All posts by Sue Prent

About Sue Prent

Artist/Writer/Activist living in St. Albans, Vermont with my husband since 1983. I was born in Chicago; moved to Montreal in 1969; lived there and in Berlin, W. Germany until we finally settled in St. Albans.

Just the Facts: About Rigged Elections and Fraud

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It seems incredible that such a measure should be necessary to reassure the voters of Vermont, but in the wake of unsupported claims by Donald Trump of widespread voter fraud, our Secretary of State, Jim Condos, has felt compelled to set the record straight:

Just the Facts: About Rigged Elections and Voter Fraud

By Jim Condos, Vermont Secretary of State

Recent unsupported allegations and sensationalized reporting are sowing seeds of doubt about our democratic process. This undermines voter confidence and calls into question whether all voices will be heard on November 8th.

As Vermont’s Secretary of State and chief elections officer, former State Senator, former City Councilor, and lifelong voter, I’ve been following our elections my entire adult life. I am frustrated by the careless way in which these stories attack our very democracy. They show a real lack of understanding of the true risks.

I’d like to set the record straight.

Vermont’s elections will not be “rigged” and “voter fraud” is essentially non-existent here and across the U.S. In fact, a Loyola University study by constitutional law professor Justin Levitt found just 31 instances of potential voter fraud between 2000 and 2014. According to Levitt, more than 1 BILLION ballots (local, state, federal) were cast in that period.

Vermont’s elections process is nonpartisan, transparent and decentralized to the town level. Any hacking or altering of results would require a conspiracy on a massive scale.

I can assure Vermonters we have taken every precaution to insure our elections are secure. I’m confident my elections team, our IT security staff, law enforcement, and local election officials will continue to protect the integrity of our electoral process.

I have faith in our system, and you should too. Here’s why:

 Vermont’s Election process is decentralized – to the local level. Someone trying to influence or change an election would have to hack into each town’s vote tabulators.

  •   Our tabulators are not connected to each other, the internet or any other software – eitherhard-wired or wireless.
  •   It has been suggested that the memory cards (MCs) in these machines could be tampered with, but from the time the MCs are delivered, 2-4 weeks before the election, the clerks are instructed to keep them secure. As long as the MC is stored securely, it cannot be manipulated.
  •   10-14 days before the election, the clerks complete a logic & accuracy test on the MCs.
  •   Vermont requires a paper ballot for our statewide elections. That ballot is sealed, secured and stored for 22 months after each statewide election.

 After each General election, we randomly audit several towns to insure results are accurate.

Another story that makes for great headlines is the risk of cyberattacks.

Are we vulnerable? There is always a risk and there will always be vulnerabilities, but the risk has been overstated. There are only two confirmed cases of successful hacking in other states, and those breeches were of voter registration databases having nothing to do with election results.

In Vermont, we have taken many precautions to secure our systems and data including a cyber risk assessment, penetration test, and firewalls. We are on high alert and in contact with federal law enforcement to identify and respond to any threats as they arise.

I have faith in our hard-working city/town clerks, local elections officials, and volunteer poll workers who conduct Vermont’s elections. We work directly with those individuals, providing

training, supplies, and other support.

They appreciate voting and cherish it as a fundamental right. They know what it means for democracy and are passionate about ensuring free and fair elections and careful, accurate results. To say that elections will be “rigged” or “hacked” or voter fraud is “very common” ignores the facts and insults their integrity.

Regrettably, the more harmful effect of casting unfounded aspersions is to rattle our confidence and prevent us from voting or trusting the outcome of those votes – a direct attack on democracy. That should concern us all, making us even more determined not to allow such threats to work.

I’m confident in our democratic process and how we have secured our elections. While there will always be vulnerabilities and risks, Vermonters should know they can go to the polls on November 8th and cast their ballots with the full expectation that their votes will be counted and their voices will be heard.

Remember, Your Vote is Your Voice!

Jim Condos is Vermont’s Secretary of State. Vermont’s voter registration deadline is November 2 @ 5PM. Register by visiting your town clerk or online at www.olvr.sec.state.vt.us.

Visit: www.sec.state.vt.us
Twitter: @VermontSOS and   facebook.com/SecretaryOfStateJimCondos

 

Trump, Treason and “America’s Mayor”

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As he rages through the Democratic process like King Kong on steroids, Donald Trump has few remaining national figures endorsing his behavior.

One of the most steadfast of these is Rudi Giuliani who was once-upon-a-time christened “America’s Mayor” in the national gush of emotion following 9/11.

He seemed the very model of a modern mayor-general, briefly symbolizing the resolution of all New Yorkers to rise from the ashes of the World Trade Center. A hero.

