I’m sitting in the overflow room at the David W. Curtis awards, which is the big annual fund-raising event for Vermont Democrats. Turns out I have the media table to myself. Whodathunk?
It’s an interesting time to attend the annual see-and-be-seen event in Burlington. For the first time in a decade, Dems have it all; the House, the Senate, and the Governorship – and yet, it’s times like this that really bring the breadth of this party – for good and ill – into focus. In attendance is the Governor who steadfastly refuses to consider new taxes on wealthy Vermonters before looking at social service cuts. Also in attendance are the Democratic legislators who, despite the Governor’s position, are looking to new, progressively-taxed revenue to protect Vermonters from those cuts. And all of them working to bring universal health care to the state. Blue dogs are here, as is newly minted Democratic Senator Anthony Pollina. It brings the brave new political world into political focus.
Honored tonight are award winners Michael Obuchowski, Barbara MacIntyre and Arthur Berndt. Without question a worthy crop of recipients. All were ably introduced by David Curtis’ son, Vermont Legal Aid attorney Chris Curtis, who gave a great intro speech. I am among those who hopes Chris develops political ambitions. Great guy.
Below the fold for liveblogged observations as they come, including keynote speaker Al Franken…
7:52: Senator Leahy is up. made reference to Vermont showing up all the media who predicted early in the last election cycle that we’d elect a Republican Governor in 2010. Clearly he doesn’t read GMD enough. We predicted a Dem would emerge from that primary and be strengthened by it, ultimately being victorious.
Leahy is introducing Al Franken.
7:55. Bummer I left my flip camera in my car when I jumped in Caoimhin’s truck to come up here. Franken promised a Bernie impression.
Franken just told us how glad he was to be in Vermont “the state that borders both of the States where the shot heard round the world was fired.” Ha! Making fun of Sarah Palin never gets old.
He’s continuing with layers of comical a-history, leading up to a comment about how it all explains how we “know that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.”
8:00 Franken relates a list of similarities between Minnesota and Vermont, after noting VT Dems propensity for having Minnesota Senators speak at their fundraisers (Sen. Klobuchar was last year’s guest). List of comparative similarities ends with this laugh line about our shared tendency to elect folks outside the 2 party system: “How can you not gasp at the similarities between Jesse Ventura and Bernie Sanders.”
8:04 In the midst of being serious, he starts making jokes about running into Sen. Leahy at dead shows in the 70’s. Says he met Pat Leahy at a Boston Garden show in the early 70s when Marcelle Leahy was known as “Mountain Girl.” Big laughs.
8:07 References to the Wisconsin situation. He also encourages boos at the mention of “Citizens United.”
As far as Wisconsin goes, he states that passing the anti-worker law there broke the law.”
Also gets in a thank you to AFT, saying “efforts to build the foundation of a healthy early education for children … through expanding collective bargaining is commendable.” Much applause. Lots more comments promoting early childhood education. Beats up on Republicans for cutting Head Start.
8:17 “It has to be Democrats.” “It has to be us.” “It has to be us here in this room” to stand up for what’s right. Makes jokes to Bernie about how to categorize him… “you know, I don’t know your culture… I don’t know quite what to say about Bernie, here, but I’m gonna do an impression when I’m done here.”
8:19 Wraps. Does Bernie impression to much laughter. Can’t believe I left my flip camera. It’s pretty damn good. Little too gruff, but good.
8:22 Now Bernie’s up. Says he’s going to do a Franken impression (it was just a joke… at least that’s what I assume!). Thanks Chair Judy Bevans for doing a great job. Thanks crowd for “years of service in the democratic process, both big ‘d’ and small ‘d’.” Still blows my mind a bit to hear that from Bernie Sanders.
8:34 Losing battery…. gonna wrap soon. Sanders gets the crowd going. Warns of the barrage of advertising we can expect in this state as single payer advances, as big right wing interests want to scuttle it.
Unexpectedly, he calls for Yankee to be shut down, coupled with a renewable energy push.
After teasing the crowd again about his Franken impersonation, he closes by saying he’ll save it for next year.
8:37 Bevans introduces Peter Welch. He notes the huge turnout (definitely biggest ever…. people are pretty crammed in.)
Welch covers a lot of issues, spends a lot of time taking Republicans to task for attacks on Planned Parenthood.
10:58 – final update Back home now. Sorta got turned around there at the end with computers and web access and such. Shumlin spoke after Welch, then I slipped out. Good times, and we may have some video after all. Cross your fingers. Also, I’m trying to get a copy of Franken’s comments to post. Cross your other fingers.
Had a great time doing some work for Deb a couple years back, enjoyed seeing Dean honored. I hear this year’s sold something like 530 tickets, more than the 350 the hotel can host (hence your overflow arrangement).
Thanks for the liveblog.
And, as Odum says, Franken was pretty good.
There were actually four GMD-ers at the event last night: in addition to Odum, Jack, Caoimhin, and me.
And to those who have been saying that Chris Curtis (for all his political talents, integrity, and pedigree) can’t afford to take a higher political profile just yet, despite my optimism and hope I have to admit they might be right. He acknowledged his wife, the mother of their two children, and mentioned that “another Curtis” is on his/her way, due in June.
Obie was amusing, too, no surprise apparently to his colleagues, more so to those of us whose main encounter with him was when he was the montonic and solemn-faced Speaker during the Civil Unions debate. He spoke of his wife and the fact that their twins “gave us permission to be here tonight. The only other time they gave us permission to go out was for the gubernatorial inauguration.”
The other thing Obie spoke at length about was “Why I am a Democrat.” He described two women he met on the campaign trail, both barely making it. They were, he said, among those who help him remember that he’s a Democrat because no one in Vermont should be left in need unaided, that he’s a Democrat to help make Vermont a place where we all want to and can live (very loosely paraphrasing from memory).
I’m glad for all the attention and energy focused on Wisconsin (which came up in Franken’s talk, greeted with boos: Franken: “Wisconsin” Audience: “booooo!” Franken: “Wait a minute, you can’t boo a whole state!” blah blah, “Governor Walker” Audience: “BOOOOOOOO!!” Franken: “There you go.” ), while amazed that the situation in Michigan, a far more dire threat, is still apparently under the radar.
Franken mentioned Michigan, but it did not elicit the energetic negative response (or any negative response) that Wisconsin did. I guess town-level democracy has no advocate, unlike collective bargaining rights. Perhaps unions are thinking they can negotiate with the corporations that will be appointed dictators in the towns. No different than negotiating with town managers and councils, right? No, actually, not when the corporations are appointed specifically to dump union contracts.
Then again, Wisconsin has provided much better visual theatre for protest. And perhaps it was intended by the Corpo-GOP funders to draw public fire (“Look, over here! Governor abrogates union rights!”) so other states’ slide away from democracy and into plutocracy would receive little notice.
Oh, BTW, that was Minnesota Congresswoman and delusional potential presidential candidate Michele Bachman (not half-term former governor Sarah Palin) confusing Concord NH with Concord MA over the shot heard ’round the world. We should not be so amazed that Republicans want to cut education: so many of them show no sign of having benefitted from it!
Thanks for posting, Odum.
NanuqFC
Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have. ~ Winston Churchill
of the event available anywhere?
Should I ad it to my Netflix queue?