It’s an oft-heard line that Vermont Republicans are different. That they are more moderate or libertarian on social issues, less strident on economic issues, and not comfortable with the theocratic ambitions of many of their counterparts in other states.

Wanna play a little game? Go poke around the Vermont Republican Party website. I mean, really get into it. You might be surprised at some of the things you see in public print for all the world to see, under a “Vermont” GOP banner bearing the smiling image of our supposedly “moderate” Republican officeholders.

Questioning the patriotism of war critics? Go to the Vtgop.org page at http://www.vtgop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=1654 and read:

Democrats are so antiwar they come close to supporting our enemies.

Don’t associate the holy war on gays and lesbians with today’s Vermont GOP? Check http://www.vtgop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=1657:

Our party recognizes the need for action here and is unwavering in our support for a ban on gay marriage, homosexual adoption and homosexuals being allowed to be foster parents

While the Governor was making news calling for investigations into NSA wiretapping, at http://www.vtgop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=420 you can find this:

Democrats and their willing accomplices in the media were quick to attach adjectives like illegal and unlawful to a program that the president had authorized for the purpose of preventing another catastrophic terrorist attack on American soil. Reactionary Democrats invoked, as they always do, the name of Richard Nixon and even broached the subject of impeachment.

And if you want to see a legislator attacked for voting to uphold the seperation of church and state, go to http://www.vtgop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=881.

What you’ve probably noticed, if you’ve clicked on some of these links, is that all these lead to press releases from other states, that are viewable on the Vermont Republican Party website. It seems that the majority of the GOP web pages in the country are working off the same server and web system (click on the link for my point, here…)

If you want to play, alter the last series of digits in the URL (for example, change ‘ID-1654’ to ‘ID=1655’) and see what you come up with. There are a lot of common themes – most particularly the fear of Nancy Pelosi and the term “San Francisco values” (check here, here, and here, for a few). My favorite? After hearing all the whining about “class warfare” around complaints about gazillionaire Rich Tarrant self-funding his campaign, take a look at this page (http://www.vtgop.org/News/Read.aspx?ID=22) for an example of Republicans using the exact same rhetoric against a Democratic opponent.

The point I’m trying to make is not to hang these specific press releases around VT-GOP Chair Jim Barnett’s neck, but to highlight what, in light of these links, is probably already obvious; the fact that the Vermont GOP is hardly an independent entity at all anymore. If Rainville’s just-released health care “plan” that virtually plagiarizes George Bush’s January state of the union address – as well as the shoddy treatment of Sen. Mark Shepard in his Party’s US Congressional primary – didn’t already make the point, then treat yourself to a little website tour.

The days of the Vermont Republican Party (as an institution) being actually run out of Vermont are in the past. This is just a particularly illustrative way of making the point that the VRP HQ is now a fully owned subsidiary of Geroge Bush, Bill Frist and Dennis Hastert.

If you believe otherwise, you’re just fooling yourself.

I recently received again and from a different source an e-mail that lists out separately the winners of Noble prizes that are jewish compared to a listing of those that are “muslim” – actually those that are arabs.  Apparently this list, which shows about an 18 to 1 ratio of Jewish winners to muslim winners, is making its way around the Internet.  I had ignored it the first time, but seeing it the second time, though I am neither jew nor muslim, I had to respond.

First I tried to be ironic: 
  I don’t get the point the list is trying to make.  Is it “Muslims are stupid and Jews are smart?”Or is it “Jews publish in European languages that are widely read, but Muslims publish in languages and alphabets that the Nobel Commission doesn’t understand?”  Or is it “Jews contribute and Muslims don’t?” Or is it “Jews excel in categories that the Nobel Commission values, while Muslims and other ethnic groups excel in categories that are valued by other types of organizations?” Or is it just flat out bigoted Muslim bashing? 

But irony was lost on my reader, so here it is in plain speech:

It does not surprise me that this is getting circulated at a time when the Israelis are being accused of war crimes in Lebanon for their indiscriminate attacks on civilians there.  According to Reuters, “Killed in the conflict were 1,187 Lebanese civilians and 44 Israeli civilians.. Almost one third of the Lebanese civilian casualties were children under 13 years of age.” (That actually puts the multiplier at
27 to 1).  I realize that Hizbollah’s hands are not clean either.