The rest of the nation didn’t really know him before then, so they warmly embraced the narrative.

Pausing in his rush to war with the wrong country, then President Bush addressed the nation and told us to go out shopping. The terrorists were enemies of “our way of life,” and we were not going to surrender that way of life, allowing the terrorists to ‘win.’

But they did ‘win’; not after years and years of resistance, but practically overnight. The transformation began with paranoia and the War Powers Act. It was all downhill after then.

Rudy Giuliani’s unblinking loyalty to Donald Trump, as he attempts to discredit the foundational process in our democracy, is testament to the terrorists’ victory over American ideals.

Giuliani and the hate filled “basket of deplorables” driving the Trump ‘movement’ have handed the 9/11 terrorists a victory beyond their wildest dreams.

Those terrorists only succeeded in killing people and destroying buildings. On the morning after, our time honored democratic institutions and tradition of generosity and civility were still intact. They had yet to be undermined by the enemy within.

Capitalizing on a decade and a half of festering ignorance, fear and xenophobia, Trump and his minions have ginned-up an angry mob that threatens the very foundations of our democracy.

By his example, he has given them license to hate, ridicule and intimidate virtually anyone who doesn’t look like them; and hinted darkly of Armageddon should they not succeed in carrying him to power.

Together they have sold this extremely suggestible sector the fiction that the historic first female candidate for president, with whom they sympathized in the 1990’s when her Democratic dog of a husband did her wrong, has somehow turned into Darth Vader and is about to destroy the Empire.

Donald Trump has so much contempt for the nation he fatuously claims to love, that he refuses to familiarize himself with even the most basic principles of checks and balances that serve as the framework to our democracy. His interest in the law is limited to how it can serve his selfish interests or be exploited for personal revenge.

The steady stream of vindictive hyperbole has finally become sufficiently toxic so that even some traditionally conservative media outlets are beginning to awaken to the danger they’ve unleashed by encouraging this dancing bear. But it’s too little and it may be too late.

Like Hitler planning the destruction of Berlin when the inevitable defeat loomed before him, Trump is readying his followers for schism and revolt by prematurely and openly challenging the legitimacy of the election process.

It surely is treason to sow distrust in the Democratic process among the electorate, tease at the idea of retribution and gleefully fan the flames of violent uprising.

…And Giuliani is aiding and abetting this treasonous madness!

“America’s Mayor” indeed!

Rudy Giuliani: “Voter fraud is this big!”

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Celebrating civility

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Perhaps under the poisonous influence of Donald Trump , civility seems in short supply this election season, even in some of Vermont’s statewide elections.

Randy Brock  has taken the low road in challenging Dave Zuckerman for the office of Lieutenant Governor (see below), and rather than focusing on policy, has chosen to run ads distorting Zuckerman’s words and assassinating his character.

I found that a pretty pathetic sign of the times..

So I was pleased to hear the high tone that Marina Brown, the Liberty Union candidate for Auditor of Accounts, adopted in an interview on VPR yesterday.

She explained that she wants the auditor’s office to create a web portal through which members of the public might more easily access all manner of government records. She says her goal is to improve transparency.

When asked what issues she has with two-term Auditor Doug Hoffer (D/P), Marina Brown (LU) said simply that she thinks he is doing a good job.

A minor party challenger complimenting the incumbent while simply presenting how she thinks the office could be improved would not usually be cause for much discussion; however, in this poisonous election cycle, it was as welcome to my Trump-weary ears as caroling on a snowy Christmas Eve.

Thank you Marina Brown.

What has Corey Parent got that Carol Breuer wants?

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What interest does a family of gay marriage opposition activists in Massachusetts have in heavily funding one Franklin County Republican House member’s campaigns, in particular?

I was taken aback the first time a billboard-size banner for local Republican senate candidate Dustin Degree popped up near the access road to I-89 in St. Albans. When an equally gigantic banner for Republican House candidate Corey Parent joined it, I must confess I almost veered off the road! Phil Scott’s banner at the same location is roughly one-third the size!

Now I know where some of the money is coming from.

When this story first came to my attention more than a week ago, I decided to do a little additional digging to try and put some flesh on the bones before setting the question before GMD readers.

I am honestly stumped.

According to records, one Carol Breuer of Winchester Massachusetts, and her husband Tom Breuer, appear to have given my St. Albans City Representative, Corey Parent, the princely sum of $8,000. in campaign contributions since 2013.

In the notorious world of quid-pro-quo (gleefully played like a fiddle by Donald J. Trump), one must ask what exactly they expect to get in return for their considerable investment?

