Predictably, promoters of Brian Dubie’s agenda have seized on the ISO-New England statements about Vermont Yankee’s withdrawal from the power auction, to do a little campaign cover-shot. It’s no longer possible to link to the editorial content of the St. Albans Messenger, so you will just have to take my word for it that Emerson Lynn’s Sept. 1 editorial is all over this opportunity.  Get this:

…understandably, the other states in the region cant’ be too happy about it.  They are already beginning to talk about how the cost should not be borne by them, but by Vermont.  If we cause the problem (deny the company its license) then Vermont should share more of the burden in making sure the energy source is replaced.

He goes on…and on…and finally gets to the point of lambasting Peter Shumlin for his opposition to relicensing.

Here is my e-mailed response to Mr. Lynn:

‘Looks like another election year fact-check is in order when it comes to the ISO-New England and Vermont Yankee.  In your September 1 editorial, you refer to the ISO as “independent.”  Even though it may be independent of control by any single power supplier, it is nevertheless a vehicle of the energy market as a whole, and so represents the interest of all the companies that supply power in New England.  To imply that the ISO is entirely independent of Entergy is therefore somewhat disingenuous.  

The ISO’s clucking over the possibility that Vermont Yankee soon will not be part of the configuration of power suppliers to New England as a whole is kind of like an entity representing “big dairy” scolding Vermont for wanting to protect it’s small dairy farms.  As the coordinating arm of an industry dominated by big power corporations, it is unsurprising that they would take a dim view of replacing a plant operated by one of their constituents with alternative sources.   If the ISO is indeed suggesting that Vermont should bear more of the burden of replacing the megawatts lost from the grid when VY goes off-line, the idea is absurd.  Vermont has hosted Vermont Yankee for forty years, while consuming only a very small portion of its output.  For forty years, the state has absorbed all of the risk of hosting the plant on its soil; and when it’s gone, we will be the state that must cope with a long-term clean-up issue of unknown proportions.

ISO’s sabre-rattling is most unbecoming, and if Brian Dubie is foolish enough to pick-up this line of argument in his campaign for governor, he can well expect that Vermonters will consider this disloyalty rather worse than what was displayed in his recent banner ads announcing that Vermont is in 47th place as one of the least friendly places in which to do business in the United States.

I think we should take a moment to commend  Martha Abbott for taking one for the team; the “team” being Vermont’s best interests. Today’s Free Press carried a gracious “My Turn” by the withdrawn Progressive candidate for Governor, including the following comments:

I will decline the Progressive nomination for governor, a nomination I sought in order to ensure that the Progressive Party would not have a candidate in that race this year.  Someday there will be a voting system that will give Vermonters a real choice between more than two candidates in the general election.  But we are not there yet.  We have a lot of work to do together.

As an unaffiliated, small “p” progressive, do I hear an “Amen” from anyone in the choir?

Amid the turmoil and suspense surrounding an inconclusive primary outcome, we can turn to our Vermont delegation for a reminder of how good it feels to all be on the same progressive page. In a joint-press release, Senators Leahy and Sanders, and Rep. Welch announced yesterday that Vermont would be the beneficiary of an injection of federal funding to help some low-income Vermonters achieve energy savings through the use of “smart” metering and installation of thermal and solar hot water systems in their homes. Sen.Leahy is quoted as saying:

Vermont is a national leader in using the Weatherization Program’s stimulus funds for cost and energy savings for low-income households…With our older housing stock and longer winters, these investments are likely to save Vermont families far more than the national average of $400 a year in reduced energy costs.”

To which Sen. Sanders adds:

This federal support will be a major step forward in moving our state toward a greener economy.”

The Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, a non-profit better known to Vermonters as “Efficiency Vermont,” will have charge of administering the $700,000. federal investment, which represents reinforcement for an earlier $69. million stimulus from the feds. It should be noted here that the Douglas/Dubie administration has consistently opposed funding of Efficiency Vermont. The projection is that, with the new funding, assistance can be provided to approximately 750 low income households to help them reduce and better utilize their energy consumption so that they can realize cost savings, while Vermont's greater economy and environment benefit at the same time. According to Peter Welch:

This additional $5.7 million award recognizes Vermont’s past successes, while paving the way for future savings.”

