I’ll be the first to concede that this diary was somewhat premature.  Be that as it may, even though there is a good chance that most of us are less than satisfied with the state of affairs this morning, the overarching mission has not changed a hair’s breadth. We still must remain focussed on defeating Brian Dubie, and even a possible recount shouldn’t shanghai the message.  True: if there is a recount, Dubie might get an automatic “gimme” on Thursday’s debate, since he will once again have an excuse to miss it; but the longer the confrontation is delayed, the greater the mind-muddling tension he will experience, as he waits, untried and untested. Meanwhile, freed of the necessity to compete amongst themselves, the candidates-in-waiting may turn their joint attention to a leisurely public review of Dubie’s years in lock-step with Douglas.

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At 7:00 this evening, all of the passion and commitment that we have invested as individuals in our chosen candidates must shift abruptly to focus into a single point of purpose:  to defeat Brian Dubie.  



After eight long years of slow erosion under Jim Douglas, Vermont has this chance to reclaim the ground we’ve ceded on human services, education and the environment; and we have renewed opportunity to plot a course toward shared prosperity, universal healthcare and truly clean energy.

What is my personal measure of the cost of those eight Douglas years?  That’s easy: the systematic degradation of environmental laws.  When Douglas took office, the word went out that Vermont’s regulatory system could now be breached.   Soon after all of his appointments were firmly in place,  Walmart renewed it’s siege on a parcel of Vermont farmland in my little corner of Franklin County. The global giant had  already tried and failed to ram a smaller project on the same land through the permit process; but with Douglas holding the reins of power, they boldly launched a new assault.  Over seven long years, we have endured a series of crippling disappointments as, one after the other, Douglas appointees have fallen-in-line, undermining both the intent and the letter of the law.  Meanwhile, Governor Douglas himself campaigned actively for the project, even to the point of inserting himself into the judicial process by appearing at a rally organized to pressure opponents into dropping their appeals.

So I know a little about the price we have paid for giving Jim Douglas the keys to the Statehouse. I pledge my support to defeat Brian Dubie; and brick-by-brick, stone-by-stone, we will tear down the house that Jim built.