Planned Parenthood and women everywhere need your help.

On September 25th the 30-day public comment period will end regarding a proposed rule allowing doctors to withhold information from their patients significantly impacting women's right to choose her own health options.

Please send a quick and easy email to oppose this rule by going here:

http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/frcp08_adv1?qp_source=frcp08pporg

From Planned Parenthood today:

The Bush administration recently proposed a radical federal regulation change that would allow doctors to knowingly withhold information from their patients about widely accepted medical treatment options like birth control, emergency contraception, and abortion services. Even worse, this new rule could allow individual health care providers to redefine abortion to include the most common forms of birth control — and then refuse to provide them.

From Green Mountain Daily

At 7:30 this evening the Fed delivered an emergency plan to rescue AIG because, simply put, they have to.  Without stepping in, the global market could crumble in either days, weeks or just a couple of months

Conservatives wail and moan as if the heavens are falling when the topic of single payer health insurance comes up.

“Socialized Medicine!” they cry out.  Doom, despair!  It's the end of capitalism as we know it!

Well, look at what's getting “socialized” now. 

Here's the Fed's emergency plan:

the Fed will make a two-year loan to A.I.G. of up to $85 billion and, in return, will receive warrants that can be converted into common stock giving the government nearly 80 percent ownership of the insurer.

The US Government will own 80% of the largest insurance company in the world.  

Financial “conservatives” will be quick to argue that the Fed's 80% takeover of AIG is necessary — which is absolutely correct.  But that doesn't make it any less than 80% government owned.  In fact, it's about 8 steps out of 10 in the direction of what we can call “Socialized Insurance.”

Ok, so I'm having a little fun with this.  As of tomorrow the US won't actually “own” AIG; it will own warrants which can be converted to common stock.  But still, that's a pretty tight leash.  

But in the face of financial disaster, you gotta keep your humor, right?

So here's what I'm thinking:  as long as we're socializing finance by purchasing the world's largest insurance company…

…maybe we can put “US/AIG” to work by directing it to offer single payer health care.

Now there's a thought….

(I just don’t get how this guy keeps getting elected. – promoted by JulieWaters)

There are moments when you wish you had a microphone hidden in your lapel and this was certainly true during a brief conversation with Brian Dubie back in July.  We were at the Quechee Inn on the occasion of an endorsement interview with the Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont.  Tom Costello used his time wisely by just phoning in, since it was pretty much a gimmie for Brian Dubie due to his role in Homeland Security and his existing ties with the PFF.  But I was asked to attend and so I trekked on down to Quechee, arriving during the luncheon break. 

Upon my arrival I was pointed toward the buffet table.  I was literally in the banquet room no more than two minutes, loading a burger on a bun, when Brian Dubie approached, looking a tad bit rattled.

The story just below the fold.  I'll switch to present tense for the benefit of a play-by-play description of this mic-worthy moment.

It's July 7th at the Quechee Inn.  Everyone's in their best suits and as I arrive I'm directed toward the fancy buffet table sporting the usual stainless steel chafing trays with a culinary offering of — hamburgers and hot dogs.  I'm a fan of any homespun barbeque, but there's definitely a disconnect between the smell of an outdoor grill and the Quechee Inn dining hall, complete with pleated table-skirts and white linen napkins.  Anyway, I place a hamburger on a bun and I still have the stainless steel tongs in hand when the breeze of a quickly approaching body causes me to glance back toward the oncomer.

Vermont's Lieutenant Governor introduces himself and says, rather hastily, “When you get a moment I want to talk to you about what you said about the National Guard.”

I'm a little taken aback, since I hadn't spoken or written a single word about Vermont's Green Mountain Boys during my campaign, during the last decade, or during my lifetime, to the best of my recollection.  In my moment of confusion, I can't help but respond with a crinkle of the eyebrow and a genuine facial expression of surprise.  I quickly reply, “Sure, anytime.”  It's not the most eloquent response, but I'm not sure the Lieutenant Governor even heard me.  He's already walking back to his table. 

Suddenly it's clear to me what Dubie is really talking about.  In my June 28th campaign announcement I referred to Brian Dubie's September 2006, two-week tour of duty in Baghdad as a “Tour of Glory.”  As an unknown candidate I had made a conscious choice to come out strong, and frankly, I had no interest to hold back from calling out Dubie on a political stunt in disguise as a call to active duty.  Dubie's suddent flight to Baghdad occurred without any notice given to Speaker Symington in a breach of our government's chain of command.  Nancy Remsen of the Burlington Free Press was right on top of the issue, and given the timing of the event on the eve of the Dunne/Tracy Lt. Governor primary, it didn't take a conspiracy theorist to suggest pure politics at its worst. Brian Dubie flew off under the cloak of night as the cowboy pilot, returning only 14 days later with a neat little war story from the rooftops of Baghdad.  Just in time for the General Election.  

