More cuts coming at Burlington newspaper

Burlington Free Press City Hall reporter John Briggs has a surprisingly frank blog posting today about upcoming lay-offs at the Gannett-owned newspaper.

It's a tough time in the industry - the Times Argus and the Rutland Herald had our own cuts back in January that saw about 14 people leave the company - but the Free Press seems to have been hit the hardest in Vermont.

In the last year, the Freeps have had one round of lay-offs and two rounds of furloughs.

Here's what Briggs had to say:

"After weeks of rumors, Free Press employees got the bad news this afternoon. Bob Dickey, president of Gannett U.S. Community Publishing, told us that despite two quarters of company-wide furloughs and rounds of lay-offs last year, "we will need to implement job reductions to align our resources with the revenue realities we face. The news broke on the national wire well before it was given to employees."

Journalism is a tough job. But it's even tougher when you're not sure if you'll be paid for it next week. Our thoughts are out to our colleagues at the Free Press.

- Dan Barlow

Leahy running for reelection in 2010

Patrick Leahy will run for re-election in 2010, the U.S. Sen. announced in a video to supporters Wednesday.
In the e-mail and video message Leahy said he will run to continue his work in the Senate - and asks for financial help.

"The last U.S. Senate race in Vermont cost more than $12 million dollars," according to the message. That was the contest between Vermont's other current U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders, and Richard Tarrant.

"June 30th is the first major fundraising deadline of the 2010 campaign. I need your help to post strong results and show our right-wing opponents that we're getting ready for anything they throw our way," Leahy told his supporters.

- Louis Porter

Gov. Douglas on Gov. Sanford

Gov. James Douglas weighed in today on the odd vacation taken by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. As you probably know, Sanford left his office last week and went off ... somewhere? His press office now says he's hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Douglas - who knows Sanford via the National Governor's Association - said the trip is "curious, to say the lest." But he said he gives the governor the "benefit of the doubt."

He then reminded the press corps. of the time that Howard Dean, while governor, got lost on the Long Trail.

-Dan Barlow

Second Vermont Republic on Glenn Beck

FOX News' Glenn Beck makes the shaky transition this week from the Iranian elections to ... Vermont's secession movement?

The transcript of his interview with Thomas Naylor can be read here.

Here's what Naylor had to say about the movement under an Obama administration:

Well, I think that, essentially, the system is coming unglued at the seams. What I suggested that — I mean, basically secession is an act of our rebellion driven by anger and fear. People were more angry at George W. Bush, but now, under Obama with the economic meltdown, there's genuine fear.

And so, I think the moment — secession has been getting more attention in the last few weeks at any time since 1865.

- Dan Barlow

Iranian revolution

There's a revolution going on in Iran, aside from the protests. I spent much of the early morning watching the news via Twitter - which is incomplete and sometimes frustratingly vague, but nonetheless exciting. The Twitterers are sidestepping the usual power structures and centralized control of information. Watching the tag : #iranelection brings 200-400 updates a minute, too much to process, and many of them are duplicates. Many of them refer to the BBC web site, Al Jazeera, Reuters, people still depend on trusted news sources. They also need, to some degree, a filter.
At the same time, the people in Iran - despite their reports that the government is shutting down telecommunications - are doing work that is impossible or very difficult for a journalist to do: Western journalists are in lockdown.
How does this relate to Vermont? In our industry, the landscape is changing so fast it's difficult to keep up, and predictions on the future of newspapers/news are hard to trust. We're seeing a revolution in the way information is communicated - from the hourglass shape of the traditional newspaper to the full on multi-connective social networking model. Few people predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall - a landmark event of my childhood. What will I be telling my children about this moment in 20 years' time?
-Rob Mitchell

Synchronicity

From a Brattleboro Reformer story today on local bus drivers no longer carrying emergency pagers in case of a Vermont Yankee accident:

Brian Davis, contract manager for First Student, confirmed that no bus drivers currently carry state-supplied emergency pagers. He said First Student relies on a phone tree to notify bus drivers.

