Heh. In yet another reminder that it’s (already) on, the appeal for support put out by Markowitz Campaign Manager Jason Powell to the listserv of Vermont Obama supporters has been met by a similar appeal from unofficial Racine campaign coordinator Mary Sullivan. Here’s the text:

Dear Obama supporters,

Now that the use of this listserve has been expanded beyond the Obama campaign, I am writing to tell you why I am a very strong supporter of Doug Racine in his campaign to be the next governor of Vermont. The campaign has already earned lots of support and lots of volunteers.

Like Obama, Doug Racine has a vision. His commitment and his leadership skills have produced a solid list of legislative accomplishments. He has a very clear record of turning his vision into action.

Doug recently co-chaired the Vermont Childhood Poverty Council (http://www.leg.state.vt.us/WorkGroups/ChildPoverty/Child_Poverty_Council_Report_Final.pdf)  which released an action plan of how to break children free of the cycle of poverty that often runs from one generation to the next. The people I know who participated in the hearings spoke highly of Doug’s leadership style, his effective and calm demeanor, and his ability to bring different people together to work for a common purpose.

Doug chairs the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, working on moving Vermont towards universal access to affordable and quality health care. His committee is helping to lead the opposition to many of Jim Douglas’s proposed budget cuts that would hurt children, the elderly, and other vulnerable Vermonters.

He has long been recognized for his leadership on environmental protection, labor issues, progressive taxation and education. His work on the Senate Economic Development and Housing Committee is helping lead the way to creating high paying jobs in the ever changing 21st century economy.

I know Doug as a guy who knows how to get good things done.

I encourage people to get behind Doug early so that we have a very viable candidate in 2010. He is excited about the challenge of taking on Gov. Douglas. He will start by taking on his policies as a member of the Senate. The campaign website www.dougracine.com will be up and running soon. In the meantime, if you are interested in donating to the campaign you can mail a check to “Racine for Governor”, 909 Wes White Hill Road, Richmond, 05477. If you would like to be listed as a supporter or would like to help on the campaign, please email me at marysull@yahoo.com.

Thanks.

-mary

Next? Senator Bartlett? Senator Shumlin? Mr. Dunne?

What do you think? We're now hearing and reading reports that Howard Dean may be in the running for Surgeon General, now that CNN TV star Sanjay Gupta has decided he doesn't want to give up the big mediabucks to do it.

 Obviously Dean didn't get the HHS or health care reform jobs, and among other reasons people have attributed that to the extreme hostility that Rahm Emanuel has for him.

So if that's the case, what makes Surgeon General different? Is it because nobody really wants the job? Given the opportunity to sort of make your own portfolio, and the history of past surgeons general to get in trouble with their mouths (see, C. Everett Koop, Jocyelyn Elders) it would almost seem to be an ideal job for Dean, doesn't it?

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The Times Argus is running a reader poll on its website, asking if same-sex marriage should be a “top priority” for the Legislature. As of right now, the “Noes” have it, with 81 percent.

The poll question could be worse, but it clearly invites a “No” response. “Top priority” implies that our lawmakers should spend a lot of time on marriage, to the presumed detriment of other issues, i.e. the budget, the economy, etc.

It’s a false dichotomy, since our Legislative leaders,for all their faults, are certainly capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time. Anyhoo, if you’ve got a minute, wander over to the T-A and help boost the “Yes” vote.  

Taking their lead from unsuccessful mayoral candidate Kurt Wright, the New York Yankees have filed for a recount of the 2004 American League Championship Series, which the Boston Red Sox won in an unprecedented comeback, after being down 3-0 in games.

“We need to reevaluate the methodology by which these results were reached,” said Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. “The Yankees clearly won the series in Games One, Two, and Three. How can you justify some new counting method that gives the series to the Red Sox?”

Mayoral candidate Kurt Wright agreed. 

“I don't expect the results to change,” Wright said Friday morning. “But I still felt it was an opportunity to look at the system and see how it worked, and we're not going to have an opportunity to do this again.

“It's an opportunity for people who are concerned with this system to have a comfort level with the process,” he continued.

Meanwhile, other local Republicans are calling for a complete audit of the 2004 season, asking whether the monotonicity and Condorcet criteria were satisfied. Upon being informed that the rules of Major League Baseball contain no such criteria, they replied, “What?”