Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2nd town meeting on health care reform on August 15, 2009 – this one in Arlington Vermont – was, unlike Arlington, devoid of protesters, and pro-reformers seemed to outnumber anti-reformers on the order of 7 or 8 to 1. As such, this video focuses on the content of the forum, rather than the scene on the edges. Video and audio can be sketchy, but Sanders providers a virtual primer for other legislators in how to address the issue. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing. Great stuff from Bernie.

As Julie indicated in the previous diary, pro-reformers outnumbered anti-reformers by 4 or 5 to 1 at Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) town hall style meeting on health care reform in Rutland. Throughout the event, a loud, small cadre of anti-reformers remained at the edge, occasionally annoying other participants. The video here focuses on them disproportionately, just because – c’mon – we’re all pretty curious, no?

This video probably could be about 3 minutes shorter, but it does have some key events and a few interviews of participants.

Things to watch for; the only time a police officer intervened, defusing a tense situation, the bizarre, angry denial that erupts when Sanders correctly informs a questioner that his taxes have gone down under Obama, and the Whitman’s Sampler of right wing issues championed by right wing protesters (we even hear creationism rearing its head in the final seconds).

For part 2, I’ll upload video from the Arlington event tomorrow. That event was also well attended, but did not include the half-hearted attempts at disruption that you see in this video. In fact, I daresay “pros” outnumbered “cons” at that event by something more like 8 or 9 to 1. As such, the Arlington video will be focused on elements of the content of the meeting.

(Intrusive note from odum: There will be accompanying video of both the Rutland and Arlington events, but not until later this evening…)

Bernie Sanders gave a town meeting in Rutland this morning.  There were protesters there, but they were generally ignored.  Mostly they stayed in back, sometimes yelling, but fizzling quickly.  Very few people tried to engage them.

I took a lot of video and learned something important from the experience: my phone is completely worthless when it comes to taking video.  Quality is poor on every level: you can barely hear most of what’s said, and the visual quality is poor even by cell phone standards.  So I’m skipping the video and going right to summary.

So, basically– we had major overflow.  There was no space left inside the church, but there were lots of people outside.  Bernie made a point (see photo above) of coming out to tell us he wanted to make sure everyone could participate.  So he explained what would happen: brief panel, him talking briefly and then splitting everyone into two lines: one line generally supportive of the health care reform ideas and one generally opposed.

He gave both sides equal time.  He did this inside for a few questions, and then came outside to do the same.  We were outside, so I was a little more engaged with those questions, but the sessions inside and outside (we had a speaker system so we had a clear sense of everything going on inside) were very similar.  

Sanders is a master at handling strong disagreement with tact and civility: never backing down, but never letting anyone shout him down either.  A few times the (fairly small) crowd in back started to get nasty (trying to shout people over) and he just told them to cut it out, which they did.  Similarly, a few questioners tried to yell their questions and express the depth of their anger.  In every case, he thanked them for their questions, and when they wouldn’t allow him to respond, he just said “do you want me to answer your question?” and that generally worked.  

Basically, this was nothing like what we’ve seen at other rallies: civil, even if rancorous; very even-handed; each side got equal time.

There was a guy there with a bullhorn who didn’t use it until the rally was over, which was a bit of a surprise.

Towards the beginning, when Sanders was giving his opening speech, the group in the back started yelling, trying to shout over him saying they wanted us to get to questions.  It was a little silly: we were all outside; Sanders was inside, so it wasn’t like he’d hear them.  

There was a lot of media there, and they always mobbed the protesters with cameras whenever they started yelling.  My favorite exchange was, I think, between a protester who was yelling at the beginning about how she wouldn’t get to speak her mind and a man asking her, over and over again, “are you getting in line to ask your question?  Why aren’t you in line?”

There was a lot of heated conversation going on while everyone was waiting in line beforehand and very little in terms of Useful Idiotry.  Even the people who strongly opposed health care reform were mostly expressing their opinions respectfully and a lot of us were trying to engage one another in meaningful debate about it, which was pretty cool.

I don’t think anyone’s mind was changed.  The people who were opposed to reform were outnumbered significantly; less than 25% of the crowd, possibly even less than 20%.  They still got the opportunity to speak 50% of the time, which I think worked fine and gave Sanders the opportunity to dispel a few myths.  One man was insisting that his federal taxes had gone up since Obama took office, which is sort of odd given that his federal taxes haven’t been collected for the year since Obama started yet.  Sanders explained how he was wrong, and he was not mollified.  Another woman insisted on explaining the death panels that most sane people know is crap.  Sanders very politely explained it to simply not be true, and she wasn’t really mollified either.

