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I’m looking at the conversations both here and across the blogosphere since the election, and what’s looking back is, I think, worth a comment.

Nationally, I was concerned. Concerned that the ascent of Barack Obama would prove too rapturous an experience for enough people on the left that continuing to do what we do – challenge, question and push the envelope – would not be tolerated.

But I needn’t have worried. As reports emerge that Obama may be considering one of the Clinton-era architects of the deregulation bubble for Treasury, or that he may not intend to roll back some Bush-era civil liberties abuses, bloggers are not resting on their laurels. And sure, some die-hards are questioning the questioning, or calling for restraint – but they aren’t drowning out the due diligence that has charcterized the very essence of the liberal blogosphere with shrill cries of “concern troll” or worse. They are simply engaging in the debate like everyone else – and it’s always the right time for debate.

And this holds true for local issues as well. In a year where there are especially hard feelings between Democrats and Progressives after a challenging election, here at this site there are constructive conversations going on about how to avoid some of this internal competition dynamic on the left in the future.

That conversation has taken two directions. On the one hand is the idea of fusion being championed by posters such as Bill McKibben. Merging the Democratic and Progressive Parties would likely have to be enforced from the grassroots, as Party leaders would be resistant. On the other hand, there is the workaround notion of enabling (or forcing) a primary among the left candidates, either through IRV or some form of preference voting, a traditional runoff election, or changing the law to allow the same candidate to run in multiple Party Primary Elections.

It’s good stuff, but it needs to be more than academic. To that end, I’ve been talking to some of the folks in the greater Vermont netroots about getting together in “real life” and discussing our options to the goal of creating a plan of action. Not yet another “scrap-the-Dems” yakfest, obviously, as many of us here are Democratic Party activists (and that’s not about to change), but an addressing the cycle of ragnarok – not simply the P vs. D thing, but the tired pattern of destruction and renewal within the Democratic Party in Vermont that always leads to only marginal functionality and mixed electoral results. A positive, forward-looking, progressive media activists summit to look at the lay of the land outside of the context of the Democratic usual suspects is probably overdue and I, for one, am excited at the prospect.

We’re looking at the same day as the Dem State Committee meeting (Saturday the 22nd), probably after the meeting. Obviously, this won’t hold interest for those who reject the Democratic Party, but if you are interested, leave a comment or drop me a line (my email is on my profile). I’ll get out some emails tonight, so stay tuned. It’s time to shake things up a bit, methinks.

The Secretary of State has posted the “official” (for now) election results. If you’d rather not download an Excel spreadsheet, the results have been converted to HTML and are posted below the fold. (BIG NOTE: Senator Don Collins is listed as defeating Republican Randy Brock for Senate, despite reports to the contrary. HUGE news if correct, as it knocks most of what passes as heft off the Republican bench of potential statewide candidates)

UPDATE: The Secretary of State’s office is now reporting that some of these numbers are incorrect – specifically the Senate numbers. The data has been pulled from the website. Don’t get your hopes up about a Collins victory after all.

