The national blogosphere is all a-twitter with the news that the DNC is announcing the first round of blogs that will receive credentials to cover the Democratic National Convention in Denver – including being seated with their respective state delegations. We’re happy to announce that GMD has received the honor of being the officially credentialed blog for Vermont. Expect lots of coverage, both text and A/V over the length of the convention.

Here’s Dean:

Mark Johnson needlessly gotten caught in the crossfire when I unloaded on Mr. Pollina (currently on Vermont Edition, again promoting his campaign by complaining about Democrats… seems to be the only “issue” he’s really passionate about in the last week). It seems Johnson really is hearing from many prominent Democrats that there may be interest in the legislative option in a three-way race, and isn’t just shorthanding GMD as “The Democrats” (although “some Democrats” still would have been a more accurate and appropriate phrasing). All I can say is: wow. That’s a 180 degree turnaround from what I was hearing.

Of course, Johnson did lead the chorus of very serious experts (which also included Terri Hallenbeck and Shay Totten) pooh-poohing the entire possibility out of hand on Vermont This Week last Friday, and has really latched onto the issue – even pushing Gaye Symington for a commitment to oppose the idea after her announcement speech (and reading way too much into her non-response: Here’s reality – no candidate with half a brain is going to get pulled into the specifics of any issue right after their announcement speech, lest they end up inadvertently eclipsing the positive message the whole announcement was designed to transmit.)

So I’ve made a couple more inquiries – and the landscape may indeed be changing on this issue, in no small part from the discussions at this site. Good. Now Anthony Pollina may currently be running around BSing Vermonters by insisting its a bad idea that he never approved of himself in 2000 or 2002 (which, by all accounts, is a naked fib), but the fact is that he was right, and folks like me were wrong. Now the question is for Mr. Pollina, is truth and what’s best for Vermont really of less importance than saying whatever pops into your mind to bash Democrats? Based on your media interviews in the last week and the content at the Prog Blog, that’s sure how it looks.

As for the very serious experts… I’ve only proposed the idea predicated on the ability of Dems to propagate the message in an IRV-style context over a long period to gain acceptance – and stated outright that it works much better if the third place candidate buys in and agrees to endorse the second place finisher in the event that happens. I’m not an idiot.

But as far as shorthanding Johnson’s advocacy of his strong feelings against such an approach as “lazy,” apparently it wasn’t, as my info was stale. My apologies.

Tell you what – I’ll make it up to you by phoning in reports to your show from the floor of the Democratic National Convention if you don’t make it (see above diary)….

from a Mexican newspaper advertisement (h/t Americablog)

Peter Welch, as has been widely covered, is in front on the push to offset rising gas prices by suspending purchases into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve – a suggestion Bush has resisted. The Welch-sponsored H.R. 6022 would suspend such purchases to create a type of demand-side impact which is not unprecedented. While commenters on this site and elsewhere have pointed out that this would not have a massive impact, Welch in this video clip is careful to be clear that its effect would be modest – but not negligible, couching it in a “we should do what we can” argument, and in the process making a more sober and realistic assessment than some of the grandiose projections we’ve heard from other proponents.

The vote will follow todays 97-1 action on a companion bill in the Senate, co-sponsored by Senator Sanders. There’s little doubt that the three members of Vermont’s delegation have continued to work in extraordinary synergy, with Washington newbie Welch exuding the kind of confidence and seriousness that belies his freshman status (of course, still not having a Republican opponent sure doesn’t hurt in that department).

Staff shakeups and switcheroos have begun, with session’s end marking the unofficial kickoff of the full bore campaign season in Vermont.

First to go was Adam Quinn, Finance Director for the Vermont Democratic Party, and a veteran of statewide campaigns in Vermont and Montana (Quinn has been picked up as the new National Field Director for Democracy for America). Following on his heels is the departure of VDP Executive Director Jill Krowinski to manage the Symington campaign. Joining her on the all-but-guaranteed Democratic nominee’s campaign will be Drew Hudson, former Communications Director for VPIRG, and most recently with MoveOn.org.

Over in the Lieutenant Governor contest, former columnist Peter Freyne has been active in the preliminaries of as-yet-unannounced candidate Deb Richter’s campaign, and word is he will be onboard the formal operation in an official capacity (as to a “professional” capacity, who knows… the fact is, Lite Guv campaigns in Vermont don’t usually have budgetary capacity for multiple staffers, and its hard to imagine Freyne as a full-blown campaign manager, as opposed to a communications person. We’ll see.)