Sounds like I missed a fun little evening last Friday, when Vermont Republicans gathered at the Rutland Holiday Inn for their spring fundraiser. A “party of nearly 50,” according to VTDigger’s Andrew Stein.

Wow. “Nearly 50”?

Maybe they can hold next year’s event in a phone booth.

Anyway, the assembled non-multitude was treated to a speech by Senator McDreamy himself, ex-Cosmo centerfold Scott Brown, formerly of Massachusetts and currently flirting with a run in the more GOP-friendly provinces of New Hampshire.

Brown’s message? The VTGOP must be unified in order to win. Yep, yep, sure thing. But the big news was the talk of possible 2014 gubernatorial candidates. Brown, sharing the spotlight with Vermont’s own plausibly moderate McDreamy — Lt. Gov Phil Scott — openly talked of a Scott candidacy. Which led Stein to raise the question with Speed Racer himself:

Is Scott interested in running for governor?

“No, not at this point in time,” he said.

Good thing, since there’s no election “at this point in time”.

But if not Scott, then who? Exactly how desperate are Vermont Republicans for a soupcon of electoral credibility?

Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, lobbied his peers to persuade [Jim] Douglas to run for election in 2014.

“He oozes honesty and integrity,” Mullin said of Douglas, as he leisurely sipped on a gin and tonic.

Well, he oozes something, that’s for sure. But in my dictionary, honesty and integrity are not things customarily oozed. Slime, yes; honesty, no.  

No surprise that it’s come to this: a faint glimmer of hope that Oozin’ Jim will descend from his mountaintop retreat and restore the VTGOP to its former glory. Mullin’s coin-in-the-fountain was echoed by State Reps. Tom Terenzini and Lawrence Cupoli. After all, the list of plausible contenders is… well…

Other prominent Republican names, like the Snelling Center’s Mark Snelling, swirled around the room as possible candidates come 2014, but nothing was definite.

Mark Snelling? Whoopee.

One more thing from Stein’s writeup: some fascinating lacunae from the very concise list of attendees:

Noticeably absent from the fundraiser were the three Republican candidates who ran for statewide office in 2012 and lost: Wendy Wilton, who ran for treasurer; Vince Illuzzi, who ran for auditor; and Randy Brock, who ran for governor.

(Forget about Jack McMullen, did we, Andrew?)

I’m a little surprised about Wilton. I guess she couldn’t make it to the Rutland Holiday Inn from her home in… er… Rutland.

Not as surprised at Brock’s absence, considering this little gem from Rep. Cupoli:

I don’t see Randy these days. I have not seen Randy at all.

Siberia?