All posts by BP

“Peace, Joy, Health and Happiness”

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I thought of posting three hours of the twelve hour long Norwegian fireplace video broadcast for these next few slow news days but decided against it.

So here instead is a remarkably odd antique Christmas card from the 1800’s Victorian Era. mouse

“Paix, Joie, Sante, Bonheur,” or “Peace, Joy, Health and Happiness” (petty good sentiments) reads the note held by a mouse riding a lobster.

This card is pictured here with a half dozen other Delightfully Bizarre Christmas cards. They explain the unique lobster and mouse image may be a result of the Victorians love of natural history-still it is a puzzling image.

Sanders’ big win! DFA endorsement poll

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The results of the Democracy for America presidential primary endorsement poll were tallied Thursday and Bernie won BIG. Sanders won a “record breaking” 87.9% of the vote and earned Democracy for America’s endorsement for the 2016 Democratic presidential primary. DFA reported there were 271,527 total votes cast.

The break-down was as follows: Sanders 87.9 %, Hillary Clinton 10.3%, and Martin O’Malley 1.1% and “don’t endorse” came in at a paltry 0.8%.

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The win on Thursday coincided with a Sanders fund raising effort that topped 2 million individuals and garnered an endorsement by the 700,000 member Communication Workers of America. Sanders’ top strategist Tad Devine said: “Today is an indication that there are a lot of people in the left wing of the Democratic Party that think we are doing the right things to win, to achieve the agenda they’re committed to. Last night, when we went over 2 million people, it was an indication that we are ready, and able, to truly fund a real, national race,” Devine was understandably happy for the good news and momentum before Saturday’s televised candidate debate.

Seen in light of recent reports on Sanders’ skimpy media coverage, how does the DFA turnout of 275,000 voters compare to Republican presidential primary polling events? One early and heavily covered event is the Iowa Republican Straw Poll for presidential primary candidates. The Iowa Republican’s poll had just 16,892 voters in 2011, the last year it was held. The contest generated weeks of headlines and buzz for the GOP winner, yet at its height in 1999 it had barely 24,000 participants. So in a perfect media world, Sanders’ DFA win should generate at least a comparable amount of coverage to 24,000 Iowa Republicans.

But everybody knows that’s not going to happen, so it better be back to the phones – twitterverse – facebook – etc., etc – for Bernie’s campaign.

Pssssst… Hey, want to endorse a Democrat for president?

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Update: Five hours left and the DFA really wants you to vote!  

Democracy for America’s 2016 Presidential Endorsement Poll is closing in just 5 hours. Time is running out for you to get out the vote for the Democratic candidate you think would give us our best shot at winning in November.

You! Yes, you have the power to vote for who Democracy for America should endorse in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. And it doesn’t cost a thing, and so why not?

Just visit the DFA website –provide a name and email, check your vote choice and verify the vote by return email. Simple: no lines, no waiting.

Democracy for America was founded in 2004, post-scream, from the remnants of Howard Dean’s presidential primary campaign organization with the overall goal of empowering voters. In their 2008 endorsement poll no candidate passed the DFA endorsement super-majority threshold.

DFAvoteHere from the DFA’s website here is how their 2016 presidential endorsement process works:

  • The endorsement vote is live right now and will end at 11:59pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 15.
  • Just like in a real election, you will need to work hard to maximize support for your candidate if you want them to win this endorsement. That means getting your friends, family and other like-minded progressives to cast their votes for your candidate as well — on Facebook, Twitter, over email, on the phone, or however you want to spread the word!
  • DFA will only endorse in this presidential primary if there is overwhelming support for one candidate. That means that, just like in 2007 when we last conducted an official presidential endorsement vote, we will only endorse if one candidate reaches DFA’s super-majority threshold of 67% (two-thirds of votes cast, or 66.67% to be technical about it).
  • On Thursday, December 17th — after a complete security review of the votes — we will announce the results.                                                     Vote here

So here’s your chance, party activists and grassroots grumblers! Go get some votes for your gal or guy. Or maximize the “don’t endorse” vote, almost as good as “none of the above.” The sweet thing here is that whatever vote-hustling footwork you do now just might pay off in the early primaries.

 

Ducking Donald but Phil Scott might like a little Cruz

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Yesterday many Republicans expressed shock — shock! — at Donald Trump’s call for a total and “[…] complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” With this latest outrage  some prominent Republicans repudiated the remarks, among them candidate Jeb Bush went so far as to call Trump “unhinged.”

Such repudiations are long overdue but perhaps a bit odd given Bush’s own near unhinged call, made after the Paris attacks, to screen out all Mideast refugees coming to the US who are not Christians.

But a Republican strategist recommends candidates stake out  Trump turf. In September a Republican memo on how to deal with Trump and his supporters suggested the following strategy “Trump will continue to advance those messages, but you don’t have to go along with his more extreme positioning,” [NRSC head Ward] Baker writes. “Instead, you should stake out turf in the same issue zone and offer your own ideas.”