Well done, Gentlemen. I dare anyone to characterize this green investment in a cash-strapped population as “pork.”

With all the excitement and suspense since the primary, I never got a chance to say how honored I was to be a part of the grass-roots movement to carry Doug Racine to the governor’s seat.  I think what we accomplished deserves recognition and a moment of celebratory reflection.

Conventional wisdom is that money wins elections.  If there is any take-away from the whole race, it is that that ain’t necessarily so (cue Gershwin).   With all the funding that other candidates could claim, the passion of roughly 600 grass-roots volunteers in the Racine campaign pretty-much levelled-out the playing field.  “Money doesn’t buy happiness,” as the saying goes; but apparently, it also doesn’t buy elections in Vermont.  I say this with no disrespect to the other candidates, who all had their share of informed, committed supporters; but because this bodes well for the general, where Brian Dubie will be surfing on national cash.

What we learned from the primary, and what will empower us as we move into the general campaign is the certain knowledge that Vermont voters as a whole are becoming smarter, more engaged, and are swelling the Democratic/Progressive ranks.

It is a testament to Doug Racine’s personal magnetism and his honest and realistic approach to issues which matter to Vermont voters that his message resonated so well without a boatload of media buys.  

Whatever the final outcome, this primary has restored my hope for the future of Vermont and my commitment to the cause of public education in the service of democracy. Thank you, Doug!

I’ll be the first to concede that this diary was somewhat premature.  Be that as it may, even though there is a good chance that most of us are less than satisfied with the state of affairs this morning, the overarching mission has not changed a hair’s breadth. We still must remain focussed on defeating Brian Dubie, and even a possible recount shouldn’t shanghai the message.  True: if there is a recount, Dubie might get an automatic “gimme” on Thursday’s debate, since he will once again have an excuse to miss it; but the longer the confrontation is delayed, the greater the mind-muddling tension he will experience, as he waits, untried and untested. Meanwhile, freed of the necessity to compete amongst themselves, the candidates-in-waiting may turn their joint attention to a leisurely public review of Dubie’s years in lock-step with Douglas.

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At 7:00 this evening, all of the passion and commitment that we have invested as individuals in our chosen candidates must shift abruptly to focus into a single point of purpose:  to defeat Brian Dubie.  



After eight long years of slow erosion under Jim Douglas, Vermont has this chance to reclaim the ground we’ve ceded on human services, education and the environment; and we have renewed opportunity to plot a course toward shared prosperity, universal healthcare and truly clean energy.

What is my personal measure of the cost of those eight Douglas years?  That’s easy: the systematic degradation of environmental laws.  When Douglas took office, the word went out that Vermont’s regulatory system could now be breached.   Soon after all of his appointments were firmly in place,  Walmart renewed it’s siege on a parcel of Vermont farmland in my little corner of Franklin County. The global giant had  already tried and failed to ram a smaller project on the same land through the permit process; but with Douglas holding the reins of power, they boldly launched a new assault.  Over seven long years, we have endured a series of crippling disappointments as, one after the other, Douglas appointees have fallen-in-line, undermining both the intent and the letter of the law.  Meanwhile, Governor Douglas himself campaigned actively for the project, even to the point of inserting himself into the judicial process by appearing at a rally organized to pressure opponents into dropping their appeals.

So I know a little about the price we have paid for giving Jim Douglas the keys to the Statehouse. I pledge my support to defeat Brian Dubie; and brick-by-brick, stone-by-stone, we will tear down the house that Jim built.

…So… that was an interesting experience.  I have to apologise to all the candidates because I probably did a pretty terrible job of transcribing your principle thoughts.  Please feel free to leap into the breach and fill in the blanks.  I am grateful that Nanuq was on-hand to serve as a second (and far superior) memory.  I’ll have to remember that I drop ten IQ points when I live-blog!

Some will dismiss it as bias when I say that Doug Racine was the candidate who best balanced the economic realities of the situation his audience was facing, while still offering concrete hope for achievable goals.  He emphasized that children must be a priority, that all of the efficiencies and strategies proposed by himself and  the other candidates would take time to deliver real resources for education, and that in the meantime we owe it to the most vulnerable in Vermont to use the Rainy Day Fund for what it was intended.

