First gubernatorial debate scheduled

Looks like our three major gubernatorial candidates will face off for the first time later this month.

Organized by the Vermont Natural Resource Council and moderated by Rutland Herald opinion page editor David Moats, the debate is scheduled for July 20th at 5:30 p.m. at the Lareau Farm in Waitsfield.

The official PR is below:

VNRC Co-Hosts First Gubenatorial Debate of 2008

Focus will be on Environment, Food

Montpelier— Vermont’s three major gubernatorial candidates will square 
off in their first formal debate of the 2008 election to discuss some 
of the most important issues for Vermonters today, including the 
environment, energy, food and farming.

The debate among the three hopefuls — Republican incumbent Jim 
Douglas, Democrat Gaye Symington and Progressive Anthony Pollina —will 
take place on July 20 at the Lareau Farm (next to American Flatbread) 
in Waitsfield. The debate begins at 5:30 p.m. and is co-hosted by the 
Vermont Natural Resources Council, American Flatbread Company and 
Vermont Localvores.

“These are challenging times, and Vermonters need strong, visionary 
and creative leadership,” said Elizabeth Courtney, VNRC’s executive 
director.

“This debate will focus on some of the issues Vermonters care about 
most: Creating walkable, vibrant communities, building a strong 
homegrown food and farming system, keeping our farms and forests 
productive and wild, and reducing the growing burden of energy costs 
on Vermonters by expanding efficiency and renewable energy 
opportunities,” Courtney said. “With that information, Vermonters can 
decide for themselves who is the best choice in November to lead us 
into the future.”

“The debate will also focus on food and agricultural policy,” said 
George Schenk, founder and owner of American Flatbread Company. 
“Vermonters are increasingly interested in where our food comes from, 
how it’s grown and processed, and its effect on the well-being of the 
environment and our health.”

David Moats, the Pulitzer-prize winning editorial page editor of the 
Rutland Herald will moderate the debate.

Immediately following the debate, guests can mingle with the 
candidates as well as their friends and neighbors over a scrumptious 
feast of American Flatbread, local greens and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
(Flatbread and drinks will be available for purchase; ice cream and 
salad is complimentary.) Childcare will be provided free of charge 
during the debate. The Anthony Santor jazz trio will play music during 
dinner.

The Lareau Farm is located on Route 100 in Waitsfield at the home of 
American Flatbread. Attendance at the debate is free and all are 
welcome and encouraged to attend.  For more details about the debate, 
please visit the Calendar of Events at www.vnrc.org or call 
802-223-2328.

-Dan Barlow

He's a she?

Oh, the problems with form letters and statements being sent to elected officials.

So, today the U.S. House voted to approve a new federal government spying program and to give telecommunication companies that had been participating in the previous, secret program immunity for probably breaking laws. U.S. Rep. Peter Welch voted no on the bill.

StoptheSpying.org is an organization that was lobbying against the bill. On their Web page, they have form statements that constiuents can read to their representatives in an attempt to sway their vote.

Well, the page on Welch contains this interesting suggestion to use when calling his office.

I'm a constituent and I'd like to thank Rep. Welch for her strong stance against telecom immunity and illegal spying.

-Dan Barlow

Is the Doctor in?

Shay Totten of the weekly newspaper Seven Days is reporting today that Rep. Harry Chen, the doctor from Mendon who has been a leader in the House of Representatives on health care and other issues, is likely to be the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

Chen, who works at Rutland Regional Medical Center, was on vacation and out of reach Wednesday.
"We are talking to a couple folks who have expressed interest in the race,” said Liz Saxe, communications director for the Vermont Democratic Party. "As of now there is no formal officially announced candidate."

Democrats have for several weeks been searching for a candidate to challenge Republican Brian Dubie.

-Louis Porter

Pollina to make campaign announcement

Progressive candidate for governor Anthony Pollina has issued a press release this morning announcing a press conference Thursday in Burlington.

What's it about? Quoting from the release, "the status of his 2008 campaign."

Here's what it says:

Since May 4th Anthony has visited 29 Vermont communities assessing support for his campaign and engaging citizens in a discussion about their priorities.