To me the message that such a list sends is that a Jew (read “Israeli”) is somehow worth about 18 times more than a Muslim (read “Arab.” Of course,  most Muslims are not Arabs). In other words, the real subtext message here is that Jews are  more “valuable” than Muslims, and this superiority means that a dead Muslim is worth about one-fifth of a dead Jew – sort of a Dred Scott calculation. The bad things that follow from accepting that kind of thinking  range from genocide through ethnic cleansing to apartheid, to Nuremberg Laws, second-class citizen status and other forms of discrimination.  Ask Nelson Mandela.

The folks at the controversial blog Blier Watch are back with a splash. It seems the long-elusive missing link between Vermont and the felonious New Hampshire phone-jamming scandal, whereby Republicans intentionally jammed the GOTV calls of the Democratic Party (former NH GOP Executive Director Chuck McGee went to prison for it), is – Kevin Blier. According to NH’s Union-Leader, Vermont’s local Religious Right wannabe-big dog (Blier heads the Center for American Cultural Renewal – you know, Rich Tarrant’s crowd) was very much in the know:

In the FBI interview report (also from the Talking Points Memo Document Collection) the then Executive Director for the NH Republican State Committee, Charles “Chuck” McGee, “believes that he told… Kevin Blier,” among others who McGee called his confidants, “about the idea” to jam the phones at NH Democratic Regional Offices for the purpose of disrupting their communications on the forthcoming Election Day (see pgs 4 & 6 of the FBI interview docs).

Blier has disputed the testimony, while trying to dismiss the nasty affair as “nothing more than a high school prank gone bad.” Watch yourself, Kevin. Juries seem to disagree.

Baruth nails the Dubie campaign to the wall on the timing of the announcement of his mini-deployment to Iraq. It’s a pretty damning piece pointing out, among other things, that there was a responsibility to inform Speaker Gaye Symington that she was on deck if something should happen to the Governor. Can’t let a little procedural issue like that stand in the way of bumping your political opponent from the headlines, I suppose.

With John McCain’s visit to Vermont now past now almost past (woops) – and every Republican except for Rich Tarrant included as part of the hooplah- it’s clear that this is just one of the many ways the state GOP is trying to put as much difference between themselves and the infamously nasty campaign of the ex-IDX gazillionaire. (Here’s a link to vtbuzz’s piece on it). Not a bad idea, considering how often “Tarrant” and “Rainville” were mentioned in the same breath during primary coverage.

New Poll. Also via vtbuzz, ARG has another poll out, and this one is all over the map. Taken with their last one which also showed unexpected spreads, you’ve gotta wonder a bit about these guys. They’re showing Welch 3 points up, Bernie only 15 points up, and Douglas up by 27 (ARG’s last poll showed Douglas up by only 11). Bernie’s campaign says their internal polling shows them 41 ppoints up on Tarrant.

And finally, Baruth was on the Mark Johnson Show this week, talking mainly about blogging (thanks for the on-air hat tip, PB). My favorite part (besides the Salem Witch Trials reference), was the phone-in by Brian Pearl.

Pearl started in, referring to Philip in the third person (apparently only Mark Johnson is worthy of his direct communication), saying he’s “never heard of him before.”

When Baruth didn’t quite catch his name and politely asked Pearl to repeat it, Pearl clearly took umbridge. His response:

“Brian Pearl.

I’m Brian Pearl.

This is Brian Pearl.

If you don’t know who I am, then you don’t know as much about Vermont politics as you think you do.”

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

Nah, not really… I laughed. So here’s a Pearl poll below (extra points if you can say “Pearl Poll” ten times really fast):

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The war and national defense are the biggest issue this year, right?

And Martha Rainville has the most experience in national defense, right?

So maybe, when she goes to speak, people should ask her about this:

  * Fully two-thirds of the active U.S. Army is officially classified as “not ready for combat.”

  * Thousands of white supremacists may have been able to infiltrate the military due to pressure from recruitment shortfalls.

Here’s her latest response to the situation at the DoD:

While Rainville has conceded that Rumsfeld has made mistakes, she said there needs to be a bipartisan effort to set a new course, and firing Rumsfeld will not help that effort.

“Secretary Rumsfeld has made many mistakes in the planning and implementation of military operations in Iraq. There have been serious failures that have hindered progress from the beginning,” said Rainville in a statement. “Now is not the time for partisan gamesmanship; it is time to exercise true leadership by working together to forge a rational policy that will allow us to finish our mission in Iraq and bring our troops home with honor.”

How is this going to help anything?

And, in contrast to what the R’s keep saying, how is continuing to do what isn’t working a plan?

