(Promoted with great pleasure! – promoted by Sue Prent)

This was cross posted at www.bauervt.com.

Or what?

Democratic Senator Dick Mazza yesterday came out in support of Republican Phil Scott. VPR thought this is news. It isn’t.

Mazza is a long-time friend and supporter of the sitting Lt. Gov. That’s OK with me, he’s entitled to his opinion. What bothers me is his twisting of the facts.

From the VPR story:

Mazza says that if Corren wanted to run as a Democrat, and avail himself of all the benefits that designation carries, then he should have filed a petition to be in the Democratic primary.

“I don’t know what his platform is,” Mazza says. “I do know that he did not seek the Democratic nomination. He did not go on the ballot. And so that leads me to believe that he ran as a Progressive and was not interested in the Democratic platform.”

I have two problems with this, which I’ll get into below the fold.

The first problem is summarized by questions as obvious as algae blooms in Mississquoi Bay: How is Phil Scott “interested in the Democratic Platform?” Why can Scott be supported by filing as a Republican and Corren shunned by filing as a Progressive? Neither filed as a Democrat.

At least Dean Corren plans to ask for the Democratic endorsement, which is more than I can say for Scott.

The second is more personal and goes to the heart of the matter. I ran as a Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor. I reached out to Sen. Mazza. He did not return the call.

I walked in parades on Memorial Day weekend as a Democratic candidate with other Democrats. Senator Mazza did not walk with us, he walked with Phil Scott, which leads me to conclude that Sen. Mazza isn’t much interested in the Democratic Platform, either. His comment to VPR is disingenuous at best. He obviously isn’t interested in supporting anyone running against his buddy Phil, no matter which party they call home.

Blaming his support for Scott on the fact that Dean Corren filed as a Progressive is a steaming cow pie.

Sen. Mazza sits with the Lt. Governor on the Committee of Committees in the Senate, the most powerful committee in that chamber. I suggest that if he is not going to support the Democratic candidate as determined by the primary, he is not interested in the Democratic Platform and should be removed from that committee as the representative of the majority party in the Senate.