more local merchants. We had a great visit with Bob Watson and his wife at Watson's market in Cundy's Harbor and had a very lively conversation about the challenges with the fisheries.

Later, we joined the Brunswick area supporters of the State of Maine Music Theater to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The party was at the Frontier Café and we had a chance to chat with the owner Michael Gilroy (Gil) about the great vision of his enterprise -- what a wonderful example of the "Creative Economy!" If you haven't been there for a visit, check out their web site and go for a meal and movie! (http://www.explorefrontier.com)

Ogunquit morning

10:00 am -- [posted by Jackie] We've had a wonderful Thursday morning with John and Phil Cavaretta in Ogunquit. Chellie talked with about twenty people the Cavarettas had invited to the Village Food Market. John told the group that when he heard Chellie's speech at the Democratic convention, he decided she was by far the best person in the race for Congress!

Then Chellie and John visited about 20 shops and inns along the main street and down in Perkins Cove. This gorgeous town has so many interesting businesses. Everywhere we went, people expressed concern about the cost of energy and food. The owner of Bread and Roses Bakery said that when she started the business in 1989, flour cost $8 a pound. Today it's $40.

We met lots of supporters, gave away many buttons. Next time we'll have to do some shopping.

Rally at Space Gallery: dancing and whoopie pies

More than 150 people [Update: Space estimates that there were 200+ people there.] filled the Space Gallery on Congress St. in Portland this evening for a rally/party sponsored by the League of Young Voters PAC and Hannah, Cecily, and Asa Pingree. Music was provided by the Toughcats, and the place was hopping, as we recruited volunteers for our Get Out The Vote program, and worked to convince the few undecided voters in the room.

The finger food d'jour was that great Maine delicacy, whoopie pies. We were all shocked to discover that our Field Director, Missy, had never eaten a whoopie pie. After trying one, she pronounced them delicious.

Alan, who's leading our Portland GOTV effort, caught people at the door and signed them up to knock on doors and make phone calls. After Chellie and her daughter Hannah gave rousing speeches emphasizing the importance of this primary election, Alan had little additional convincing to do to line people up.

Are you twittering?

Chellie has a very full schedule in the next six days. Wondering where she is right now? Check out http://twitter.com/chelliepingree for an update.

Wednesday with Biddeford seniors

3:00 P.M. -- A group of Biddeford seniors gathered in the activity room at MacArthur House to sit down and talk with me. State Rep. Paulette Beaudoin organized the event and it was great to have her by my side. Paulette and I go way back -- back to the days when I was in the State Senate and organizing bus trips to Canada to help seniors buy cheaper prescription drugs. Paulette went along on many of those trips and is now in the legislature fighting the good fight.

Like all of us, the seniors at the meeting are concerned with the rising price of gas, heating oil and food. Prescription drug prices are a big issue, and it is another reminder of how the Republicans in Congress turned the Medicare prescription drug benefit into a massive giveaway to their friends in the pharmaceutical industry...

Notes from a volunteer

2:00 PM -- [Guest-blogged by Jo Dondis] With only six days left to the election, the Get Out the Vote effort is kicking into full gear.

That means many new faces at campaign headquarters in Portland and a rising decibel level as volunteers work the phones hard.

I've been volunteering during the last month, helping communications director Willy Ritch. I'm a Maine native who has lived in Los Angeles for 20-something years. When I met Chellie in February, I was impressed and decided it was time that a Democratic woman was elected to higher office from my home state. Fortunately I was between jobs --- I'm a freelance television news producer --- so I decided to sign on to the campaign.

Inspired to register as a Democrat

1:45 PM -- [This unsolicited email arrived yesterday] After 8 years of listening to myself complain about the current administration, I have just registered as a Democrat. I have been an Independent voter my whole life, but for the past few years have become totally disgusted with where my tax dollars are going and where the whole country is going as a result of the Bush administration.

I attended the Bridgton Forum on Monday evening and Chellie's thoughtful, honest answers confirmed what I already knew: she is the candidate who has the heart, soul, and determination for representing all of the people of Maine.