But mostly, it was just people talking passionately about what they believe in and why, and Sanders talking about what he believes in and why.  It’s unlikely that anyone’s mind was changed, but I think the point of these town halls is not to change anyone’s mind.  It’s to give us all an opportunity for our voices to be heard.

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the money blows

[in light of the comments about GMCR and state tax “incentives”]

OK this is a bit wonky but it’s instructive and, as they say, the devil is in the details.

As you know, the VT Economic Progress Council (VEPC) gives away millions each year in business “incentives”.  The program has been criticized for years for a variety of reasons.  But even if we accept it on its face, it still has a serious problem.

The methodology used to calculate the award is based on a number of factors, especially the expected number of new jobs.  But the program is only supposed to reward new incremental jobs.  That is, jobs that wouldn’t have been created otherwise.  To ensure this, VEPC uses what’s called the “background growth rate” to discount jobs that would have been created in the normal course of business.

However, the background growth rate is an industry average rather than the applicant’s actual history.  This creates a problem.

more below

Here’s an example: If a widget maker applies for the incentives, VEPC uses the recent growth rate for all Vermont widget makers.  Assume there are ten widget makers in Vermont.  At any given time a few of them will be struggling (perhaps cutting jobs), a few will be stable (profitable but no new jobs), a few will be growing modestly, and one or two will be growing at a good clip.  Therefore, the overall annual industry growth rate may be 2% but one or two widget makers may have been growing at 5% or more per year.  And since the incentives are only paid if jobs are actually created, it stands to reason that the growing firms are the ones applying.  

To extend the example, let’s assume a widget maker with 100 workers promises to create 10 new jobs.  Using a 2% background growth rate, VEPC determines that the company is eligible for incentives based on eight jobs.  But if the firm’s growth rate has been 5%, history suggests that it would have created five jobs anyway and should only receive an award for the additional five.  

So by applying a 2% background growth rate to this hypothetical firm (which is actually growing at 5% per year), VEPC ends up paying for three jobs that would have been created anyway.  Obviously, this is not a fiscally sound practice.  

The problem was identified by the State Auditor in the very first review of the program in 2000 (I was the principal author of the report).  More recently, the Auditor’s 2008 review used a small sample of actual company data to illustrate the problem and recommended that the methodology be changed seepages 23 – 27.

VEPC’s response was predictable and – in my opinion – showed clearly that it is more interested in pushing money out the door than protecting taxpayers.  In its comments, VEPC said that using company-specific background growth rates would be inconsistent and unfair because some applicants are too new to have much history (see Appendix V of the Auditor’s report, pages 72 – 74).  But the change would not penalize newer firms (the industry average would still be used for them), only serve the intent of the statute, which is to not incent normal growth.  Moreover, the Legislature’s desire for consistency in implementation should not be read as a justification for wasting money.  

The statute says that all such methodological issues are within the purview of the Joint Fiscal Committee (JFC) rather than the full Legislature.  The JFC will meet at least twice before the next full session (once just before the newsletter was published) so there is an opportunity to correct the error made years ago.

And the timing is right.  The Administration and the Legislature have both indicated a desire to cut costs.  One would think they would want to fix a problem that has cost taxpayers millions over the years.  This is not a frontal assault on VEPC.  Even if you like the program (I don’t), you should want it to be run responsibly.  

But notwithstanding his supposed commitment to cutting waste, Jim Douglas has not responded to the Auditor’s recommendation (although he doesn’t seem to have a problem cutting programs for the poor).  Let’s hope the Joint Fiscal Committee has more courage.

[this first appeared in the August Peace & Justice Newsletter]

April 13, 2009 Urban Word of the Day

the insertion of one man’s sack into another person’s mouth. Used a practical joke or prank, when performed on someone who is asleep, or as a sexual act.

At the frat house last night, when Tim was wasted an down on the floor, he got teabagged by, like, ten guys!

Me and Jen were teabagging last night when her mom walked in. Awkward.

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I hope the crudeness of this post doesn’t offend anyone.  It seemed strangely apropos for Friday night.

Despite suggestions by some on this site that any negative reception to the Progressive Party’s letter (concerning the prospects of the Progs supporting one of the Democratic candidates for governor) is something I personally “spun” from thin air, it continues to be clear that others disagree. Why else have Martha Abbott and now Anthony Pollina clearly taken to damage control on the matter, after all?