OFFICE SOUGHT	PRINTED NAME	DISTRICT NAME	# of Votes Received	Winner (noted as W)	INCUMBENT
PRESIDENT	CHUCK BALDWIN	Federal	500
PRESIDENT	BOB BARR	Federal	1067
PRESIDENT	ROGER CALERO	Federal	150
PRESIDENT	GLORIA LA RIVA	Federal	149
PRESIDENT	JOHN MCCAIN	Federal	98974
PRESIDENT	BRIAN MOORE	Federal	141
PRESIDENT	RALPH NADER	Federal	3339
PRESIDENT	BARACK OBAMA	Federal	219262	W
Rep to Congress	MIKE BETHEL	Federal	14349
Rep to Congress	CRIS ERICSON	Federal	7841
Rep to Congress	THOMAS JAMES HERMANN	Federal	9081
Rep to Congress	JANE NEWTON	Federal	5307
Rep to Congress	JERRY TRUDELL	Federal	10818
Rep to Congress	PETER WELCH	Federal	248203	W	Y
Governor	PETER DIAMONDSTONE	Vermont	1710
Governor	JIM DOUGLAS	Vermont	170492	W	Y
Governor	CRIS ERICSON	Vermont	1704
Governor	TONY O’CONNOR	Vermont	3106
Governor	ANTHONY POLLINA	Vermont	69791
Governor	GAYE SYMINGTON	Vermont	69534
Governor	SAM YOUNG	Vermont	2490
Lt. Governor	THOMAS W. COSTELLO	Vermont	121953
Lt. Governor	BRIAN E. DUBIE	Vermont	171744	W	Y
Lt. Governor	RICHARD KEMP	Vermont	14249
Lt. Governor	BEN MITCHELL	Vermont	3639
State Treasurer	MURRAY NGOIMA	Vermont	6423
State Treasurer	DON SCHRAMM	Vermont	22811
State Treasurer	JEB SPAULDING	Vermont	267338	W	Y
Sec. of State	EUGENE J. BIFANO	Vermont	70114
Sec. of State	DEB MARKOWITZ	Vermont	214197	W	Y
Sec. of State	LESLIE MARMORALE	Vermont	3871
Sec. of State	MARJORIE POWER	Vermont	13856
Auditor of Accounts	MARTHA ABBOTT	Vermont	35232
Auditor of Accounts	JERRY LEVY	Vermont	10788
Auditor of Accounts	THOMAS M. SALMON	Vermont	241825	W	Y
Attorney General	CHARLOTTE DENNETT	Vermont	17730
Attorney General	ROSEMARIE JACKOWSKI	Vermont	7505
Attorney General	KAREN KERIN	Vermont	55268
Attorney General	WILLIAM H. SORRELL	Vermont	214980	W	Y
State Senate	CLAIRE AYER	Addison Senate	15960	W	Y
State Senate	HAROLD GIARD	Addison Senate	13955	W	Y
State Senate	BOB HARTWELL	Bennington Senate	8675	W	Y
State Senate	RUTH HARVIE	Bennington Senate	4987
State Senate	DICK SEARS	Bennington Senate	12097	W	Y
State Senate	GERALD W. WOODARD	Bennington Senate	5166
State Senate	MATTHEW A. CHOATE	Caledonia Senate	8401	W
State Senate	JOHN S. HALL	Caledonia Senate	7683
State Senate	JOHN R. KASCENSKA, II	Caledonia Senate	4242
State Senate	JANE KITCHEL	Caledonia Senate	10149	W	Y
State Senate	DARREN ADAMS	Chittenden Senate	15894
State Senate	TIM ASHE	Chittenden Senate	28103	W
State Senate	DENISE BEGINS BARNARD	Chittenden Senate	27687
State Senate	DENNIS BEDARD	Chittenden Senate	16760
State Senate	AGNES CLIFT	Chittenden Senate	14192
State Senate	EDWARD FLANAGAN	Chittenden Senate	38998	W	Y
State Senate	LARKIN FORNEY	Chittenden Senate	3141
State Senate	TOM LICATA	Chittenden Senate	11411
State Senate	VIRGINIA "GINNY" LYONS	Chittenden Senate	35869	W	Y
State Senate	HINDA MILLER	Chittenden Senate	31457	W	Y
State Senate	ROBYN MYERS-MOORE	Chittenden Senate	15029
State Senate	DOUG RACINE	Chittenden Senate	44856	W	Y
State Senate	DIANE B. SNELLING	Chittenden Senate	32394	W	Y
State Senate	PAULA SPADACCINI	Chittenden Senate	15110
State Senate	VINCENT ILLUZZI	Essex-Orleans Senate	12445	W	Y
State Senate	ROBERT A. STARR	Essex-Orleans Senate	12731	W	Y
State Senate	RANDY BROCK	Franklin Senate	8307
State Senate	DONALD "DON" COLLINS	Franklin Senate	8731	W	Y
State Senate	SARA BRANON KITTELL	Franklin Senate	8920	W	Y
State Senate	WILLARD "BILL" ROWELL	Franklin Senate	7393
State Senate	RICHARD "DICK" MAZZA	Grand Isle Senate	9954	W	Y
State Senate	SUSAN BARTLETT	Lamoille Senate	6872	W	Y
State Senate	JIM BLACK	Lamoille Senate	4111
State Senate	MARK A. MACDONALD	Orange Senate	7397	W	Y
State Senate	CHARLIE RUSSELL	Orange Senate	2691
State Senate	HOPE BLUCHER	Rutland Senate	9945
State Senate	BILL CARRIS	Rutland Senate	16194	W	Y
State Senate	GREGORY J. DECKER	Rutland Senate	6117
State Senate	CHERYL MAZZARIELLO HOOKER	Rutland Senate	11869
State Senate	HULL MAYNARD	Rutland Senate	13077	W	Y
State Senate	KEVIN J. MULLIN	Rutland Senate	12783	W	Y
State Senate	JOHN BLOCH	Washington Senate	3489
State Senate	KIMBERLY B. CHENEY	Washington Senate	11637
State Senate	ANN E. CUMMINGS	Washington Senate	15291	W	Y
State Senate	WILLIAM "BILL" DOYLE	Washington Senate	15089	W	Y
State Senate	DWIGHT "SLIPPERY SLIM" DUKE	Washington Senate	1126
State Senate	JOHN R. GILLIGAN	Washington Senate	5660
State Senate	LAURA DAY MOORE	Washington Senate	10847
State Senate	PHIL SCOTT	Washington Senate	15763	W	Y
State Senate	AARON DIAMONDSTONE	Windham Senate	2464
State Senate	PETER E. SHUMLIN	Windham Senate	14866	W	Y
State Senate	JEANETTE WHITE	Windham Senate	13531	W	Y
State Senate	MARK A. BLANCHARD	Windsor Senate	5619
State Senate	KENT BUTTERFIELD	Windsor Senate	8320
