Elections – Governor: The Jim Douglas-Jason Gibbs strategy of throwing everything they can think of at Deb Markowitz (on Brian Dubie’s behalf) in order to generate an incompetence narrative flailed a bit yesterday. From a Gibbs press release (that, again, made no mention of his actual opponents in the Secretary of State election):
DUXBURY – Jason Gibbs today sent a letter to incumbent Secretary of State Deb Markowitz urging her to verify the accuracy of information available to Vermonters serving in all of the uniformed services.
In the letter, Gibbs notes that Governor Jim Douglas, in a satellite interview from Afghanistan on Saturday, noted that the date being provided to troops when he was in Baghdad, Iraq was still the old date of September 14th, not the new date of August 24th.
This raises significant concerns about the accuracy of information being provided at military posts around the globe, Gibbs said.
Not only is this return to the typical GOP strategy of using troops as political hockey pucks rather nauseating, it turns out to be an epic (and rather embarrassing) misfire. When the change in the primary date was made, the Secretary of State followed procedures properly, working with the Federal Voting Assistance Program. According to insiders, the breakdown in communication was the responsibility of the Voting Assistance Officer overseas.
So instead of directing their (manufactured) shock and outrage at candidate Markowitz, Douglas and Gibbs would be better served by taking aim at Vermont’s Adjutant General – Michael Dubie. That would be Brian’s brother.
Oops.
On the upside, this episode may finally put an end to Markowitz’s record of warm & fuzzy characterizations of Jim Douglas. According to reports, in some public appearances earlier in her term, she went so far as to refer to him as a “mentor.”
Thanks for documenting the linkage that goes from Douglas to Gibbs to misinformation. Apparently, the Republican leaders have decided to serve Gibbs up as the attack-dog. The consequence of such an action is undoubtedly his defeat in the general election if not the primary. But the cleverness of the plan is that if it helps get Dubie elected, Gibbs will still be employed in a cushy government job in the “second do-less” administration. Thus Gibbs wins both ways.
Should produce an ad comparing Gibbs’ rush to judgment to FOX News’ recent hatchet job of Shirley Sherrod. Throwing in something about it being the responsibility of Michael Dubie wouldn’t hurt either.
when the rubber-band snaps back in the face of the assailant!
The Republicans actually play politics in a — wait a minute — political campaign. We liberals would do well to finally learn our lesson in that the most important way to ensure that our policies stand a chance is to actually play politics. There’s nothing dirty about it; in fact, it is usually a winning strategy.
Clearly, the right is better at getting their point across (even if in the Breibert-Fox-GOP echo chamber they are points of misinformation) than the left is becasue, frankly, I believe the left is afraid of its own shadow.
Both sides, by the way, play the pander-to-the-troops game. While I sincerely believe that Democrats were earnest in their desire to change the primary date to ensure our men and women fighting overseas could participate, I don’t for a minute believe that was the primary reason for pushing for the change, because if it were, all of the people responsible for ensuring they got proper information would have crossed every “t” and dotted every “i”.
The left needs to get out from under its own shadow. We, as liberals, have a point of view of which we can be proud. Let’s stop pretending that the other side is engaging in “politics” and acting hurt. Let’s take the first shot once in a while.
We are in grave danger of losing what little ground we’ve gained in the last few years, and I urge all of us who believe that liberalism is better for our nation to stop whining and start playing politics.
Vermonters and Americans aren’t stupid people — but when given a choice of authenticity over warmed-over, gentle pabulum, we’ll pick authentic every time. That’s what the nation thought when it voted for President Obama. That’s what Vermont thinks with its own political leaders — Bernie is authentic, Welch is authentic and Leahy is authentic.
Let’s start playing the game to win, folks.
The media turns out quality like this: Political season collides with vacation season in Vermont
http://www.burlingtonfreepress… and waits for a campaign horse race to start while Douglas’ and Gibb’s lines are repeated, reported but hardly questioned and seldom explored.
The mud Gibb’s and Douglas throw has a good chance to stick and tarnish.