Pollina appeared on Vermont Edition today (Friday) and clearly walked back a lot of the edge to the letter. Truthfully, he did a pretty good job and may have gone a long way toward hitting the reset button on much of this conversation.  

There was certainly a helping of standard Pollina fare (he commented that his photo-finish second place over Gaye Symington suggested he was “clearly more viable,” when its fairly obvious that their almost identical results showed pretty clearly that the two are equally non-viable). He also would not rule out running for the top spot again, and even went on a bit at the question, sounding a lot like he was making a campaign speech. More interesting, though, was his repeated floating of the notion of running for State Senate from Washington County. Fascinating, no? Maybe he reads this site after all. He was dismissive of Tim Ashe-style fusion candidacy, though, which presents challenges, but still…

But the big question was the letter, and Pollina walked the ultimatum and threat vibe way back, switching back to the language of diplomacy by describing the interactions thus far as the “beginnings of conversations” and the bullet list as “not the only issues.”

More significantly, he walked way back the failing grades Senators Racine and Bartlett were rewarded with, acknowledging that of the candidates, there “could be some folks that are better on some (issues) than on others” and that “opinions (among individual Progressives) will vary, person to person.” He also expressed explicit appreciation to Bartlett and Racine for reaching out, while admonishing Markowitz for her “bad attitude” of waiting to be invited, making it clear that no such invitation would be forthcoming.

Hard to say where this will go. Given that its sleepy-sleepy August, walking back this dust devil as well as Pollina did may cause the whole affair to largely disappear, whereas that wouldn’t have been the case if this had happened in the fall.

Maybe the big money in the health care debate is the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room that isn’t being covered adequately in the news.  Coverage of the disturbing traveling circus that  is the public side of the  debate lately has focused largely on town hall disruptions .That certainly is where all the shouting has been.  The media follows the shouts. However as this astro-turf sponsored war rages some record breaking lobbying is going on in Washington. Big money, big medicine and it works quietly. One republican media consultant said “If we slow this sausage-making process down,we can defeat it.”

According to the Blog of Legal times  Wal-Mart is adding to its health care lobbying team. The  lobby firm  Wal-Mart  uses includes…………. senior policy adviser David Russell, a former chief of staff to ex-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska); senior policy adviser Jennifer Stewart, who worked for Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.); and former aides to Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), both Republican whips. Wal-Mart spent nearly $2.6 million lobbying in the second quarter of 2009. About $340,000 went to seven outside lobbying firms, including the Podesta Group, Patton Boggs, and Miller & Chevalier.

Here are some other superlatives from Bloomberg.com. This may explain the pause in the health care legislation momentum . There are 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue that is six lobbyists to every 535 members of the House and Senate.

According to Senate records, and three times the number of people registered to lobby on defense.These groups spent $263.4 million on lobbying during the first six months of 2009, according to the Center for Responsible Politics a Washington-based research group, more than any other industry. They spent $241.4 million during the same period of 2008. Drugmakers alone spent $134.5 million, 64 percent more than the next biggest spenders, oil and gas companies.

The health-care industry also contributed $20.5 million to federal candidates and the political parties during the first six months of the year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat who is up for re-election next year, received $382,400, more than any other lawmaker.

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/…

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/…

(This is a piece I almost sold elsewhere, but it got kicked back. Thought I’d post it here so it wouldn’t go to waste. It’s a little stiffer than my blog stuff, but it does have a point if you can slog therogh the stuff you already know as a GMD and new media reader…)

Much is being said among the online media of the superior job being done by “Tea party” conservatives in turning out for, and dominating, the so-called “town hall meetings” Congressional Democrats are holding with constituents over the pending health care reform plans. The left has been slow to respond or counter the dramatic displays of defiance that have crossed the line to outright scary on more than one occasion.

Criticisms of the liberal counter-insurgent machinery have become more frequent, in particular suggestions that “Organizing for America,” the unofficial grassroots army that evolved from the Obama Presidential campaign has been slow or inefficient in its response. Recent polls would seem to bear out the notion that the left is being out-hustled in the persuasion and power game.

Although the unions and grassroots organization have come to life, and the dynamics of the town hall meetings are beginning to turn, no amount of organizing is going to change the fundamental disadvantage the left has in this arena, at this time. Simply, that the right wing crowds have something to rally behind – their pent-up loathing of President Obama.