I don’t know why the Rainville campaign sends me press releases, but keep ’em coming, I sez. The one I just received trumpets Rainville’s “health care plan.” It took me about 30 seconds of looking at it before I realized I’d heard it all before. Where and when, you might ask?

Why, George W. Bush’s January 31st State of the Union Speech, naturally.

The closer I looked, the clearer it became that there isn’t really an original thought in the document. Bush and the National GOP – as they have with Social Security Privatization – continue, year after year, to push the same, oft-rejected and discredited health care policies figuring they’re bound to get through eventually. The health care policy proposals in the 2006 SOTU were just that – all a rehashed mishmash of previously defeated Republican initiatives.

The fact that our supposed “independent thinking” Republican candidate for the US House just obediently took her party-line dictates from the GOP leadership in Washington doesn’t surprise me one whit. What surprises me is that her campaign seemed to make no effort whatsoever to hide this dutiful obedience. Follow me on the flipside to see just what I mean…

Now you gotta love the internet. It makes research really fast because there’s often someone who’s already done it for you. In this case Medical News Today, which compiled reports and analysis of the health care elements in Bush’s 2006 SOTU from USA Today, NPR’s Marketplace, the Washington Post and other sources. Beyond that, all I had to do was some poking around a few other news sites and Senatorial web pages.

Don’t they know we’re gonna check this stuff??

So anyway, let’s compare the rhetoric and proposals from the Rainville press release (I can’t provide a link, because it’s not on her website yet) with the rhetoric and proposals from the State of the Union speech:

Rainville:

Encourage and Expand Health Savings Accounts. The American consumer should be a significant part of health care reform. The economic incentive of Health Savings Accounts means that Americans will seek out the highest quality, lowest cost providers.

Rainville’s targeted tax incentives would help ensure that the smallest businesses could offer health insurance – in the same way that larger businesses currently do.

Her proposal calls for a maximum tax credit of $1,500 for single coverage and $3,000 for family coverage.

Bush, via Medical News Today:

“We will strengthen health savings accounts by making sure individuals and small business employees can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big businesses now get” (Appleby, USA Today, 2/1).

In addition, the proposal would allow employers to contribute greater amounts to HSAs for individuals with chronic illnesses and would provide refundable tax credits of $3,000 for families of four with annual incomes of $25,000 or less to help purchase coverage and make contributions to accounts (AP/Long Island Newsday, 2/1).

Same numbers, even. Not even tweaked for Vermont.

And it continues. Rainville:

Promote Small Business Health Plans, also known as Association Health Plans. Rainville’s proposal supports Association Health Plans (AHPs). AHPs allow small businesses to pool their resources by joining together to purchase health insurance for their employees.

Bush (via MNT again):

Bush also proposed several plans that have previously failed in Congress, such as a proposal that would allow small businesses to form association health plans.

And why did it fail? Because it was a dangerous idea:

The National Governors Association, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the BlueCross BlueShield Association oppose AHPs because they are exempt from many state laws that regulate health plans and require them to provide certain benefits (New York Times, 2/1).

And don’t be too quick to assume it’s a great idea because some insurers don’t like it. They don’t like the uncertainty, to be sure, but the fact is that these AHP’s present unique challenges to state plans, where real progress is being made. Remember: this is Bush we’re talking about…

But wait, there’s more… Rainville:

Free doctors from frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. Rainville’s proposal supports capping non-economic damages at $250,000.

Bush (via MNT):

Bush also proposed a plan to cap damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and limit the number of lawsuits filed (Baker/Fletcher, Washington Post, 2/1).()

Hm… but where does that $250,000 number come from? Oh yeah…

July 9, 2003 — Senate Democrats won their fight Wednesday to bottle up legislation that would put a $250,000 cap on damage awards in medical malpractice cases, all but dooming a measure that President Bush had made a priority.

Democrats countered that rising premiums were not to blame and said the bill would punish individuals already grievously impaired by medical errors while protecting groups such as the American Medical Association, HMOs, drug companies and the manufacturers of medical devices.

“Time and time again this Senate races to protect special interest groups and forgets the families and children and elderly people across America who are the victims of this wrongdoing,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Rainville:

Bring Modern Technology to health care administration.  America is a world leader in medical technology. But when it comes to our medical records, billing and prescriptions, which is most cases still rely on paper, our health care industry is stuck in the past.

Bush:

Bush in his speech proposed to increase use of electronic health records and “other health information technology to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors.”

Rainville:

Make health insurance portable so when people change jobs they can take their insurance with them.