State Senate	JOHN CAMPBELL	Windsor Senate	16426	W	Y
State Senate	ETHAN FOSTER	Windsor Senate	4680
State Senate	RICHARD "DICK" MCCORMACK	Windsor Senate	14898	W	Y
State Senate	ALICE W. NITKA	Windsor Senate	13783	W	Y
State Senate	KIRK SPARKMAN	Windsor Senate	5969
State Representative	STEVEN MAIER	Addison 1	2599	W	Y
State Representative	BETTY NUOVO	Addison 1	2594	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN IKE HUGHES	Addison 2	681
State Representative	WILLEM JEWETT	Addison 2	1780	W	Y
State Representative	GREGORY CLARK	Addison 3	2220	W	Y
State Representative	DIANE LANPHER	Addison 3	1928	W
State Representative	KITTY OXHOLM	Addison 3	1858
State Representative	JEAN RICHARDSON	Addison 3	1558
State Representative	MICHAEL FISHER	Addison 4	2597	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN "PEEKER" HEFFERNAN	Addison 4	1914
State Representative	BARBARA RAINVILLE	Addison 4	1622
State Representative	DAVE SHARPE	Addison 4	2497	W	Y
State Representative	CHRISTOPHER A. BRAY	Addison 5	1961	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN HILL	Addison-Rutland 1	501
State Representative	WILL STEVENS	Addison-Rutland 1	1473	W	Y
State Representative	BILL BOTZOW	Bennington 1	1829	W	Y
State Representative	TIMOTHY R. CORCORAN, II	Bennington 2-1	2743	W	Y
State Representative	JOSEPH L. KRAWCZYK, JR.	Bennington 2-1	1802	W	Y
State Representative	ANNE LAMY MOOK	Bennington 2-2	2315	W	Y
State Representative	MARY A. MORRISSEY	Bennington 2-2	2382	W	Y
State Representative	ALICE MILLER	Bennington 3	1623	W	Y
State Representative	JUDY LIVINGSTON	Bennington 4	1225		Y
State Representative	JEFF WILSON	Bennington 4	1230	W
State Representative	CYNTHIA BROWNING	Bennington 5	1186	W	Y
State Representative	LINDA DAY MCKEEVER	Bennington 5	979
State Representative	PATTI KOMLINE	Bennington-Rutland 1	1209	W	Y
State Representative	JOSH TERESCO	Bennington-Rutland 1	742
State Representative	ED WEISSMAN	Bennington-Rutland 1	473
State Representative	LEIGH LAROCQUE	Caledonia 1	1801	W	Y
State Representative	LUCY LERICHE	Caledonia 2	1834	W	Y
State Representative	RICHARD M. HALL	Caledonia 3	1300
State Representative	DENNIS MYRICK	Caledonia 3	1234
State Representative	GARY REIS	Caledonia 3	1369	W
State Representative	ROBERT SOUTH	Caledonia 3	1487	W
State Representative	HOWARD CRAWFORD	Caledonia 4	2004	W	Y
State Representative	RICHARD LAWRENCE	Caledonia 4	2152	W	Y
State Representative	JONATHAN W. PELOSI	Caledonia 4	776
State Representative	STEVE SMITH	Caledonia 4	1143
State Representative	KITTY BEATTIE TOLL	Caledonia-Washington 1	1704	W
State Representative	LINDA L. VANCE	Caledonia-Washington 1	873
State Representative	MATTHEW GALLOWAY	Chittenden 1-1	742
State Representative	BILL LIPPERT	Chittenden 1-1	1562	W	Y
State Representative	SCOTT A. ORR	Chittenden 1-2	1378	W	Y
State Representative	EDWARD STONE	Chittenden 1-2	1000
State Representative	BRENNAN DUFFY	Chittenden 2	1827
State Representative	TERENCE "TERRY" MACAIG	Chittenden 2	2476	W
State Representative	JIM MCCULLOUGH	Chittenden 2	3098	W	Y
State Representative	SHELLEY PALMER	Chittenden 2	1333
State Representative	BILL ASWAD	Chittenden 3-1	2195	W	Y
State Representative	SCOTT BEAUDIN	Chittenden 3-1	694
State Representative	JOANNA E. COLE	Chittenden 3-1	1649
State Representative	KURT WRIGHT	Chittenden 3-1	2196	W	Y
State Representative	MARK LARSON	Chittenden 3-2	1881	W	Y
State Representative	JASON P. LORBER	Chittenden 3-3	2609	W	Y
State Representative	RACHEL WESTON	Chittenden 3-3	2959	W	Y
State Representative	PHILLIP ORTEGO	Chittenden 3-4	781
State Representative	CHRISTOPHER A. PEARSON	Chittenden 3-4	1494		Y
State Representative	KESHA RAM	Chittenden 3-4	2164	W
State Representative	DAVID E. ZUCKERMAN	Chittenden 3-4	2316	W	Y
State Representative	JOHANNAH LEDDY DONOVAN	Chittenden 3-5	3432	W	Y
State Representative	SUZI WIZOWATY	Chittenden 3-5	3360	W
State Representative	KENNETH W. ATKINS	Chittenden 3-6	1817	W	Y
State Representative	CLEMENT "CLEM" BISSONNETTE	Chittenden 3-6	2020	W	Y
State Representative	PAUL COOK	Chittenden 3-6	472
State Representative	DOUGLAS ISHAM	Chittenden 3-6	1065
State Representative	FRANK J. GEIER	Chittenden 3-7	1367	W
State Representative	SHELDON KATZ	Chittenden 3-7	632
State Representative	ANN PUGH	Chittenden 3-8	1799	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN C. STEWART	Chittenden 3-8	1238
State Representative	ALBERT "SONNY" AUDETTE	Chittenden 3-9	1713	W	Y
State Representative	HELEN HEAD	Chittenden 3-10	1847	W	Y
State Representative	MARY HOULE	Chittenden 4	752
State Representative	ANNE THERESA O’BRIEN	Chittenden 4	1057	W
State Representative	TAYLOR YEATES	Chittenden 4	650