The left, on the other hand, not been given much to fight for, and seems to have less by the day. The resultant passion gap is cavernous and growing.

Obama campaigned, as did all the Democratic candidates for President, on health care reform and providing something approaching universal access. Among most of left that provides the energy for political action, full universal healthcare (more often than not via some sort of single payer construction) is the issue that supersedes almost all other issues. In the face of polls suggesting a general public more amenable than one might expect to such a notion, it has been difficult to walk back those goals and work to promote a package of insurance reforms that would include a Medicaid-like “public option” that Americans could afford to buy into.

But even that more modest goalpost is looking as though it may be too much for the administration, which is frustrating activists to no end. Over the last few weeks, liberals have witnessed a legislative process largely taken out of the hands of those lawmakers who share their goals and given more and more exclusively by the administration to Senator Finance Chair and conservative Democrat Max Baucus, who may have previously shined on those activists (myself among them) committed to a public option to line up early support for his efforts, but who clearly has no intention of passing anything even that robust.

And now comes further proof of a deal between the pharmaceutical companies, Baucus, and the Obama administration, to protect (and further) pharma’s profits under any reform plan in exchange for their political and financial support for the ultimate bill. All of which stands in contradiction to promises Obama made while electioneering.

The self-defeating consequences of this sort of backroom politics on turning out activists to carry and advance the message should be self-evident – a passion gap. The angry right wing crowds know what they’re fighting against at these town hall meetings, while increasingly, their left-wing counterparts are left to wonder from each day to the next what they’re supposed to be fighting for.

We camped up North this weekend, giving us a chance to check out a few good spots.  Here’s what I photographed.  We also spotted a few other warblers at Victory Basin, including an immature Magnolia and a likely Nashville, as well as what I think was a Redstart, but for me, getting a really good look at a Canada was a major treat.  Also, at Victory Basin, just after I was thinking “I should really be looking for a Bittern in this marsh” a bittern landed right next to me and then flew off, before I could even get my camera pointed at it.

The other major treat was my first ever Vermont sighting of a Rusty Blackbird.  No life birds this trip (no Gray Jay, Spruce Grouse or Boreal Chickadee) but some pretty good looks at birds I’ve seen before when the light wasn’t as good (Brown Creeper– first time I’ve ever seen one with the sun out) or my equipment wasn’t as nice (Canada Warbler, which I’ve only ever photographed once, back when I didn’t have nearly the setup I’ve had now, and never seen in VT before).

FRI, AUG 7, 2009

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Sometimes when birding you can experience moments in which everything just comes together.  We were walking at night when we spotted this Osprey perched overhead, first simply perched, then noticing me, then flying off. [Fri, Aug 7, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

SAT, AUG 8, 2009

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Red-breasted nuthatches were plentiful at Moose Bog [Sat, Aug 8, 2009, Moose Bog, Ferdinand, VT]

This white-throated sparrow was bopping about in the bushes as we ended our walk [Sat, Aug 8, 2009, Moose Bog, Ferdinand, VT]

We didn’t manage to find a spruce grouse, but we did spot this ruffed grouse on the side of the road.  I have no idea why its tongue is sticking out. [Sat, Aug 8, 2009, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge,]

This question mark butterfly was hanging out at our campsite [Sat, Aug 8, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

This immature hermit thrush was spending a lot of time at our campsite [Sat, Aug 8, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

SUN, AUG 9, 2009

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A view of the beach at our campgrounds on an early misty morning [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

Probably the best photo I have ever taken of a brown creeper, and the sort of look I usually get of them [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

Mystery dragonfly, hanging out on my windshield [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

Red-eyed vireo [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Brighton State Park, Island Pond, VT]

A walk through parts of Victory Basin yielded great looks at a chestnut-sided warbler [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

    http://juliesmagiclightshow.co…

    http://juliesmagiclightshow.co…

Common yellowthroat [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

Some of the best photos I have ever taken of a Canada Warbler [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

Black-capped chickadee [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

I think this is a Great Spangled Fritillary [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

Mystery damselfly [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

First rusty blackbird I have ever photographed (or even seen!) in Vermont [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

Mystery flowers [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

Mystery dragonfly [Sun, Aug 9, 2009, Victory Basin, Victory, VT]

A few closing notes: First, these are all smaller images, linked to larger ones.  Clicking on them gets you to the larger versions, with details about the type of camera used to take the photograph, the lens used, etc.

Also, a shameless self-promotional plug: I’ve put together a 2010 Calendar of birding.  Here’s the preview: