That’s the second thing that popped into my head, right after I thought “Wow, some actually clever, effective, and entertaining action from the activist ghetto”.  Check it out, from the UK Guardian:

The US defence department yesterday declared the end of the Iraq war and the immediate withdrawal of all troops, prompting an admission from Condoleezza Rice that the Bush administration knew all along that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, according to the New York Times.

On second thought, that introductory paragraph needs a little clarification. The New York Times proper didn’t report the end of the Iraq war. But a spoof 14-page “special edition” of the newspaper, circulating free on the streets of Manhattan today, did carry those items. It was printed in a form that was so high quality and technically accurate that many New Yorkers were nonplussed, backed up by an entire “New York Times” website that equally faithfully mimicked the original.

Dated July 4 2009, and boasting the front-page motto: “All the news we hope to print” in a twist on the daily’s famous phrase “All the news that’s fit to print”, the fake paper looks forward to the day the war ends, and envisages a chain of events that would be manna from heaven for American liberals.

In one story, ExxonMobil is taken into public ownership. In another, evangelical churches, the backbone of the Bush-supporting Christian right, open the doors of their mega-churches to Iraqi refugees.

The organisers of the high-quality and evidently expensive satire have cloaked themselves deliberately in a layer of mystery. They are connected at least to some degree to a group of activists calling themselves the Yes Men, a left-wing group that seeks to expose what it claims to be the “nastiness of powerful evildoers” through sophisticated pranks.

When the Guardian contacted the Yes Men, it received a swift response from a spokesman for the New York Times spoof going by the name of Wilfred Sassoon. He said that the Yes Men had helped with distribution, but that the paper itself had been produced by a number of anonymous writers from various New York dailies, including a couple from the New York Times itself.

“The idea behind it was to get people to exercise their imaginations,” “Sassoon” said. “We have just elected a new president, and we have for the first time in eight years a chance to see real change happen. But it won’t happen unless we keep the pressure up on politicians to do what they were elected to do.”

The project, he said, had taken about six months and had been funded by a large number of small donors.

A main target of the prank is clearly the New York Times itself. The spoof contains an editorial apologising for the paper’s “botched reporting” of the run-up to the Iraq invasion, and a column from Thomas Friedman in which he declares that he has repented of his earlier backing of the war and decided never again to write for this or any other paper.

The New York Times said it was “in the process of finding out more” about its imitation. That, at least, could be taken at face value.

There’s also a cool video about the fake NY Times, which I can’t figure out how to embed here, so you’ll have to just go check it out.  And three cheers to some good ol’ fashioned pranksterism, telling it like it is.  Abby would certainly be proud.

Call it “I know you are but what am I” politics. Call it also a parable for those of us outside of Burlington who are talking about Dem/Prog fusion or cooperation to have a sense of just how herculean a task we’re taking on.

Question: Why are we still talking about this race?

From the UVM Cynic on Tuesday:

Ram cited quotes from Zuckerman saying he had heard Ram only worked one or two days a week at her job at a preschool program in the summer.

Ram also mentioned a statement from Pearson saying that she had not put forth any ideas about student leadership when they met for coffee a year earlier.

“I think those are both lies and false allegations directed at my campaign, and I stand by that,” Ram said.

And:

Ram said she will “have to be very aware that there is some tension between the Democratic Party and the Progressive Party, and that will play out in our relationship.”

Zuckerman said that Ram’s campaign is responsible for that tension.

“This campaign that [Ram] waged certainly created a great deal of tension. Tension between Progressives and Burlington Democrats that I have not seen for eight or 10 years,” Zuckerman said.

Elections are adversarial in nature. And of late, part of that process at the “macro” level has been to be the first one to peg your opponent as a sleazebag. Unethical. You don’t see that so much at the local level because politics becomes more personal and less institutional. Nobody wants to call their neighbor a sleazebag, right? Because if you do that “personal” quality becomes the other kind of personal. And if you push those kind of boundaries in a local election, you’re playing a slash-and-burn strategy, tromping on community cohesion in order to win, and that’s a problem.

Welcome to the just passed(?) Chittenden 3-4 race between incumbent Progressives Chris Pearson, David Zuckerman and Democrats Kesha Ram and some other guy. The race went to Zuckerman and Ram, and I have never seen a race at any level where the charge of “liar” was thrown around for such frivolous reasons. Ram:

In response to Pearson’s comment, Ram said that she is “frustrated by all of these blatant lies and negative attacks.”