During that time a Democratic candidate has also entered the race for Governor, raising for some, questions about the dynamics of the campaing and Pollina's next steps. Anthony will respond to these questions Thursday.

-Dan Barlow

Howard Dean: Scrap Electoral College

Just a week after Gov. Douglas vetoed the popular vote bill, Vermont's previous governor has come out in favor of moving away from the Electoral College as a method of electing the president.

Howard Dean gave a 10 question interview with TIME magazine this week and he says this when asked, "Do you favor the elimination of the Electoral College?"

Yes. It's unrepresentative of where the American people are. It was fine for the days of the Pony Express, but it's not necessary to avoid a popular vote on Presidents now.

-Dan Barlow

All local politics are national

The trend in local politics this year seems to be connecting state political movements to the national candidates for president. Vermont Democrats are hoping to ride the coat tails of whomever is the party's candidate for the White House.

But here's an interesting twist: Dean Corren, blogging over at the Vermont Progressive Party blog, suggests that Democrat Gaye Symington is "our very own Hillary." Would that make Progressive Anthony Pollina our "very own Barack Obama?"

Corren concludes:

Perhaps if she sees her campaign failing to take off, she'll follow Hillary's newest example, in beginning to make nice (whether or not for her own positioning) with her fellow Bush opponent, and at the same time undoing the damage and uniting against the real threat.

With Symington and Pollina in the race this year - and Pollina entering it long before Symington even considered running - watch for a lot of talk centering on who exactly is "the spoiler" this year.

-Dan Barlow

What a difference two weeks make

Sen. Patrick Leahy now says it was "probably a mistake" to urge Sen. Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination for president.

There's more over here.

-Dan Barlow

Pro-marijuana supporters vandalize Sen. Doyle's wiki

Supporters of long-shot gubernatorial candidate Cris Ericson, who runs on a legalize marijuana platform, have vented their political frustrations on Sen. William Doyle's wikipedia entry.

Doyle's wiki entry now claims that he tried to influence the 2008 Vermont presidential primary by distributing copies of his town meeting poll.

Here's what the Ericson supporter had to say:

On March 4, 2008, Senator Bill Doyle placed a stack of material on a table a few feet from the voting box in the polling place in Chester, Vermont 05143. The material was a questionaire, question #14 was: Consider expressing your preference for the 2008 Presidential election: ___Hillary Clinton ___Mike Huckabee ___Barak Obama ___John McCain and there was no space for a write in vote and all of the other candidates were not listed. Is this material that should not be in the polling place? Why were the other candidates, like Ron Paul, left out? Was Senator Bill Doyle trying to fraudulently affect the outcome of the General Election in November by putting the IDEA into the heads of voters that ONLY these candidates had a chance to win? digital photo of material in the polling place at http://crisericson.com

-Dan Barlow

Don't try this at home

Should it be called Blouse-gate?

Robin Orr, the director of internal services at the Department of Buildings and General Services, buys all the clothes and other materials for the Vermont government.

She told members of the Senate Government Operations Committee Wednesday that there was a reason "kerfuffle" between her office and the Vermont State Police over the new fashion of the shirts they wear as part of their uniforms.

Only Orr didn't call them shirts. She called them blouses. Blouses?

"That's what they are called," she said.

After telling a senator exactly how "kerfuffle" is spelled (and telling another senator exactly what the words means), Orr had some advice on how to get on the good side of a State Police trooper during a traffic stop.

"The next time you are pulled over, tell them you like their blouse," she joked.

-Dan Barlow

Only in Brattleboro

Sounds like Wednesday night's public hearing on Vermont Yankee in Brattleboro got really interesting.

From Rutland Herald reporter Susan Smallheer:

There was even comic relief in the form of street theater. A couple dressed up as “The Nuclear Industry” and “Vermont Public Service,” walked around the room, holding hands and at one point pretending to “fornicate,” as they put it.

And:

Wark tangled with anti-nuclear activist Gary Sachs of Brattleboro, who continued to shout out questions about Yankee, despite Wark’s request that he be quiet.

“Gary, I’m going to ask you to leave. This is your last warning or I’m going to call the police,” said Wark, who until 18 months ago was a member of the Burlington Police Department.

Wark didn’t call the police and Sachs stopped asking questions.

-Dan Barlow