State Representative	JOYCE H. ERRECART	Chittenden 5-1	1016		Y
State Representative	KATE WEBB	Chittenden 5-1	1435	W
State Representative	ROBERT J. LAKE	Chittenden 5-2	894
State Representative	JOAN G. LENES	Chittenden 5-2	1476	W	Y
State Representative	DEBBIE EVANS	Chittenden 6-1	2960	W
State Representative	LINDA K. MYERS	Chittenden 6-1	2942	W	Y
State Representative	TIM JERMAN	Chittenden 6-2	3303	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN LAJZA	Chittenden 6-2	2000
State Representative	LINDA J. WAITE-SIMPSON	Chittenden 6-2	2295	W
State Representative	MARTHA HEATH	Chittenden 6-3	1698	W	Y
State Representative	JAMIE PARENT	Chittenden 6-3	788
State Representative	JIM CONDON	Chittenden 7-1	2805	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN ZENIE	Chittenden 7-1	2041	W	Y
State Representative	PATRICK M. BRENNAN	Chittenden 7-2	2408	W	Y
State Representative	KATHRINE "RENN" NIQUETTE	Chittenden 7-2	1265
State Representative	PATRICIA "PAT" PORTER	Chittenden 7-2	828
State Representative	KRISTY SPENGLER	Chittenden 7-2	1889	W	Y
State Representative	DAMON BRINK	Chittenden 8	590
State Representative	BILL FRANK	Chittenden 8	3225	W	Y
State Representative	EILEEN HAUPT	Chittenden 8	1739
State Representative	BOB SCUDERO	Chittenden 8	1280
State Representative	GEORGE TILL	Chittenden 8	3447	W
State Representative	TODD BUIK	Chittenden 9	918
State Representative	REGINALD R. GODIN	Chittenden 9	1806		Y
State Representative	RONALD E. HUBERT	Chittenden 9	1878	W
State Representative	DONALD H. TURNER, JR.	Chittenden 9	2843	W	Y
State Representative	JOSHUA BELL	Essex-Caledonia	573
State Representative	JANICE L. PEASLEE	Essex-Caledonia	887	W	Y
State Representative	STEPHANIE R. STERLING	Essex-Caledonia	461
State Representative	BERNIE HENAULT	Essex-Caledonia-Orleans	676
State Representative	WILLIAM F. JOHNSON	Essex-Caledonia-Orleans	1138	W	Y
State Representative	GEORGE BILODEAU	Franklin 1	1412
State Representative	CAROLYN WHITNEY BRANAGAN	Franklin 1	2100	W	Y
State Representative	GARY L. GILBERT	Franklin 1	2047	W	Y
State Representative	PETER MOSS	Franklin 1	384
State Representative	CHRIS SANTEE	Franklin 1	1644
State Representative	GEORGE "RON" ALLARD	Franklin 2	1331		Y
State Representative	GREG "MOOSE" CHRISTIE	Franklin 2	1756
State Representative	EILEEN "LYNN" DICKINSON	Franklin 2	1984	W
State Representative	TRACIE RIVARD HIGGINS	Franklin 2	605
State Representative	RICHARD J. HOWRIGAN	Franklin 2	2018	W	Y
State Representative	KATHLEEN C. KEENAN	Franklin 3	1668	W	Y
State Representative	MARLYS A. LEMNAH	Franklin 3	614
State Representative	TONY "ANTHONY" MARTEL	Franklin 3	998
State Representative	JEFF YOUNG	Franklin 3	1164	W
State Representative	PETER E. PERLEY	Franklin 4	789	W
State Representative	CINDY WEED	Franklin 4	601
State Representative	DENNIS A. WILLIAMS	Franklin 4	472
State Representative	RONALD A. CASE, SR.	Franklin 5	1203
State Representative	MICHEL CONSEJO	Franklin 5	1770	W	Y
State Representative	GREGORY GERVAIS	Franklin 5	1382
State Representative	BRIAN K. SAVAGE	Franklin 5	1579	W
State Representative	NORMAN MCALLISTER	Franklin 6	1995	W	Y
State Representative	ALBERT "CHUCK" PEARCE	Franklin 6	1958	W
State Representative	LUCY B. RAMSAY	Franklin 6	1342
State Representative	MARGUERITE "PEGGY" BURBO	Grand Isle-Chittenden 1	1601
State Representative	MITZI JOHNSON	Grand Isle-Chittenden 1	2426	W	Y
State Representative	IRA TROMBLEY	Grand Isle-Chittenden 1	2278	W	Y
State Representative	PEGGY VARNEY	Grand Isle-Chittenden 1	2146
State Representative	HEIDI E. SCHEUERMANN	Lamoille 1	2324	W	Y
State Representative	LUCIEN G. GRAVEL	Lamoille 2	974
State Representative	LINDA J. MARTIN	Lamoille 2	1318	W	Y
State Representative	FLOYD NEASE	Lamoille 3	1712	W	Y
State Representative	RICHARD A. WESTMAN	Lamoille 4	2103	W	Y
State Representative	PETER PELTZ	Lamoille-Washington 1	2595	W	Y
State Representative	SHAP SMITH	Lamoille-Washington 1	3443	W	Y
State Representative	SUSAN HATCH DAVIS	Orange 1	1874	W	Y
State Representative	MILAN M. MILLER	Orange 1	1050
State Representative	JOHN H. TAYLOR	Orange 1	1221
State Representative	PHILIP WINTERS	Orange 1	2228	W	Y
State Representative	PEG COUTERMARSH	Orange 2	642
State Representative	SARAH COPELAND HANZAS	Orange 2	1504	W	Y
State Representative	PATSY FRENCH	Orange-Addison 1	2309	W	Y
State Representative	STEWART SKRILL	Orange-Addison 1	966
State Representative	JOCELYN STOHL	Orange-Addison 1	1374
State Representative	LARRY TOWNSEND	Orange-Addison 1	2102	W
State Representative	CHIP CONQUEST	Orange-Caledonia 1	1034	W
State Representative	HARVEY B. "BUD" OTTERMAN, JR.	Orange-Caledonia 1	1001		Y
State Representative	BOOTS WARDINSKI	Orange-Caledonia 1	72