Bush:

In his speech, Bush also proposed to allow individuals to take HSA coverage with them when they change jobs (USA Today, 2/1).

MNT’s proffered analysis?

According to the Post, the proposals are “modest” at a time when 45 million U.S. residents lack health insurance (Balz/VandeHei, Washington Post, 2/1).

She tried to spice it up a little (like a plagiarist sprinkling in a few new phrases) by:

1. Rainville: “Encourage healthy decisions and personal responsibility.”

Okay. Sounds good. What else you got…?

2. Saying she’ll “fix Medicare Part D” (Bush in the SOTU “avoided any reference” to the problem-ridden, Bush behemoth that is Medicare Part D)

3. “Provide Vermonters the option of buying health insurance from out of state companies where there may be more choices and cheaper health insurance options”- not explained in the press release, but it sounds an awful lot like “kill community rating” from the federal level, which would, of course, get us farther from true health care equity by again leaving high-risk patients to fend for their own.

Big improvements. I feel healthier already.

So gven that Rainville’s plan is simply the Bush plan, let’s take a listen to what Democratic leaders have to say about Rainville’s bold policy proposals (MNT, emphasis added):

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union address and said that “there’s a better way” to address the issue of health care than Bush proposed.  For example, Kaine said that many states “have set up simple ways to help our seniors purchase safe, American-made prescription drugs from other countries at a fraction of the price they would pay here” through reimportation programs, adding, “The administration actually fought against that Democratic effort!”  (Hardy, Knight Ridder/Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/1). 

Other Democrats questioned the likely effectiveness of the health care plans that Bush proposed.  Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) said, “He’s had five years to get it done.  Where are the big ideas?  We’ve heard the rhetoric before.” 

Many Democrats criticized his proposal to expand HSAs.  Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that the proposal will not reduce health care costs or expand access to health insurance and might increase the budget deficit. 

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said, “The cure (Bush) prescribed tonight will only make a bad situation worse” (Klein, Boston Globe, 2/1). 

Rep. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said, “American families are already struggling to pay for health care costs, and this proposal is a step backward because it will increase their costs, not lower them” (USA Today, 2/1). 

Kennedy added, “Like the fiasco of his plan to privatize Social Security, his health savings accounts are a windfall for Wall Street and other special interests and a nightmare for the vast majority of families.  The obvious answer is to make Medicare available to all” (Koffler et al., CongressDaily, 2/1). 

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) said, “The president’s proposals for health savings accounts are tilted toward the rich.  They give disproportionate benefits to wealthy people and do almost nothing for low-income people” (New York Times, 2/1).

Next press release, please…

[Crossposted at What’s the Point?]

"Name calling" is an overused phrase in the world of politics. Right up there with "finger pointing."

Both these phrases tend to be used when a candidate is trying to avoid a legitimate criticism. And it always makes the person who says them seem childish, whiny and evasive. As in ~Boo hoo, I don’t think the voters like this kind of name calling and finger pointing… Sniff sniff.~

But, what happens when a campaign actually does engage in literal "name calling?" In that case, then, it’s really the name caller who’s being childish. And maybe just a wee bit nervous, perhaps?

Like Jim Douglas’ new ad, for instance.

The ad, which is conveniently not mentioned on Douglas’ site, begins…

Some people make a name for themselves, and they call  Scudder Parker Mr. Property Tax.  Why?  Because  Scudder Parker has  backed higher property taxes – even taxes like Act 60, the property tax  that  turned Vermont families against  each other, and drove families and jobs out of state.  Now  Vermont  taxpayers have something else to worry about – now Mr. Property Tax  wants to be  governor.

Mr. Property Tax… Ha ha, that’s funny.  Except that, according the VT GOP’s own web site, this oh so clever nickname comes from a single article in the Rutland Herald from… 18 years ago!

Now, I never claim to have a great grasp of Vermont’s political history and I have never been privy (until recently) to even the slightest bit of "insider" gossip. But, all I can glean from this is that the "they" who call Parker "Mr. Property Tax" are  today’s Vermont Republican Party and a headline writer in the late 80s. Pretty hokey name calling, eh?

The ad doesn’t get better. It continues…

And he’s working on making a few new names for himself – how  about Mr. Income Tax?  Mr. Payroll  Tax?  He just told Vermont Public Radio  he wants just that – higher payroll and income taxes.  He  said under his plan "everybody pays."  And even with  prices at the pump over three  dollars, he’s ready to raise gas taxes.  Mr. Property  Tax. Mr. Income Tax. Mr. Payroll Tax. Mr. Gas Tax.  There’s  just one name Vermonter’s shouldn’t  call Scudder Parker – and that is governor.

