ro-Cholce, ro-CuLler

orLland, ML
!une 23, 2014


l am sLandlng here LonlghL ln Lhe company of sLrong women - and l wanL you Lo know
LhaL l feel rlghL aL home!

l am a lucky, lucky man ln many more ways Lhan one, buL Lhe one LhaL l wanL Lo share
wlLh you and celebraLe wlLh you LonlghL ls Lhe sLrengLh provlded by Lhe women ln my
llfe. l am Lhe son of a sLrong woman, l marrled a sLrong woman, and l am Lhe faLher of a
sLrong woman. l am graLeful for Lhe lnfluence LhaL each of Lhem has had on my llfe and
my values, and l am proud Lo say LhaL.

Many of you know Melanle, and many of you have read Lhe remarkable column LhaL our
daughLer Abby wroLe a couple of monLhs ago ln Lhe ress Perald. 8uL mosL of you
never knew my moLher, CaLherlne CuLler.

She was Lhe daughLer of a peddler. My grandfaLher - who was pennlless, alone wlLhouL
a famlly and spoke no Lngllsh when he lmmlgraLed Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes as a 12-year old
- walked 8ouLe 9, 1he Alrllne," beLween 8angor and Calals for Lhe flrsL 7 years of hls
llfe ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, selllng noLlons Lo people who llved along hls 93-mlle rouLe.

Pe and my grandmoLher had Lhree daughLers, of whom my moLher was Lhe oldesL.
Somehow, all Lhree of Lhem were able Lo go Lo college durlng Lhe CreaL uepresslon, and
each earned an advanced degree. My moLher wenL Lo Wellesley College and became an
economlsL.

She was a Lough, prlnclpled and compasslonaLe woman who plckeLed Lhe LexLlle mllls ln
Lowell and Lawrence wlLh unlon organlzers ln Lhe 1930's and voLed for norman 1homas
for resldenL ln 1936 because she dldn'L Lhlnk LhaL lranklln 8oosevelL was llberal
enough.

1he CuLler lnsLlLuLe for PealLh and Soclal ollcy aL Lhe Muskle School ls named for her . .
. and for good reason.
"
When she and my faLher reLurned Lo 8angor afLer World War ll, she soughL Lo organlze
new lnsLlLuLlons ln order Lo exLend Lhe reach of soclal servlces Lo people whose needs
were beyond Lhe scope of exlsLlng agencles. She led Lhe CommunlLy ChesL Lhrough lLs
LranslLlon Lo Lhe unlLed Way, Lhen became presldenL of Lhe lamlly Servlce SocleLy and
was a prlnclpal founder of Lhe LasLern Malne Culdance CenLer, leadlng Lhe merger of
Lhose agencles lnLo Lhe CommunlLy PealLh and Counsellng CenLer.
1hen she Lurned Lo Lhe role of women ln Lhe communlLy. ln Lhe 1960's she won a
federal governmenL granL Lo organlze Lhe Women's lnformaLlon and Advlsory Servlce ln
8angor, Lhe flrsL agency of lLs klnd ln Malne, where she LaughL women abouL
opporLunlLles ln Lhe workforce. ln laLer years, she helped Lo esLabllsh Lhe Mabel
WadsworLh Women's PealLh CenLer, whlch provldes famlly plannlng and aborLlon
servlces Lo Malne women. She was a founder of Spruce 8un, a shelLer and soclal
servlces agency ln easLern Malne for women and chlldren who are vlcLlms of domesLlc
vlolence. And she wroLe a check Lo lanned arenLhood every year of her llfe for as
long as l knew her.
l am my moLher's son. She dldn'L belleve ln pollLlcal parLles or labels. And Lhe groups
and organlzaLlons LhaL she founded and supporLed dldn'L vlew Lhe world Lhrough Lhe
lens of parLlsan pollLlcs.
As she was, l am deeply prlnclpled, and l belleve sLrongly ln equal rlghLs, lndlvldual
llberLy, economlc securlLy and equallLy of opporLunlLy. 1hose are my core values, and
Lhey resound ln my longsLandlng commlLmenL Lo Cholce.
l wanL Lo Lalk wlLh you LonlghL boLh abouL Cholce - and abouL Lhe cholces we wlll make
Lhls year ln Malne.
1he reporLers, pundlLs, bloggers and columnlsLs all wonder why l Lhlnk Lhe lssues of
Cholce and women's access Lo reproducLlve healLh care servlces are so lmporLanL. lL
doesn'L show up as a blg lssue ln Lhe polls, and my 8epubllcan arLy opponenL has a
clear poslLlon LhaL ls Lhe polar opposlLe of mlne and needs no clarlflcaLlon.
1haL's noL Lhe case, Lhough, wlLh my uemocraLlc arLy opponenL.
Congressman Mlchaud says LhaL he has recenLly - flnally - been educaLed on Lhls lssue,
afLer decades of voLlng agalnsL Lhe rlghL for women Lo make Lhelr own healLh declslons,
and LhaL hls poslLlons have evolved."
So why shouldn'L pro-cholce women geL behlnd hlm? Why are we here LonlghL? Why
#
are Lhese lssues so lmporLanL?
1hls ls why: 8ecause women's access Lo reproducLlve healLh care, seen afLer !"# %&
'()# as a largely seLLled lssue, once agaln ls under aLLack ln sLaLe afLer sLaLe. And Lhey
are lmporLanL because of whaL Congressman Mlchaud's evoluLlon" reflecLs abouL hlm
and hls capaclLy Lo be governor of Malne.
l welcome hls evoluLlon - hls change of mlnd ls beLLer laLe Lhan never - buL seen ln Lhe
llghL of day and wlLhouL Lhe makeup provlded by parLlsan endorsemenLs, Congressman
Mlchaud's evoluLlon" ls remarkably lncompleLe.