Several Franklin County Republican candidates received support form the Breuers in 2013-2014, including Larry Fiske (Franklin 7) who was also remembered in 2016. His total in contributions from the Breuers for both campaigns has run to $4,000., with only $1,000. so far in 2016.

In 2013-2014 Tom Breuer also gave $4,000. each in contributions to Franklin County Senators Norm McAllister and Dustin Degree among a host of statewide Republican candidates including Phil Scott who netted a relatively modest total of $4,000. for 2014 and 2016 combined.

Though they seem to be Massachusetts based, the Breuers appear to have acquired a property in Stowe in 2013, and have contributed heavily to Vermont Republicans ever since. Whereas most candidates get only one bite of the Breuer apple, Parent is one of the very few in 2016 to get $1,000. from Carol and then another $1,000. from Tom.

Other “big winners” from the Breuer bankroll have been Robert L. Bancroft (Chittenden 8-3) $7,000. since 2013; Scott L. Beck (Caledonia 3) $6,250 since 2013; and Warren Van Wyck (Addison 3) $6,000. since 2013). Details of all contributions are available on the Secretary of State’s website, if you have a lot of time to kill.

Overall, the Breuers have invested more in Parent ($8,000.) than in any other individual candidate. As a constituent, this has definitely provoked my interest.

These seem extraordinarily high figures for what are essentially out-of-state, individual contributions to a House race representing relatively few constituents.

In July and August of 2016, the Breuers also contributed $8,000. to Commonsense Leadership, a PAC heavily weighted with tobacco and pharmaceutical industry interests.

Commonsense recently ran afoul of Vermont campaign finance law, as detailed in Seven Days on March 18, by Paul Heinz

There is an intolerant tinge to the money that comes from the Breuers and we must wonder what they are peddling this time. http://bluemassgroup.com/2008/09/gang-of-three-state-republicans-get-funding-from-bigoted-group/

The Breuers have supported the Massachusetts Independent Political Action Committee for Working Families, (MIPAC) and the Family Research Council Political Action Committee, identified in 2010 as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center https:// www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/family-research-council.

Carol Breuer has also given generously to the infamous Family Research Council Action PAC.

All of these entities have focussed on undermining the rights of the LGBTQ community.

I, for one, would appreciate a much more in-depth examination by the media of where the big money that is invading our local races is coming from.

One has to ask why a Massachusetts-based family with such a negative political agenda has chosen to focus so much of their financial support on my legislative representative, and why he has chosen to accept it.

*(Here again is the link that the SS office gave me to campaign finance filings from 2014: https://www.sec.state.vt.us/elections/campaign-finance/search-previous-years-reports/ post-2009-report-search.aspx )

Calling Doctor Dean

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The frequency and blatancy of Donald Trump’s lies seem to be increasing under the pressures of the campaign. Sometimes the effect is so bizarre that one is tempted to think that Trump has a little internal Trump, a voice inside his head perhaps, that compels him irresistibly against his, or at least his handlers’ best judgement.

The Nile may be a river in Egypt, but Donald seems to have denial hardwired into every fiber of his being.   Take these Trumpian recollections just around the debate:

.  He didn’t sniff throughout the debate. It was a bad microphone, which he has alternately claimed didn’t carry his voice because it was too short, or was so sensitive that it created the illusion that he was sniffing. Which is it?

.  A truly record breaking audience heard him clearly respond to a Clinton statement that perhaps he never pays federal income tax, “That makes me smart.” The very next day, he vehemently denied making any such statement.

This, in addition to the numerous documented lies he told during the debate, and the body count on his lies in general (roughly 70% of his statements), allow even amateur psychologists to venture a guess that his disaffection for the truth may be pathological.

He lies even about unimportant things, like the sniffing. He lies unstrategically, like a child, to protect his vanity; even when the truth is undeniably evident to all but his most loyal supporters.

Like the Emperor parading in his birthday suit, he has grown accustomed to sycophants indulging him in whatever fantasy flatters him most.

Watching a series of blonde female handlers, like Stepford wives, try to justify his whoppers makes the experience that much more surreal.

I am not a journalist, nor a doctor; I am nevertheless possessed of ordinary powers of observation. As it did to Dr. Howard Dean, it occurred to me, after about the twelfth sniff Sunday night, that Mr. Trump does indeed exhibit the signs of a cokehead.

After all, we have only his word that he never drinks or does drugs; and how good has that word proven to be?

Something is toodling around in that noggin of his, causing him to drift into the imaginary rather too frequently for a Presidential candidate.

If not coke, may I suggest (from an amateur standpoint, of course) that Mr. Trump’s “id” may be a fully formed second personality, wedded to the idea of an alternative reality?

