Philip Baruth’s Vermont Daily Briefing has been an indispensable destination in the VT blogosphere since its inception. Now that Senator Baruth represents Chittenden County, his blog has entered uncharted territory.

Though chided in the Free Press’ blog for not writing as frequently, Baruth has eloquently documented the progress of the Pre-K bill, advised Governor Shumlin to Beware the Deal on health care, and captured the pace of the Senate’s endgame. As explained in the interview, Philip has solid reasons for not writing BREAKING insider accounts on the machinations of the Legislature. So he is sticking with the wit, the writing, and the insight that have defined the blog.  

Philip first visited an embryonic VTblogosphereTV for the pivotal third episode, proving himself both a risk taker and a trailblazer. Then we focused on the relationship between blogging and journalism. This time the discussion covered the ritual involved in becoming a Senator, netizen activism surrounding the Citizens United ruling, Vermont Yankee pre- and post-Fukushima, his Ed and Ag committee work, expansion of Pre-K public education, and the difficult decisions surrounding the budget.

One of Philip’s many gifts is his sense of balance. He almost immediately found the proper relationship between blogging and legislating. He still sounds off on issues close to his heart, but thankfully Vt’s first bloggin’ State Senator is not predisposed to fulfill any stereotypes about bloggers as grandstanding blowhards. His is a calm, centered, sane voice and he knows the job is about service and work. The people of Chittenden County were wise to send him to represent their interests and the interests of all Vermonters.