Zuckerman:

“If my opponent is telling people that I am going to be moving out of the district in two years, she is lying based on information that she heard directly from me, and that is a very, very serious situation,”

There’s no question that this became personal very quickly. Pearson and Zuckerman took the candidacy itself as a personal attack, and there’s no question they responded with ferocity.

But folks on every side in the district asked some obvious questions of their candidates that simply can’t be considered personal. Would Ram be running if Pearson and Zuckerman were Democrats? How to reconcile Zuckerman’s re-election bid against his intention to move out of the district in a few years? Both obvious questions that clearly took on a personal bent needlessly. (For the record, I believe the answer to those questions were probably “yes” and “whatever” in that order… in any event, there’s nothing wrong with asking questions – especially obvious ones staring you in the face).

But those questions stirred the pot. What followed were frivolous questions that still get cited but were really meaningless. Were Pearson and Zuckerman starting a whisper campaign about Ram’s level of employment? Why was Ram running with a “sponge” candidate? (That last one was asked by a lot of folks who should know better… you run a “sponge” who has no intention to win in a multi-member district to “soak up” the votes of people who will only vote party lines, so their votes have as much impact – picking two ballot names –  as those of others. Otherwise they essentially cast half-a-vote, and the resulting math can hurt a lone partisan candidate if the race is tight. It’s weird, but its common knowledge). Ram’s running mate turned out to be the worst sponge in history, though, when he publicly went all limp and said he didn’t want the position – doing nothing but reflecting badly on Ram. Meanwhile, the conspiracies abounded. Ram was a tool of the Leahy crowd/City Dems/Democracy for America to take down these dangerous Progs – apparently because the obvious truth (that Ram wanted to be a State Rep) was too boring (although it should be said that Ram’s choice of Ian Carleton for Campaign Treasurer was just asking for that kind of response).

So we had a scenario where everyone was already taking things too personally from the get go. That sort of thing only gets worse.

If you think all this is a bit much, better sit down.

Here’s how out of hand this has gotten. From Haik’s blog:

Blurt’s November 7 2008 blog round up links to stories by Max Bookman on Zuckerman, Pearson, and Ram.

Most of the comments are in the Ram piece. The ones from David Zuckerman and (Democratic City Councilor) Ed Adrian are interesting…

From Dave:

“…But I have to wonder…had Chris and I been Democrats would Kesha have run against us in a primary? Would people like Ed and Maurice worked so hard to defeat us? Do party labels matter that much? If they do, is that not a sad statement about our democracy?

From Ed:

“…Dave has also worked very hard at reaching out to the community and I applauded him for his efforts publicly on the FPF on October 30, 2008

where I stated the following:

“I have known Dave Zuckerman for over a decade when we shared a regular card game with a group of other folks. I am a founding member of his CSA, he came to our wedding and I consider him a friend. He has worked hard and I wish him the best of luck. Remember that each and every one of you in the Chittenden 3-4 legislative district can vote for two people for the Vermont House. I would encourage all of you to join me in voting for Kesha.” *** I should note that as of November 5, 2008 I became, not due to my own choice, a former member of Dave’s CSA….”

I hate when people assume we know what acronyms stand for. Ed mentions “FPF.” That’s Front Porch Forum, a neighborhood email update. He also mentions “Dave’s CSA.” CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Some kind of hippy-zippy food buying group thing.

But anyway. Is Ed Adrian trying to imply that Zuckerman kicked him out of a food co-op because he helped Kesha Ram defeat Chris Pearson? Whoa Nelly. Ed Adrian is running for mayor, by the way.

Amazing, huh?

Zuckerman responded in the comments:

In Vermont we all have many business and personal relationships that cross our political philosophies. That is part of what makes our political scene more “civil” in most instances. However…there are also some unwritten codes that I have observed in my 12 years of being in politics. One of them is

that folks tend not to use their personal or business relationships for political gain at cross hairs to the business relationship or without chatting about it first. And this is where Ed crossed the line.

In his posting you will see that while it was couched as being friendly etc. it was also a political ploy (and it was part of their overall strategy to get people to vote for Kesha and me…which was an effective one…so kudo’s to them).

I have no problem with folks endorsing whoever they want to over and around friendships. Those are political decisions. But to use a friendship or business relationship as a tool for partisan politics was beyond ok.