No question about it:  a two-week sojourn, unlike any other Vermont soldier has seen, was a complete, unabashed Tour of Glory for Brian Dubie.  But only a few people dared to call the Lt. Governor out on the carpet at the time.  The somber fear of war and the lingering memory of terrorism were still quite close, easily summoned by such dramatic, front page photos such as covered the papers just days after the 5th anniversary of 9/11. 

So I make my way back to my table and lifted my burger with both hands, just as I would at any honest backyard barbeque, despite the presence of linens, dainty china and assortments of silverware.

As soon as the luncheon is over, the fire fighters recess to the conference room as the dining hall empties out.  The last person to start the meal, I'm also the last to finish, and as the movement to the next part of the day proceeds, Brian Dubie makes a B-line for my table.

Sitting with only one chair between us, Dubie says he wants to follow up with me and immediately goes into a breathless 10 minute vent.  He talks about how we are both Vermonters, how we both have families, and how he's won 5 elections.  The last part he mentions at least twice.  “I've won 5 elections.”  Vent, vent, vent.  “You know, I've won 5 elections.”

It's as if he hasn't even stopped to take a breath.  He unloads everything off his chest in what seems like a single, outward exhale from a pressure that's been building inside him for somewhere between 9 hours up to 9 days.  I maintain eye contact, nod my head reassuringly and give him the space to get everything out. 

Then he gets to the good part.  The part that reveals the inner Brian Dubie.  He's talking about wanting to keep the campaign from getting unpleasant, and says: 

“If things get too….”

He doesn't complete the sentence, but makes a stuttering gesture with both hands suggesting a palpable frustration. 

Then he delivers the nut:

“When it comes to public service, I could walk away from it all.”

Where's the microphone when you need it?  My next thought is, “Sounds good.  Let me help you out with that.”

Somehow my listening skills drop off for a moment as these words form a deep imprint in my brain.  But it's only another minute when Dubie stops abruptly, taking a breath as he says, “There, that's all I've got to say.”

Well then, enough said.

There is no question in my mind that Brian Dubie is a very decent, respectable and even honorable man.  He's a family man, a Vermonter just like all of us, and as Lieutenant Governor he's offered some tokens of green, local, Vermont-based values in speech and ceremony. His Green Valley Initiative.  His vow to end Vermont's reliance on foreign oil.  His praise of the Vermont Ski Hamburger.   

In fact, I tell him this much, less the references above, right at that table in the dining hall of the Quechee Inn. 

But I also assure him that there's a responsibility in politics, too.  

“At the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, we are both Vermonters,” I said.  “But during the day I have an obligation to fight as hard as I can to win.” 

Before he rises from the table, the Lieutenant Governor says, “I look forward to keeping this on the issues,” then he disappears into the conference room where he swiftly gains the PFF endorsement.

When Dubie is finished with his interview, he gives me a wave and leaves the dining hall.  I wonder where he's going next, given that, when it comes to public service, he can just walk away from it all.

This is an open question diary.  If you had an opportunity to sit down with Governor Madeleine May Kunin, what would you ask her?  What would you want to talk about?

I have the honor of meeting her in the very near future, and in asking this question here on GMD, I would like to extend the opportunity for some of your questions to come forward.

As Lieutenant Governor under Richard Snelling, Kunin offered Vermont an vibrant example of how that role could rise to much, much more than the extremely lackluster office it has become under Brian Dubie.  

In preparation for my primary bid for Lieutenant Governor I reviewed two VPR Vermont Edition interviews featuring Governor Kunin.  Of course, the April 2008 interview was based on her recent book, Pearls, Politics & Power. 

Of course, I also found her September 25, 2007 interview titled, “The Office of Lieutenant Governor,” very enlightening.  This subject of this interview came up after Brian Dubie applied for another job a second time during his tenure in public service.

So what would you ask?  I know what I want to ask, but if you have a question for the most eminent woman in Vermont politics, post it below.

There are moments when you wish you had a microphone hidden in your lapel and this was certainly true back during a brief conversation with Brian Dubie back in July.  We were at the Quechee Inn on the occasion of an endorsement interview with the Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont.  Tom Costello used his time wisely by just phoning in since it was pretty much a gimmie for Brian Dubie via his role in Homeland Security.  But I was asked to attend and so I trekked on done to Quechee arriving during the luncheon break. 

