To listen to the press coverage, the best of which can be heard here at VPR, the impeachment movement in Vermont ended with the State Committeee meeting. Supporter Euan Bear, while clearly stating why a Jefferson Manual approach was far more desirable than the alternative that was agreed on, still waxed defeatist.

“It’s the only crowbar we have and otherwise we’re just a party, partisan group stamping our feet and yelling at the president. So I’m disappointed. I think we didn’t do anything that was unexpected. If we had sent it to the Legislature and asked them for action – that was the thing that would have caught attention and would have shown us really standing up”

Even Jeff Taylor, the author of the Rutland Resolution, seemed satisfied with the result and resigned that it was over, given that the legislature looks like it will wrap by the end of the first week of May.

Still, the final wording of the resolution allowed a bit of rhetorical daylight for disheartened impeachment proponents. In a final amendment after the Jefferson Manual pieces had been expunged, wording requiring the final resolution be sent to the Clerks of The Vermont Legislature for non-specific “appropriate” action was tacked on.

[BTW — if anyone has the final resolution text, I’m sure folks would appreciate seeing it posted.]

And there’s the matter of the petition process, which has been moving forward independently of both the Town Meeting resolutions and the Democratic Committee debates, based on Chapter I, Article 20 of the Vermont Constitution which allows (without specifics) for the direct petition of the Vermont Legislature by citizens. Between the online version located here, and the smattering of traditional, hardcopy versions, the signatory count is well more than 600, and organizers definitely want those signatories to be honored in some fashion — even if it’s only symbolic.

How would a direct overture to the Legislature on the heels of the State Committee meeting be received?

Not with great enthusiasm, to be sure. Make no mistake: despite some very positive feelings, unanimous sentiments and rousing cheers at the conclusion of the meeting, there were those who felt none too warm and fuzzy as a result of the whole affair. Rep David Deen was outright patronizing, suggesting that all the silly rabble who supported the original measure were out of their depth and should leave such serious matters to the professionals. There was one committeeperson whom I’ve always gotten along quite well with (someone I specifically had recommended bringing into the Party decision making structure back when I was a staffer) who was moved to go out of her way to make her disapproval of the whole thing known with a sneering, nasty verbal jab at me on my way in.

Whoa!

On the other hand, there’s the fact that an impeachment resolution has already been bouncing around the Statehouse since January — one penned by Progressive Representative David Zuckerman.

So supporters are faced with two questions to answer very quickly:

1. How do they best honor the signatures on the various petitions?

2. Do they try to approach Zuckerman to retrofit his impeachment motion into a “Rutland Resolution” style piece and risk it degenerating into another futile Prog-Dem pissing match?

…for that matter, does Representative Zuckerman feel strongly enough about impeachment to actively avoid it becoming the basis for another Prog-Dem pissing match, either by sitting on it entirely, or by reaching out for Democratic co-sponsorship?

So — is the issue of Presidential impeachment in the Vermont Legislature dead?

Who knows…?