In Madawaska, at the state's northern tip, fortunes are closely tied to its Canadian counterpart, Edmundston, across the St. John River.

Leopards will enjoy a well-deserved meal. A few choice morsels:

In the 2008 presidential election, more than 75% of Madawaska voters cast their ballots for Barack Obama, a Democrat. Last November, Donald Trump received just over 50% of Madawaska’s vote, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the town in decades.

“My father had 13 kids. We all lived and worked on the farm. We were born and raised Democrats because back then, in the ’40s and ’50s, the Democrats were the working man’s party,” Morneault said. “When I told my dad I’d turned Republican, he called me a turncoat. A traitor.”

Both Morneault and Campagna say their politics are informed by their religion. The bulk of their support for Trump comes from his opposition to abortion, and much of their disdain for Democrats comes from their support for LGBTQ+ rights.

  • @StopTouchingYourPhone
    28•6 days ago

    “We’ve been good neighbors, but they haven’t paid their fair share,” [Bob] Campagna said. “They need our products, and we need theirs, but not as much.”

    “I personally like that [Trump’s] stirring the pot and making stuff happen,” [Mike Beaulieu] said. “The tariffs might last for just a little bit. But he might settle some stuff.”

    “The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” -Hannah Arendt

    • @[email protected]OP
      12•6 days ago

      I really need to get around to reading her work, because every Arendt quote I’ve seen is a banger.

      • @StopTouchingYourPhone
        6•5 days ago

        She’s incisive af, which is refreshing.

        “Banality of evil” is hers as well, which fits that messed up “changing of the guard” moment in Madawaska imo. Those holy rollers so charged up after church they can’t even share space at a frigging Tims? Can you imagine having to work there?