It seems the fine folks at the Campaign for Vermont (Prosperity) have executed something of a tactical retreat. Since GMD made note of the increasingly partisan tone of CFV founder/eminence grise Bruce Lisman’s radio ads, and since the Vermont Democratic Party filed a complaint over the anti-Shumlin rhetoric coming from this supposedly nonpartisan group, CFV has produced some new ads. And apparently scrubbed the offending ones from its website.
The new ads cut back on the overt partisanship. Instead of directly slamming Shumlin and the Democratic Legislature, the language is carefully oblique. For example, the new health care spot says that “some legislators are working hard to ensure choice … but many others seem not to completely understand what’s included in the legislation.”
The ads also include multiple voices, perhaps in response to GMD’s observation that CFV seemed to be a vehicle to promote Bruce Lisman rather than a broad-based policy shop. The latest ads include Lisman and an unnamed female voice, and some also include Tom Pelham (CFV co-founder and former tax commissioner under Gov. Jim Douglas) and State Rep. Oliver Olsen (R-Jamaica).
Gee, Bruce, couldn’t find a Democrat for your nonpartisan spots? Kestrel and I got skillz, and we could use the cash.
And, as we’ve noted previously, the CFV website has gotten a slight makeover to de-emphasize the Cult of Bruce. The photos of Lisman are fewer and less prominently placed, with more room for the stock photos of non-Vermonters as documented on GMD. (I do like the new photo of Bruce with a microphone. I imagine him singing karaoke. “Mack the Knife,” perhaps.)
All in all, the changes seem designed to carefully skirt the campaign rules that CFV is accused of violating. CFV is once again sporting its nonpartisan sheep’s clothing… but those Republican eyes are still glowing from within.
We also note with some sadness that the CFV’s list of Vermont media links still doesn’t include GMD. Its three links to websites include the truly nonpartisan Vermont Digger and the two leading conservative sites, Vermont Tiger and True North Reports. Hey Bruce, for the sake of nonpartisanship, how ’bout adding a link to GMD? No hard feelings?
Did you get a little bit ahead of yourself there?
‘Should have rolled the whole partisan thing out more slowly and maybe those who weren’t paying as close attention as we were wouldn’t have caught on until you had succeeded in snuggling “Bruce Lisman” into the vernacular, ripe for a run at the governor in 2014.
We’d have said, “That’s good ol’ Mr. Lisman, non-partisan friend of all Vermonters! He doesn’t have any agenda other than to make us all prosperous!”