1o begln, Lhere have been no answers Lo Lhe quesLlons asked by Abby and so many
oLher women:

Wlll Congressman Mlchaud revoke hls 2003, 2004, 2003, and 2006 voLes Lo
prohlblL mlllLary faclllLles from provldlng even prlvaLely funded aborLlons for
Malne servlcewomen? Pe could do Lhls by co-sponsorlng 1he MA8CP AcL - a blll
currenLly under conslderaLlon LhaL would exLend federal healLh coverage of
aborLlon care Lo servlcewomen who become pregnanL as a resulL of rape or
lncesL and would permlL aborLlons Lo be performed on mlllLary bases wlLh
prlvaLe funds. 8uL he has noL.

Wlll Congressman Mlchaud renounce hls 2009 voLe ln favor of Lhe SLupak-lLLs
AmendmenL, whlch soughL Lo use Lhe Affordable Care AcL as a vehlcle for
prohlblLlng prlvaLe lnsurance plans from coverlng aborLlons?


Wlll Congressman Mlchaud reLracL hls 2012 supporL for Lhe Pyde AmendmenL,
Lhe currenL ban on federal fundlng of aborLlon, whlch creaLes all-buL-
lnsurmounLable hurdles for Malne's pooresL women Lo access care when Lhey
need lL Lhe mosL?

Wlll Congressman Mlchaud flghL for reproducLlve freedom . . . and supporL . . .
publlc fundlng for all or mosL medlcally necessary aborLlons as 17 oLher sLaLes
already do?"

Malne women and Lhelr famllles deserve some clear answers.

$
1here also remalns Lhe maLLer of commlLmenL Lo prlnclple and fuLure leadershlp. Wlll
Mr. Mlchaud slL by and follow oLhers, as he has done on so many lssues durlng hls 12
years of servlce ln Lhe Pouse of 8epresenLaLlves? Cr wlll he lead Lhe flghL Lo Lear down
Lhe wall LhaL separaLes Malne's pooresL women from access Lo reproducLlve healLhcare
servlces?

WhaL does Congressman Mlchaud's mlsslng leadershlp and sudden evoluLlon" on Lhls
and oLher lmporLanL lssues - such as equal rlghLs for LC81 Malners, unlversal
background checks for gun sales, producL labellng and envlronmenLal proLecLlon - say
abouL hls readlness Lo lead Lhe SLaLe of Malne?

1he cholce LhaL Malne voLers need Lo make ln november ls noL slmply wheLher we
should show aul Leage Lhe door, buL also who wlll be Lhe besL governor - who should
Lake hls place?

Should we slmply Lrade whaL's noL worklng Loday for anoLher, perhaps weaker verslon
of whaL dldn'L work before? ls good enough" good enough for Malne ln 2014?

My guldlng prlnclple - as lL was my menLor Ld Muskle's - ls LhaL every man woman and
chlld ln Malne should have Lhe opporLunlLy Lo make Lhe mosL of hls or her own poLenLlal
as a human belng. 1haL means havlng access Lo quallLy educaLlon and healLh care LhaL ls
noL a funcLlon of affluence or zlp code. lL means LhaL we need Lo accompllsh sLrucLural
Lax reform, welfare reform and regulaLory reform. And lL means LhaL we need Lo have a
caplLal budgeL and compeLenL managemenL of sLaLe governmenL, wlLh real
accounLablllLy.

ln shorL, we need Lo rebooL. 1he slmple facL ls LhaL l have a plan Lo do LhaL, and my
opponenLs don'L.

1o rebooL - Lo make Lhe changes we need Lo make and Lo Lurn Malne around - we need
Lo change Lhe way we Lhlnk and flx Lhe way we work. We need real pollLlcal reform, and
Lhere ls no reason Lo belleve LhaL we can expecL elLher pollLlcal parLy or Lhelr candldaLes
Lo provlde lL.