State Representative	FRANK DAVIS	Orleans 1	1115
State Representative	WINSTON DOWLAND	Orleans 1	567
State Representative	ROBERT LEWIS	Orleans 1	1826	W	Y
State Representative	MELISSA PETTERSSON	Orleans 1	1121
State Representative	SCOTT WHEELER	Orleans 1	1932	W	Y
State Representative	SUSAN A. DAVIS	Orleans 2	1050
State Representative	DUNCAN F. KILMARTIN	Orleans 2	1886	W
State Representative	MICHAEL J. MARCOTTE	Orleans 2	2559	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN MORLEY, III	Orleans-Caledonia 1	2147	W	Y
State Representative	NANCY POTAK	Orleans-Caledonia 1	1916
State Representative	JOHN S. RODGERS	Orleans-Caledonia 1	2290	W	Y
State Representative	KELLY E. TODD	Orleans-Caledonia 1	513
State Representative	MARK A. HIGLEY	Orleans-Franklin 1	848	W
State Representative	DEXTER RANDALL	Orleans-Franklin 1	754		Y
State Representative	PATRICIA M. SEARS	Orleans-Franklin 1	525
State Representative	ANDY DONAGHY	Rutland 1-1	1263	W	Y
State Representative	JOSEPH BAKER	Rutland 1-2	1680	W	Y
State Representative	BARBARA CARRIS	Rutland 1-2	1473
State Representative	MARK FITZGERALD	Rutland 1-2	1205
State Representative	DAVE POTTER	Rutland 1-2	1747	W	Y
State Representative	WILLIAM "BILL" CANFIELD	Rutland 2	2969	W	Y
State Representative	ROBERT "BOB" HELM	Rutland 2	2740	W	Y
State Representative	ELDRED FRENCH	Rutland 3	1195	W
State Representative	STAN WILBUR	Rutland 3	1029
State Representative	MARY C. ASHCROFT	Rutland 4	963
State Representative	JAMES L. MCNEIL	Rutland 4	1490	W
State Representative	PETER J. FAGAN	Rutland 5-1	1227	W
State Representative	VIRGINIA MCCORMACK	Rutland 5-1	980		Y
State Representative	MARGARET "PEG" ANDREWS	Rutland 5-2	1064	W	Y
State Representative	THOMAS DEPOY	Rutland 5-2	984
State Representative	STEVEN JAMES HOWARD	Rutland 5-3	1152	W	Y
State Representative	DAVID ALLAIRE	Rutland 5-4	911
State Representative	GALE COURCELLE	Rutland 5-4	943	W	Y
State Representative	PEG FLORY	Rutland 6	1218	W	Y
State Representative	ELLEN GARNEAU	Rutland 6	617
State Representative	JOE ACINAPURA	Rutland 7	1741	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN W. MALCOLM	Rutland 8	1144	W	Y
State Representative	ASHLEY D. WAITE	Rutland 8	1000
State Representative	CAROLYN SCHWALBE	Rutland-Windsor 1	1155
State Representative	MEGAN M. SMITH	Rutland-Windsor 1	1323	W
State Representative	ADAM GRESHIN	Washington 1	1550	W
State Representative	CAROL R. HOSFORD	Washington 1	1414		Y
State Representative	ANNE B. DONAHUE	Washington 2	2359	W	Y
State Representative	MAXINE GRAD	Washington 2	2505	W	Y
State Representative	ANTHONY J. VACH	Washington 2	927
State Representative	PAUL N. POIRIER	Washington 3-1	914	W
State Representative	LEO M. VALLIERE	Washington 3-1	888		Y
State Representative	DONALD BLISS	Washington 3-2	596
State Representative	TESS TAYLOR	Washington 3-2	876	W
State Representative	JONATHAN GODDARD	Washington 3-3	582
State Representative	PAT MCDONALD	Washington 3-3	1047	W	Y
State Representative	J. GUY ISABELLE	Washington 4	1551
State Representative	THOMAS F. "TOM" KOCH	Washington 4	2209	W	Y
State Representative	FRANCIS "TOPPER" MCFAUN	Washington 4	2225	W	Y
State Representative	JOHN J. PIZZO	Washington 4	1840
State Representative	MARY HOOPER	Washington 5	3087	W
State Representative	WARREN F. KITZMILLER	Washington 5	3025	W	Y
State Representative	JIM SHERIDAN	Washington 5	1685
State Representative	JANET ANCEL	Washington 6	1744	W	Y
State Representative	MARION GRAY	Washington 6	860
State Representative	TONY KLEIN	Washington 7	2328	W	Y
State Representative	GORDON W. MILLER	Washington-Chittenden 1	1195
State Representative	SUE MINTER	Washington-Chittenden 1	3681	W	Y
State Representative	TOM STEVENS	Washington-Chittenden 1	2805	W
State Representative	PATTY O’DONNELL	Windham 1	1941	W	Y
State Representative	ANN MANWARING	Windham 2	1878	W	Y
State Representative	VIRGINIA A. "GINI" MILKEY	Windham 3-1	1965	W	Y
State Representative	MOLLIE S. BURKE	Windham 3-2	1683	W
State Representative	SARAH EDWARDS	Windham 3-3	1625	W	Y
State Representative	MICHAEL J. OBUCHOWSKI	Windham 4	2935	W	Y
State Representative	CAROLYN PARTRIDGE	Windham 4	2541	W	Y
State Representative	STEVE DARROW	Windham 5	1430
State Representative	DAVID L. DEEN	Windham 5	2729	W	Y
State Representative	MIKE MROWICKI	Windham 5	2545	W	Y
State Representative	RICHARD J. MAREK	Windham 6	1924	W	Y
State Representative	PHILIP E. BARTLETT	Windham-Bennington 1	977
State Representative	JOHN MORAN	Windham-Bennington 1	1140	W	Y
State Representative	TOM BUCHANAN	Windham-Bennington-Windsor 1	1068
State Representative	RICK HUBE	Windham-Bennington-Windsor 1	1546	W	Y
State Representative	MICHAEL J. LECLAIR	Windsor 1-1	906
