(Good stuff from Matthew. Wish I’d written it. – promoted by odum)

Before I begin, I feel like I should put a disclaimer out.  I don’t often expect much from the opinion page of the Burlington Free Press, but I think most of us agree that it hasn’t been too rough on our side of debate this year.  But after reading executive editor Mike Townsend’s “Commentary Lite” piece in the paper today, I was a bit baffled.  If it was all just simply an engaging piece of self-satire aimed at the lack of depth seen in their own coverage of the July 15th filing reports and their implications in the race, then my hat is off to them.  Unfortunately, it appears that isn’t the case, and the rest of the editorial board must have taken the day off for this one to have seen the printing press.

If you have not clicked on the link yet, and read for yourself, it is probably worth doing so.  Among other things, the article touches on Democrats stifling Progressives, economists at Vermont Tiger, and Democrats needing to become more like Republicans.  In all situations, it falls flat on its face.  So I figured I would tackle the questions, and maybe we could have a Q&A of our own.

Why has the election for governor already begun? Didn’t we just have an election?

It has begun because this is the window of time that a modern political campaign needs to get going.  All across the country there are gubernatorial candidates filing to run.  The difference is that the Vermont Constitution gives the governor only a two-year term.  While we can have the debate as to whether the short-term is a positive thing, it certainly congests the election calendar.

Why are Democrats pushing the election campaign up so early?

Because they want to win, and were frankly embarrassed with how late the Symington campaign began.  It takes time to connect with every part of the state, and that is why the framework is being laid now.



So this is the answer? Starting the election a year and a half before we vote and disrupt my Sunday dinner with phone calls and door-knockers?

If that is their strategy, then they are not running a smart campaign at this point.  Though there are no guarantees as to whether Jim gets nervous and you get called for a poll.

Will the Progressives permit the Democrats so rudely to relegate them to the dustbin of obscurity?

Now here’s one that’s not happening anywhere.  Democrats know they’ll need Progressive voters to unseat Douglas, it’s a no-brainer.  So if courting them and ignoring them are now the same, then yes, it is occurring.  Given that the Racine camp is already reaching out to Progressives, I would guess that they will receive plenty of attention, particularly during the primary.

What can they possibly do about the issues 17 months before the election?

No one is on the stump.  They are fundraising.



Oh, Democrats are going to make campaign finance reform an issue again?

No.  I doubt it shows up on any candidates radar.



With the potential of a big Democratic field, will they be able to work together to defeat Jim Douglas?

No one knows at this point.  There certainly is potential for them to, but candidates haven’t really had to make their pitches against each other yet.  With the Tom Salmon Show still in operation however, surely there will be some level of conflict.

Next is a section about “money”, where Jim does take a few hits, VT Tiger is invoked, all sorts of odd stuff goes on.  It eventually finishes with the notion that Democrats are going to have to become more like Republicans, which is foolish given the state’s partisan make-up, the struggles tied to the incumbent, and the way the public has reacted to the past legislative session.

Finally, the seminal question…

How will this affect me?

For the average Vermonter, it won’t.  You’re not going to see TV ads.  You’re unlikely to get called for a long while.  You probably won’t even see people on the side of the road asking you to honk your horn.  Most likely, you’ll just decide when you get in the booth on election day, if you choose to show up.  But candidates raising early money won’t become an emotional burden for the average Vermonter.