Jim Douglas reads the polls. He must realize that as long as the opposition puts up a single competent, and even mildly likeable, opponent there is no way he is going to win another term. He also has woken up to the fact that he has no chance of winning any Congressional seat from Vermont in the next 20 years.
Kissing up to Obama didn’t get him much. So, his political career in Vermont (his entire career) is over.
The guy who always avoided taking any strong leadership positions, making tough decisions, or providing direction is now playing the conservative Republican: take on the state employees’ union, the gay marriage issue, and be the defender of “no new taxes” and coporate welfare . . . and hope it gets you a gig with the RNC or another Republican outfit in DC. He needs a job.
As the “debate” over gay marriage reaches critical mass in Vermont, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of shame.
The shame comes, not from the fact that Vermont is, rightly, taking up the issue and fighting for basic human rights for all, but because there is even a debate at all.
To me gay marriage is one of the great no-brainers of our time: treat people equally. It is civics 101, not to mention a constitutional requirement.
But when Gov. Jim Douglas, despicably, announced he would veto any gay marriage legislation that came to his desk, I was once again reminded, to steal a line from Kurt Vonnegut, “how embarrassing it is to be human.”
It is appalling, both morally and intellectually. When I heard his statement, I thought I was listening to George Wallace defend segregation as the governor of Alabama in 1963, not the governor of Vermont – arguably the most progressive and humane state in the country – in 2009.
Generations from now that fact that this was even debatable will be a monumental embarrassment for Americans, and Vermonters, everywhere.
There once was a time, not very long ago, when our country engaged in “serious debate” over whether or not it should be legal to enslave human beings or allow women to vote. Thankfully, due to the hard work of rational, humane people, these issues are no longer controversial.
And there can be little doubt that the gay marriage issue will run a similar course. It is inevitable they will be recognized in time, just as struggles in the past led to progress on women’s rights, African-American rights, disabled persons rights and so on.
This effort to discriminate against gays is ultimately a losing one. Societal progress almost always takes shape in the form of acceptance, a thankful reminder of our own humanity in the face of the bigotry we are witnessing by Gov. Douglas.
According to very detailed PEW report, young people – described as “Generation Next” – are by far the most tolerant generation ever. When it comes to gay rights, secularism, immigrants, interracial relationships, and even recreational drug use, young people are historically accepting of others compared to older generations, and young people polled generations ago. They are also less pious than any other age group, which is of significant given the Christian opposition to gay rights. About half of Gen Nexters say the growing number of immigrants to the U.S. strengthens the country more than any generation. And they also lead the way in their support for gay marriage and acceptance of interracial dating.
I don’t find this to be terribly surprising. Young people have now grown up around gays to the extent where the behavior seems entirely normal to most. Compare this to how older generations viewed homosexuality–as a social taboo punishable by an eternity in hell.
And by the time today’s young people become the country’s power brokers, gay marriage will likely be accepted in most states, and attempts to discriminate against them will be met with contempt not currently seen.
And those public officials, who tried to reason that gays need their own consolation prize, the civil union, and should be “separate but equal” from their heterosexual brethren, will be remembered through the lens of history as enablers of discrimination.
To be fair, this applies to many Democrats in the federal government, including the President.
But Governor Douglas’ pathetic ruminations on the subject from Wednesday assure himself a very special footnote in this unfortunate element of our history. He is one of the first two governors in U.S. history to openly thwart a democratically-elected body’s decision to give gays the same right to marry as everyone else.
It is a detestable act now; years from now it will come across as bigotry pure and simple – a sad reminder of a time when politicians felt it was OK, even noble, to discriminate against gays.
(NOTE: Made a small correction to reflect the comments about how the gov. of California also vetoed gay marriage legislation)
(Some may be surprised that I have chosen to frontpage this. I am happily in most accomodating joy to be of explain.
There is a perception that only the Best of the Best get paid to blog. There are more paid bloggers out there than people realize, and, as we see from this, most of them are two-bit whores.
I suspect that we got hit with this because this blog has “Green” in its name. With Caoimhin’s annotations, this piece of crap spam becomes an excellent post.
I just hope these people see this. And, by the way, these people, like all spammers of GMD, have been banned. – promoted by kestrel9000)
[UPDATED – This piece of spam by new user auto.alliance left out a few details. Included, in bold, are links and additional information –cl]
The auto industry is undergoing a major transition. How can we set a course for its healthy development?