I might add that only 2 weeks (give or take) earlier, I had had a discussion with Ed asking him that we separate our business relationship from politics at CSA pick-ups because it made some other members uncomfortable (without placing blame on him or me, we just get heated…and we enjoyed it…but other members did not). So it was on the heals of my asking him to separate our politics from our business relationship that his email was sent out. From that, the next time I was to see him (I thought) other than the heat of election day was at the next share pick up on wednesday. Sure the timing was not great…but it was the next scheduled pick up. I wanted to do it in person to try to explain all of this rather than through emails and blogs.

And this is the hard part, because the Front Porch Forum post that Zuckerman cited as justification for Adrian’s expulsion and is terming unethical was this one:

WHY I SUPPORT KESHA RAM

By Ed Adrian, City Councilor – Ward 1, Brookes Ave,

Tue, 28 October 2008

I have been somewhat surprised about the lack of political discussion on the FPF and hesitant to disturb that tranquility.  Thus in return for your brief attention and bearing with me through this posting, I offer two humorous website links at the bottom to get you through the last days of the presidential campaign.  

As we head into the final days of this campaign, I have been asking myself why I support particular candidates actively.  Yes I am a democrat and I like to support my fellow democrats.   However, while I may vote for a democrat, I do not always support him or her publicly.  Every once in a while through a

candidate comes along who is so extraordinary that I will go out of my way to provide as much support as possible for that candidate.  Kesha Ram is such a candidate.

I think that one of the best indicators of how well any individual will serve as a public representative is reflected by how well they run a campaign.  What kind of organization do they have, who supports them, how much do they want the job and how hard are they willing to work to get it.  Most importantly are they willing to get out there and touch base, in person, with as many people as possible. Kesha has assembled an impressive team in this race.  Her literature, management and messaging is all topnotch.  Most importantly though, Kesha has worked her heart and soul out in getting to meet the community over the last 5-6 months.  

I believe that the same energy that Kesha has put into her campaigning will readily translate into responsive action for her future constituents.  In my opinion, assuming your ideologies are roughly in sync with a candidate, constituent services and communication is the single most important attribute for a local official to provide to his or her community.

Kesha also draws on some unique life experiences.  As a woman and an ethnic minority she has seen the world through eyes not shared by any other current member of the Vermont House.  Now this is not to say that someone should vote for Kesha simply because she is a woman and/or a member of an ethnic minority.  

However, if a person as candidate is looked at for everything that they bring to the table these are two assets that certainly are worth considering when casting a vote.  In this instance much more defines Kesha then her gender or ethnicity.  

Kesha is a graduate of the UVM class of 2008.  In her last year at UVM she served as president of the student government association and managed a budget of 1.4 million dollars.  Kesha has spent the last year serving on the City’s Environment and Energy Coordinating Committee.  She was one of only 65 students in the nation awarded a Truman Scholarship.  She has been endorsed by Democracy for American and is the youngest person ever to have been endorsed by Emily’s List.  Her background provides her the unique ability to advocate for green jobs, affordable childcare, reproductive choice and the freedom to marry.  

I have known Dave Zuckerman for over a decade when we shared a regular card game with a group of other folks.  I am a founding member of his CSA, he came to our wedding and I consider him a friend.  He has worked hard and I wish him the best of luck.  Remember that each and every one of you in the Chittenden 3-4 legislative district can vote for two people for the Vermont House.  I would encourage all of you to join me in voting for Kesha.  

Now as promised here are the links –

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/taf….  (Send it to yourself and your friends.  You will not be disappointed.  Guaranteed!)

http://www.funnyordie.com/vide… (For all you Ron Howard fans out there).

Best,

Ed

I don’t get it. The last part reads like an endorsement of Zuckerman. It praises the Progressive Rep and reminds folks that they get to vote for him too. In fact, it reads as a partisan Dem giving other Dems permission to split their vote between Ds and Ps.

I really don’t get it, and I can only assume that the reason I don’t get it is that those of us reading things like this are looking at the tip of an iceberg. What iceberg? Okay, there’s the old Prog vs. Dem you-poked-me-first-no-you-poked-me thing playing out in the comments at Blurt, BurlingtonPol and elsewhere – but in this case I think there’s another iceberg under there. A more personal one. One that we were never meant to see.

Never. Meant. To. See.

Clearly there’s so much history and animosity and warfare going on that people can’t think straight. The problem is that these people – all of them – Zuckerman, Adrian, Ram, Pearson – are in positions of authority. In other words, its their jobs to think straight, even if vengeance and personal vindication are so much more satisfying. They lose that luxury as part of the price of being public servants. It’s about sublimating the self in the interests of the community, and it comes with the turf. Reading all this is embarassing. And the bungle moments are even worse. Did nobody tell Ram’s running mate not to act like a dolt to the press? Did Zuckerman think he could kick somebody out of his CSA over politics and have it not go public?