He may well be a loving husband and father and a functional business person in the workaday world.

Much of the time, that second personality may be content to sit in the passenger seat as Trump’s ego struts its stuff; but when overcome by excitement or anxiety or a challenge to his manhood, it takes the wheel like a reckless child, driving the bus straight over the cliff.

Think of all those whacky conspiracy theories he’s flirted with or fully embraced. He has even created a conspiracy myth about general media bias to answer the evidence that lies in decades of his own recorded words.

Is that not worthy of scrutiny for clinical paranoia?

Mr. Trump is a whole different kind of candidate for President who refuses to be held to the standards of the past.  He has absolutely no record of public service and refuses to open his personal records to satisfy basic questions of competency and trustworthiness.  Ordinarily, that would be enough to raise an alarm among middle America, but his skill as a snake-charmer seems to have precluded that native caution.

“Gentlemen’s agreements” and custom must be replaced with definite rules regarding what standards candidates for the highest office in the land must satisfy in a timely manner.

These should certainly include financial records of their taxes and the taxes of any entities with which they are formally associated; and detailed medical records covering at least a decade. The rules should also require a psychological evaluation by an independent practitioner acceptable to both parties.

If the two parties survive to another general election (and I say that with only half a winking smile), it behooves them both to make this happen.

Endorsement Season!

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Like so many others, I have been spellbound for too long by the train wreck on the national campaign stage.  ‘Time for a cup-half-full moment, as we note some of the great endorsements netted by a few deserving folks.

Since it could be argued that this is the year of Bernie Sanders, perhaps the best endorsements of the 2016 campaign season flow from his celebrated hands.  Of course, Bernie reserves his stamp of approval in state races for the few, the proud:  the Progressives!

He has bestowed this blessing on Dave Zuckerman for Lieutenant Governor; auditor Doug Hoffer for reelection; Senate candidates Anthony Pollina (Washington) and Chris Pearson (Chittenden); and House candidates: Jill Charbonneau (Chittenden 1); Mari Cordes (Addison 4); Celene Colburn (Chittenden 6-4); Diana Gonzalez (Chittenden 6-7); Susan Davis (Orange1); Robin Chestnut-Tangerman (Rutland-Bennington); Mollie Burke (Brattleboro); Sandy Haas (Rochester); and my good friend Cindy Weed, who is once again standing for the House in Franklin 7.

If I missed anyone, please chime in in the comments. I put this list together a little hastily as I wanted to be sure to get it up on GMD in a somewhat more timely manner than has lately been my habit.

Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) has released their full roster of statewide endorsements, just in time for early voting which began today, and a couple of Bernie’s picks are in that lineup, as well.

Making the VCV “Team” are Sue Minter for Governor, Dave Zuckerman for Lieutenant Governor, Jim Condos for Auditor Secretary of State, T.J. Donovan for Attorney General, and Doug Hoffer for Auditor.

Anyone familiar with the sustainability mission of Vermont Conservation Voters will not be the least bit surprised by their picks.

“Vermont Conservation Voters is pleased to endorse a slate of statewide candidates with strong environmental values, all of whom are committed to ensuring the state continues working toward healthy drinking water for all Vermonters, clean lakes and rivers, climate action, sustainable communities, and other environmental priorities,” said Lauren Hierl, Political Director for Vermont Conservation Voters.

It may surprise some that the VCV has declined to endorse for Treasure, but also consistent with their mission is the obligation to occasionally withhold the ‘carrot’ as well as the ‘stick:”

“VCV is not endorsing a candidate in the Treasurer’s race this year. While VCV appreciates Treasurer Beth Pearce’s work on issues such as water quality funding and energy efficiency investments, the organization is hoping to see more leadership from the Treasurer’s office on divesting the state’s pension investment portfolio from fossil fuels”.

Congratulations to all the above, and good luck in the coming fray.

What and when they knew: the shadow over Degree and Parent

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Election day is nearing and Franklin County voters must decide whether or not it is important for them to have representatives in Montpelier who are at least minimally aware of potentially dangerous or compromising situations close at hand.

So far, we have not had the privilege of hearing substantive accounts from either Dustin Degree or Corey Parent of their day-to-day interactions with Norm McAllister and his teenaged “intern.”

It is a troubling gap.

Mr. Degree appears to have been an intimate of Mr. McAllister, who has himself implied that Mr. Degree knows far more about him and the situation with the teenager than anyone else; and Corey Parent has said in a sworn deposition that he often drove the teenager to and from Montpelier. Furthermore, the “intern” herself has testified that she devoted time to working both for Mr. McAllister’s and Mr. Degree’s election.