NOTE: Watch closely (no don’t watch this at all, it’s crap) but if you must, just think about the used car you’d be willing to buy from THIS guy!
The auto industry is undergoing a major transition. How can we set a course for its healthy development?
GMD SUGGESTION: Manufacture hybrids, use alternative fuel sources, stop using bailout money to lobby and sue against environmental standards: that’s a start.
Automakers, by their nature, must make plans many years in advance. Right now, we have people designing products for 2015. That means that, if environmental standards are to be effective, it is crucial that we have very good collaboration between government and the auto industry. It requires smart regulatory practices, achievable goals, and a national roadmap we can depend upon. “Collaboration” i.e. we’ll tell the government what not to regulate and hope they don’t.
We are in this thing together. It is time to collaborate.
Take emissions standards, for example. . . we fully expect a decade of rising standards, year by year, starting with the standards for 2011 to be announced in the near future. [WE’RE WAITING!]
We intend to accomplish those standards. In order to do that, we’ve urged the federal government to set emissions standards for multiple years into the future, to give us a predictable set of regulations to plan and design for. In recent years, California and other states have played an important role in setting emissions standards when there was no federal action on the issue.So, did you get that last part about California and other states and their important role?
HELLO! California played such an important role that you folks spent millions of dollars suing California and millions more in federal government resources under the Bush administration fighting California EVERY.STEP.OF.THE.WAY.
So what does the Union of Concerned Scientists have to say about “The Auto Alliance” during one of its recent disinformation campaigns in California?
* GM, Chrysler and The Auto Alliance create websites to sway consumers to contact Congress
* Automakers create radio and print ads in an attempt to stall fuel economy regulations
“This is another dishonest campaign from an auto industry willing to deceive lawmakers and the public on legislation that could save people money and clean up the environment. Just two weeks ago, the auto companies’ lobby group aired misleading radio ads about federal fuel economy legislation. Just last week, the alliance came to California to speak out against the Pavley clean car law. Now they’re lying about the Clean Car Discount bill. The automakers have fallen into a sad pattern of using lawyers and slick public relations tactics to fight good laws instead of using their engineers to build cleaner cars.
“Contrary to what the automakers say, the Clean Car Discount bill (AB 493) preserves consumer choice. . . .
“While the auto industry ad implies that there’d be a huge surcharge on a lot of vehicles, only the most highly polluting models, such as the Ford Excursion and Hummer H2 would incur the maximum surcharge of $2,500. The bill also waives surcharges for many small businesses, emergency responders, and low-income drivers.
“This is a bill that can make cleaner cars more affordable for everybody. California has been leading the way on smart environmental legislation and it’s a shame that automakers are trying to drag us backwards. People want cleaner cars, not dirty tricks.”
That’s the Auto Alliance. Thanks for stopping by to visit GMD, ASStroTurfers!
But today, the federal government is acting. Additional uncertainty can only undermine that progress. A single, national standard administered by the federal government is a reliable roadmap and we can move forward rapidly.
We also need to know that the infrastructure will be in place to support the advanced technologies we’re developing. You can’t have a fleet of plug-in hybrids and electric cars without a place to plug them in, or without sufficient energy to power them all.
In other words, let’s use that bailout money and lobby against states applying their own environmental standards, which is the right of any state to do.
Patchwork fixes and band-aids are not a good solution to our common problems. Our environmental and economic problems involve our whole country. So do the solutions. An integrated national plan provides a stable foundation for progress.
And if we don’t get our way, we’ll keep on suing and building guzzlers. When we fail, again, we’ll do what we always do, blame our failures on our workers who have spent three decades making wage concessions and suffering through layoffs all because of Detroit management’s decisions to manufacture shitty cars that drive consumers to foreign models and have turned the world market against U.S. made cars.
We’re committed to reinventing the automobile. We will provide you with an even wider range of efficient automobiles. And if we can depend on a smart and stable set of regulations, the auto industry will be the driver behind a new low-carbon economy.
It’s been almost four decades since the first oil shock, we’re waiting!
Automakers, by their nature, must make plans many years in advance. [EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN’T PLAN BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE AND GLOBAL COMPETITION FACTS THAT THEY KNOW TODAY] Right now, we have people designing products for 2015. That means that, if environmental standards are to be effective, it is crucial that we have very good collaboration between government and the auto industry. It requires smart regulatory practices, achievable goals, and a national roadmap we can depend upon.