I like Dave. I like Kesha. The little contact I’ve had with Chris and Ed have been extremely positive, and I like them too. To all I say: Move On.

If Mr. Pearson and Mr. Zuckerman are concerned more about the community they live in than their war, they’ll stop fighting the election. If Ram is more concerned about the community she lives in than the war, she’ll stop worrying about getting the last word. If Adrian wants to be mayor, he’ll get as far away from all this as he can. In other words; everybody needs to start acting like grownups unless they like this neighbor vs neighbor crap among those who purport to be allies on the issues – and it is supposed to be about the issues, yes?

And for those who wonder why I express concern about the political dynamics of Burlington creeping out into the rest of the state, I offer you Exhibit A.

( – promoted by odum)

Absolutely stunning.  Jim Douglass becomes more of a George Bush every term he serves.  It's bad enough he recently appointed professional politico, Neale Lunderville, to the top cabinet post of Sec of Administration.  Lunderville, of course, has no background in professional public administration, except for his brief tenure as the Sec of Transportation.  Of course, he had no experience whatsoever in either transportation or administration when Douglass appointed him to that post.  That's old news.  Today's news on two appointments offer new evidence that Governor Jim Douglass is a true crony's Crony; a  Crony-in-Command or Crony-in-Chief, offering his loyal supporters top posts.

What's worse is that, besides having no experience, it appears that his appointments are purposefully intended to gut the agency they oversee.

Today's appointments below the fold.

Longtime political advisor, Jason Gibbs, is the pick for Forest, Parks and Recreation.  His experience?  Well, like a lot of Vermonters, Jason Gibbs likes to “hike, bike, climb, paddle and snowboard.”  This makes him just as qualified as 9 out of 10 Vermonters on Two 2 Tango (the 7 Days online dating site).  I wonder what his cover letter says.  Maybe something like this:

Loyal, smart, outdoorsy guy seeks top agency post. I enjoy skiing, hiking, kayaking, and authorizing large scale logging operations. 

The full story is just below, but first, here's Jim Douglass'  reasoning on his pick for Secretary of Human Services, Rob Hoffman.  

“Rob shares my views that the best social program is a good job and the best way to balance the budget is to grow the economy,” the Governor said. “He has proven to be an innovative, caring and pragmatic leader at the Department of Corrections, addressing some of our state's most pressing challenges with balance and common sense.

The best social program is a good job?  Huh?!!!  Grow the economy?  Why didn't Douglas put Rob Hoffman as director of Economic Development?  Oh, sorry I forgot.  That's a real job with minimum qualifications.  Can't do that.

Hoffman is moving from — get this — Corrections.  The guy in charge of Michael Jacques time off for good behavior is awarded top position over Human Services?  Here's a little nugget from Hoffman's Dec. 12, 2007 cost-savings plan for Corrections (PDF download):

F. Curtail or Eliminate Treatment Programs
The Department of Corrections provides treatment for incarcerated offenders combating hose factors that affect the risk of re-offending. These programs target violence, sexual buse, domestic violence, and substance abuse.

But cos-savings achieved by eliminating treatment programs for sex offenders, Hoffman says, will only be short-lived.

It perhaps need not be stated that the result of this saving would be short-lived, as Vermont Corrections programs (particularly Cognitive Self-Change and VTPSA[Sex Offender Treatment]) have a demonstrated and significant effect on re-offense and re-incarceration.

So there you have it.  Rob Hoffman is the financial bean-counter who recommends eliminating services to save money, despite the fact these programs work pretty darn well. 

I can't wait to hear what Hoffman will say about cost savings in Human Services.  Maybe he'll start by putting the axe to the emergency oil program.

Ok, here are the two press releases on Jason Gibbs and Rob Hoffman, courtesy of Vermont Business Magazine.  

Gibbs Appointed Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation
Montpelier, Vt. November 12, 2008 – Secretary of Natural Resources Jonathan Wood has announced that Jason Gibbs will be the next Commissioner of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR).

Secretary Wood said Gibbs' policy knowledge, experience in government, communication skills and passion for Vermont's natural resources will serve the state well. “Jason's expertise, creativity and ability to manage many issues will be a valuable asset to the agency and FPR, and we look forward to welcoming him to our team,” Wood said.