My political views are in tune with Chellie's and I will be voting for her next Tuesday.

Linda Quist Kautz
Harrison, Maine

Kicking off the final week with a crowd

10:00 PM -- Mike Herz and Kate Josephs put on a great final-week kick-off party for Chellie tonight. We'd received about 35 RSVPs but more than 80 people showed up at their home in Damariscotta! It was a diverse crowd -- with people coming from as far away as Falmouth and Waldoboro. I don't know how they did it, but Mike and Kate had plenty of delicious food and drink to go around.

Chellie spoke to the group about the importance of nominating a Democrat who will fight for progressive values. Single-payer health care, economic fairness, diplomacy and peace, sustainable energy -- these are all things that will take strong leadership and a passion for change in order to enact. There's so much that needs to be done in this country to return it to its core values; we'll need leaders like Chellie, whom we can count on to have the courage and the political will to make change happen.

Brunswick mid-morning

10:00 -- I enjoyed hanging out at the Brunwswick Farmers' Market with Rep. Seth Berry, Toby McGrath, and Denise Tepler (who's a Topsham candidate for the House). It was a good time -- I do love spring and seeing all the seedlings for sale. It was fun to talk "wool" with the folks from Bowdoin Bakers. It brought me back to my days at North Island Designs.

After visiting the farmers' market, I stopped by the Gulf of Maine Bookstore to get a new "I love Ruth Moore" bumper sticker. (The old bumper sticker was lost when my previous Ford truck died.) We also enjoyed a cup of coffee at the Little Dog Cafe on Maine Street.

Early morning, Topsham

8:32 am -- Tuesday morning started at the Fairground Cafe in Topsham. Dave Barlag of Brunswick was having his breakfast with his friend Klaus. Dave said he and his wife just registered to vote just so they could vote for Chellie. It's so great to hear these encouraging words from voters!

Next stop, Yarmouth

10:30 am -- (written by Jackie Potter) Now we've moved on to Yarmouth. Alison Beyea's taking us around town and introducing Chellie. We stopped in at yet another Mr. Bagel (we're going to be really caffeinated by the end of this week!) and now we're visiting Rosemont Grocery. It's interesting -- Yarmouth really has a great sense of community -- a bustling downtown with lots of places for people to gather. A couple of quotes from the people Chellie's talked to this morning: "You have good karma!" and "I'm looking forward to voting for you!"

Gorham visit

8:00 am -- (written by Jackie Potter) It's a nice morning in Gorham as State Senator Phil Bartlett and State Representative Chris Barstow show Chellie and me around. We've stopped in at Mr. Bagel and talked to a number of voters. Seems like people are finally starting to focus on the Congressional race -- though it's still a surprise to many that we have an important election in June. After Mr. Bagel it's on to the Gorham Grind coffee shop, where we are having a great discussion with owner Carson Lynch. I can tell that Chellie enjoys talking with small business owners like Carson. She likes listening to their stories and has lots of stories of her own to share, too.

Camden Waterfront

9:00 PM -- (written by Chellie's daughter, Cecily) Tonight's event on the Waterfront Restaurant's deck overlooking Camden harbor was a great evening. The thunderstorm clouds to the north kept their distance the whole evening as a large group of Chellie supporters gathered to talk about the coming election and the issues on their minds.

Hannah and I were able to accompany our mom -- it was great to see new and old supporters. People were excited about Mom and working on getting out the vote in only eight short days away.

Old Port Festival

3:00 PM -- I couldn't imagine a better day for the Old Port Festival -- a warm breeze, sunshine, and thousands of people packed into the Old Port. The Old Port Festival occupies a special time on the calendar: summer has already begun but our summer visitors have yet to arrive. We have the best of Maine, all to ourselves.

I ran into lots of people I knew, including Michael Connolly, a professor from St. Joseph's College who invited me to speak in his class earlier this year.

Chellie Rocked the House!

