Cross-posted from here

You will very rarely find me urging you to get in contact with your State Senator in order to give your support (or opposition) for a Bill that they will soon act on.  Put bluntly, it’s just not my kind of politics.  But S.28 is a different kinda beast altogether:  Introduced by Senators Ayer and Giard of Addison County, S.28 (or “An Act Relating to Retail Sales and Taxing of Specialty Beers”- who comes up with these names?) would lift Vermont’s current (and oppressively asinine) ban on malt beverages (beer) with an alcohol content higher than 8% by volume.  Matt, head brewer over at the Shed in Stowe, informed me last night recently that the House version of this bill was already passed, and this Senate version is due for it’s second reading fairly soon (maybe this week).  If passed, Vermont brewers (and drinkers) would join most of the country in being able to make, drink, and fall in love with beers containing an alcohol percent as high as 16!  Now, don’t misunderstand, this is in no way about being able to get drunker quicker (the behavior- or fear of it- that I believe brought about the initial 8% cap).  But, what it is about is providing Vermonters with the luxury of enjoy some incredibly tasty, complex, and delicious artisan brews.  For Vermont’s brewers, it’s the opportunity to be able to create- to craft- free from arbitrary restraints, in the same manner as other brewers throughout the country.  Lets face it, a good beer, well, is really enjoyable (in moderation, of course).  If S.28 passes, not only will there be a greater variety of good beers to choose from, but Vermonter’s will have the chance to add their own uniquely great concoctions into the landscape.  And we’ll finally be able to buy the Brooklyn Brewing Co’s “Local 1″ that friends are starting to get sick of hearing me mention.  If you enjoy beer, now is a great opportunity to contact your local Senator and tell them just how much more you’d enjoy beer if the State would lift the cap (so to speak) on alcohol percent.

Per the Rutland Herald:

The staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant another green light Monday in their quest to keep the 1972 reactor operating for another 20 years.

But at the same time, the staff outlined 51 conditions that Entergy Nuclear must meet before 2012, when its current license expires.

Most of the special conditions or “commitments” deal with the aging of key metal components in the plant and how Entergy proposes to manage them. According to a summary released by the NRC late Monday, Entergy has already agreed to the conditions.

This is so not what I wanted to wake up to today.

I can't remember the last time our votes in Vermont were going to make a difference in the nomination battle, but that's where things stand this year and both presidential candidates have active campaigns in the state, so I invited both campaigns to join us at the Washington County Committee meeting tonight. I have to say it was a great discussion, even though we didn't give either campaign too much advance notice or preparation.

Actually, I'd invited Emily Polak, the Washington, Orange, and Caledonia County organizer for the Obama campaign, to join us a couple of weeks ago, back before I knew Clinton had staff people here; when I found that out last week I invited them.

Both sides were good enough to come. Emily, a young recent college graduate, was here for the Obama campaign, but she had to speak second, because the Clinton campaign was represented by Madeleine Kunin. Yes, that Madeleine Kunin, the first woman Governor of Vermont, former Deputy Secretary of Education, and former Ambassador to Switzerland.

 In other words, tough act to follow.

I thought this was great. Madeleine is a treasure, and people accorded her the respect she has earned. Her presentation was gracious, substantive, and informed by her personal knowledge of and relationship with both Clintons.

Then I invited Emily to speak, and she was great. Her presentation was also substantive; it was personal, informed by her perspective as a 25-year-old woman working at the job she's loved more than anything she's ever done, and infused with the enthusiasm that has infected young Obama supporters across the country. She definitely held her own following the Gov.  When she got done, Madeleine told her that she should run for office.

 I think people came away from the meeting feeling good about our choice this year, and about the future of the party. We heard from two smart, strong women, one of whom came from the years when our party was building, and one of whom represents our future.

 There's only a week left, so get involved:

Clinton campaign:

Steve Anderson

sanderson@hillaryclinton.com

(202)841-2237 

 Obama campaign:

 epolak@barackobama.com

rhill@barackobama.com 

(This is a variation on a diary I posted at Daily Kos recently…)

We’re making some jokes about it over at a diary of BP’s… but all joking aside, when, where and for what office will readers of this blog be stepping up to the plate to put all the words and ideas we so readily toss around electronically into action?

I remember when the question was first called for me. I was managing a road canvass for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and was having an impromptu “turf meeting” in at a pizza place in Eugene with a canvass Field Manager for the fledgling Forest Conservation Council (I think – memories fuzzy….40 now, I tellya…). My friend was telling me that he was, for a second time, filing to run for a local state legislative seat. He had previously lost badly, but t didn’t seem to phase him. “I always encourage everybody to run for office,” he told me. “Even if you’re not likely to win, it gives you a great platform to get people talking about issues.”

His words have echoed around in my brain since.

Nowadays I’m older, and if not wiser, maybe a bit crustier. As such, I take the potential “spoiler” effect on other candidates more seriously than I did then, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider his advice to be axiomatic, but that’s not to say that it didn’t still hold a lot of wisdom.

But this is the era of “crashing the gate,” where regular folk are empowering themselves through the internet – either through blogging or even more simple forms of communication – all towards the singular purpose of shaking up our preconceptions of political classes and institutional absolutes. Now, when we don’t like the way public policy or institutional power is shaking out, we challenge it – both in the blogs and on the ground. Nowadays, if someone in power sneers at an activist “we’re doing all we can, now sit down and shut up,” the activist – from time to time – has the resources and the savvy to step and say “I don’t think so – move over.”

But when is the time right? And now that new blood is starting to become infused into the old body politic, is it enough to do as my friend said and simply run to amplify your voice? Is it important, now that it’s more possible to win, to try and make sure you actually do?

It’s a tough question. One I’ve always deferred because of my own shortcomings as electoral product. Still – there’s a nagging sense of responsibility in play as well. I started Green Mountain Daily because the Vermont Democratic Party, state Legislature and political culture needed the netroots revolution to arrive in the state, as we were falling behind, and the local political institutions were getting pretty crusty themselves. When nobody was even making a peep towards doing it, I stepped up to fill the vacuum. It hasn’t always been fun (NOTE: I just noticed how this reads – I’m speaking very specifically here about the the community blog scoop/soapblox, “Daily Kos” style, netroots organizing and incubating space – not blogs in general. Obviously there were already great blogs on the scene in Vermont before GMD came along. If anything, GMD was a bit of a latecomer to the party…sorry….don’t hit me Philip, JD, Jack, etc…).

So with all the nagging, cajoling and harassing I do of the political class and the state government, when does honor demand that I either find someone to step up to the plate, or – if none are available – when do I have to put up or shut up myself?

And what about all of you reading this?

For my part, I am very close to a decision to run this year for the Democratic National Committee at the Party convention. Not sure yet, and I haven’t spoken yet to the current holder of that position, since I’m not sure – but it seems like an obvious choice for somebody like me. Complain about the National Dem Party, why not be that National Dem Party – at least to the extent a single person can. If I decide to go for it, I’ll fully post my thinking.

So – who else is thinking about stepping up to the plate?

Lt.Gov. ?

I know it supposed to be early according to  conventional wisdom. Pretty soon it won’t be early anymore .