CruztrumpTed Cruz has his own idea in that issue zone and it may please Vermont’s own Phil Scott. Earlier, along with Scott, Bruce Lisman suggested a ban on allowing Syrian refugees into Vermont and both expressed worries about the thoroughness of the Federal vetting process for immigrants fleeing war zones. A gaggle of Republican governors expressed similar fear, all using almost identical language. Phil Scott was briefed by security officials and he claimed to be reassured for now.

But Ted Cruz‘s Trump-light legislation seems designed with these exaggerated fears in mind. Cruz wants to allow governors to refuse to participate in resettlement programs if they, “[…] conclude that the federal government has not done a sufficient job ensuring that the safety and security of the citizens of the state will be protected.” Cruz’s position might please Scott if he once again questions security.

For now Scott firmly twittered his criticism of Trump’s latest remark but he seems basically aligned with Cruz’s legislation. This is the Trump/Cruz issue zone, a dark-alley, Constituion-free twilight zone that Scott and Lisman have already peeked into. Would Phil Scott want the Cruz legislation to use as governor?

And more tellingly, would Scott admit it if he did, or just ride Cruz’s coattails on legislation that recalls some of the worst excesses of right wing fanatics?

Go, Man, Go: Mark Johnson is a big fan

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He’s a fan, yes, and it couldn’t be more obvious after reading the following bit from Mark Johnson’s piece about Phil Scott’s gubernatorial campaign extravaganza kick- off held last week. In Phil Scott: Holding the Pole with Few Policy Positions, Johnson wrote this about Scott’s reaction to former Governor Jim Douglas’ candidate intro for VtDigger.com:

A small, knowing smile curled across the broad face of the 57-year-old Scott, the all-time winning driver at Thunder Road racetrack, long before a reporter reached the finish line to the Douglas anecdote.Go,Man,Go

He saw it coming, like a potential pass on the inside groove picked up in the sideview mirror.

Scott, second-in-command for the past five years, a state senator for 10 years before that, knows the knock: that he doesn’t take strong positions, sometimes changes his mind and doesn’t have a signature issue that defines him politically.

Yes, that’s right. You probably spotted it too. Mark Johnson is a total fan of the obscure 1950’s paperback author Edward De Roo. In fact, Johnson’s fandom stands out like sore thumb at a manicurist’s.

Go, Man, Go by Edward De Roo:

The speed demons were a non-association gang of wild, daredevil hot-rodders. They had the 100 m.p.h. chariots, the crazy drag races, and all the thrill-hungry chicks in the neighborhood. That’s why Paul Sanders was ready to do anything to get in with them and drive his own hyped-up bucket of bolts. But what they wanted of him was nothing short of a nightmare!

Notice the similar lingo, the hyped-up phrasing of Go, Man, Go that Johnson uses: He saw it coming, a potential pass on the inside groove picked up in the sideview mirror. And this: Scott […] knows the knock.

Phil Scott may indeed be the nicest guy in the history of Vermont politics and not have (or want) a signature issue that defines him. This may be his great advantage in a largely Progressive/ Democratic state. But after ten years in the state senate on the Committee on Institutions and the Transportation Committee, and five years as Lt. Gov., Scott has left a record that should be reported on. Maybe before the election some Vermont reporter will make like ‘50’s author De Roo says and “go man go” and find it. Over fifteen years many votes were cast and deals were made to “get things done.”

Or the reporting might just be a hyped-up bucket of bolts driven to Election Day.

To paraphrase  Bobby Kennedy:  Every society gets the kind of candidate it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of journalism it insists on.

Coke stops funding obesity study group

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It is good to keep an eye on the giant sugary soda company, as they currently own 16% of Keurig Green Mountain. sucrecola

Coca Cola has pulled the cork on its Global Energy Balance Network. The GEBN was an effort bankrolled by Coke designed to influence academic research into obesity and blunt criticism of big-time sugary drinks.

Public health groups said the company was promoting “scientific nonsense” through research partnerships. And on Monday the GEBN removed all content from its website “due to resource limitations.”
Public health authorities complained that Coke, the world’s largest producer of sugary beverages, was adopting tactics once used by the tobacco industry, which for decades enlisted experts to raise doubts about the health hazards of smoking. Last month, the University of Colorado School of Medicine said it would return a $1 million grant that Coca-Cola had provided to help start the organization.
“I think ultimately the Global Energy Balance Network was a megaphone for Coca-Cola,” Yoni Freedhoff, an obesity expert at the University of Ottawa who first raised questions about the group’s funding, said. “And now that Coca-Cola is no longer providing the funds to support that megaphone, it’s shutting down. I think that speaks to the purpose of the establishment of this group.”

For months, the group denied that it was allowing Coke to influence its message or the work of its scientists.