State Representative	KATHY PELLETT	Windsor 1-1	1306	W	Y
State Representative	ALICE M Your Guide to the Coming Republican Civil War November 11, 2008UncategorizedJulieWaters Many of you have heard reports about the coming Republican Civil War, which I will henceforth be referred to as THE WAR TO END ALL REPUBLICANS (“WEAR,” for short) But most of this has been discussed merely as a split between the camps of John Sidney McCain and Sarah Louise Heath Palin, specifically focusing on matters of the approach to the campaign. But, in reality, there are several factions competing for the “soul” of the Republican Party, or at least the closest thing to a soul the party could dig out of a deep, dark, recess that’s best not described in polite company. So I’ve written up this handy little guide to help us all better understand who the various factions in the Republican party are, and what sides we can expect them to be taking in the upcoming WEAR. First, let’s start with the obvious broad categories: BIG BUSINESS Their likes are deregulation, tax breaks for the wealthy, making a lot of money no matter who or what it hurts, complete lack of accountability and offshore accounts to hide certain kinds of profits from the IRS. Their dislikes are corporate responsibility, people who write them letters and anyone who attempts to regulate any aspect of their business. They favor Republicans because Republicans are eager and willing to take large donations and, in turn, just sort of look the other way when they, I dunno, don’t bother paying taxes on public property for forty years. RELIGIOUS/”FAMILY VALUES” NUTCASES Their likes are smug superiority, people like them, amendments banning same-sex marriage, the death penalty, gays who attack other gays and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their dislikes are gays, Muslims, people who look like Muslims, people who aren’t like them, people who dare to criticize them, elitists, vegetarians, Wiccans, abortion, people who are sane Christians, people who act too Jewish, gay or catholic. They favor Republicans because they think Republicans will eventually overturn Roe v Wade and because Republicans pretend to like them in exchange for their support. WARMONGERS/NEOCONS Their likes are war, violence, and anything which makes them think America is superior. Their dislikes are France, Europe, France, any country that’s not the United States, France, Canada, and peacenicks. Their likes are anyone who likes war as much as they do, especially if they’re dark-skinned enough and crazy-sounding enough to justify us going to war with them. This means you, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They like Republicans because Republicans are consistently thrilled to talk up war and violence, even when it’s not in their best interest to do so. LIBERTARIANS/ANTI-TAX NUTCASES Libertarians like very small government and freedom. They hate excessive spending, big government and waste. It is often unclear as to why they like Republicans. RACISTS Their likes are people who look like them and anyone who helps them justify their bigotry. Their dislikes are everyone else. They like republicans because Republicans make them think they’re not really racist. USEFUL IDIOTS Their likes are people who say the right kind of thing, regardless of their actions. Their dislikes are anyone who tries to correct their understanding of the world. They like Republicans because they use catchy buzzwords and because they are idiots. There are, of course, other categories we could discuss, but these will serve as basic categories for the discussion. There are plenty of people who overlap in this group. John McCain, for example, would fall into the Warmonger category, but he’d also fit directly in with Big Business. Many of his supporters fall into those categories as well as the Useful Idiot category because he can talk a good game about veterans issues, but actually does very poorly with them. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, fits in easily with Religious Nutcases, Racists and Useful Idiots. In fact, assume that everyone I mention here includes that last group in some capacity from this point on. I’ll focus instead on the other two: she’s loved by religious nutcases because she is one and she’s loved by racists because she gave them so much great rhetoric during the campaign so as to make them think that their racism and xenophobia was, on some level, acceptable. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, is all Big Business and Family Values. My suspicion about Romney is that he is less someone with convictions then someone who was so sure that he needed to say certain things to get elected that he’s actually convinced himself that he believes them. But he’s got a strong base of support, just not strong enough that he didn’t need to fund his own campaign with a whole lot of his own money. But how about Mike Huckabee? He’s clearly loved by the Religious Nutcases but seems to be anti-racism, at least in his rhetoric. He’s hated by big business but somewhat in the libertarian category, except he believes in universal education. In other words, one of the popular Republican candidates has some campaign issues more in favor with Democrats than Republicans. Which brings us to Ron Paul, who represents an entirely different aspect of the Republican party, with the vast majority of his support coming from Libertarians and Racists, and definitely not the religious nutcases nor the warmongers. With the exception of John McCain, there is a good possibility that all these individuals will be running for President in 2012 and this is where the WEAR comes in. There are lots of rumors spreading about what happened behind the scenes in the McCain/Palin campaign, which helps set the stage for the upcoming battle. I.e., Romney camp spreading Palin stories?, Palin aide strikes back at McCain camp, etc. Most of you have seen much of this, so I won’t bother reiterating. But this is the basic dynamic: people from the Romney, McCain and Palin factions seem to really have it in for one another. Romney’s appeal to the Family Values nutcases is damaged by the fact that he’s a Mormon and most Family Values nutcases don’t like anyone who’s not a Christian (or, at the very least, an acceptably conservative Jew) and most assuredly do not think of Mormonism as “Christian.” McCain’s people pretty much hate Romney and now they seem to really hate Palin. They blame her for having hurt McCain’s chances and being an all around crappy candidate and for “going rogue” from time to time. And then there’s the whole Palin/underwear thing (which has nothing to do with Romney). But the real gold here is that this scatters those categories I listed above. Libertarians are already finding problems with the Republican party, which has largely increased spending during their tenure and made government a lot bigger (and a lot more anti-freedom). Big Business will support anyone who helps them out, and turning the economy into a great big sinkhole really doesn’t help big business all that much. The religious nutcases are now split, with some going to Obama and most still preferring Republicans but willing to sit the election out if someone who’s not sufficiently evangelical gets nominated. Granted, there are still plenty of racists, and they probably (if possible) like the Republicans a little more than they used to, but probably think of them as weak little sissies if they cooperate on Obama with anything. So most of what’s left for Republicans are useful idiots. And the great thing about useful idiots is that they’re stupid enough to start chasing each other around with baseball bats rather than us. So when big business starts blaming religious nutcases and religious nutcases start blaming warmongers and warmongers start blaming libertarians who, in turn, blame everybody, well, hijinx ensue. To me, this is going to be sort of like “Glengarry Glen Ross” crossed with a Keystone Cops movie. Grab your popcorn, folks. This is going to be fun. Checking in on the Leadership Dance (UPDATED) November 11, 2008Uncategorizedodum Word has been out for a while now that there will be a broad range of Representatives vying for the vacant Speakership with the retirement of Gaye Symington. There is Majority leader Carolyn Partridge of Windham, as well as Reps Mark Larson and Johanna Leddy Donovan of Burlington. John Rodgers of Glover and Shap Smith of Morristown round out the pack. The big news in this race is that Assistant Majority Leader (or “Whip”) Floyd Nease of Johnson is not among the names in play, even though he was widely expected to make a run. Nease has instead opted to try and move up one rung to Majority Leader, the position currently held by Partridge. This is significant because Nease was the early odds on favorite for the position, and in his absence, Larson seems to have the most momentum – and that reportedly includes the support of Nease. At this point, the only name that has reached my ears for the Whip post is Jason Lorber of Burlington. It should be noted that the names associated with both the Majority and Assistant Majority Leader positions could change based on who wins the top