“FPR is a department with a highly skilled staff and experienced natural resources professionals on its management team. Jason's leadership skills will be a great match with that team,” Wood said.

Gibbs has been Governor Douglas' Press Secretary and Communications Director since 2003. He also currently serves as the Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs and the governor's liaison to the National Governors Association, the Coalition of Northeastern Governors and the Agency of Natural Resources.

“Jason is smart, energetic and experienced in the intricacies of policy and government,” Governor Douglas said. “Most importantly, he is knowledgeable and passionate about Vermont's natural resources and wholly dedicated to serving the people of Vermont. Jason's talents will be a great fit at the Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation.”

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR) is responsible for the conservation and management of Vermont's forest resources, the operation and maintenance of the state park system, and the promotion and support of outdoor recreation for Vermonters and visitors. In addition, FPR is responsible for the acquisition, planning, coordination and administration of all Agency of Natural Resources lands.

Gibbs' appointment is effective November 23, 2008.

ABOUT JASON GIBBS

A native of Forestdale, Vermont, Gibbs, 32, graduated from Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon and attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he earned a degree in Political Science.

Gibbs is an Eagle Scout, avid outdoorsman, snowboarding coach and adventure racer who hikes, bikes, climbs, paddles and snowboards as often as his schedule permits.

Early in his career Gibbs worked for the Alliance for Small Contractors, a nonprofit organization offering business development and public policy consultation to small businesses owned by women and minorities. He was later appointed Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston, where he worked with local and national media, managed public outreach activity, and conducted all policy-level briefings.

Gibbs returned to Vermont in the spring of 2001 to work in the Office of Communication and Public Affairs at Fletcher Allen Health Care. He later joined the campaign of Jim Douglas for Governor as a communications consultant and the candidate's aide. Following the election, Gibbs was appointed Press Secretary and Communications Director and has served as liaison to a variety of state agencies and departments and as Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs.

Jason lives in Duxbury with his wife of 7 years, Amy Gibbs, and their daughter Addison.

### 

HOFMANN APPOINTED HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY

Montpelier, Vt. (November 12, 2008)- Governor Jim Douglas has announced that Commissioner of Corrections Rob Hofmann will soon be Secretary of Human Services. Cindy LaWare, the current agency head, is stepping down to explore other opportunities to serve Vermont.

Governor Douglas thanked LaWare for her service. “Cindy has been an important and dedicated member of my cabinet and has served Vermonters with diligence and professionalism for the past seven years. I greatly appreciate her work to advance important elements of our agenda, including fighting to make health care more accessible and affordable, improving services for Vermonters with mental illness through the Futures plan, and implementing the Incarcerated Women's Initiative, the Children's Integrated Services initiative, and the statewide Housing Now initiative,” Governor Douglas said. “I hope and expect she will continue to serve Vermonters in the future.”

Governor Douglas said Hofmann, who served as Vermont's finance commissioner before moving to the Department of Corrections, has the right financial and human services management expertise for the new post.

“Rob shares my views that the best social program is a good job and the best way to balance the budget is to grow the economy,” the Governor said. “He has proven to be an innovative, caring and pragmatic leader at the Department of Corrections, addressing some of our state's most pressing challenges with balance and common sense. He also understands the challenge of building a responsible and compassionate budget during difficult financial times that protects the most vulnerable.. He will serve Vermonters very well as secretary of human services.”

Hofmann's appointment is effective November 23, 2008.

ABOUT ROB HOFMANN

Robert D. Hofmann of Waterbury Center, Washington County was born on August 3, 1960. He graduated from SUNY College at Cortland (BA History: Summa Cum Laude 1985). After working as a Business Analyst at Dun and Bradstreet in New York City, he attended Columbia Graduate School of Business (MBA Finance 1985), where he met his future wife, Kit Walker, a former Vermont teacher. Rob worked at American Express in New York City (1985-1990) in progressively challenging positions in financial services. From 1990-2003 he worked at Chittenden Bank in Burlington, VT first as Director of Marketing and later as Senior Vice President for Business Services.

Rob served as Vermont's Commissioner of Finance and Management from 2003-2005 and Corrections Commissioner since February 2005. He has been involved in his church, coaching his children's sports teams and is a former board member of his college alumni association and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The family holds dual citizenship: United States and Ireland and Rob hopes to work overseas after the kids leave the nest.

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It's been out on the shelves since September, but who knew until John Stewart plugged "Hot, Flat and Crowded" on The Daily Show?