8:00 PM -- Incredible! I always knew Chellie had a large base of support, but the floor demonstration at the convention was beyond our wildest dreams.

Chellie's daughter Hannah introduced her, speaking of her experience as a teenager when Chellie, a small business owner on an island of the coast of Maine, decided to run for State Senate in a Republican district no one thought she could win.

She won that longshot battle, and has been fighting for Mainers ever since. Now Hannah has followed in her mom's footsteps, and everyone was so proud to see Hannah up on the stage, obviously thrilled to be introducing her mother.

My colleague Barb & I had a hard time holding people back from storming the floor, and when it was time for Chellie to take the stage, a see of green led her to the stage. What a sight!

Patience, patience

6:27 PM -- We waiting for the county caucuses to finish up. It's been a challenge -- people have been sitting in crowded rooms for hours; the process of figuring out the delegates is complicated.

Coming up are the Congressional candidates. Chellie is last in the lineup. We are looking forward to the floor demonstration -- got t-shirts for everyone and lots of signs on sticks.

Chaos reigns

2:00 -- It also rains. The traffic for the convention was so heavy that it was backed up on I-95 for 20 minutes this morning. And things continue to bog down.

In fact, the schedule for the speeches by the 1st district Congressional candidates has been pushed back. We're not yet sure when Chellie will be on stage -- it may be in the evening, instead of the originally planned time between 3:00 and 5:00.

Besides cheering and waving signs for Chellie, we're really looking forward to hearing Senator Dick Durbin's keynote speech. Back in 2006, Chellie and her colleagues at Common Cause began working with Senator Durbin and his staff to craft a bill for Congressional elections that is modeled on Maine's Clean Elections. That collaboration resulted in a bill called the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 1285), which is currently being considered in the U.S. Senate, along with a similar version in the House.

Chellie says that she would love to work with her House colleagues to pass the the Fair Elections Now Act, if elected to Congress. What a fabulous reform to import from Maine that would be!

In defense of our party

12:00 PM -- That's party with a small "p." I was saddened and dismayed to read PolitickerMe.com's review of our hospitality suite last night. (Read it here.) What killed us in Jessica Alaimo's point system was the "3" she gave us for "crowd." But listen to what she says:

Party time

8:30 PM -- After rousing speeches by a number of people, including Governor Baldacci, and Congressmen Allen and Michaud, the convention got serious about partying. (For more about the speeches, I recommend the excellent blogging by Gerald Weinand at TurnMaineBlue.com.)

Our campaign has hired the Hancock Room at the Civic Center in which to host a "hospitality suite," and it turns out to be a rather small room. One of the pictures at the right shows the crowd -- we can barely move!

Coffee not required

6:12 PM -- Maine State Democratic Party Chair John Knutson kicked got the convention going by saying "It's a great year to be a Democrat." There must be close to two thousand people in the Civic Center. It seems like quite a crowd, but we're expecting 3,400 people by tomorrow afternoon.

Chellie has been spending time in front of the booth--it seems like almost everyone that wanders by knows Chellie or wants to meet her. There are lots of hugs and warm handshakes happening.

"Women run for office; men stand for office."

2:30 PM -- "Maybe it's because we're good at multi-tasking. Maybe it's because we tend to try for consensus. Whatever it is, women's campaigns are different from men's. We work very hard."

Chellie is talking to the group about what it's like to run a campaign. Her first opponent told her in 1992, "I don't know if you're tough enough. You're like Alice-in-Wonderland." Unfortunately for him, his attempt to pigeonhole Chellie backfired, and she won the Maine Senate race with 62% of the vote.

Live from the convention!

1:00 PM -- We'll be live-blogging from the Maine Democratic Convention for the next two days. From time to time, I'll be grabbing convention-goers and asking them to write a few words for the blog.

It was very empty here an hour ago. Now people are starting to show up for registration and things are getting busier. The photos at right show the empty convention hall and our lonely booth. Those both will be transformed by this afternoon, when the delegates and alternates from all over the state converge on the hall -- with opening ceremonies at 5:00.