As soon as I arrived I was pointed toward the buffet table.  I was literally in the banquet room no more than two minutes, loading a burger on a bun, when Brian Dubie approached me in what seemed to be a bit of a contained huff.  He looked a bit rattled, let's just say.

The story just below the fold.

The Lieutenant Governor introduces himself and says, “When you get a moment I want to talk to you about what you said about the National Guard.”

I'm a little taken aback, trying to recall what I said about the Guard.  In my moment of confusion, I can't help but respond with a crinkle of the eyebrow and a genuine facial expression of surprise.  I quickly reply, “Sure, whenever it's convenient for you.”

It's clear to me what Dubie is really talking about.  I had never said anything about the Vermont National Guard; but I had, however, referred to his 2006 two-week tour of duty in Baghdad as a “Tour of Glory” in my campaign announcement just nine days earlier.  As an unknown candidate I had made a conscious choice to come out strong, and frankly, I had no interest to hold back from calling out Dubie on a political stunt in disguise as a call to active duty. 

As soon as the luncheon is over, the fire fighters recess to the conference room as the banquet room empties out.  The last to start my meal, I'm also the last to finish, and as the movement to the next part of the day proceeds, Brian Dubie makes a B-line for my table.

Sitting with only one chair between us, Dubie says he wants to follow up with me and immediately goes into a breathless 10 minute vent.  He talks about how we are both Vermonters, how we both have families, and how he's won 5 elections.  The last part he mentions at least twice.  “I've won 5 elections.”  Vent, vent, vent.  “You know, I've won 5 elections.”

It's as if he hasn't even stopped to take a breath.  He unloads everything off his chest in what seems like a single, outward exhale from a pressure that's been building inside him for somewhere between 9 hours up to 9 days.  I maintain eye contact, nod my head reassuringly and give him the space to get everything out. 

Then he gets to the good part.  The part that reveals the inner Brian Dubie.  He's talking about wanting to keep the campaign from getting unpleasant, and says: 

“If things get too….”

He doesn't complete the sentence, but makes a stuttering gesture with both hands suggesting a palpable frustration. 

Then he delivers the nut:

“When it comes to public service, I could walk away from it all.”

Where's the microphone when you need it?  My next thought is, “Sounds good.  Let me help you out with that.”

Somehow my listening skills drop off for a moment as these words form a deep imprint in my brain.  But it's only another minute when Dubie stops abruptly, taking a breath as he says, “There, that's what I have to say.”

Enough said.

Let's face it:  No Vermonter serves America better than Brian Dubie does.

As you may recall, Vermont's Lieutenant Governor has been called to duty three times in the last four years.  Each time he has been called up it has been an important moment in American history.  Hurricane Katrina.  The Iraq War.  And now, Hurricane Ike.  Interestingly, each time he's been called up it's also been at a critical moment in the cycle of Vermont's campaign season.

This time he's being called up to coordinate personnel and supplies in response to Hurricane Ike.  He'll be serving from the pretty safe distance of Florida's gulf-side Big Bend region.  In the NOAA weather map above, you can see that Dubie isn't exactly going to be on the front lines of the battle against water, wind and power outages. 

No matter.  Brian Dubie gets to play hero.  Again.  The hero thing is pretty cool the first time and even the second.  But let's just say, maybe it's about time Brian Dubie stops hogging all the glory work.  I know, I know, it's so much more exciting than being Vermont's Lieutenant Governor or flying back-and-forth, back-and-forth all week long on an American Airlines schedule.  Hero work can be really fun in an adrenaline-rush sort of way.

It's an unthinkable taboo to question any soldier's commitment to service.  As a fellow Vermonter, I believe that Brian Dubie is a patriot and serves our country selflessly.  You can't question the guy's love for mom and apple pie.  But Brian Dubie isn't just a soldier; he's also a politician.  And as we all know, politicians love to be the hero and claim all of the glory.  Brian Dubie is not immune to the politician's easy acceptance of unearned credit.

This is why we should think a little more critically about Brian Dubie's very short stints of service.  This is also why we should even ask what truly outstanding achievement Colonel Dubie accomplished during his two weeks coordinating relief for Hurricane Katrina victims in Septermber 2005 such that he was awarded his second Meritorious Service Medal. This is no small honor, and in fact, it usually represents prolonged or extraordinary acheivement in a non-combat situation.  Some soldiers have earned the Meritorious Service Medal for three years commanding a squadron, or three years serving as a nurse at Walter Reed, or three years of service PLUS work during the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.  At least one soldier has earned the medal in a single event, during a rescue of American hostages.

