Jon Reisman

The political fight between Janet Mills and her woke authoritarian Democratic Party with Donald Trump and 77 million deplorable Americans over preferred pronouns, gender dysphoria/fluidity (depending on whether you’re red or blue), equality as opposed to equity (whatever that is), free speech (1st Amendment), and equal protection (14th Amendment) produced quite the tempest in February. Watching the Democrats continue to dig a hole to nowhere which threatens to bury them alive, I am reminded of both the “First Law of Holes” (stop digging) and Napoleon’s sage advice on not disturbing an opponent who is destroying themselves.

State-sponsored and approved racial and sexual discrimination was promoted all across Maine and the United States over the last four years under the banners of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); anti-racism; and critical race theory. DEI was heavily promoted by both Federal and State government agencies (including the military and environmental protection agencies), higher and K-12 education, and much of the left-aligned private sector. Unfortunately for the DEI industrial complex, several things happened that are derailing the DEI gravy train, and the gravy slurpers are squealing.

In 2023, the Supreme Court found in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) vs. Harvard that the use of racial preferences in college admissions was unconstitutional discrimination. The entire DEI discrimination infrastructure needs to be excised. Biden and the Democrats had no intention of doing so, but the 2024 election results and the decline in legacy media/ Democrat ability to control the narrative has led to the slow and now sudden implosion of DEI. 

Add to that the fact that Mills and Maine Democrats have been promoting equity without a definition, and it suddenly becomes much worse. There is no definition of Equity in the Maine Climate Action Plan (despite a major equity component), anywhere in Maine State Government, the Governor’s office, or the University of Maine System (including the Law School). Promoting a policy goal without a definition is pure policy malpractice, and Maine doesn’t have and cannot afford malpractice insurance. I don’t even want to mention that the Democrats also proposed several equity metrics for their undefined, unconstitutional policy goal.

Maine is struggling to come to consensus on both a supplemental and upcoming biennial budget with over a half billion in total “revenue shortfalls” following a six-year trend of profligate Democrat majority budgets which have doubled Maine State spending since Mills took office. Into this partisan environment, Gov. Mills chose to take the Trump bait and put hundreds of millions of federal education dollars at risk to protect DEI discrimination.

When Rep. Laurel Libby had the temerity to demonstrate that the DEI Democrat Discrimination machine had no clothes and was damaging Maine girls and women, Maine Democrats chose to gag her and disenfranchise her constituents until she “apologized” (hint for Democrats — I don’t know Rep. Libby well, but I suspect the Charlton Heston “out of my cold dead hands” quote has some relevance here). Rep. Libby was probably aware that poking the woke left can have consequences, but I want to congratulate her for her leadership and for securing a large gubernatorial campaign donation from the Democrats.

If the next two weeks are anything like the last two, by the Ides of March, Gov. Mills, Maine parents, and taxpayers may be reviewing her Caesarean decision to cross the Rubicon/Trump over state-sponsored DEI-inspired race and sexual discrimination. See you in the court of public opinion. Meanwhile, keep digging.

Jon Reisman is an economist and policy analyst who retired from the University of Maine at Machias after 38 years. He resides on Cathance Lake in Cooper, where he is a Selectman and a Statler and Waldorf intern. Mr. Reisman’s views are his own, and he welcomes comments as letters to the editor here or to him directly via email at [email protected].