spot, and who might be in a position to insist upon special consideration for consolation prizes or compromise if the election gets nasty, which it likely won’t, although the potential for, shall we say… discomfort… is there if gender dynamics take front and center. Things to look at: ideology, as the Speaker can drive the agenda to large degree, and the range here goes from Rodgers and Smith on the more conservative end to the Burlington crowd. Geography, as Lorber’s quest for the number three spot will likely take a hit if another Burlingtonian gets the gavel. Making the Dem leadership too Burlington-centric could be a problem. Seat security, as a Speaker who can barely hold their seat is a weak Speaker. Whoever wins is going to inherit the responsibility of looking after their caucus, and they won’t be able to do that if they have to spend too much energy watching their own ass. This is why Rodgers has Republican support – not so much for what they see as his accessibility as his vulnerability and the impact that could have on the power dynamics both in the Statehouse and on the election trail. Last, and probably most important, is who can maintain a public persona with enough strength and confidence to stand up to the Douglas Administration. I haven’t put my ear to the ground on the Senate, where there are rumors that Pete Shumlin may not be certain to go for a repeat at leadership. Speculation about Addison Senator Claire Ayer’s ambitions for leadership runs strong. UPDATE: Looks like the Senate leadership team will be staying as is, wacky rumors notwithstanding. So why the monarchy? November 11, 2008UncategorizedRama Schneider Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has said he is stepping down from chairing the Democratic National Committee (and off to what … Health and Human Services?). According to any and all reports I’ve read and history, President-elect Obama will be in charge of appointing his replacement. I have never liked this arrangement, but this is an opportunity for Obama to have a real shot at a genuine George Washington moment. I’ll resist the urge (Stalin) to throw names around (Pol Pot) as the worst of examples (Hitler) that can happen when (Mao Tse Tung) political parties are run (Mussolini) by the same people charged with running (Bush) a nation. Well, okay .. I won’t resist. But here’s the way I see it: political parties should be about the general electorate. They are really the only vehicle for you and I to democratically select the politicians that will perform their republican duties. Having political parties and government mix is giving Washington DC and Montpelier way too much control over our choices. Yes … Montpelier too. This is one of the reasons I’m opposed to tax dollar/state funded primaries and even public campaign financing: it injects the incumbent government way too far into the process we use to maybe make drastic changes to that very same incumbent government. If Obama really thinks highly of people power he will tell Democrats it is up to them, not him, to select their party leadership. George Washington could have continued as our nation’s first president for longer had he chosen. Hell, according to the histories I’ve read Washington could have become king with ease! But he chose not to. Washington was more interested in newly created democratic ideals, and for him relinquishing power in a peaceful transition was more important. Obama can do much the same … tell the world he’s here to run the United States .. not the Democratic Party. That would be a shining moment. Thanks Howard! November 11, 2008UncategorizedChristian Avard *50-STATE WHAT???* Let’s face it. Howard turned the tables on the DNC… and he succeeded. Who’s laughing now? You go Howard! Posts navigation ← Older posts Newer posts → Recent Posts That’s all, folks. What’s Ailing America? Precarity. Post-hyperbole us Biden/Harris 2020!! Lessons from Beirut Recent Comments Sue Prent on Post-hyperbole us Howard Shaffer on Biden/Harris 2020!! rip on Donald’s Bad night in Tulsa Mary B Prondzinski on Another Day in Purgatory John Greenberg on Calling on Governor Scott: Meta Register Log in Entries feed Comments feed WordPress.org Archives Archives Extras Green Mountain Grit Mojometers Proudly powered by WordPress

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ENVY maths

Post-election thoughts

Joe “The Senator” Lieberman’s future in the Democratic Party

General Election Results (UPDATED)

Your Guide to the Coming Republican Civil War

Checking in on the Leadership Dance (UPDATED)

So why the monarchy?

Thanks Howard!