It’s a subjective question to be sure, but I’m always interested in looking back and considering what news events of the last year were either barely covered or incompletely covered, given what their real impact is likely to be. It’s easier to ask that question nationally or globally, but when you get down to the state level, it gets a little more challenging and a little more fun.
I’ve included nine I think fit the bill. What do you think? Any to add (or any of these to quiblle with)?
$250 million. Sure, we’re hearing constantly about the economic downturn and the growing budget crisis in the Statehouse, but $250m is a number we’re not hearing very much. Its what some believe the total budget shortfall against previous projections will work out to be when the dust settles. The quick and easy projection here is that the Legislature will pass a reasonably responsible budget that combines cuts, revenues and debt, but it won’t be simple. A lot of go-to revenue sources – most notably the capital gains tax loophole – are not going to perform nearly up to previous projections of their potential, given that capital is not moving very readily. Whatever does happen, expect the Governor to fight anything good, and then take sole credit for whatever gets through.
Checks and Balances dealt a fatal blow? Jim Douglas clearly used state resources for his re-election campaign, and nothing came of it. Nothing. Barely a peep beyond Shay Totten’s coverage, nothing was done, nobody cared. There is no meaningful oversight of the Executive Branch in this state, and unless something dramatic changes (say, for example, Senator Sears’s suggestion is heeded and Legislative committees start issuing subpoenas and taking sworn testimony), there won’t be.
State emails provided for Open Records requests. Unions and reporters asked for – and received – internal emails under the state Open Records Law that revealed untoward things about the Douglas Administration. A conservative blogger made a similar request of the Legislature, but was stymied for pretty crappy reasons that won’t hold up in the long term. It’s a brave new world, and the implications of the open season on state e-communication have only just begun.
Swapping out the Speaker. “Presumed” Speaker Shap Smith and incoming Majority Leader represent what could be a hugely significant changing of the guard in Montpelier, but the response from the traditional media has thusfar largely been a collective yawn. The implications to the political dynamics are considerable, yet reporters have covered little more than the horse race angle of the caucus vote. Trust me, this will be a different Legislature.
The destruction of Vermont’s campaign finance laws. With that single vote that left the Legislature shy of a veto override, Vermont’s campaign finance laws were largely trashed, and the AG’s office is pretending otherwise. The pretense was given a new lease on life when Judge Sessions ruled in favor of Anthony Pollina’s challenge to that “law” on its own terms, rather than issuing a decision as to whether or not the law itself was still standing. But nothing has changed – we’re still in a campaign finance wasteland. Eventually, someone will call the bluff if it isn’t fixed.
Libel suit against iBrattleboro based on user comments was thrown out. Maybe not earth-shattering, as it wasn’t exactly news (anyone who paid more than perfunctory attention to the law saw it coming), but still worth mentioning. While not a surprise, the coverage of the case reached heights of absurdity and self-parody, with outlets like the Rutland Herald and WCAX revealing their own antipathy towards new media by eagerly suggesting that this non-case would find its way to the US Supreme Court. Sorry guys, even if that fantasy were true, it wouldn’t help solve traditional media’s problems.
Prog peak? For the first time since they started winning House seats, the Progressive Party actually lost ground in the statehouse, meaning the Progs are entering a new phase in their institutional existence, especially given that their success in the State Senate was attained through a Democratic Party primary. What next?
Symington crushed. The floor for Democratic candidates in Vermont has been about 35% for some time, and until the last month of the election season, the polls showed Gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington bouncing around that floor. Then, in the blink of an eye, her disapproval ratings tripled and that floor was blown apart. Was the brand further damaged as well, or was this simply Vermonters voting for or against the candidate?
Yankee coverage. Windham County residents have long fumed that Vermont Yankee’s continued, duct taped existence has been an issue that folks outside the county simply will not take seriously. It’s news that mishaps and sneaky financial tricks at Vermont Yankee are now getting much wider coverage, as 2008 was the year it truly became a statewide issue.
There are certainly others that I would have liked to mention, but which frankly dance too close to personal interest-conflicts. Others?
