It had been barely 24 hours since the traditional media widely announced that a bill was in the Senate to move Vermont’s primary earlier in the year before Hallenbeck all but pronounced it DOA:

A bill to move the state’s primary elections from September to August is lingering on the Senate calendar. Moldering, you could say…

…Based on the bill’s lack of movement, I wouldn’t bet on any changes for 2010.

Geez. We’re talking one day. That’s a rapid-fire news narrative, there…

Still, the fact is that any bill that only emerges this late in the session (post-“crossover”) has the deck stacked against it. That’s not to say its dead, but it depends on who’s supporting it.

And Hallenbeck’s assertion that its the bill’s division of support on partisan lines that is making its future uncertain seems weird. Given this governor, this bill was always going to divide on partisan lines (despite the fact that moving the primary is not just a question of improving democracy, but of better government). This idea – whether its coming from Hallenbeck, or whether she’s simply reporting what she’s been told – is akin to someone saying they decided not to complete their shower because they got wet as soon as they stepped in. It was…er… kinda always part of the deal.

So who’d like to see the bill pass? At least three – possibly four members of the Senate leadership may well jump into a primary themselves, so that’s some powerful backing. Our current primary calendar is nothing more than an incumbent protection racket, but on the other hand – if Republicans are hoping for a high-profile, expensive gubernatorial primary to divide the Dems, moving the primary will virtually guarantee a contest. Win-win, eh?

What about the House? Word is that House Gov Ops Chair Donna Sweaney would also like to see the date changed and is in fact “eager” to move on it – as would others in the caucus. And the House may be our opportunity to put June back on the table.

So while reports of its demise are clearly premature, it clearly isn’t healthy either, simply as a matter of timing and placement. I encourage everyone to contact their Senators and Representatives supporting this change. Here’s a link to the House contact page, and here’s the Senate. You can also call the Sergeant at Arms at the Statehouse and leave a message). In fact, we should pull out the stops.

Not passing this change at this point would be a real dereliction of duty and, quite frankly, an act of cowardice. To this point, this legislature has not been showing cowardice at all. With so much at stake, this would hardly be the time to start.