In case you missed it (from the Times Argus):

Gov. James Douglas said he is “disgusted” with the behavior of his fellow Republicans in Washington, asserting that both Congress and the White House are out of touch with Vermont and the rest of the country.

In his most forceful comments against the Republican Party since becoming governor four years ago, the life-long GOP stalwart said that he would like to see a change in his party’s leadership in the House of Representatives, suggesting that current House Speaker Dennis Hastert should be replaced should the Republicans retain their edge in the chamber.

So what to make of this from he, who famously spoke the words “aren’t we lucky to have George W. Bush in the White House” with Darth Cheney at his side? Certainly he has taken positions the White House would prefer he didn’t, but usually only when he feels a need to control the conversation, as with his action on the NSA wiretapping issue. Scudder Parker came out strong, so within a few days Douglas trumped him by coming out with similar rhetoric and putting some of the muscle of the executive behind it (if Douglas does get re-elected, it’ll be interesting if he drops his efforts to force accountability on the issue, as the Bush administration has demanded).

Bud I digress. On the rhetoric at hand, logic suggests four possibilities only (on the flip):

1. His words are sincere.

2. Parker is getting traction in Douglas’s internal polling and this is a counter-move.

3. Douglas is looking to the next election, and rather than play it safe, wants to crush Parker at the ballot box as he did Clavelle to scare off any A-list challengers in future elections.

4. Some combination of the above.

In the absolute sense, we’re probably looking at #4. Like most other Republicans, Douglas is probably trying to figure out what the hell the neocons have been thinking. Still (and this shows in his phrasing), his critique is one on method and style rather than policy. 

The truth, of course, is – as anyone who knows anything about Vermont issues and has looked at Douglas’s history even casually will tell you – that his opinions and approaches ebb and flow with the political winds. He is a master of having it both ways in every argument, in no small part due to his rather shameless penchant for taking credit for the work of others – even when he himself oppsed that same work tooth and nail (in this way, he’s been doing the Bush administrations Homeland Security Department trick since the pre-Bush era, while in other state offices). Given this history, it’s hard to think #1 is at play in any meaningful way. More likely that this isn’t anything other than banking soundbites that he can refer back to in future debates.

#2 sounds nice, but based on the recent SUSA poll, it’s not too likely.

So my money is on #3. Grain of truth to #1 or no, I believe Douglas and his team want to crush his second challenger in as many cycles to send a loud and clear message to the Shumlins, Markowitzs and Symingtons of the Vermont Democratic politcal scene;

Don’t even think about it.

Whatever the reason, going forward with such rhetoric puts GOP COngressional candidate Martha Rainville at extreme risk. Although Douglas sprinked her liberally throughout his remarks in an attempt to innoculate her from any increase to the anti-national-GOP fire that is fueling Peter Welch’s campaign, the truth is it is a feeble attempt at best. Trying to control any damage, GOP State Chair Jim Barnett sounded even worse:

“I, too, am embarrassed by certain individuals in our party, just as Democrats should be embarrassed by members of their party,” Barnett said. “The problem is that too many members of both parties have shamed themselves and shamed Congress, and that’s why we need to elect a different kind of person, not a career politician who looks at Congress as one more stepping stone on an ambitious career path.”

Weak, at best. Try as they may to spin it otherwise, Douglas’s speech does Rainville no favors – which also sends a message to potential future candidates for statewide office, but in this case Republican ones:

The Governor looks out for the Governor. Douglas’s help is only there inasmuch as it’s consistent with his own goals.

This is one political Kingpin who plays by his own rules.

( – promoted by odum)

A funny thing happened at Democratic Headquarters in Franklin County today.

I was there volunteering when a 40-something woman came in and said she wanted some lawn signs. She took signs for virtually every candidate from the top of the ticket on down to local candidates … except Scudder’s.

“No,” she said, “I won’t put a minister’s sign on my lawn. I don’t want religion anywhere near my government.”

“If you knew Scudder,” I explained, “you’d know he’s not the kind of guy who would make religion an issue. Besides, he was a minister a while ago, he’s had other jobs since then. And even when he was a minister, it was for a fairly liberal church.”

“Ah,” she replied, “but I was at a Democratic fundraiser last year and he opened it with a prayer. I just can’t do it, even though it was the kind of prayer that I agreed with.”

“Are there any other concerns?” I asked.

“What’s his stance on abortion?” she queried. “Absolutely and resolutely pro-choice,” I truthfully replied.

“What about gay rights, gay marriage?” she persisted. “Scudder believes in equality for everyone,” I answered her back. “Scudder was at Gay Pride in Burlington last july. I was there. He promised, out loud, from the stage, that if the legislature passes a gay marriage bill and a gender identity non-discrimination bill, he would sign them.”