Deb made bringing all educators to the planning table a key focus of her comments.  She decried the current “Top-down” policy making of the Douglas administration and promised that her administration would bring the same “customer service” orientation that she created in the Sec. of State’s office.  If she has one real weakness with this crowd it is probably her inclination to repeatedly mention jargon like her “Jumpstart Vermont plan.” I think these poor underpaid childcare providers have probably heard a lot of slogans signifying nothing, and the word “plan” usually means there isn’t any.  But she was game, and sometimes it wasn’t easy to even understand what kind of answer was being sought.  She made a good case for her experience in government, but I think she erred when she made the observation that she was the only candidate with administrative experience in government.  Isn’t the Lt. Governor position an administrator?  Someone correct me if I’ve got this wrong.

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I’ve got a weak signal, and this is the first time I am live-blogging, so please bear with me.  We are (at least for now) live at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in St. Albans Vermont.  Here goes:

From the perspective of this committed Doug Racine supporter, the “cavalry” has arrived!

Progressives and independents will ultimately determine who serves as the next governor of Vermont.  To that end, Doug Racine has just achieved a significant leg-up over his Democratic competition.

Gathering at David Zuckerman’s Full Moon Farm in Hinesburg, Rep. Zuckerman and a group of high-profile Progressives, including Jerry Greenfield co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, announced their support for Doug Racine in the upcoming primary.

David Zuckerman, representative from Burlington, summed up his support by saying, “Doug has the integrity that is needed to build consensus. When you are working across party lines, honesty is what builds trust and creates the ability to work together.” Zuckerman also noted that “Doug led on the marriage equality issue before it was politically advantageous to do so.”

This new development puts considerable wind behind the sails of Racine’s campaign. Representing a broad base of working-class Democrats, Doug may come up a little short in the funding department, but the scope  of his grassroots support, standing ready to mobilize in the general election, more than makes up for any shortfall of cash!  

St. Albans Messenger endorses Deb Markowitz.

Ever since respected Addison Independent editor Angelo Lynn threw his support behind Matt Dunne,  some of us (not many, mind you) have watched with interest to see whom brother Emerson Lynn would annoint.  This gripping question was answered in today’s Messenger editorial:

We need a leader who understands the need to break the bureaucratic inertia that retards innovation…who understands the future is not about the person who occupies the office but about the next generation of Vermonters…Of the five Democratic candidates running for governor, Deb Markowitz is the one who best fits this profile.

He goes on to cast a few roses at her feet; but take care, there are some hidden thorns:

She understands… that efficiency in state government is a must, regardless of whom it offends.  When she became Secretary of State that need was evident in her office, and she took on the union to get it done.

or how about this:

Politics is about self-interest, the art of governing is blending these self-interests into a common theme that can be sold, and that is her strength.

The remainder of the editorial is basted with more oddly chosen and lukewarm praise for Markowitz, artfully phrased so as to target zingers at the other four candidates.

Matt Dunne, we are told

…shares some of Ms. Markowitz’s strengths.  He has the same level of grass roots understanding and ability to organize effectively.  He is a creative thinker and excels above the others – even Ms. Markowitz – in effectively using the bully pulpit to inspire.  In today’s world that appeals.  His weakness is that he overpromises…

Of Doug Racine he observes:

Few know state government better.  No one has a better heart…It is Mr. Racine who through his allegiances(?!), has gathered the lions share of the unions endorsements.  But his temperament is for another time…We fear his allegiances (again with the allegiances?!) would act more as a prison than a springboard.

Clearly, this guy doesn’t approve of unions; but why would he think an anti-union endorsement would appeal to Democratic voters?  Is he just messin’ with us?



Peter Shumlin gets it most directly in the chops.  Continuing the theme of left-handed compliments, the volley begins with a tip of the hat:

Peter Shumlin is the master tactician in the race….but to say he stands on his principles is objectionable to anyone who has watched him work.  He will say whatever he needs to say as long as he is the one who benefits.  Period.

Oo..kayy?  No need to go any further with that quote.  Clearly, there are some issues here.

To Susan Bartlett , he gives a nice pat on the head and the assurance that:

If a Democrat wins in November, look for her to be a name considered for a top post.

Hello?  Earth to Emerson, this isn’t the West Wing!

So, there you have it: The Messenger endorses Deb Markowitz.  Why do I have the lingering suspicion that  Brian Dubie approved this message?    Deb, you have my sincerest sympathy; and I, for one, won’t hold it against you!