The source for most of the claims here seems to come from Parker’s March 28th appearance [mp3] on Switchboard (referred to on the VTGOP site here), where he said the following…

Kinzel: And the way that  you  see that people will pay for their coverage is through tax revenues?

Parker: It’s  a mix of using Medicare, Medicaid, other revenue sources that we have  now, co-pays, and a fair tax structure, which really the Senate plan  last year tried to do.  I actually believe that the theme of the Senate  bill – the House and Senate bill – which is everybody pays what they can  and gets and has access to service – is the right theme for Vermont.  I  think this would be a more efficient way of doing that.

So, it’s not  that Parker’s going to make "everybody pay" like some kind of dark villain. He was simply saying  that "everybody pays what they can."

And Parker  continues on to criticize Douglas’ health care plan which would have placed extra burden on business owners (my emphasis)…

Kinzel: So perhaps people  would have a payroll tax the way that Medicare is run?

Parker: That’s  right.  Payroll – income; you could find a balance of those taxes.  But  really it’s not new money, it’s talking about fairly allocating the  contributions.  What we have now is a system – and governor Douglas  actually proposed to aggravate that system – in which the employers who  cover their employees would actually get an increased cost or an  increased burden imposed on them and the folks who don’t don’t have to  pay.  That is nonsensical, that does not make sense – it makes for  competitive disadvantage.  It’s anti-business.

Who’s really supporting policies that will drive "jobs out of state?"

Of course this is the old Good Cop/Bad Cop routine that Douglas/Barnett have profited from through the previous election cycles. And it’s high time they get called on it, too.

See, there’s lots of evidence to suggest that Tarrant’s poor showing compared to Rainville in Tuesday’s primary was directly related to Tarrant’s dishonest ad campaigns which turned off lots of voters.

So the Douglas campaign better be careful.

People might start to catch on that like in the old routine, this Good Cop is not really above the fray. He’s just playing a role.

In the wake of a primary defeat, John Tracy should take heart from the resurgent political careers of Doug Racine and Peter Shumlin, both virtually guaranteed a return to the Vermont Senate after November. Shumlin and Racine, like Peter Welch, have proven that there is political shelf life in Vermont – if you are politically savvy in the choices you make. The same will prove true for the former House Majority and Minority Leader if – and only if – he can acquire or “borrow” some of that political savvy.

Tracy is a very good, decent person. He is also an example of an interesting (and not uncommon) animal in Vermont politics; an extraordinary legislator and public servant who is not an extraordinary politician.

As anyone will tell you, Tracy is a hard worker with a keen mind. Whether or not one approves of the Catamount Health Plan, it’s a fact that Tracy, after it became clear that the House’s “plan A” for a single-payer approach was DOA, attacked the health care crisis with focus, passion and intellect – this despite his lack of any practical background on the issue to bring to the table. What he did bring to the table was a unique ability to work with other elected officials and bring them to agreement across wide ideological chasms. Clearly a fiery partisan, Tracy nevertheless has a well-deserved reputation as a lawmaker everyone can work with, as his friendly and comfortable style of communication make him among the most likable people you’re likely to meet.

And as “political product,” his personal story is electoral gold. A Vietnam combat vet, strong family man and plenty of working class cred combined with a style on the stump second to none in Vermont.

All things being equal, this guy should be able to walk into any electoral office in the state, and yes that includes the Governor’s. What holds him back, I believe, are two things:

1. He doesn’t really “get it” on how to win any but the most local, face-to-face elections, and –
2. He thinks he does.

John Tracy needs to stay in politics. The state needs him. And he needs to continue to look beyond Burlington and rise beyond the B-town, insider, P vs. D firestorms that he has often found himself in the middle of. But to do that, he needs to admit he has a problem: that he needs to find some people who understand how to win elections larger than a state House race and put himself in their hands.

Tracy has deferred for too long to the likes of his close friend, former State Representative and recent peeping tom Alan Bjerke on matters electoral. To most who’ve worked with him, Bjerke is a perfect reverse political barometer. What he thinks is a good idea, is in fact a good idea’s polar opposite. It is Tracy’s deference to Bjerke that resulted in an unbroken string of talented political operatives who have worked for the House Democratic caucus either being cast aside, or running away screaming. It is no coincidence that things turned around electorally when Rep. Gaye Symington took control of the elections operation.

