Can a creepy racist weirdo be elected to high public office?

Well, obviously.

Al Diamon

But I’m not talking about THAT creepy racist weirdo. No need to search so far afield to find repulsive political mutants, when we have a sizable septic-tank clog of them right here in Maine.

The local variety is easy to spot, not attempting to hide all that hate behind catchphrases like “Build That Wall” or “Send Her Back.” The native scum come right out and say whatever’s on their diseased little brains.

Prime example: Republican state Rep. Larry Lockman of Bradley.

Earlier this month, Lockman, who is term-limited out of his House seat, announced he’s running for the state Senate district including Bucksport, Brewer, Holden, Castine and numerous other towns and unorganized territories. This is rock-solid GOP territory, so if Lockman wins next June’s primary, he’s virtually assured of taking the seat.

He is not, however, virtually assured of winning the primary.

Republican state Sen. Kim Rosen of Bucksport is the incumbent, and she’s seeking another term. Rosen is rarely in the limelight, tending to concentrate on local issues. But two years ago, she did manage to make the enemies list of (speaking of racists) former GOP Gov. Paul LePage for the heinous crime of voting to keep state government open, even though LePage preferred to shut it down.

Naturally, the ex-governor is endorsing Lockman.

Some slimy baggage comes with that.

In announcing his candidacy, Lockman was uncharacteristically restrained, merely accusing Democrats of being more concerned with helping “new Mainers” than “old Mainers.” But to put that in context, he had previously characterized a proposed state office to aid immigrants as part of a “war on whites.”

In letters to newspapers, he has described homosexuality as “a perverted and depraved crime against humanity” and argued that if abortion is legal, rape should be, too.

In 2016, he mailed a campaign flyer (without required information on who paid for it) that called Portland an “ISIS incubator.”

This year, he tried to pass a bill making it illegal for public school teachers to discuss instances of racial discrimination or oppression.

As reported in The Bollard, his Maine First Media website has run stories headlined “EXPOSED: Open Border Leftists Plot to Invade Rural Maine with Muslim Refugees.” Lockman told the magazine, “It’s called civilizational jihad. I mean, some of them brag about it. ‘We will outbreed the infidels.’ And when you look at birthrates among those Somali women, it won’t take long in Lewiston. One or two generations and boom! We need extreme vetting.” According to a 2016 op-ed, that vetting would require “a minimum five-year moratorium on all immigration into the United States.”

Lockman insists none of this is racist. In an op-ed last year, he said he’d welcome immigrants, so long as they’re “English speaking U.S. citizens from other states.”

Lest you think Lockman is a one-issue candidate, know that back in the 1980s he embraced the cause of so-called sovereign citizens, filing a lawsuit against the federal government claiming he was exempt from paying income tax. And lest you think his ideology is consistent, know that in 2013, he wrote an op-ed chastising Democrats for failing to compromise, followed less than two months later by one criticizing Republicans for even considering making a deal.

He’s correct about not compromising, at least when it comes to Larry Lockman holding high public office.

No way.