From the latest edition of satirical newspaper The Onion this week:

WASHINGTON—The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday unveiled its new $48.2 million Phone Tree Response System, a program designed to alert every American in the event of a large-scale disaster.

- Dan Barlow

"Not a surprise"

Is "pulling a Jim Jeffords" officially part of the political lexicon now? Seems that way.

News that Sen. Arlen Specter would leave the Republican Party and join the Democratic Party broke Tuesday just as Sen. Patrick Leahy was at a D.C. press conference on an anti-fraud bill. Questions quickly turned to fallout from Specter's decision.

Here's a transcript from a portion of the press conference, courtesy of Leahy's staff. The Vermonter referenced toward the end is Philip Baruth, the political writer and Vermont Daily Briefing blogger. He was in the city to shadow U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, but wow, talk about right place, right time.

-Dan Barlow

QUESTION:  (OFF-MIKE) ask you about the news that's breaking right now regarding Senator Specter.  

(CROSSTALK)

LEAHY:  He voted for the bill, too.

(LAUGHTER)

Thanks, Chuck.

GRASSLEY:  Yes, I'm only interested in answering questions...

(CROSSTALK)

LEAHY:  I think out of fairness to Senator Grassley, we should let him leave.

Go ahead.

QUESTION:  (OFF-MIKE) 

LEAHY:  Senator Grassley -- Senator Schumer called me this morning to let me know he's going to.

He and I have been friends for -- its (inaudible) to be 40 years.  We first met when we were both young prosecutors.  I was the state's attorney in Chittenden County in Vermont.  He was the district attorney of Pennsylvania.  We had worked together, met at a prosecutor's meeting, kept in touch, he with me when I was running for the Senate and I with him.

So we have a particular friendship, our personal relationship, and he wanted me to know before it became in the press.

Frankly, in talking with him, I got the impression that he went through much the same that Jim Jeffords did from Vermont, and feeling that the Republican Party, a great party in this country, had left him, not the other way around, and that he'd be more -- more comfortable here.  

And I -- I believe he will.  I expect him to be just as independent as ever.  It's not -- just like -- you know, in our -- in our caucus we don't have any automatic votes for anything.  

But I've worked with -- I've worked with Arlen ever since he came here.

We've done numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation, just as Senator Grassley and I have, Senator Hatch and I have.

And I -- I think having watched Jim Jeffords agonize over it, I know for some of the things that Senator Specter said to me over the weeks, I know how hard he's agonized.  I believe he's going to be happier.

QUESTION:  Did you have any (inaudible)?  He said he got a call from Schumer (inaudible).

LEAHY:  No, I meant Specter.  I'm sorry.  I said a call from Senator Schumer.  I got a call from Senator Specter earlier this morning, who wanted, because of our long friendship, wanted me to know, and I've been -- sort of kept quiet until he actually issued his own comment.  He had talked with Senator McConnell and Senator Reid, but because of our long personal friendship, he wanted me to know about it.  And it was his cancer I was talking about, and (inaudible) cancer.

QUESTION:  Do you have any idea (inaudible).

LEAHY:  It is not a surprise.  

QUESTION:  (inaudible)

LEAHY:  (inaudible)

QUESTION:  (inaudible) not a surprise?

LEAHY:  Well, just because I know him so well.  You know, I remember a conversation that Senator Stafford of Vermont told me about.  It was right after Jim Jeffords had changed parties.  I went in to see, as I usually did when I was in that part of the state, I dropped by to see Senator and Mrs. Stafford.  He told me he had gotten a call from former President George Bush about the time that, just before Jim Jeffords changed.  

The conversation was something like this, "Bob, it's George." "Hi, George.  How are you?"

"I'm fine, Bob," and they did pleasantries about their families and all.  

And he says, "Bob, I hear that your senator is thinking of switching parties."

"Well, George, that's right."

"Bob, how do you feel about that?  What do we do?"

He said, "Well, George, he was in here to have breakfast with me today and I told him, I said, I think you're going to be a lot happier doing that."

And he said, "Well, thank you, senator."

