It looks like Maine Gov. Paul LePage is taking a page out of Mitt Romney’s playbook.
The Republican recently told a group of conservative women in Falmouth that roughly half of those living in his state don’t work.
“About 47% of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work. About 47%. It’s really bad,” said LePage.
His remarks, of course, echoed those of failed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney when he notoriously told rich donors last year that nearly half of Americans who pay no federal income taxes think they are “victims” and indicated he wasn’t going to try to win over such government moochers.
The Bangor Daily News notes LePage is “completely wrong,” pointing to stats showing 65% of those living in Maine above the age of 15 are working or are unemployed and are actively seeking a job. Of the remaining 35%, most are retired, looking after children or family members, are disabled or are pursuing education.
LePage, who’s up for re-election in 2014, is no stranger to eyebrow-raising remarks. He once joked that he wanted to bomb a Portland newspaper because of its reporting on his administration, told a Portland branch of the NAACP to “kiss my butt,” compared the IRS to the Gestapo and said he’d have no problem telling Obama to “go to hell.”