The bad habits Tracy picked up from Bjerke were more than apparent in his recent loss. The “if you build it, they will come” political campaign. Rhetoric creeping out from behind the scenes of the Tracy camp that he shouldn’t “peak too early” well into the Summer, when many were wondering just what it was he was doing. And the weak attempts to make Dunne’s support by 21st Century Democrats an issue – a negative message tested as far back as June on this very blog by a poster who I will not name, but who did a very poor job covering his electronic tracks that easily revealed a direct connection to the Tracy campaign.

Add to this the very basic misunderstanding that by not appearing to work as hard and in as high-profile a way as Dunne outside Chittenden County, the Tracy campaign only fueled the narrative fire that folks in Burlington consider themselves seperate – even above – the rest of the state. I have heard from more than one voter that they felt a bit put off that Tracy didn’t seem to feel the need to work as actively for their votes as Dunne did, and seeing little-to-no Tracy campaign presence at polling places here in Washington County only reminded folks of that on their way in to vote.

So my strong suggestion to John Tracy, a man I respect and like very much, is this: take some time off, but not too much time. Pick a target for next election and plant your flag among the party faithful early.

But most important, reach out to those who have proven they know what they’re doing in a statewide (or even countywide) election. Really listen to them. Accept that there are things you can learn from them. And when you find a team that works, defer to them in their areas of expertise. What they will say will often not be what you want to hear (especially as regards fundraising), but let them do their thing. I’m not suggesting you go with a team of cookie-cutter hacks, but political savvy and creativity is starting to have a bit of a rebirth on the left, and there are a lot of very talented people who understand the old rules well and are ready to make some new rules who could very well help to make you the next Governor, if that was the path you were to choose.

Catch your breath, but don’t be too long, John. We need you back in the game.

On the big ticket Dem battle: In a nutshell, Dunne took control of the variables as well as anyone could, raising money early and using that money to organize, campaign pro-actively, build a field/get-out-the-vote operation, make smart ad buys and pace himself by making strategic plays to the mass media, leaving little to chance. Tracy depended far too much on chance and external factors, such as the widely expected (by some… you know who you are…) bump in Chittenden County turnout due to the contested State’s Attorney primary.

Big Surprise of the night: Long time Democratic Rep. Steve Darrow loses in his primary to Michael Mrowicki in Windham-5.

Interesting tidbit of the night: Greg Parke fared better in his quixotic primary bid against Rich Tarrant than Mark Shepard did in his against Martha Rainville, despite running virtually no campaign whatsoever. A little more dissatisfaction with Tarrant, perhaps?

Interesting tidbit II: Doug Racine was the highest vote-getter in the Chittenden Democratic Senate primary, reminding us that you do have a political shelf-life in Vermont if you play it smart. Welcome back, Doug!

Lingering question of the night…: If, as is almost inevitable, Racine and Peter Shumlin return to the Vermont Senate in January, who’s going to take the President Pro-Tem office?

UPDATE 3: It’s 11:53. I’m going to bed. I’ll see what happens with everything else (including Chittenden Senate) tomorrow. Good night.

UPDATE 2: It’s 10:23, and WPTZ is reporting 62% of the vote in the Lt. Gov primary in – but 83% of the Chittenden vote is apparently in as well – including most, if not all, of Burlington – and Dunne’s lead has widened to a full 14%. Under those circumstances, even though a comeback is mathematically possible, I’m calling it for Matt Dunne.

UPDATE: Consider this the primary evening thread as well. Note I’ll be marking winners on the left, but many of the down-ticket races won’t be filled in til tomorrow.

Obviously the big Dem primary is the Lieutenant Governor race, but there are local offices in play as well, such as the State’s Attorney contest in Chittenden County, and the State House Race in the Lamoille-Washington 1 district.

I’m not making any endorsements or suggestions in the local races, and since I like both Matt Dunne and John Tracy, think they’d both make great Lite Guvs, and see little-to-no policy difference between them, I’m going to keep who I’m voting for to myself.

But other frontpagers like Jack, mataliandy, Nat, and Vermonter (Ed is still, for the moment, a Virginian, but he’s working on getting back here…) may have endorsements (or suggestions) to share. Consider this thread a chance for everyone and anyone (not just regular posters) to share with other readers who you’re voting for and why…

Ah, but it is being spoken. It was spoken in Las Vegas.
Loudly and repeatedly, by peoplewho make up communities like this one, out from behind the keyboards, with boots (and sneakers, and Birkenstocks, and zoris, and probably a few bare feet) on the ground.
And it was spoken yet again in Vegas, and more recently than that.
What happens in Vegas sometimes becomes a subspace transmission.
Hailing frequencies open. Set a course below the fold, warp factor six.

