Chellie Pingree
Chellie Pingree
Chellie Pingreeis an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maine's 1st congressional district since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth2 April 1955
CountryUnited States of America
amended clarify constitution majority
It's crazy that the Constitution has to be amended to clarify what for the majority of Americans is a clear and true statement: corporations are not people.
anonymous dollars donors fit groups home issues millions seen spend state
In my home state of Maine, we've seen out-of-state groups with anonymous donors spend millions of dollars to campaign against issues that don't fit their agenda.
companies costs forcing lower maine negotiate people proposed senate
When I was in the Maine Senate and proposed Maine RX - a plan to lower prescription drug costs by forcing the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate - I was told by many people that it was too big an idea, and we couldn't overcome opposition from the drug companies.
amazed everybody gets groups politics remind school study unlikely
I'm always amazed how many politicians have a very unlikely story, and when I talk to groups of students, I remind them that not everybody who gets into politics is a lawyer or went to school to study it. We all come to it for different reasons.
guiding means neutrality principle since treated
Net Neutrality - a guiding principle of the Internet since its beginning - means that content is all treated equally.
access believe mobile open paying people sure users
As more and more people reach the Internet by mobile phone, we should make sure users are getting the open access they believe they're paying for.
oppose stood
When I stood up to oppose an invasion of Iraq in 2002, it wasn't a popular thing to do.
apply businesses jobs pay unemployed
Our businesses can't create jobs when they're losing revenue, and the unemployed can't apply for jobs when they can't pay their phone bill.
checks constitution elected uphold vow
When you're elected to Congress, you take a vow to uphold the Constitution and its system of checks and balances. That vow doesn't say, 'Unless it's politically uncomfortable.'
change clear companies congress embrace global missing powerful public ready stand warming
The need to do something about global warming is obvious. And it's also pretty clear that the public understands the need for change and is ready to embrace it. What is missing is political will in Congress to stand up to the powerful energy companies and their well-paid lobbyists.
allowing brutally concerned directly good house issues local meeting people
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been one of my good friends in the House of Representatives. When she was brutally shot, Gabby was out doing what she loved to do - meeting with her constituents in a local setting, allowing people to speak to her directly about the issues that concerned them.
cause common embrace engaging evolve exciting far guard policy politics public via
Certainly, my advice is that communicating, lobbying, fundraising and engaging the public in policy and politics is far more exciting and inexpensive via the Internet. Old guard organizations like Common Cause had to evolve to embrace this new environment.
asking coalition common congress consumers groups joined million net neutrality
As president of Common Cause, I joined a coalition of groups ranging from the Christian Coalition to Consumers Union, and we went to Congress with over a million signatures asking that Net Neutrality be made law.
biased gas generous permit reviews simply sweetheart system
For too long, the system has been biased in favor of oil and gas developers: sweetheart lease deals, generous subsidies and a regulatory process so slanted in favor of Big Oil that often permit reviews are simply waived.