As a proud Democrat who once voted for Maine’s own elected aristocrat, Gov. John Baldacci, the sad reality now is that I must split from the party line to support another candidate. The reality of this self-serving career politician is one I have come to grasp and will not conscience any longer.

Knowing the stranglehold Baldacci has on Maine’s Democratic party establishment, it is too much to hope that the party will come to its senses and encourage the man to find his next meal ticket someplace else, instead of foisting himself on an undeserving Maine for another term.

Even if Maine’s Democratic party was convinced that John the Great, or “John-John” as some like to call him behind his back, cannot win, its leaders will back their fearless aristocrat to the end. Blindly supporting any politician is not serving Maine’s best interests. That is not in keeping with the kind of strong working-class values that Maine Democrats have displayed in the past.

Being a Democrat should not be about intimidation for the sake of votes, it ought to be about coverage, vision and pro-worker values. One gets the sense that if Baldacci’s poll numbers continue to slide, he will take a page from a former Democratic candidate and mount a tank to stress his strong side. Seeing John the Great rolling from the Armory in Augusta, helmet-covered head surveying his dominion, would certainly be worth the price of admission.

Mark Tardif, Waterville