"You're welcome, Mr. President.  Good-bye."

(LAUGHTER)

But we knew it in Vermont.  We knew it long -- apparently long before anybody down here.  It was well talked about.  I see Bill Baroonth (ph) here from Vermont.  He knows everybody was talking about it before it happened.  And it wasn't a case -- I mean, the Jeffords, the whole family, a long line of distinguished members of the Republican Party, but it was too much and he left.

QUESTION:  Regarding Specter, what happens on the Judiciary...

QUESTION:  (inaudible) nomination that (inaudible)

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION:  (inaudible) nomination (inaudible).

LEAHY:  Oh, I don't know.  I don't know that.  I would hope that we'd have a vote up or down and have a real debate, and have a vote up or down.  You know, Democrats never filibustered any of the attorney general positions when President Bush was there, purposely because -- in fact, I don't think anybody in the 35 years I've been here, anybody's filibustered a position for assistant attorney general. We've voted them up or down.  We might vote against them.  We've voted them up or down.  So we'll see.

QUESTION:  (inaudible) the Democratic side?

QUESTION:  (inaudible) we've had the ranking Republican, or at least until a few minutes ago, he was ranking (inaudible)

LEAHY:  Well, that's a determination.  I'll let Senator Reid -- I know what's going to happen.  I'll let Senator Reid speak to that, and the caucus will -- that's a determination.  I'll let Senator Reid.  I know what's going to happen, but I'll let Senator Reid speak to that. They asked of him, and (inaudible) Senator Reid (inaudible) what (inaudible).

QUESTION:  (inaudible) judicial nomination (inaudible).

LEAHY:  You're asking questions that should be asked of him and asked of Senator Reid.

QUESTION:  What effect do you think this might have on issues (inaudible)?

LEAHY:  He will vote the way he will vote independently on judicial nominations.  He always has in the past.  He will, no matter who the president is, most of us, he'll -- at least I do and I know he does -- that you give the president as much leeway as you can, but we have an advise and consent position and we'll take it.  You know, if you want to (inaudible).

Same way with you, Ted?

KAUFMAN:  Yes, absolutely right.  And I think the one thing is that, as you know, Senator Specter started his career in politics as a Democrat in Philadelphia, and then changed to Republican so it's kind of like he's coming home.

LEAHY:  OK, thank you.  Thank you all very much.

An Early Primary

Reports earlier this month that a Senate bill moving Vermont's primary earlier into the year was dead appear to be incorrect.

Sen. Jeanette White, the chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee, said Monday that the bill will be taken up on the floor Tuesday for its second reading.

There have been some major changes to the bill since it was last seen. Originally, the bill moved the primary out of September and to the second week of August. But not anymore. An amendment - supported by the committee - will be offered tomorrow changing the date to the fourth Tuesday in August.

"Some people felt that the second week in August was too early," White said. "So, this was a compromise."

-Dan Barlow

Remember this?

The New York Times has a story today about FOX News personality Bill O'Reilly and his habit of sending staff to "ambush" people for interviews.

The story recounts this exchange between FOX News producer Jesse Watters and Gov. James Douglas:

When the subjects don’t answer — at least not to the satisfaction of Mr. Watters — the questions become more provocative and emotional. Last summer Mr. Watters asked Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont about that state’s criminal statutes and asked, "About how many dead girls are we going to tolerate here?'"

Douglas isn't the kind of politician to be caught off guard, but this interview did just that.

-Dan Barlow

They Really Like Us

From this week's Savage Love sex column by Dan Savage:

"That day may come more quickly than we think ... thanks to the bravery of elected officials in Iowa and Vermont. As for rewarding Iowa and Vermont…

 

Like most Americans, I consume way more corn syrup than a person should (that s---'s in everything), so Iowa is covered, but I will make sure the next bottle of maple syrup I purchase is from Vermont. Still, I’ll be pouring it on my pancakes, thanks, not my boyfriend. Food is for after sex, people, not before, and never, ever during. Food is not a sex toy, not even chocolate."

 

-Dan Barlow