Yesterday, Pollina nails Douglas to the wall in a well crafted, pointed attack that got the press and the media’s attention:

Pollina cited the 2008 “Summer Harvest” publication by the Agency of Agriculture in which Roger Albee, secretary of the agency, says that Gov. James Douglas “initiated” the “Buy Local movement” in 2003.

“This is ridiculous,” Pollina said during a press conference outside the Agency of Agriculture’s State Street headquarters Wednesday morning. “The idea that Jim Douglas founded the buy-local movement ranks right up there with the idea that Al Gore invented the Internet.”

Unfortunately, this is Anthony Pollina we’re talking about. And that means he fired off without care to the consequences – by which I mean, he didn’t bother with such trivialities as covering his ass. Such concerns are for lesser men, I suppose. Via vtbuzz:

Thursday, Enid Wonnacott, NOFA-Vermont’s longtime executive director, told PolitickerVt’s Zach Silber that Pollina’s comments were and “severe exaggeration” and that Douglas and his Ag folks had been “incredibly helpful” in promoting the buy local effort.

Wonnacott agreed that the buy local movement has been around for a long time, but said Douglas deserves credit for having the Ag Dept. institute a Buy Local Program in 2003.

Final analysis? Douglas’s damage control is effective, but the slam still very effectively reminded people that Douglas is both an obstructionist, as well as someone who shamelessly takes credit for the work of others. You can’t unring that bell.

But Pollina too, has been left bloodied, as the response has reminded those who pay close attention (many of whom are in that Prog-Dem distortion zone) that he’s a bit of a bull in a china shop, and doesn’t question his communications impulses. Both have had their credibility drawn into public question.

So oddly enough, the winner here is Symington, who wasn’t even involved. Or at least it could be if she gets out a “we need to move beyond tit-for-tats over who has bragging rights and recognize that we need to come together to do much more for Vermonters’ economic sustainability and supporting our local economies” statement, or somesuch.

An odd sidenote, though, are Sam Hemingway’s comments over at vtbuzz. For someone following politics for so long, Hemingway has a tendency to miss the forest for the trees. He comments:

Exactly how Pollina sees this as a front-burner issue in the gubernatorial campaign is a discussion for another day.

Given the evidence all around (by which I mean the coverage in all the media, and that quick, powerful pushback from the Governor), it would seem self-evident that this dustup is quite meaningful. I mean… Hemingway himself is clearly feeling obliged to cover it, right?

But Hemingway’s problem is that he doesn’t see what’s in play. It’s not the overwhelming power of the issue that’s being discussed – I think its very important, but it’s not likely to resonate as deeply as it should with the greater populace. The importance is the opportunity to reinforce the nascent narrative that Douglas is an ineffective phony – or in the Governor’s case, that Pollina is an attack dog ideologue. It’s those narrative impressions that drive the lingering undecideds in the voting booth, therefore winning or losing an election. Not sure why Hemingway doesn’t get that.

(… and BTW, today my recommendation from the Langdon Street Cafe is the Tempeh Reuben. No doubt that advice will boost my left-wing cred all by itself.)

Sorry for the cut & paste press release, folks, but I’m not sure what to make of this yet, if anything.  Anyone else?  (I’ve edited some of the self-congratulatory bits out for the sake of objectivity and space.

Welch supports and House passes anti-speculation bill;

Welch amends transit bill to help green bus fleets

Washington, D.C. – In an ongoing effort to address skyrocketing energy prices, the House of Representatives approved two measures today that aim to lower energy prices for consumers.

The Energy Markets Act, H.R. 6377, would direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to use its existing emergency authority to investigate excessive speculation on energy prices and take steps necessary to remove speculation in the market.  The bill passed by a vote of 402-19.

“With the stroke of his pen, President Bush could use his executive authority right now to target speculators who are driving the price of oil higher and higher. Consumers need a cop on the beat protecting them against bad actors in the energy marketplace.  The action we take today will force the President’s agency to do its job and stand up for consumers,” said Welch, who helped to draft the bill and is an original cosponsor.

