The Huntsman explains it all

Must be huntin’ season, ‘cuz Paul “The Huntsman” Heintz just bagged hisself a biggun. This week’s “Fair Game” column is must reading for anyone who wants to understand the Vermont political landscape of today.

The subject is Governor Shumlin’s all-out (and completely superfluous) fundraising drive in advance of his re-election bid next year. Yes, the same Governor Shumlin whose campaign already has several hundred thousand dollars in the bank. And yes, the same Governor Shumlin who will face a depleted Republican Party who might just be desperate enough to let Randy Brock run again.

Take it away, Mr. Heintz:

On the night of last month’s mid-term elections – precisely a year before he himself faces the voters – Shumlin held an exclusive fundraiser with Vermont business leaders and a slew of prominent Republicans.

The host: “Commercial real estate developer Bobby Miller.” The entry fee: at least $1000 per. The guest list included:

…Green Mountain Power President and CEO Mary Powell, Jay Peak co-owner Bill Stenger, Walmart developer Jeff Davis, Barre real estate developer Thom Lauzon, and former GMP and NG Advantage exec Neale Lunderville.

All of these folks, as Heintz documents at length, have done a whole lot of business with the state of Vermont under Shumlin, creating a veritable cornucopia of potential conflicts of interest. But of course, as Shumlin would say, we’re all Vermonters here and Vermonters are pure as the driven snow and way above trading relationships for dollars. And, as many others would say, this kind of thing perfectly illustrates the need for ethics reform.

And explains Shumlin’s opposition to ethics reform.

But that’s not the biggest thing about this, in my mind. The biggest thing — well, two things — surprise and fear. Fear and surprise.

Sorry, wrong skit. The two biggest things:  

— It explains the near-bankruptcy of the Vermont Republican Party. I have previously asked the question, so where are the deep-pocketed donors who floated Jim Douglas’ boat? They bankrolled Brian Dubie’s bid for gubie in 2010, but seemingly abandoned the VTGOP thereafter. Well, now we don’t have to pore through reams of unsearchable campaign-finance pdf’s to find out where they went: into Governor Shumlin’s corner.

(Indeed, it wouldn’t surprise me if Heintz was the beneficiary of a tactical leak from the Shumlin team. This is certainly embarrassing, not to mention disheartening, to the VTGOP.)

I don’t see a conspiracy here. I don’t think Shumlin has sold out the people for a pile of dough he doesn’t really need, and I don’t believe state government is for sale. But he has, in purely political terms, brilliantly corralled the VTGOP. The rich and powerful who fueled the Republicans for so many years are either sitting out the VTGOP mess, or they’re actively supporting Shumlin.

Why don’t I see corruption? Well, because Shumlin is a centrist on most issues, health care reform aside. He’d advocate pretty much the same policies and make the same deals even if the likes of Miller, Davis, and Stenger weren’t cutting him the big checks.

— The other biggest thing: It explains Shumlin’s steadfast opposition to tax increases. Take it away, Mayor Lauzon:

“Certainly with Republicans, one of our issues is we don’t want to see broad-based taxes increased. The governor’s probably led that charge as well as any other governor has.”

Yep, he certainly has. And again, I don’t think this is a financial quid pro quo; I think Shumlin’s tax stance would be the same even if Lauzon wasn’t giving $2,000 to his campaign. But it illustrates what I see as a deal of convenience between Vermont’s top Democrat and the folks who used to underwrite the Republican Party: Shumlin governs from the center and blocks the liberal faction of the Democratic caucus, and they support Shumlin and starve the VTGOP.

My biggest regret about this? In a time of unprecedented strength for the Vermont Democratic Party, its top elected officials are committed to a centrist course. It’s not just Shumlin; it’s also House Speaker Shap Smith and Senate Penitent Pro Tem John Campbell, stout centrists themselves. We have a historic opportunity to take Vermont in a solidly liberal direction, but its Democratic leaders won’t have any of it. Except, again, for health care reform.

(Of course, if you asked Shumlin about this, he might well say the Democrats wouldn’t be in this position if the liberals were running the show. And I can’t say he’s wrong about that. This was a Republican state until about 20 years ago, and the last two Democratic Governors were devout centrists.)

If you find this upsetting, I suggest voting for some Progressives next year. Especially if they run a candidate for Governor; 2014 should be an ideal time for a protest vote.

Anyway, kudos to Heintz for bringing this all in the open. Peter Freyne would be proud.  

17 thoughts on “The Huntsman explains it all

  1. It is Shumlin who pushed me into the Progressives’ open arms, and I rather think I am not alone.

    I do see conflicts of interest all over the place in Shumlin’s donor base.  He spends much of his time shilling for the likes of Walmart, opposing progressive taxation and thumbing his nose at environmental protection.

