Separated at Birth?

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 Recognize these guys? One of them is Evan Bayh, the Democratic [sic] senator from Indiana with a penchant for supporting Republican ideas and programs. 

 The other is Tom Salmon, our own Auditor of Accounts, who also seems to be establishing his public profile by supporting Republican ideas. Well, he's certainly got our attention. In January, Salmon stepped up with a proposal to change the character of Vermont's ski areas by alllowing casino gambling on the mountains, maybe to come up with a new meaning for the “Green Mountain State”.

Then, back in May, when the Democrats in the Legislature were standing up to Douglas's veto, Salmon tried to undermine them by offering to mediate between the two, presumably equally intransigent and guilty parties.We know how that came out: thanks to the organizational skill and intestinal fortitude displayed by Shap Smith and Floyd Nease, and the Democratic rank and file, the D's held the line and overrode Douglas's veto for the second time this session.

And then, just last week, we spotted him trying to insert himself into the legislative process and running an op-ed piece attacking the Democratic budget and parroting the Douglas line that Vermont can't afford to levy taxes to support social services.

And now this week, in another fight that really doesn't come within the purview of the Auditor of Accounts, Salmon sides with the Douglas administration on allowing ATV's on public land. 

 I don't know that much about ATV's, but I do know how happy I am when I've been away and I get back to our beautiful home state, and how much pleasure I and my family and friends have had in the woods, mountains, and trails across the state.I don't want to hear the ATV's in the woods when I'm out there, and I don't want to see stuff like this:

 Is there a guarantee that opening Vermont's public lands to ATV's will do this? Of course not, but I do think that it's going to be harder to regulate where ATV's go once they're on state land than to keep them out completely.

What does this have to do with Salmon? Just that we are now seeing one more time where Salmon is siding with the conservative, soft-on-the-environment Douglas, and against the people who want to protect the environment. He can do that if he wants, of course, and he may have his reasons to think that this will help his political career. On the other hand, if he keeps siding with the Republicans, will the Democrats be there when he comes looking for our support?

3 thoughts on “Separated at Birth?”

  1. Auditor Salmon had what may be a curiously a telling line in an op-ed piece this week in the Times Argus in which he seems to say that he is making controversial proposals simply to ensure that his words would be heard .

    In addition, some were made knowing they were controversial and would induce a lively debate to ensure that my words from afar would be heard amidst the din of the legislative process, such as the proposal to consider allowing gambling at Killington Resort or to temporarily raise income taxes.

    http://www.timesargus.com/arti…

  2. A Montpelier historian, Michael Badamo, once wrote of Gov. Tom Salmon that:

    “I can’t think of a single significant accomplishment to credit the Salmon administration. He was, and remains, however, a great tap dancer. He got elected on style points and governed that way. A Democrat and a so-called moderate, Tom Salmon can give a stem winder of a political speech at a rubber chicken dinner, but when it comes to substance, there is no there, there.

    Salmon’s two terms were lackluster, to say the least. His most notable accomplishment, in my view, was his enthusiastic, if somewhat subtle, protection of the interests of the private electric utilities, then under populist attack. He was afterward well-rewarded for this service with the top job at Green Mountain Power.

    Salmon, as a Democrat, paid lip service to organized labor but then did nothing to advance labor issues. State government continued to grow incrementally even though new services did not.

    Tom Salmon has done well for himself — he must be well into his second million. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for what he did for Vermont.”

    This from the Log Cabin Chronicles: http://www.tomifobia.com/badamo3.html

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