Posted on 04/02/2015 7:40:44 PM PDT by Steven Scharf
SACO, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage’s budget presentation at Thornton Academy in Saco came to an abrupt end when former Democratic state Rep. Joanne T. Twomey of Biddeford confronted the governor, according to multiple social media reports.
According to social media reports, Twomey “threw a jar of Vaseline” toward the governor. Twomey reportedly was escorted from the meeting by security. A CBS 13 video shows Twomey throwing something on the stage, which did not strike LePage, as she was escorted from the building. The item was quickly retrieved by what appeared to be security personnel.
In an Instagram video posted by liberal journalist and videographer Andi Parkinson, Twomey said outside the forum that she didn’t find the forum “very democratic.”
“When he engaged and asked me a question I stood up and started to talk with him and answer him and try to tell him what I thought was wrong,” said Twomey, before the recording cuts off.
The governor’s security escorted him from the building after the confrontation.
The use of Vaseline recalls an incident in July 2013 when LePage made state and national headlines with a remark about Vaseline. He criticized former Democratic Sen. Troy Jackson of Allagash by saying he “claims to be for the people but he’s the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline.”
It was unclear whether there is any connection between that incident and Thursday’s events in Saco.
Maine Republican Party spokesman Jason Savage condemned Twomey’s actions.
“It’s time for Democrats to tone down the rhetoric,” said Savage. “We hear a lot from them about civility and tolerance yet every time there’s an over-the-top attack scenario where something like this happens, it’s a Democratic activist. … There’s nothing about our civil discourse that gets better by left-wing activists throwing objects at our governor.”
Maine Democratic Party spokeswoman Rachel Irwin, who was at the event, said the party does not support Twomey’s actions.
“It’s unfortunate about the events that transpired between former state Rep. Joanne Twomey and Gov. LePage,” she said Thursday night. “The Maine Democratic Party does not condone this type of behavior in any way.”
LePage was at Thornton Academy as part of a statewide series of public forums designed to promote his tax reform proposal, which is being considered by the Legislature.
LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett, who was at Thursday’s forum, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Twomey represented part of Biddeford in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006. According to BDN archives, she quit the Democratic party and became an independent in 2005 but re-enrolled in 2006, causing controversy and strife in what was a closely divided Legislature. Twomey was known as one of the fiercest critics of former Democratic Gov. John Baldacci — at least from within her party.
Twomey was elected mayor of Biddeford in 2006. She was re-elected to that position in 2008 and 2010, but was defeated in 2011 by former Democratic state. Rep. Alan Casavant.
I was not at this event but learned about it shortly after it happened from the Democrat State Senate Minority Leader who was leading a similar event in here in Portland. During a break in our meeting he went to look up something on his phone and had a text about the incident. I have since seen lots of coverage on Facebook from friends on both sides of the aisle.
Ms Twomey is truely crazy and this is not the first run in she has had with a governor. Comment from a Facebook friend about her tonight.
"Joanne Twomey: The professional protestor; the eternal victim. She has now heckled three governors ([Democrat John] Baldacci, [Independent Angus] King and [Republican Paul] LePage) She has once again demonstrated that she cannot control her anger and was escorted from a public meeting (Deja Vu Biddeford City Hall 1992 with Mayor Bonnie Belanger.)"
She shoulda thrown a muzzie like flip flop.
Do you know how to link to the video on the BDN article?
Hackground Checks to purchase Vaseline!
She has done one good thing. The Portland Press Herald was probably going to run this as the top story tomorrow.
“Maine lawmaker prepares religious objections bill despite national controversy”
Now she should get top billing. We will find out in the morning.
If a Republican hurled something at a Democrat Governor, it would be national headlines.
Love Governor LePage. A rare man these days. A fearless, great, American. And pretty dang funny also. Easy to see how he could drive a liberal literally crazy.
God bless you, Governor Lepage.
She needs to be escorted directly to a judge, and then to a high-security psychiatric facility.
No. You might try seeing if it was uploaded to youtube.
Then just copy and paste the url into a reply post (be sure not to get any html get into the post or the link won’t connect)
I would like to see conservative activists start throwing bags of poop at the sodomites, since they seem to love the stuff that much, I am sure they wont mind!
I used to work with a guy who kept a jar of vaseline in his office to illustrate various management principles.
You better believe it - and for many days, if not many weeks - wall to wall coverage - about the 'violent ideology creeping into the GOP' and what can be done about it - can the party even be salvaged, does it even have a future being so far out of the mainstream, etc. With the party roles being reversed, this will be a local news story maybe covered a couple of days and that will be the end of it.
Maybe she was flirting. I will not be ignored, type of flirting. He should press charges, make her pay for assault.
He should have thrown it right back, Hey Lady, you drop something?
At least it wasn’t a jar full of her ‘personal fluids’.
“She has done one good thing. The Portland Press Herald was probably going to run this as the top story tomorrow.
“Maine lawmaker prepares religious objections bill despite national controversy””
I was wrong on that account. The LePqge article was left side column with the above article taking up the rest of the above the fold.
Why this is such a non story here in Maine is that the dems control the house and as such this legislation is dead on arrival. Devoting most of the top of the front page and half the back page to this story just shows the bias of the Pingree, err Portland Press Herald*.
By putting the house member’s picture on the front page, they make him a target where ever he goes around Maine.
* The Portland Press Herald is owned by hedge fund owner Donald Susman the husband of Maine First Congressional Distrct Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.
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