We are in this thing together. It is time to collaborate.
I think I’m getting car sick reading this. The rest of this post is just more propaganda. Might as well stop reading now. It’s all bullshit with howlers sprinkled into it like kernels of corn.
Take emissions standards, for example. We understand the direction of the carbon economy. We embraced 40% higher federal fuel standards in the 2007 energy bill, and we fully expect a decade of rising standards, year by year, starting with the standards for 2011 to be announced in the near future.
We intend to accomplish those standards. In order to do that, we’ve urged the federal government to set emissions standards for multiple years into the future, to give us a predictable set of regulations to plan and design for. In recent years, California and other states have played an important role in setting emissions standards when there was no federal action on the issue. But today, the federal government is acting. Additional uncertainty can only undermine that progress. A single, national standard administered by the federal government is a reliable roadmap and we can move forward rapidly.
We also need to know that the infrastructure will be in place to support the advanced technologies we’re developing. You can’t have a fleet of plug-in hybrids and electric cars without a place to plug them in, or without sufficient energy to power them all.
Patchwork fixes and band-aids are not a good solution to our common problems. Our environmental and economic problems involve our whole country. So do the solutions. An integrated national plan provides a stable foundation for progress.
We’re committed to reinventing the automobile. We will provide you with an even wider range of efficient automobiles. And if we can depend on a smart and stable set of regulations, the auto industry will be the driver behind a new low-carbon economy.
The truth is out. The guy who told the truth was Abu Zubaydah, one of the planners of the 2001 terrorist attacks. One of the most vicious criminals you could ever hope to meet.The guy who lied was the President of the United States.
What we hear about is waterboarding, but that isn't half of it. It isn't even the beginning. Throw out all the allegations of waterboarding, and what U.S. forces did was still torture under any definition, or at least any definition worthy of respect from a civilized people. In other words, any definition except that promulgated by torture apologist John Yoo. The findings come from a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and they are damning. You should read the entire article in the New York Review of Books to get a full understanding of what happened, but even what little I have room for here is shocking.
The report details other techniques, used in combination, including constant cold temperatures, loud noises, forced standing (one prisoner was forced to stand by being handcuffed to the ceiling of his cell for an entire month), repeated beatings, sleep deprivation (water was sprayed in their faces whenever they dozed off), prolonged exposure to light or dark, prisoners being repeatedly slammed against the walls of their cells, prisoners being handcuffed to chairs or hospital beds, naked, for weeks on end. It seems endless.
Remember what Bush said. “We do not torture.” He lied.
Remember a few other things. Remember the “ticking time bomb” scenario. We have constantly heard that the euphemistically named enhanced interrogation techniques have protected us against further terrorist attacks. This is almost certainly a lie.
http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/12/10/PH2007121002144.jpgOr, on another tack, remember the gloating tone with which the American sources reported that Abu Zubaydah folded immediately after being waterboarded, with the unstated message that he clearly wasn't man enough to take it. Now see the report from John Kiriakou, the CIA officer who tortured him:
We hear claims about bringing the criminals to justice. When those claims are made, they generally refer to Osama bin Laden and his accomplices. Criminals they are, no question about it. Justice, though? When will we see Rice, Ashcroft, Cheney, Kiriakou, and Bush prosecuted?
While many people surely noted the Free Press’ editorial supporting gay marriage (March 15), possibly no one read that opinion with greater interest than I. Of course, thousands of Vermonters care deeply about this issue. But the Free Press’ declaration reversed a 1999 editorial saying Vermont was not ready for same sex marriage. I wrote that editorial — to my enduring shame.
It’s a boon for the cause, I suppose. But I’m less than impressed. It is, frankly, a much easier position to take now than it was then. And if Kiernan sincerely wants to attone – well, let’s just say, that’s a much easier thing to do to a large anonymous population than to look real people in the eye – and there are two real people conspicuously left out of his act of contrition.
Old Free Press pieces are impossible to find online, making it easier for Kiernan to gloss over the particulars – but I have a copy of that original editorial right here. And while it does indeed condemn the notion of same-sex marriage it does so first and foremost by crudely, condescendingly, and arrogantly condemning two of the only politicians who were willing to come out in favor of marriage equality at the time – then-Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine and then-House Speaker Michael Obuchowski. Until Kiernan specifically and directly apologizes to these two men, as far as I’m concerned, his confessional is just a little bit too easy.