Dubie with all his Virginia and Texas campaign help is doing it the proven Douglas way, grab one slime line of attack early and run it.
What can I say to trigger an awareness, a bravery that I have yet to see in my fellow Vermonters ? Here you are, arguing about the political antics of career politicians using our troops as if they were no real flesh and blood individuals. And the language is, Let’s play to win… What is wrong is the description of the political process as a game, a sport, a contest. Our troops are not troops they are groups of young men who otherwise have no clear and apparent method of becoming educated, seeing the world, or finding a career as an adult. Our troops are young men who have been brainwashed by the school system to offer their bodies, their temples of soul to harm on orders innocent peoples and aggressive people’s defending their home territory, Our troops are asked questions like: If ordered, would you fire on Americans? This is NOT a game. There is no competition. If there were a real competition then the political process would embrace the spectrum of candidates, and the real best one would become apparent and chosen. This is as intimated, instead a cozy, fuzzy clique of self protected have-more’s who create law to keep the moat of have’s wide enough to keep the have-nots slaving, and sacrificing for their comfort. But its you, you writers in the GMD who are both the pawns, the perpetuators, and the victims. Because you appear to believe that the Dems vs Repbs. is the ONLY game in town, and that only a career politician could be suited to cope with political work, the madness of political insulation from the true nature of our reality will continue. As most of you are aware, it will take a complete transformation to save the planet. What does that transformation look like to you? Markowitz, the warm and fuzzy mentee of Douglas ? Dubie, more jobs less taxes, more bonds and more troops lost to the likes BP’s profit, not to mention the drug trade? Safer streets through massive criminalization of smaller increments of behavior, and more babies for all with a dying planet ? Shumlin, to fight corporate greed – do you really see a man who has conquered his own greed for wealth in Shumlin? And where does personal greed for wealth go? Not towards caring for the good of all, you don’t think ?
I am as disgusted with the stupid people who idiotically cheer on these political games as the career candidates who play them. What have you done, yes you, the lowly reader of this comment, to level the playing field, so that the colleague or friend who you would truly trust as governor who never runs because the winner is always a user, a moneyed person who has stepped on toes, and bought the attention of the press, and said the things and done the other. And never actuated the kind of care so that the world is honorable of the Earth, and the people can be happy healthy and productive and experience abundance and behave peacefully.
Why are you, little reader, involved in this perpetuation of insanity? Its just really annoying to pretend to have respect for the voting public, when they know that the stakes are so high, and to see you continually divided by the two party ploy. We are not going to survive much longer on this planet continuing the survival of the richest and the competitive. THE ONLY WAY WE CAN make the transformation that MUST happen is through a cessation of greed ennoblement, to reward actions of peace over actions of greed, and through blessing our soil with organic practices and decentralization of power, and strengthening our community.
A sovereign person such as the forefathers envisioned was a person who could do whatever he or she desired, unencumbered by regulations and rules, such as the likes that we have spider-webbed all over us in this day and age, the Sovereign person is free, but that means responsibility, freedom IS equated with responsibility. Without Responsibility there is no freedom. A sovereign person must answer to no external authority save the creator, and harm no other. When a victim steps forth and nd claims a harm then the matter is brought before a grand jury to determine the harm, the charge and the remedy. In other words, laws, regulations and rules are not created but rather each consequence is unique and deserves the unique attention of our peers.
WE have patriots who are working to return the country to a De Jure republic, please go to Americandreamrestoration.com and look at the work, the declaration, I feel it is so out of the realm of you, little reader’s, normal intellectual fare that it is best to only allude to it for now.
My strolling for Governor is more than a joke, because I offer you a transformation that will return power to the seat of the State, the people. According to the joint fiscal committee’s report for the period of time between 2002-2007 those persons who make 0 to 100,000 showed no increase in their income, those people who made 100,000 to 1,000,000 showed a 40% increase, and those who made 1,000,000,- + showed a 273% increase. These are telling numbers. Are you, voting public, going to be so insane as to choose a laterally divided side with the very planet at stake from the greed ? The sides that are truly pitted against each other are vertical in nature, the have-not, and will-never-have-any if left to these career politicians, who will have but won’t address the true remedy for the rest of you because they are already addicted to more and their authority which rests in the corporate banks and financiers far above the elected process. How do we wrest our future from the addicted grip of these psychopathic people?
You vote for me. Seriously, I wish that you all had put up a candidate who was everything I am so I could enjoy the planet and my life instead of shaking you all up from your snoring reverie.
Why should you vote for me???. Because I cannot pretend that a vote for any one of the major candidate will make any difference, and I doubt that you can either if you are being honest with yourselves. If you agree that the source of our imbalance with the earth and our unpeaceful society is the striation of wealth and the lack of concern for the common good by external authority, in other words if it is the abuse of money and the greed for it that is the problem then the remedy is found in the proper use of money. I can safely and with every confidence tell you that in me you have a person who is not motivated by greed in the slightest. I am not interested in great wealth, and have no desire to accumulate it in any form, that being said, my treasure is the living planet, which holds for me a fascination that no amount of gold, jewels, stocks or bonds could ever. It will take me to guide you to the ways that we can apply our monetary tools to dissuade the addiction to greed, and begin an abundance that honors our sovereign nature and the relationship of humanity to the natural world.
So perhaps you have read of my banking ideas, which I have merely found in existence through the work of others. North Dakota, as you may now have heard gives us a shining example of independence from the Federal Reserve Banking Cartel, and for their foresight, they are the only state that enjoys a job and income growth. Markowitz tells you she will use our 4 billion in our treasury to pressure major banks to loan to Vermont. Enslavement to greed by any other name. How about we create our own state Bank of Vermont so that we can make the loans for the things we want to see here in Vermont and the interest from those loans will return to our own Treasury ? While we are at it, lets put a Common Good bank in every community and allow the wisdom of each community to decide how the interest is invested locally, free of narrow loan policy. And then for the icing on the cake ( that we all will share- what good is it to have a cake that you can’t eat ?) , create a Vermont Unit of exchange that becomes our means of currency when all else fails, which may be so soon according to many wisdoms, and allows Vermont to experience an abundant of exchanges and in the meantime a means to value community service, and supports our transition to post oil and local spending and exchanging. For the finishing touch how about getting Anthony Pollina’s Vermont Credit card into play ? Tell me why no action was taken on this excellent plan in the last two year session ?
Screw the new laws and regulations, we need less of them and more means to return economic power to the people, and that is the better work of your government. If you only knew the curative powers of hemp you would be growing it for your family members who have cancer and diabetes, to heck with the big Pharma. Wake up friends, I know I have been less that polite, but geez, it comes to a point that I can hardly believe you have even a brain heart connection. Lets make some tea, and see what we can do to end our victim consciousness and empower the transformation you KNOW we must.
When I have an earth to lose, I could give a hoot about what you think – I am doing my best to get you all to begin questioning, Question authority, remember that one ? Ask the tough questions, like ask the candidates, what does greed look like to you? How can you lead Vermont away from it?
Which of these three is 100% factual
A.) Jason Gibbs seeks secretary of states office
B.) Troops misled on Vt. primary date
C.) Jason Gibbs was kicked off Facebook
As a Vermont resident and voter I would sure like to know exactly what those “procedures” Ms. Markowitz’s office followed were. Perhaps it was an active program of education and outreach as one would expect given the short notice change of primary dates, or perhaps it was simply a phone call to the Federal Voting Assistance Program expecting them to figure out how to notify the thousands of Vermonters on active duty. As FVAP educational materials are printed at the beginning of every calender year, meaning there were now literally thousands of pamphlets, posters and banners with the previous primary date displayed provided to unit Voting Assistance Officers, I would certainly hope it was the former vice the latter. However considering Ms. Markowitz’s abysmal record when it comes to enfranchising Vermonters in uniform I don’t have a lot of faith.
In November, 2009 the Federal Voting Assistance Program provided a letter to Ms. Markowitz requesting she consider seven separate initiatives intended to improve the ability of the 2,707 Vermont residents on active duty around the world to exercise their rights as citizens of Vermont. This approach was rather timid considering the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division was forced to file suit in October of 2008 to correct Ms. Markowitz’s six year failure to comply with federally mandated reporting requirements in regards to support to military overseas voters. The seven recommended initiatives with proposed legislative language were:
1.Provision of election materials 45 days in advance of the election – Partially implemented. The recommended initiative and sample language was for all federal, state and local elections. In her advocacy of this initiative Ms. Markowitz modified the initiative to exclude local elections, maintaining 20 days as the period by which ballots for town meeting must be prepared. As she herself stated that 45 days was the minimum amount of time necessary to ensure service members were given the opportunity to receive and return ballots, her maintenance of 20 days for town meeting demonstrated her utter disregard for the voting rights of Vermont service members unless the situation offered benefit to her and her political ambitions.
2.Email and online transmission of voting materials – Not implemented. While the Secretary of State does allow transmission of ballot by electronic means at the discretion of the clerk, the ballot is required to be submitted physically by mail before the close of polls. This is contrary to the recommendation made in the FVAP letter stating; “Furthermore, voting material transmitted by electronic means should not require subsequent submission by mail.” This recommendation was based on FVAP survey findings that “Although necessarily forcing the voter to relinquish the right to a private ballot, many Uniformed Services and overseas voters would rather give up that right and have their ballots counted, then to not have their votes counted at all.”
3.Expanded use of the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) – Not implemented. The recommendation specifically called for use of the FWAB in all elections including local elections, Ms. Markowitz declined to advocate for the use of the FWAB for local elections nor did she support the recommended use of the FWAB as an implied registration request.
4.Participation with Uniform Law Commission and Adoption of Recommendations – Unknown. The purpose of this committee is to develop and recommend uniform standards for the administration of overseas and military voting. While none of the listed committee members appear to be connected to Vermont there is no credible way to determine the level of participation of Ms. Markowitz’s office in this effort.
5.Emergency Authority for State Chief Election Official – Not implemented. The purpose of this recommendation being to allow timely variation in state election procedures in the event of a declared emergency.
6.Late Registration Procedures for Recently Discharged Uniformed Services Members and Family – Not implemented. No allowance made for registration of those who are discharged and return home subsequent to registration deadlines but prior to election day.
7.Enfranchise Citizens Who Have Never Resided in the US – Not implemented. The purpose of this initiative is to enfranchise the children of service members who reach voting age overseas. Unfortunately Vermont law requires initial physical residence in the state to establish eligibility.
As to deflecting blame onto a deployed Voting Assistance Officer who merely repeated the date listed in the provided FVAP materials, that demonstrates a true reluctance to assume the responsibilities that come with Ms. Markowitz’s current office. That same reluctance to accept responsibility, evidenced by attempting to direct the blame towards the Adjutant General, demonstrates a fairly astonishing ignorance of the organization of the military of our nation. Gen Dubie is the Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, which places him in a critical position to oversee the preparation and training of Vermonters in the Guard but not in any way related to the chain of command of those Vermont residents serving on active duty. Additionally it is fairly duplicitous to claim he has some responsibility to perform the duties of the Secretary of State when any such action would have undoubtedly been trumpeted as “Brother of Gubernatorial Candidate Pressures Subordinates to Vote”.
Ms. Markowitz has only implemented those measures to assist in military and overseas voting through which she receives a personal benefit, and only to the extent necessary for her to further her ambitions. Her use of service members as “hockey pucks” to bolster her own political efforts have been cynical, utterly self serving, and vastly exceed any such efforts by her opponents or potential opponents.
This ginger bastard needs to move to the south where his smear campaigns are the normal course of business. He thinks this horse manure plays in Vermont? That’s all I need to know about him. I hope Republican voters choose Roy over this putz.
Mr. Gibbs has been using his Twitter account @gowithgibbs to announce his support amongst elected officials. As a public service, each time he does, I will be announcing those persons who ARE NOT supporting him and are instead supporting his democratic and republican opponents. You can check out my announcements at my Twitter feed @CouncilorAdrian
Best,
Ed