“Right now, oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of untapped federal leases, an area twice the size of Pennsylvania, while demanding to drill in some of the most environmentally sensitive areas of our country,” said Welch.  “This bill calls their bluff.  They should use their current leases or turn them over to companies that will bring the oil to the marketplace.  In a period of rising oil prices, the strategy of oil companies on these leases seems to be ‘The longer we wait, the more we make.'”

The 68 million acres of leased lands have the potential to produce an additional 4.8 million barrels of oil and 44.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day.  This would nearly double U.S. oil production and cut oil imports by one-third.

Finally, Welch today successfully amended H.R. 6052, Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act of 2008.  The Welch amendment will allow regional transportation agencies to improve public transportation fuel efficiency and reduce costs for passengers by retrofitting existing vehicles to run on clean-burning natural gas.  

“This common-sense amendment will allow existing buses in Chittenden County to convert to natural gas, which will save Vermonters money and emit fewer greenhouse gases,” said Welch.

The House passed H.R. 6052 by a vote of 322-98.

Yesterday’s news caught me very much by surprise. It also left me feeling a knot in the pit of my stomach:

Rep. Robert Dostis will not only leave the Legislature behind this year, but also his job for the last 14 years as the executive director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger.

Dostis, a 49-year-old Waterbury Democrat who has served in the Vermont House since 2000, will leave the Burlington nonprofit organization next month to take a management position with Green Mountain Power.

I like Robert, so I’m not trying to give him a hard time, but this news does beg a serious question. Dostis has been serving as Chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee – a Committee that has direct say over policies that impact Green Mountain Power, the state’s second largest power utility company – like no other. Common sense makes clear that this move has been in the works for some time, and it doesn’t help that its a still-largely undefined position, nebulously dubbed the “Director of Customer Service and External Relations.”

Certainly at the federal level, there are laws restricting such revolving doors between powerful legislators and the businesses that they had direct impact on. Obviously the concern there is hanky-panky and the worry about quid-pro-quo lucrative contracts acting as payoffs for way-too-cozy relationships. Washington, however, has to deal directly with full-on corruption, and Vermont is a whole different scale and not directly comparable. There’s also the fact that having a part time “citizen legislture” as we do might make it needlessly punitive to put laws in place restricting the jobs a former legislator can take. It’s really not an apples-to-apples thing.

But there’s still no denying that it doesn’t look good. To a person, everyone I’ve talked to about it has reacted anywhere from simply somewhat nauseous to openly shocked. It looks untoward, and makes people immediately and reflexively question Dostis himself, and the system which allows this.

And its that latter piece that concerns me. As I said, I’m confident at a personal level that Robert is a straight-shooter (but I can’t blame people who don’t know him for wondering). But the appearence of a revolving door brings down faith in the entire system. While it may not be enough of a problem for actual legislation, it may be time for the Democratic caucus to consider a code of ethics that openly discourages such high-profile, sudden leaps that create retroactive conflicts of interest. In tiny, community-oriented Vermont, that would probably be enough right there to discourage this sort of confidence-damaging legislative exit in the future.

It’ll officially be a Democratic primary between Representatives Warren Kitzmiller and Jon Anderson, and challenger Mary Hooper, who also serves as Montpelier Mayor, as of tomorrow (Saturday the 28th). Hooper will formally announce her campaign at the Montpelier Farmer’s Market at 10:30 AM. Hooper has said she will make “food and fuel” the centerpieces of her message, as she has been active with anti-hunger groups, as well as the Montpelier energy committee.

Hooper is backed by senior district Representative Kitzmiller, and has the tacit – if not formalized – support of most of the Democratic Party infrastructure, as Jim Douglas campaign contributor Anderson was appointed to the post after the retirement of longtime Representative Francis Brooks against the wishes of the local Democratic Party, and proceeded to embarrass the caucus by voting to uphold a key Douglas veto.

