Calling out hate with compassion

​It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said it best, “I have decided to stick with love, hate is too great a burden to bear”. 

I’m not necessarily angry, I’m just disappointed; disappointed in the York County Republican Chair as someone myself who has a family of Republicans. As you might have seen in the news, the chair of the York County Republican Committee made disparaging and hateful remarks about me personally in an email sent out to recruit a candidate to challenge me this fall.

This is the kind of politics we must reject. Diversity should be seen as a strength not a weakness. We need to replace a politics of hate with a politics of public service. We must rise above this type of divisiveness, negative tone, and dangerous rhetoric that demonizes people based on who they are.

This is not what Maine is about. That’s not what this country is about. Our political process deserves better. I'm extremely thankful for all of the kind words of support from people across our state and from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. It really means a lot that we've gotten to an era where hate and bigotry is publicly denounced. There will always be some that try to turn back the clock.

Lesson to learn from this: words do matter. Hopefully the positive that can come from this experience is a reaffirming of the kind of politics we want in Maine. Stick to the issues and treat opponents with respect.

Looking forward to getting past this and re-focused on the issues that really matter and representing our community to the best of my abilities.
 
Rep. Justin Chenette
Saco