July / August 2010
CNN anchor John King raps about pizza-filled power outages, denting trees with skis, and making his point with a bucket of lobsters.
By John King
Maine is one of the jewels of the earth and one of my favorite places to visit.
Professionally, it’s on the cutting edge of our politics; look at how more and more people are saying they resist the two-party system and wish people–and politicians–would be more pragmatic and less ideological. Well, that’s a big piece of Maine’s political culture, from [independent-thinking governors] to two Republican senators who often are critical to big national debates. I traveled [to Maine] in September 2009 for [CNN’s] State of the Union, and hearing independents raise so many questions about the Democratic health-care plan was a good lesson in where the national debate was going. I borrowed a bucket of lobsters to make a point about the political breakdown–perhaps my favorite low-tech graphics, ever!
Personally, I love the ocean and rugged terrain, so Maine has long been a favorite. I dented a few trees skiing in Bethel during my years in high school and have always enjoyed the coastal areas. A few years back, I drove from Burlington across Vermont and into Maine and ultimately down to Boston on a two-week trip to show my children the best of New England. While in Bar Harbor there was a power outage, and I remember Rosalie’s Pizza patiently staying open and feeding people (gas ovens!) and everyone just having that “so-it-goes, might-as-well-make-it-an-adventure” attitude. Plus, while Fenway is heaven on earth, going to see the Sea Dogs and getting a glimpse of a replica of the Green Monster is a great treat. And the Maine microbrews are a special [addition] to the ball-game experience!
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