Just when we need a little leavening to lighten the mood during these final days before the primary, the FP served up something today that more than fills the bill.  In a front page feature on the three GOP suitors for a waltz with Peter Welch, we learn that John Mitchell is fond of citing Otto von Bismarck and believes the marketplace alone should decide the fate of small family farms.  Another contender, Keith Stern has already had three unsuccessful runs for Congress, in which he never garnered more than 1% of the vote.  His “bold” ideas include making Social Security recipients work to “earn” their benefits.  It’s not hard to imagine how this idea will be received, considering the obvious argument that they have already worked to earn those benefits!

But those two guys do not provide the entertainment value of one Paul Beaudry; aka “Bachelor #3.” Even the right-leaning Free Press seems a little agog at his temerity:

Beaudry is the most rhetorically flamboyant of the three, using attention-getting language and sometimes making hard-to-prove assertions.

Examples, anyone? Here we go:

He has asserted that Vermont has enough natural gas and oil under its land to eliminate state income taxes and send every resident a yearly check.

And he apparently believes that:

…the federal government is in the process of taking every northern county and merging it into the green Mountain Forest.

Although Beaudry claims to unofficially represent the tea party in the election, that assertion seems pretty dubious.  Pat Crocker, a Beaudry supporter who is said to have helped to organize The Green Mountain Patriots (described as a “tea party-like group”) is quoted repeating that old standard:

“Government is best when it gets out of people’s way.”

But one of Beaudry’s key positions is his anti-abortion stance which demands that government stand front-and-center in the way of a woman’s individual right to choose.

And then there is the small issue of the candidate campaigning on fiscal responsibility after filing for bankruptcy protection in 1997.  As Beaudry sees it, this was a learning experience which contributed to his decision to draw a $500. weekly salary from campaign funds to avoid a repeat hardship for his family.  Okay.  Then how should we interpret his response to the question as to why he chose to run in the first place?

…he says he has been considering a run for several years and made the jump this year for a number of reasons, including the anti-incumbent mood and doubts about the future of his radio shows.

So…I guess we at least have some idea about his approach to his own unemployment crisis.

All in all, a pretty entertaining read.  With so little credible opposition, it is to be hoped that Peter Welch will begin to paint with a bolder, more progressive and independent stroke as we intended him to when we first sent him to DC.  

Approximately 50 people gathered on the Statehouse lawn to listen to speakers, enjoy performances by “Bread and Puppet” and the “Raging Grannies;” and to view a photo-petition of over 400 individuals that added still more numbers and impact to the written petition of over !,700 signers who want answers to their questions about what exactly the wastewater and extraction practices of Agrimark-Cabot are doing to the surrounding watershed and groundwater.  If everything is on the up and up, it’s time for ANR to fulfill their role as a public interface and provide coherent explanations, backed-up by concrete evidence that will reassure the concerned community that they have nothing to worry about. Lacking that irrefutable evidence, an independent analysis of Agrimark-Cabot’s draw and discharge practices would go a long way toward rebuilding this community’s confidence in the ANR’s ability to protect their health.

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It’s about time more attention was directed toward Cabot Creamery’s questionable waste management practices.  I have been following this issue and sharing the developing story on GMD since last fall.  Now, Toxics Action Center has announced an upcoming press conference on the issue, together with a rally on the Statehouse lawn:

Vermonters Call on Cabot Creamery to Green Up

What: Press conference and small rally on the Statehouse lawn.  30-40 supporters are expected to join Whey To Go, a local community group, and Toxics Action Center, a public health and environmental nonprofit.  Whey To Go will announce the results of its petitioning effort, with supporters asking the CEO of Cabot Creamery’s parent company, Agrimark, to adopt stronger environmental practices. Bread and Puppet will perform a short skit.

When: Wednesday, August 11, 10:30AM

Where: Statehouse Lawn, Montpelier

Speakers: Jill Alexander, Whey To Go

               Norman Lussier, Lussier Farm, Swanton

               Jessica Edgerly, Toxics Action Center

Visuals: Compilation of the hundreds of photo petitions taken of supporters.

         

It is in the best interests of Cabot and the Vermont brand to have these complaints fully explored, and any necessary remedial action undertaken without delay.