Karl Rove’s new talking point for the Republicans is that the terrorists are like the Nazis, and anyone against the Iraq War is like the appeasers before World War II. If that doesn’t work they’re going to use Bush’s analogy, where bin Laden is a Klingon and he’s Captain Kirk .(Bill Maher)

Yeah. Right.
If that’s what Chimpy fucking McFlightsuit thinks,
he needs some time in here

and even if he DOESN’T think that, I’ve got plenty of other reasons to want to see him in there anyway.

FREEDOM ‘R’ US:

BUSH’S RHETORIC AND THE OMEGA GLORY CONNECTION

Listening to soundbytes of Bush, I have noticed that whenever the “President” invokes a bogeyman or all the bogeymen in aggregate, one thing he almost always says, as he did in his speech at Marian College, is “They hate freedom.” I don’t know whether one of his speechwriters came up with this or not, but Dubya seems to be fond of the phrase.  He delivers the line with breathless sincerity always with a pregnant pause after, and he tends to repeat it.

This bothers me whenever I hear it, partly because of the simpleminded metaphor, “Freedom-R-US,” but it also reminds me of something I couldn’t quite recall.  Until now.  Bush’s use of the word freedom reminds of the old Star Trek episode, The Omega Glory.

Because, you see, Bushco’s understanding – or their respect for – the principles upon which this country was founded is clearly just a little distorted:

“Chiefs and sons of chiefs may speak the words, but the evil one’s tongue would surely turn to fire. I will begin …and you shall finish.  Ee’dplebnista norkohn forkohn perfectunun.”
 

Ah, yes, indeed, seems like we could use Captain Kirk to set the neocons straight

“No – no! Only the eyes of a chief may see the E Plebmnista!”
“This was not written for chiefs.”

the way he did Cloud William and the Yangs:

”Hear this! Among my people, we carry many such words as this from many lands, many worlds. Many are equally good and are as well respected, but wherever we have gone, no words have said this thing of importance …in quite this way. Look at these three words written larger than the rest with a special pride never written before or since –Tall words proudly saying … “We the people”.

That which you called Ee’d Plebnista was not written for chiefs or kings or warriors or the rich and powerful, but for all the people! …you have slurred the meaning of the words “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…do ordain and establish this constitution “.
These words,  and the words that follow were not written only for the Yang— but for the Kohms as well……
They must apply to everyone, or they mean nothing! Do you understand?

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

George W. Bush neither understands nor cares.

We do not have Captain Kirk to set Mr. Bush straight. But, in his absence, members of his crew have stepped in to make their best attempt.
At the Star Trek 40th anniversary convention in Las Vegas, the word was delivered.
By George Takei:

  “We’re really talking about America and the fundamental ideals that made this country great. But you know, what’s really worrisome is not only what happened more than 60 years ago, but what is happening to us today. We’ve got to relate history to today as well … When Pearl Harbor was bombed, this entire country was terrorized. And acting on terror, they rounded up people on the West Coast who looked like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor. We’d done nothing, there were no charges, no trial, no attorneys, no due process — we were simply rounded up and incarcerated in these barbed wire prison camps. The same thing is happening today” with Arabs, he said, apparently referring to the Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and “extraordinary rendition” controversies over detention and torture.

  Takei continued, “We have to be mindful and be able to act on the ideals of this country. And you know, when we talk about national security issues — to illustrate how crazy our policy makers are, we have intelligence that’s key to dealing with terrorism. Do you know that the military intelligence service is kicking out Arabic-speaking intelligence officers simply because they happen to be gay? Isn’t that stupid?! Which is more important, national security or homophobia?!” Applause from the audience.

  His ire rising, he went further: “You know, clearly with this administration what’s more important are the silly issues, like homophobia, when national security is a critical issue … I mean, George Bush says” — immediately there were grumblings from certain parts of the audience — “stay the course. Stay the course?! It’s a disaster in Iraq! This man isn’t able to deal with reality!” (Robust applause from the general audience.) “George Bush is staying on course” — (boos from a few) — “with that incompetent Donald Rumsfeld” — (a mixture of chagrin and delight from the audience) — “and that’s who brought us to this ridiculous, disastrous point.” General applause and supportive shout-outs.
  “So I think it’s very important that we know our history, and our history books have been much too mute on the incarceration of American citizens… What?”
Someone in the audience shouted “Left Coast loser!”
Takei said, “What? Who’s a Left Coast loser?” “You are!” “Oh,” Takei laughed, “oh I see! Well, you know, we believe in diversity of opinion as well, and so, y’know, you’re entitled to your opinion. But if you look at the reality — last month over 2,000 Iraqis died. That’s double what died in January. You’re the loser in this case!” Applause and cheers from most of the audience.