What was Brian Dubie's extraordinary achievement while he was “coordinating” relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?  After all, it's not like “coordinators” get that much respect these days from the likes of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who Dubie happily endorses.  The Republican governor from Alaska mocked Presidential candidate Barack Obama's work as a community coordinator in the rough streets of Chicago just two weeks ago.

Maybe there was a swell of heroism during Dubie's two weeks in Mississippi, and maybe all of Vermont's good soldiers came home to receive the Meritorious Service Medal award for their efforts, too.  If this was the case, it seems to have been overlooked by Vermont's leading newspapers at the time.  Instead, the honor and the glory seemed to belong exclusively to the Lieutenant Governor and upon his return  Dubie announced he was creating an exploratory committee for a possible U.S. Senate campaign.  

There's something politically predictable about Dubie's pattern of election-cycle September deployments as we saw in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina, in 2006 with his tidy Tour of Glory to Baghdad, and today's news about his deployment to Florida.  Each call-up lasted only two weeks, and each one took place just in time for a campaign or a possible campaign.  

The lines become a little gray when a soldier also happens to be a leading politician.  We can't ask rank and file soldiers to weigh politics against honor.

But we can ask Brian Dubie why he flies off like a cowboy pilot during the last three September campaign seasons, and then returns home as an American hero with war stories from the rooftops of Baghdad or the airpads of Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida.

0

Despite the primary outcome, our campaign is not over.  It is time to face brutal reality here on GMD that, if we do nothing significant prior to the general election, we may have Jim Douglas as our governor for another two years.

What can you do about it?  Why should you do anything about it?  

Because if there is only one thing we all agree on, it is that Jim Douglas has given us nothing more than something to complain about.  

Do you want Jim Douglas to be in office another two years?  This is not a question about our candidate or any other candidate on the left nor the dynamic between them.  However, we simply do not further the liberal cause by nit-picking the most likely candidate to beat Jim Douglas this close to the general election.

Do you want Jim Douglas to be in office another two years?  If not, start hammering as hard as you can on him.  After all, this is our job as the grassroots/netroots of the Democratic party.

If you cannot muster your energy to generate a loud rebellion against the Douglas incumbency in the waning days of this election cycle, you must want Jim Douglas to hold us back another two years.  

With your help, I have just concluded a campaign I am very, very proud to have run.  But so long as we are facing the possibility of another Douglas administration, my campaign to call out Douglas/Dubie is far from over.  I will not quit my campaign to speak clearly and loudly against Jim Douglas, and I hope my commitment will help inspire yours. 

We are vigorous in our debates against each other.  We need to turn that energy outward today.  If there is one thing we can all agree on, its that another two years of a Douglas/Dubie administration is not acceptable.  Whining on November 5th will not create the change we need.

Let's get to work.  Write a letter to the editor.  Produce a video and post it.  Hold your friends and colleagues accountable to voting for change.  If you need an idea, inspiration or organizational direction, contact me.  Any time, day or night.  

Let's ge to work.

Nate Freeman

888-244-2401

NateFreeman@gmail.com

( – promoted by odum)

Many of you received my conciliatory note of concession in the primary race for Lieutenant Governor last night; and of course you must know that my inbox was full this morning.  With so many folks sending me the love, I would like to offer a sincere, gentlemanly bow from the waist and tip of the hat for the honor of sharing the stage in a statewide campaign. 

Also, to allay anyone's concerns that I may be down in the dumps today, rest assured of this fact:  over the last few years through our vigorous discussions here on GMD I have learned to wear a thick skin, not take things personally, and keep up the good fight.  Today I'm actually a little more rested than I have been in weeks and I'm very proud of my run in respect to the way we raised the issues and the firm positions we took.  This success belongs to you folks, too.  Through Green Mountain Daily and Vermont Daily Briefing and in direct conversations with some of you folks in particular, I have learned a wealth of information and a bit more political savvy than I could have possessed without my participation here.

I would especially like thank those who sent along a bit of cash, sound advice, and a kind word about the campaign along to their friends.  If you don't get a personal card from me immediately, don't worry, it's coming.

But now it's time to get back to work.  There are a couple of concepts I delivered over the last few weeks that may be useful to call up from time to time when the associated issues arise, and I'd like to offer these once again for everyone to claim as their own or hash out in support of better solutions.