Coca Cola is no stranger to this type of thing. In 2009 the company formed a controversial funding partnership with the American Society of Family Physicians “to develop consumer education content on beverages and sweeteners for FamilyDoctor.org.” Some ASFP members in California resigned in protest. And three years ago under pressure of a product boycott the Atlanta-based corporation stopped its longtime funding of ALEC, the “corporate bill mill.”  In addition, Coke is one of six companies that together spent $12.6 million lobbying against state and federal legislation dealing with GMO labeling in the first half of 2015.

While GEBN has obviously fizzled out, Coca Cola’s CEO said, “Clearly, we have more work to do to reflect the values of this great company in all that we do.” I’d guess they’ll be back reflecting the company values after a pause to refresh.

Time spent eating and drinking: Vermont stands out

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This is how Vermont stands out according to data from the Department of Labor’s 2010-2016 American Time Use Surveys. Governing Magazine online complied and mapped the bite sized pieces.

Vermonters spend an average of 1.3 hours per day eating and drinking, the most of any state. States on the opposite end of the spectrum are primarily concentrated in the South.

Data reflects all time spent eating or drinking regardless of location (including meals at home), except when completed as part of a work or volunteer activity.

leisure map 1In New England Massachusetts was closest eating and drinking 1.21 hours per day and out west Colorado came in at 1.22 hours per day.

 

But how about all that outdoorsy Vermonter stuff? Well, it seems we’re in the back of the pack in sports, exercise and recreation. Vermonters spend 0.33 hours per day and that is below our neighbor, New Hampshire at 0.42. Western states lead in this category with Alaska the highest at 0.61 hours per day and Wyoming next at 0.54.

Other data includes the state by state amount of time spent on income-generating activities. That estimate seems low but it includes those not working, so averages are lower than would be if only employed workers were counted.

Some fits neatly into longtime perceptions, such as Southerners spending more time on religious and civic activities. Almost neatly enough to wonder about confirmation bias-a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions. Probably check into that after a hike or lunch.

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott: “I thought there was a sort of stigma,”

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Phil Scott is a clever one …and he says some of his best friends are hippies.

Lt. Gov.Scott who is running in the Republican gubernatorial primary has dredged up a sticker he had made up about four years ago. The sticker reads: “Lt. Gov. Phil Scott asks you to buy local! It’s not just for hippies anymore!” he says it is aimed at promoting the buy local movement to everyone.

Scott “sported’ a sticker during a recent statehouse interview with The Burlington Free Press and he explained:

[…] four years ago, he visited farmers markets throughout the state to meet people. While Scott saw these hubs of local food and artisan crafts as quintessential Vermont, others saw a place only for hippies.

“I thought there was a sort of stigma,” Scott said.

While he’s not one of them, Scott said he has many “proud hippie friends” who also wear his stickers and get a good laugh out of the tie-dye versions.

Huh? “Sort of a stigma” Oh well, good ol’ Phil is just having a good ol’ laugh. Kind of like when, after Hurricane Irene he “joked” that;  those he saw doing clean-up work were mostly Republicans. And you know at least he didn’t stick something like Take back Vermont, buy local on his bumper for his primary campaign.nobestniks

Candidate Scott doesn’t mention, but he might have recalled that Governor Douglas started an initiative (shortly after the buy local movement took hold) at the Agency of Agriculture in 2003 to buy local food for state institutions. Douglas did face criticism for taking a little too much credit (as was his habit) for the start of the  buy local movement. But Jim Douglas didn’t feel any hippie stigma.Governor Douglas was just co-opting an issue as any good politician might and in doing so  hope to scoop up supporters (votes) in an inclusive way.

But Jezzum,Phil ! Come to think of it Jim Douglas is just a flatlander from way back.

War, huh, yeah. What is it good for?

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Well it took only a short time after the horrible ISIS(ISIL or Daesh) , attack on France for the stock prices of Northrup Gruman,Raytheon,Lockheed,General Dynamics and Boz Allen to take nice leap up in value.

At the Intercept they note: […] The markets could barely wait to start buying. The Dow overall is up today only .12 percent, making these leaps quite pronounced. Reuters, as published on Fox Business, starkly noted the causal connection: “Shares of aerospace and defense rose sharply on Monday in reaction to the attacks in France.” The private-sector industrial prong of the Military and Surveillance State always wins, but especially when the media’s war juices start flowing.

Huh ,yeah who’s it good for?

Tttttrump!

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While waiting for the debut of the new and improved GMD here are some recent poll results on the crowded GOP presidential race.

The common advice is to mostly ignore polling this early, but who would have predicted Trump’s success at the wheel of the GOP clown car. According to those questioned in an Economist/YouGov poll, Trump is now seen by those who call themselves Republican as having a positive impact on the race.

 

Results also show The Donald is now considered a credible candidate and possible general election winner.

And this week the more politically experienced Republicans, like former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, are even further back.

 

Alas poor Jeb!,the smart Bush.It was a bad summer for him and now he has to face the fall.