    Those may be the traits of a “centerist” in Texas, but here in Vermont, that pretty much defines him as a Tighty-Righty.

    The fact that he courts these donors when he doesn’t even need the money makes it that much more offensive.

    Except for a shrewd move to wrap himself in early adoption of the healthcare initiative, Shumlin for me has been indistinguishable from his Republican predecessor, and decidedly less forthcoming about his true loyalties prior to election.

    It still makes me furious when I think of the first gubernatorial debate in 2010 (?) in which he represented himself as a champion of the environment and packed the audience with his stooges, who left en-masse when his speech was over.  I had a sinking feeling about him from that day forward.

  2. that what’s best for Vermonters is ever on the top of Shummy’s list.

    Shummy is always always always on the top of Shummy’s list, and you better stay out of his way.

    I keep going back to how 3 out of 4 us did not vote for him in the 2008 primary.

    Another argument for instant run-off.  He wasn’t in my top two.

  3. What ever happened to our favorite money bundler and our former Republican national Committee Man greaseball Skippy “you can pee with flowers” Vallee?

    Taking too much of his time opposing the COSTCO gas station still?  or milking the last few shekels of money out of our pockets with his “buy at the Distributor level, sell at retail” never starting a fuel war price fixing gas stations?  

    Who is skip giving his ill gotten gains to these days?  Is he just sitting back admiring his cheap suits and playing the reruns of him calling Jim Jeffords Benedict Arnold on CSPAN??  No one ringing his right wing bell?  Did Randy of Jaguar see a big check in his failed bid??

  4. Once again, Seven Days is wasting column inches.  Read this story and then read the same column printed two weeks ago.  It’s the same non-story.  And lacks any fundamental premise of investigative journalism.

    I see a fundamental problem of the mainstream media as having a complete lack of understanding on how fundraising works in a two-year election cycle.  Vermont is one of only 2 states remaining in the nation with a 2-year term for Governor (most states are 4-year terms, a few are 6-year terms).  The nature of modern elections in a 2-year cycle is to have no choice but to be constantly fundraising.

    If you truly want to make change on this front, you should seriously consider how long the term of our state-wide elected officials should be – so they can actually do their jobs before having to focus on re-election prospects.

  5. When the GOP took over the U.S. Senate in 1980, I went to work for VT Sen. Bob Stafford on the Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities.  Many a lobbyist said to me, “Maybe we took the Republicans for granted all these years.”  Suddenly, many GOP members got much more attention and more contributions that once flowed largely to the other side of the aisle.  I imagine if there were a more viable Republican Party in this state donors would hedge their bets by giving to both parties — just in case.

    I also believe that Vermont should adopt a four-year term, as difficult as that might be constitutionally.  While Gov. Shumlin says a two-year term enables Vermonters “to throw the bum out,” do you remember the last first-term incumbent to be thrown out?  Ray Keiser in 1962.  A four-year term might encourage greater competition for the governorship.  You might even see intra-party battles.

    Now, I no longer support either the Dems or the Repubs.  I did work for one great Democrat: Hubert Humphrey.  Also, two of my bosses — John B. Anderson and Jim Jeffords — abandoned the GOP but never became Democrats.  In my view, the dominant elements of both parties are hopelessly inclined to comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted.

  6. It’s about filtration.

    On the national electoral front, the candidate who raises the most money wins the primary 97% of the time. 97% is not hyperbole, it’s from the USPIRG study “The Wealth Primary.” Most of that money comes in big chunks from multi-millionaires.

    What this means is that at least 97% of candidates with opinions that would offend rich people get filtered out in the primary. We are left with the millionaire’s preselected slate to choose from.

    So no, I don’t believe that Shumlin is taking bribes. It’s not necessary. He was chosen because he already believes what the big donors believe. He can act on his conscience and he won’t dismay them.

    I wish people would stop thinking in terms of personalities and start thinking in terms of structures. It’s not as emotionally satisfying as vilifying someone, but it would get the job done. Dream Progressive Party all you want, but the electoral structure is designed to spit out progressives at an early stage. We have them on the local level because of the low cost of local campaigning.

    It would take a constitutional amendment, but I’d like to see the political donation limit (for candidates, parties, PACs, ballot initiatives, etc) set at 8 hours wages at the federal minimum wage, per year. Maximum five days wages total. That way Bill Gates and the guy who mows Bill’s lawn would have the same political clout.

    We all need to down tools on our individual pet subjects and focus on electoral reform. Boring, I know, but otherwise we are wasting our time.

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