FORT KENT, Maine — In a sort of “Primary Colors” meets “Easy Rider,” independent Senatorial candidate Angus King began a 600-hundred-mile motorcycle trek Monday morning in Fort Kent that is expected to end Thursday in Kittery.
King is running for the seat now held by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe who in February announced her decision not to seek re-election.
“This is a great way to see the state and see the people,” King said as he stopped in Monday at Doris’ Cafe in Fort Kent for breakfast. “The whole idea of this is to meet and talk to the people of Maine.”
King was in Aroostook County all weekend after opening his new campaign office in Presque Isle on Friday and participating in events at the annual Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield.
“Our [motorcycle] route is taking us through some of the smaller towns in Maine,” he said. “I want to get to the places generally the other candidates don’t often stop.”
King has consistently tried to bolster his image as an everyman, despite being significantly wealthier than his opponents in the Senate race. In a March interview with the Bangor Daily News, King refuted the idea that he is an elitist.
“I don’t drink wine, I don’t know what brie is, I bowl every Thursday night and my idea of fun is to go RVing,” he said, referencing the cross-country RV trip he took shortly after leaving the office of governor.
King is running for the U.S. Senate seat against state Democratic Sen. Cynthia Dill and Republican Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers.
Monday, King roared off on his Harley Davidson motorcycle heading south on U.S. Route 1 along the St. John River on his way to his first night’s stop in Calais.
Over the next several days, King’s campaign ride will take him through Down East Maine on his way to Bangor, on to Bethel and ending up in Kittery.
“To be honest, a big part of why I’m doing this is it’s fun,” the longtime motorcyclist said. “Maine is really a big small town and [meeting people] is the part of the campaign I love.”
Calling himself a “congenital optimist,” King said he has seen first hand what an effective and cooperative federal legislature is capable of doing.
“I worked as a staff member with a legislative committee in the 1970s,” he said. “I saw [how] the Senate worked with my own two eyes, [and] I saw how people who may have had different ideas work things out.”
King said he wants to bring that spirit of cooperation back to Washington, D.C., noting he decided to run for “the mirror image” reason Snowe is leaving office.
“She left because it was no longer working,” he said. “I want to try to make it work.”
With issues like the national debt, health care and the economy high on his priority list, King said he is under no illusions the role he will have or the daunting tasks facing the next Congress.
“Americans are always looking for a silver bullet to fix things,” he said. “It’s been my experience we need to look for silver buckshot [because] there are many solutions needed to solve our problems.”
King’s complete motorcycle campaign ride schedule is available at angus2012.com/motorcycle-tour/
I think this is great. He’s certainly more of an “every man” than Mr. Summers.
At the very least, he’s doing a great impersonation of one.
Let’s find some really poor candidates who can’t even scratch out a basic living for themselves and their families-they should be able to fix Washington. Being wealthy does not disqualify someone from being a great leader-George Washington had his financial ups and downs , but he was basically a very well off upper crust person. He was without doubt our greatest President.
no, that would be Abraham Lincoln–who started out much poorer than George but ended up a sucessful lawyer before running for president—Washington still holds the record for being the richest president–he started off upper middle class, married very well and ended up loaded, some say due to land speculation after the French and Indian war—-fact is nobody these days can affored to run for major public office unless they are at least reasonably well off.
Have you read Ron Chernow’s fairly new biography on Washington? As a former history teacher I came away with a much different perspective than I had before. The Lincoln/Washington debate is a fun topic. I’ve never read that Washington was our richest President. I just finished the new bio on Robert Lincoln by Jason Emerson. Great book.
Washington’s fortune was estimated at 525 million in today’s dollars. Jack Kennedy’s estate was estimated at more than 1 billion. It’s a tough comparison. Washington had numerous horses shot out from under him and Kennedy a PT boat. Both were fairly lucky individuals. Thanks for your comment…
And I’m not claiming that King or anyone else who is well off cannot do good things in Washington. I’m just pointing out that all candidates play the same political games, regardless of party.
Most “every man” doesn’t have a $60K bike and millions in the bank.
Nor, as I mentioned above, a new $130K Mercedes RV from which to campaign.
$60 K bike ? You are kidding right? I will sell you a used one like it for $30 K!