By Nichelle Nichols:

  “I think I would like to see this country reach its highest potential, so that democracy really means what it’s supposed to mean — not one person’s ideal, but a collective in which we can live together, live differently, appreciate one another’s differences, not ‘in spite of’ our differences. If you tell me that you love me ‘in spite of’ my color I resent it — I don’t love you in spite of yours. I take people one on one, and I see in your eyes when I look at you and you look at me, and if I’m there, then I know we’re one. And that’s what this world is supposed to be about, and that’s why we have a country as close to that opportunity as any country has ever come.”

  “And sir,” she continued, addressing the “Left Coast loser” guy, and her voice occasionally cracking, “I am proud that we live in a country where you too can speak your mind, your opinion.” (Applause.) “I believe that it is incumbent on every American, if you are going to be proud, if you are going to deserve being an American, if I’m going to deserve being an American, to never ever ever ever ever let terrorizing words, degrading words, make me less than American. I will stand tall, and if there is a 9/11 every week, they will not scare me!” (Rising applause.) “And they will not scare me to rescind my liberties, my rights, under the Constitution of this United States. I will not give George Bush the right to tape my conversations without cause” — referring, apparently, to the warrantless wiretapping controversy. “I will not do it. I will not allow them to frighten me from flying. I will not do it. I will not live in terror, I will not do it. And then I can say, God bless America.”

And by Walter Koenig:

“Of course, my silence notwithstanding, I totally support what George and Nichelle have said. We live in dire times, and … with the possible exception of the silly man over there…” (referring to “Left Coast loser” guy) “…Star Trek fans do come together and have a homogeneous point of view in terms of trying to achieve some kind of world where we can all live together — where there is peace and we have our cultural differences and our ethnic differences … and still we manage to find a unity and a purpose that can move us into the future together. That’s what this is all about, and you folks, time after time, have proven to us that you want to be part of that. I think that’s the most inspirational thing about Star Trek these days, are the fans, and how they have marshaled their forces to help that come true.”

Takei and Koenig continued answering questions for the final 10 minutes of their session, with some praise from Koenig for William Shatner: “He was the right man at the right time to play Captain Kirk … and I think that’s why the show, despite the fact that we’re four decades old, continues to have a shelf life.” And Takei spoke further, in less charged tones, about issues of discrimination, but also extended an olive branch toward “Left Coast loser” guy: “I respect this gentlemen who had the courage to speak up because he has different political ideas, and it’s that kind of discussion that makes my political ideas that much stronger. And I would advise you to relate your political ideas to the realities that are happening on the ground.”

Once it was time to wrap up, Takei and Koenig stood and spontaneously broke out into a rendition of “God Bless America.” It was at that point that Nichols came back on stage, and joined them arm-in-arm for the final refrain: “God bless America, our home sweet home.”

A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away.
  — Dr. Boyce, “The Menagerie” (“The Cage”), stardate unknown

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth.”
“Or by misleading the innocent.”
  — Spock and McCoy, “And The Children Shall Lead”, stardate 5029.5.

Cheney: No Doubt Saddam Has WMD
Aug. 26, 2002
Dick Cheney, Vice President
“Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.”

“[A]ny time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap … a wiretap requires a court order.” – President Bush, April 20, 2004.

Do you know that you’re one of the few predator species that preys even on itself?
… Trelane, “The Squire of Gothos,” stardate 2124.5..

“There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring them on,” Bush said.

On September the 11th, we resolved that we would go on the offense against our enemies — and we would not distinguish between the terrorists and those who harbor or support them. So we helped drive the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. We put Al Qaeda on the run, and killed or captured most of those who planned the 9/11 attacks — including the man believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency — and they have provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world. Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. Usama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice.
George W. Bush, 9/11/2006

“And, again, I don’t know where he is,” Bush said (of bin Laden) during the 2002 news conference. “I’ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. “

No more blah, blah, blah!
… Kirk, “Miri,” stardate 2713.6..

“I do not fully understand, one named Kirk. But the holy words will be obeyed. I swear it.”
Kirk replies: “Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.”