Julia Maslen

1 month ago | thebollard.com | Al Diamon |Elizabeth Peavey |Julia Maslen |Samuel James

Lyin’ Joe and Ruinous Susan Like a lot of people, I knew this country was cooked during the Biden/Trump debate last June. Biden’s sad babbling wasn’t what convinced me, though. It was just one small moment, lost in the overwhelming disaster of the night. Both sides had agreed to debate without fact-checkers and Trump was on a tear, looking silly as hell. The Internet was exploding with frustrated Dems wondering why Biden’s team had agreed to something that would so clearly benefit Trump.

1 month ago | thebollard.com | Samuel James |Elizabeth Peavey |Julia Maslen |Al Diamon

Bailey bails outDennis Bailey used to be the best political consultant in Maine. I know that’s true because he was proclaimed as such years ago by none other than  me. At the time, Bailey was engineering the early campaigns of Democrat Tom Andrews for Congress and independent Angus King for governor (and, later, U.S. senator). Bailey was even successful (temporarily) in keeping casinos out of Maine.

1 month ago | thebollard.com | Elizabeth Peavey |Samuel James |Al Diamon |Julia Maslen

A recent Revive Gathering. photos/courtesy Julia MaslenOvercoming the loneliness epidemic in MaineRecently, while shopping at Shaw’s in Falmouth, I was struck by the self-checkout stations that replaced some of the traditional cashier lanes. I felt sad as I reflected on the reality that we are slowly disconnecting from even the simplest human interactions, like a pleasant chat while we buy our groceries. What once was an opportunity for social exchange is now a solitary task on a screen.