Whlle Malne's economy has decllned agalnsL Lhe resL of new Lngland year afLer year for
11 sLralghL years - a LosL uecade and more - Lhe Lwo parLles have been klcklng Lhe can
down Lhe road, and Lhls sLaLe LhaL we love has become hosLage Lo well-funded speclal
%
lnLeresLs wlLh Lhe narrowesL agendas, each seeklng Lo preserve lLs own share of a
shrlnklng ple.

8ehlnd all Lhose Lroublesome economlc sLaLlsLlcs, lncludlng Lhe ones released yesLerday,
are real people, worklng famllles, slngle moLhers, and young people sLruggllng [usL Lo
geL by . . . all walLlng for bold and lndependenL leadershlp LhaL wlll work Lo grow Lhe ple
for all of us.

Cur governor ls a falled leader and a falled manager, unable Lo lmplemenL even hls besL
ldeas because he can'L geL along wlLh anyone ln one parLy and many ln hls own parLy.
Pe has embarrassed us, and lL ls Llme for hlm Lo leave.

WhaL's wrong wlLh Congressman Mlchaud? lsn'L he good enough?

l llke Mlke Mlchaud, Loo, buL l don'L wanL hlm Lo be my governor. Pe's a nlce enough
man, buL he has no vlslon. Pe sees Malne's fuLure Lhrough a rear-vlew mlrror and has
no real plan, no sLraLegy for Malne's recovery.

Mlke has no managemenL or equlvalenL experlence LhaL quallfles hlm Lo be Lhe CLC of
Lhe largesL and mosL compllcaLed enLerprlse ln Lhe SLaLe of Malne. Pe has been a
backbencher ln Lhe Pouse of 8epresenLaLlves, whlch ls [usL abouL Lhe lasL place LhaL you
would go looklng for leadershlp Lhese days.

?es, lLs Lrue LhaL Congressman Mlchaud has plenLy of pollLlcal experlence, buL lL's
almosL all Lhe wrong klnd.

Pe has shown no pollLlcal lndependence or courage ln hls career and no boldness of
vlslon and purpose. Pls poslLlons on whaL are core lssues for mosL people seem Lo shlfL
wlLh whaLever offlce he ls seeklng.

And he has demonsLraLed an excepLlonal rellance on speclal lnLeresLs and Lhelr money -
on Lhe n8A and Lhe corporaLe gun lobby, on MonsanLo, and on blg Lobacco, blg pharma,
blg sugar and blg labor. Pe has Laken from Lhose speclal lnLeresLs' pollLlcal acLlon
commlLLees an average of $1,000 a day, every day of Lhe 12 years LhaL he has been ln
Congress - lncludlng SaLurdays, Sundays and holldays! And Loo ofLen hls voLes have
reflecLed Lhose conLrlbuLlons.

&
66 of Malne voLers aren'L sure for whom Lhey should voLe ln november, and LhaL's no
surprlse. 1he Lwo pollLlcal parLy candldaLes are hldlng from debaLes, unwllllng Lo puL
Lhelr ldeas on Lhe llne, afrald Lo be examlned and compared.

lL ls Llme Lo compare ldeas. lL ls Llme Lo compare compeLlng vlslons and plans and
sLraLegles. lL ls Llme Lo compare LemperamenL and experlence and skllls. And lL ls Llme
Lo compare prlnclples and values.

l welcome Lhe [udgmenL of Malne voLers because l LrusL Lhelr lnsLlncLs and Lhelr
lndependence. l am confldenL LhaL Malne voLers wlll voLe for Lhelr dreams and
asplraLlons, noL Lhelr fears. And l am confldenL LhaL we wlll wln ln november.

?ou have sLood wlLh me on Lhe ground of shared values and prlnclples. l am
sLrengLhened by each and every one of you, and l wlll look Lo women llke you Lo help
me lead Lhls sLaLe over Lhe nexL four years.

We wlll be LesLed beLween now and november. 1he speclal lnLeresLs on boLh sldes wlll
pour mllllons of dollars lnLo Lhls race. 1here wlll be a flood of money lnLo negaLlve
adverLlslng agalnsL me, and Lhere wlll be expenslve efforLs Lo cloLhe my opponenLs ln
vlrLues LhaL Lhelr own records belle.

So be lL.

SLlll, we wlll wln, because you and so many oLher Malners wanL a new beglnnlng for our
sLaLe afLer Lhe LosL uecade.

l don'L care who you are, where you llve or whaL you do. lf you wlll sLand wlLh me,
march wlLh me and work wlLh me beLween now and november, l promlse you Lhls:

We wlll renew our asplraLlons, resLore our dreams, and rebulld a SLaLe of CpporLunlLy.

1hank you.