Maine Gov. Paul LePage has made amends with the 17-year-old boy whose cartoonist father he said jokingly he would like to shoot.
LePage sent Nick Danby, son of a well-known Maine cartoonist George Danby, a personally-penned apology note addressing the comments, a governor spokesman confirmed to the Maine Sun Journal. LePage’s office did not provide the governor’s letter to Danby, but offered the Sun Journal a copy of the letter Danby wrote in response.
“Thank you for the warm and thoughtful note — I appreciate your concern and frankness,” Danby wrote. “I wanted to respond by telling you that I was not offended — I thought they were quite humorous — nor was I the one who reported the incident — I think in many respects you were simply representing the feelings of many Mainers.”
The controversy began in late June, at a high school mock Legislature competition when the younger Danby asked LePage what he thought of the cartoonist, who is often critical of the governor in his cartoons. LePage shot back, “I’d like to shoot George Danby.”
The response appeared to be a joke that fell flat, but coming a few months after the mass shooting at a satirical magazine in Paris, it drew wide scrutiny. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists called the remark “vicious, stupid and irresponsible” and the news director of the Bangor Daily News, which publishes Danby’s cartoons, said the comment was “shocking and tasteless.”
No. That’s not adequate. “Adequate” would be if he stopped saying shit like that! Oh, and? “Vicious, stupid, and irresponsible” is a pretty darned good character portrait of this crude asshole.
I know this is a description of the comment, but it’s easy to confuse “remark” with “governor” given his well documented behavior.
Danby’s son: “I think in many respects you were simply representing the feelings of many Mainers.”
Insert blade, twist right.
The optimistic might call that amends, I suppose. But when a son suggests the sentiments of a governor who thought shooting his father was funny represented the feelings of many Mainers, somehow I don’t think that was intended to be a compliment.
He said that to a kid. Now who does something like that? Coward comes to mind.
But Maine…that’s the judgement of the man you elected as Governor. Perhaps Mainer were caught up with his phony baloney style but before they vote again…they need to remember the guy they vote for goes to the Governors mansion.
As for shooting people…LePage was born in 1948…making him perfect for the Vietnam War. He did not serve. He could have shot a bunch of folks…albeit they’d shoot back…but chose not to do that. For him or the USA. he isn’t ever going to shoot anyone.
Please tell me the kid told Gov. Bullfrog, “Stop mixing up courage with rudeness.”