Anderson has been up and running for a while, moving hard left during the session to stay competitive in this bluest of blue districts. He’s had a campaign website for some time, and the city is getting peppered of late with his lawn signs (never mind that they’re the world’s worst lawn signs… full of fine print and a photo, making it impossible for passing motorists to read, and looking more like a contractor’s promotional sign). Hooper should dominate in the election, but that’s no excuse not to get off the stick and show voters that she’s just as serious about this as Anderson is.

Gov.Douglas has put his best people to work girding .They have jumped into action.The Lt.Gov.Dubie declared a symbolic fuel emergency to publicize the oil issue ,in case anyone had failed to take notice .

Now Neil Lunderville says ‘let them cut firewood ‘.

Lunderville … The cut-your-own firewood program, he said, would see professional loggers transport felled trees from state and town forests to lots around the state. Vermonters who met certain eligibility requirements, he said, would then be able to cut and split wood at those sites.

That program, though, is largely weather dependent. A rainy summer, he conceded, would likely prevent cut wood from drying in time for winter.

Perhaps someone in the Douglas administration should suggest covering the wood and wearing a raincoat.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps…

The US Senate approved a doubling of GI Bill college benefits, a 13 week extension of unemployment benefits and $2.7 billion in flood relief for the mid-west. Best of of all they did this by a 92 to 6 vote! (Congress passes Iraq war spending plan, Times Argus, 06/27/08)

All right … so they decided to keep bombing, maiming and killing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Big deal. I mean what’s a bunch of misery in some distant people’s lives compared to our day to day needs?

As stated elsewhere by many others, these wars now carry the imprimatur of those wonderful DC Dems. Great job gals ‘n guys!

I just got this from Philip. Every time you see something from that POS Lieberman he's more insufferable than he was before. For instance, in an interview with ABC News he parroted the Republicans' Willie Horton line against Obama:

“In fairness we don't know if Rev. Wright said these inflammatory, anti-American, racial comments every Sunday, but I would not continue to go to a synagogue where that kind of rhetoric was spoken,” Lieberman said, adding, “I think it did raise questions in people's minds about why did he stay in the church that long,” but he said he would “take (Obama) at his word” and move on.

Now there's a new site, with a petition you can sign to go to the Senate leadership:

 Demand the Steering Committee remove Joe Lieberman's position within the Democratic Caucus.

 I've already signed, and you should go over there and sign too.

I rode the bus out to Waterbury today, the same as I do every Tuesday and Thursday, and when we got to Waterbury, Rep. Sue Minter got on for her ride to Montpelier, along with someone I didn't recognize. Sue introduced us, and then said to him, “Tom, do you have something to tell Jack?”

 It was longtime Waterbury Selectman Tom Stevens, and his news was that he is running to replace Robert Dostis, who's just announced he's not running for reelection.

Tom Stevens, former chairman of both the Waterbury Town Select Board and the Village Trustees, would like to take on a new leadership role: state representative.

Stevens, 47, of Waterbury announced this week that he is running as a Democrat for Waterbury’s open legislative seat.

Rep. Bob Dostis, D-Waterbury, announced last month that he wouldn’t run for re-election after eight years in office. Dostis represents the legislative district for Waterbury, Duxbury, Huntington, and Buels Gore.

 I think this is great news. Tom is well-known in the district, has experience in Waterbury electoral politics, and is well-placed to enable us to hold the seat for the Democrats. This should be a good year for Democrats, but we need strong candidates like Tom to make the most of it.

I don’t know what else to say after SCOTUS’s 5-4 decision to lift the ban on handguns in Washington DC. Not that DC wasn’t safe city to begin with, but I wonder what it will be like now. Obviously homicide rates will go up and more John Muhammeds and Lee Malveuxs will be popping up around the area (no thanks to the Iraqi occupation and skyrocketing PTSD cases).

These are weird times we’re living in. I just hope today’s ruling doesn’t reflect where American culture is headed.

***THIS JUST IN***

The Washington DC Chamber of Commerce has a new ad campaign aimed (no pun intended) to attract more tourism. Green Mountain Daily has obtained an unreleased TV commercial, scheduled to run on most Washington, DC networks. Have a look!