Check below the fold for the salient excerpts…
At the time, of course, Racine-bashing was a routine thing in the Free Press editorial page. The paper loathed Racine like nobody else except for Bernie Sanders. To all of us working for the Democratic Party at the time, it was… weird. And the right leaning paper was, of course, no fan of Speaker Obie’s either.
Kiernan didn’t need to malign the two in order to make his point, but he chose to predicate the entire piece on his disdain for them. I’d love to post the whole thing, but fair use restrictions limit me to excerpts. Here, then, are some of Kiernan’s words from his editorial entitled “Gay ‘I dos’ fraught with legal, cultural dont’s”:
One of the most dangerous things a politician can do is speak about a huge and controversial subject without weighing the consequences first. Yet that is precisely what Lt. Gov. Douglas Racine and House Speaker Michael Obuchowski did last week on the issue of same-sex marriage.
In response to a mailing by a Hawaiian advocacy group opposed to same-sex marriage, both men declared their support of granting homosexual couples marital status identical to heterosexual couples. That was a serious mistake.
There are legal obstacles to same-sex marriage that are far from simple. There are cultural concerns profound enough to to make any responsible politician treat this issue with greater care than the two Democrats showed…
With all due respect to people on both sides of the issue, there are clear reasons why the definition of marriage should not be changed. They are legal and cultural…
…there is a voluminous legal precedent for legislatures to treat classes of people differently – so long as they have a reason for doing it, and the issue in question is not a fundamental right of democracy (such as the right to vote)… That’s why leaders such as Gov. Howard Dean and Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin have shown discretion, and respect for the seperation of powers of government, by keeping their views on this issue private…
Homosexual couples do not have the same legal rights as heterosexuals in many situations… Repairing these inequities does not require redefining marriage. Racine and Obuchowski have not sponsored legislation to remedy any of them. They might score political points by supporting same-sex marriage, therefore, but they do not address the actual fairness issues…
…Good Vermonters stand on both sides of the schism on this issue. However, they can agree on what the law allows and doesn’t allow….They can agree that making such a fundamental change in one of society’s most sacred institutions – in the absence of that consesnsus – is inviting warfare within Vermont’s borders and unprecedented assault from without.
If Stephen Kiernan really wants to, as he says “look back at (his) conduct with a clear conscience,” he’ll swallow his pride and do the mature thing: apologize to Racine and Obuchowski for maligning them – directly and publicly.
From: Judy Bevans, Chair, Vermont Democratic Party Release Date: 3/24/09
Subject: Vermont Democrats Support VSEA¹s Campaign Against Job Cuts
Contact: Judy Bevans, 802-755-6280 or 802-229-1783
Randolph, VT – At a special meeting called on March 21 to elect its new chair, the Vermont Democratic Party endorsed a resolution supporting the Vermont State Employees Association in working to keep jobs in the face of severe budget cuts.
The resolution, proposed by Lamoille County delegate Virginia Burgess, reads, “Be it resolved that the Democratic State Committee expresses its support to the working people of Vermont, and specifically the members of the VSEA, in their efforts to retain essential services by essential personnel for the benefit of the most vulnerable Vermonters.”
The resolution continues, “We further urge that the members of the State Committee contact both their legislators and members of their community in an effort to explain the devastating consequences of the cuts being considered.”
Referring to the resolution, newly elected VDP Chair Judy Bevans said, “What we have in the budget shortfall is a lack of revenue, not an excess of employees. Cutting jobs, especially with no plan beyond a body count, decreases the effectiveness of government and denies access by the neediest Vermonters to the services government provides. It continues Governor Douglas’s attempts to balance the budget on the backs of our vulnerable neighbors: elderly, poor, and disabled people and their families. Cutting jobs is more expensive than raising taxes to keep people working.”
President Obama did not call on any National papers at his press conference Tuesday night (noted in a bit of pique by the New York Times political reporters) and recently, he delivered a snub to the Gridiron Club (widely recognized by most insiders as the ultimate insiders club) by declining their invitation to attend their annual dinner.