Does it have training wheels, too?
On what planet does Angus’s bike cost 60k? Do your research before you bloviate.
22 Million worth and a custom $150,000
benz doesn’t make you a real Joe, but it does show you how absolutely full of baloney the so called occupiers are… useful idiots the Troskites used to call them!
Maybe he will ride across the pond England and stay there. This man did alot of damage to the state of maine taxpayers.
I think BLACK ANGUS BONE IN. RIBEYE STEAK …is great.
If Angus is “everyman”, he needs to spread some of that cash around. It hasn’t shown up in my account yet . . .
Keep the shiney side up Angus!
A V-Rod is a water cooled, twin cylinder motorcycle, made by the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Corporation.
Many would not call it a Harley Davidson Motorcycle – probably in the same context that King is being presented as an independent .
Technically both terms are correct, but hold little water after that.
Us “every men” are too busy working a full time jobs. We can’t afford to buy expensive motorcycles and then drive them around the state on a weekday.
Let alone $130K Mercedes RV’s. Angus the King — Not the Common Man he pretends.
————————-
http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/opinion/politics-other-mistakes-little-king/Little
King – Al Diamon
http://www.crashbarry.com/the_crash_report/angus_king_for_senate_no_thanksKing
for Senate – No Thanks! – Crash Barry
http://www.thebollard.com/bollard/?p=9913King
and Me – the Bollard.- Crash Barry
—————–
When even liberal news people say “no thanks” to King,
you know there’s truth to the history of his excessive spending and bad
management of the state’s economy.
This liberal says no thanks to King because he’s for Simpson/Bowles. He is a far cry from progressive.
Must be nice to be so wealthy that you can spend your summer riding around looking for votes.
Angus’s bike trip is no joy ride. It’s called “running for office” and it’s hard work. I tire of the phoney class warfare employed by sourpusses to cast candidates as unworthy if they are (choose one) Educated. Successful. In possession of a nice house, nice car, RV or other damning piece of evidence that somehow shows them unfit to serve. I wonder if Naran or others who criticize Governor King for what he has (and has earned) would be so quick to criticize candidates (like Romney, for example, whom she endorses) who have also done well and have some trophies to prove it.
I wonder if he will stop for photo ops in front of the the the Big Wind Scams that he lined his pocket with at the taxpayer and rater payers expense…I think not..FRAUD…
I wished they had a bleeping love button! Amen!
Pathetic attempt at an “everyman” narrative.
the old guy should steal from another state
It’s okay to be rich–but to flaunt it is another story.
I wonder how the exhaust pipes sound on Agnus(sic) Harley? Gotta be straight and loud to be heard and get rid of that prissy helmet.
More slavish reporting on heir apparent Angus King.
“With issues like the national debt, health care and the economy high on
his priority list, King said he is under no illusions the role he will
have or the daunting tasks facing the next Congress.”
Some prompts:
“Mr. King, what taxes will you raise and what programs will you cut to settle America’s national debt?”
Related: “Entitlement programs are the largest part of the national debt. How would you reform these programs in order to save them for future generations.”
“Mr. King, will you have supported or voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)? If there are any parts you disagree with, please explain.”
“Mr. King, what economic policies will you champion to encourage America’s economic recovery?”
C’mon BDN (sigh, sorry PPH, had a long day)
Judy Paradis, D from frenchville helps King out. It appear in the picture as if she is helping put on his coat. Just what this state needs, someone who can’t put on a coat without assistance. Oh, what a minute, that is just what the Dems are all about now. Big government to help people do every thing in thier lives. How long before leather coats will be banned by the likes of this “independent?”
hope A. King keeps on cycling – right into the sunset. Please fellow Mainers – vote for one of the candidates, be it Dem or GOP. Don’t vote for an aged man who still can’t figure out which party his views line up with. Don’t let King become the Ralph Nader of Maine and screw up a major election – again. Other than going through power withdrawal, there is no logical reason for this recycled man to aspire to the Senate. King is old enough to know better – I hope most Mainers are too.
I don’t want someone from the same Coke or Pepsi party. Why should have have to line up with either of them? I’m old enough to know that we need someone other than the same old routine.