She was relieved! But still, she could not make peace with displaying a Scudder lawn sign. She left with her hands full of all the other signs, and I went back to helping with data entry.

Five minutes later, she was back.

“Okay,” she sighed. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll take two Scudder signs.”

You’ve got to know something about Franklin County to understand just how unusual that interaction was. You’ve got to remember that the good citizens of Franklin County booed legislators off the stage when they came to talk about civil unions. You’ve got to also know that Rep. Al Perry, a moderately conservative Democrat in the northernmost part of the county (Richford), voted his conscience for civil unions and lost his seat in the backlash election, only to regain it two years later. You’ve got to know how many “Take Back Vermont” and “Take it to the People” signs there were on barns and hay bales from Swanton and Sheldon and Richford to the Chittenden County line and the Lamoille County line, and how life-threatening that felt when driving by them every single day.

There’s hope in Franklin County. There are conventional dairy farmers looking to power their farms with manure-generated methane. There are farmers looking beyond conventional dairy farming to diversified harvests and organic milk. There are people who are passionate about providing and consuming local food as one way to address energy issues. There are candidates who totally get it that the economy of rural counties will increasingly depend on universal broadband access.

And there are 40-something women like this one and 30, 40, 50, 60-something women and men of my acquaintance who want to know for sure that no one will shove their religion down anyone’s throat, that women’s medical decisions must be just as private and government-interference-free as men’s, that all Vermont citizens will be treated equally in housing, healthcare, schools, banks, bars, restaurants, and every other public place. There are many of us here looking to the future. With hope.

NanuqFC

Matt Dunne has finally raised the abortion issue with Brian Dubie, and, unfortunately, I think it’s a mistake. The basic premise (which has been used before in the Lt. Gov. race) is that we don’t want a guy running the Senate who professes to be anti-abortion (or pro-life, I suppose), when he could be in a position to break a tie vote that would limit or outlaw abortion in Vermont.

I like Matt Dunne — a lot. I think his campaign has been great. But, look, there isn’t going to be any chance of a tie vote in the Vermont Senate on this or any other issue, with the Democrats (yeah, yeah, not all of them are pro-choice, either) holding a 21-9 majority. Raising the abortion issue is a booga-booga against Dubie, even though the premise is factually possible. It’s just doing scare tactics using an extremely implausible situation, at least for the near future.

Dubie said basically the same thing in a clip on VPR.

I, of course, as a l-o-o-o-ong time feminist, am totally pro-choice, and I’m glad Matt is too. And it’s killing me to apparently agree with Brian Dubie on anything. But this is the first thing he’s done in the campaign that I don’t respect.

Nobody likes being manipulated, and that’s what this tactic is. Can’t Matt find any other issue to confront Dubie on? Like how many Vermont cows were actually sold to Cuba (and wasn’t that breaking a trade embargo? not that I’m in favor of the trade embargo) after Dubie’s visit? And what has his “ambassadorship” to Quebec brought to Vermont?

Even more important, what will Matt do that Dubie hasn’t done (that almost sounds like a song …). Those answers are out there in Matt’s campaign materials and on his website (mattdunne.com). We need to see more of them in the mainstream media.

NanuqFC

( – promoted by odum)

Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, John McCain and Dennis Hastert were warmly welcomed by Rainville and Vermont Republicans. The donors to her campaign are legendary in the latest annals of Republican corruption, and must be confident they will be repaid — if she is elected. 

PAC money from Denny Hastert,  Tom DeLay,  Jerry Lewis,  Curt Weldon,  Roy Blunt,  Curt Weldon,  John  Shimkus,  Don Sherwood,  Peter Hoekstra,  John Boehner, and  Dan Burton was received by Rainville (fine ones to talk about morals and family values, aren’t they?) 

If she really wants to ‘change direction’ why did she even accept, and why won’t she return these donations?  $57,230.69, buys a lot of access.  She may not mind being beholden to these hypocrites, but I do! 

Notice than none of these ‘men’ are pro-choice, and all have scandal attached to them.  Some may not even win re-election themselves, if their poll numbers are anything to go by.

Colin Powell and John McCain were seen as strong figures, but both caved in under intense pressure by the BushCheney cabal.  Still no wmd’s — Osama is laughing his socks off and torture and illegal wiretaps are now the law of the land, with habeus corpus doa.  You go, Martha!  Play with the big boys who don’t take their oath of office seriously either.

And of course she owes Bush big-time for the visits by both his wife and his mother.  So sad; I’d love to vote for a good woman, but Martha is letting herself be used to ‘stay the course’ that is tearing this country apart.

Look what that did for Colin Powell and John McCain — they caved in under pressure and lost a certain spot in history by doing so.  Power corrupts .. and absolute power …

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