A recent poll reports that nearly one-third of Americans under the age of 40 say programs like The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are taking the place of traditional news outlets.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of adults say programs of this nature are making Americans more informed about news events, while 21% believe they make people less informed. Twelve percent (12%) say they have no impact.
Now this .A press conference of sorts with no press at all .A live online event from the White house to answer citizen submitted questions .Submitted in advance at http://www.whitehouse.gov/Open… and ranked by participants regarding interest and importance.
White House to Host Online Town Hall after Ignoring National Papers at Press Conference
Participants can submit questions in writing or video. They can also vote for questions they want most to be answered. The questions are listed by topic, and then ranked by interest in them. As of 7:18 a.m. on Wednesday, there were 176,060 votes on 2,082 questions from 5,924 people in the jobs topic alone. A ticker at the top of each list of topical questions keeps an updating count.
This event may provide a model for how to engage participants in an online event. Registration requires first name, e-mail, and ZIP code and “catch” verification. The “Terms of Participation” are explicit. Participants can flag questions that violate the policy and if several flag one question, it will be downplayed then reviewed and either removed or restored to the rotation. People who want to submit a question outside the event can do so.
Questions and voting are hosted by Google Inc., but whitehouse.gov owns and has access to the data related to the questions and voting, which will be treated in accordance with the whitehouse.gov privacy policy. Google never receives your email address and does not store the IP addresses related to open for Questions.
I know, this was mentioned in the comments in my previous diary, and I'm sure there will be more on this shortly, but Cathy Resmer at 7Days has this statement from Smith and Shumlin:
Today, Governor Douglas announced his intention to veto S.115, which has not completed the legislative process. “The governor’s announcement today undermines the legislative process is disrespectful to Vermonters who come to the people’s house to weigh in on the important matters of our time,” said Speaker Shap Smith. “History will judge Jim Douglas on the wrong side of this issue.” “Today is a sad day for Vermont,” said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin. “The governor may choose to veto a bill, but he cannot veto love and commitment.”
There's also a link to some audio with the governor, have a look. Anyone surprised by this?
Poking around this morning, I came across a good piece at the blog Dissenting Justice, a DC blog by Professor Darren Hutchinson. His post, Definite Candidate for Wimp of the Year Award: Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, is a good one, as it's taking on the lack of spine of our pathetic excuse for a governor in the way he's dealing with the marriage equality debate. He believes the governor is hiding behind the president, as Obama has also come out for civil unions as opposed to full-blown marriage, and that it's easier to do that than for Douglas to come up with his own coherent argument.
The latest talking point/strategy from GOP HQ seems to be to fight anything progressive with the argument that it's “distracting” from dealing with the economic crisis that they played a huge part in creating (you know, that whole “Reaganomics on steroids” thing). We're seeing it with all the Village-speak lately with this “Obama trying to do too much” garbage. Now, coming from Republicans, not the most adept, complexity-handling, agile subset of our species, this is understanding… sometimes I wonder how they're able to actually show up to work in the morning in DC with all those similar-looking big grey buildings everywhere; if it weren't for the obvious dome of the Capitol, I suspect some would probably show up at the Smithsonian for work.
And as Hutchinson points out, Douglas, in a bold stroke of originality, is using the same playbook as the mouthbreathing Eric Cantor, who recently criticized Obama's stem cell decision as a distraction, yet apparently found that a resolution congratulating the American Dental Association , a bill to declare English as the official language of the United States, and a beer tax reduction all vital, pressing issues that most of the country loses sleep over at night. I know I do; every time I go to the dentist, I ask him if he feels appreciated enough by the American people, and that he damn well better answer in English, because I'm feeling ornery because of those few extra cents I paid on my bottle of beer last night:
Why Aren't These Things “Distracting”? Here are some of the other things that Governor Douglas has done (or has planned for this year) that have not caused economic collapse in Vermont.
Vermont Quarter to get a Makeover>: “Governor Jim Douglas has nominated Vermont’s 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail to replace the scene of Camel’s Hump and sap buckets as part of the U.S. Mint’s new America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Program.”
Governor Douglas has time to hang out at a tree tapping, go on a tour of sugar houses and attend a poster contest banquet, but he thinks that debating civil rights is too distracting.
Maybe he's not distracted because they're all superficial campaign-like PR events, which is primarily what Douglas seems to think passes for governing, when he's not impeding progress in some form or another. Indeed.
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