While no one would accuse either Degree or Parent of being complicit with Mr. McAllister’s alleged crimes, to accept that they were wholly unaware of the unhealthy relationship is to also accept that both gentlemen are singularly lacking in curiosity and intuition; two things that would seem fairly important to the offices that they currently hold.

Their inability in such close proximity to appreciate the real danger to the young girl (or even a hint of impropriety) represents a failure by Degree, at the very least, and possibly Parent as well, to uphold the sworn obligation to protect their constituents.

If I were a Franklin County Republican, I would be taking a second look at the Democrats in this election cycle, because all of the incumbent Republicans must share some guilt for allowing McAllister to run rampant over their party and failing to protect the best interests of the county.

Nobody does it better.

National,

In case you’ve missed it, Garrison Keiller has just taken Donald Trump to the woodshed as only he could.

In an open letter appearing on the op-ed pages of many American papers (including, I am happy to report, the St. Albans Messenger) America’s Grandpa has penned the ultimate response to Donald Trump’s public year of personal bad behavior.

A sample:

“You are in the old tradition of locker room ranting and big honkers in the steam room, sitting naked, talking man talk, griping about the goons and ginks and lousy workmanship and the uppity broads and the great lays and how you vanquished your enemies at the bank”

Like a modern day Mark Twain, Garrison Keillor, older than dirt and considerably wiser than the spoiled septuagenarian man/child he lampoons, has brought his unique perspective to a presidential race that has been too long on sensation and too short on self-awareness.

His letter is destined to be one of the great literary relics of our political times, a highlighted footnote to the report card on twenty-first century U.S.-style democracy that I am sure we have coming to us in the not-so-distant future.

Press Seven for “Older Than Jesus.”

Green Mountain Grit

I just got polled for the 2016 election, thus entering the endless stream of statistics from which current campaigns will attempt to divine the future.

I suppose I should be flattered that anyone even cares what I think, but after I hung up the phone all I could think about was that, when they asked for my age, I had to wait patiently through six younger options before choosing the last, number seven, which was depressingly simple: I am now “over 65.”

Like some cliff to the abyss, “over 65” seems to imply that I’m just waiting for the undertaker.

Well, excuse me, but I still have my teeth, my full faculties and an undiminished appetite to see the future.

My husband (also “over 65”) and I carry a mortgage, insurance, a car loan, and our fair share of debt. We shop for groceries, replace clothing and shoes from time to time, and even appliances, as necessary. We’ve even been known to spring for a little entertainment, when the budget allows.

But we are simply shelved as the generic ‘old’ by marketing mavens. Our individual habits and opinions are of little concern to them, so we routinely receive automated calls concerning chairlifts and back braces in which we have supposedly expressed interest.

We haven’t. In the course of just attempting to continue our meager income stream, I routinely carry twenty-two pound barrels of material up a flight of stairs and through the house. My husband carries the heavier loads. We get by because we have no other choice. We’re not ready to throw in the towel. We do eye those chairlifts a little enviously, though. One would sure come in handy when we occasionally have to move a forty-pound barrel of material up that flight of stairs!

I remember when Baby Boomers drove the market like a mighty machine. Blue jeans, Beatles, “Europe on $5. a Day,” Mustangs & Beetles, Pop Art, Coca Cola, best-sellers, ‘starter’ homes, Jazzercise, “having it all,” pre-nups, ticking clocks, Montessori pre-school, Botox, mid-life crisis…Madison Avenue couldn’t get enough of us.

But that was then and this is now. Twitter, Instagram, i-Phone, Pokemon, kraft beer and exotic sliders, Uber, AirB&B, game night, technical apparel, youtube; we Boomers don’t have much impact on the market anymore.

At most, we are welcome on the perimeter of where it all happens, but we risk appearing as pathetic as Donald Trump’s comb-over.

Generational relevance passes in the blink of an eye; but if you believe the news, many of us irrelevancies may live into our hundreds. How very inconvenient.

We are reminded endlessly of how little will be our contribution to society from now on; and what a burden we will be for younger generations.

That’s unvarnished ageism.

If many will likely live to be a hundred, doesn’t it follow to some extent that we have to be reasonably healthy in order to do so? And if we are reasonably well at seventy in an era when people live to be a hundred, isn’t it possible that we might be as valuable a member of society at seventy-five as a 50-year old was when, not too long ago, the average age of death was seventy-five?

Why aren’t we giving more thought to how a healthy population of mobile and experienced “senior citizens” might contribute as much to the economic and social well-being of their communities as do much younger citizens. It doesn’t all have to be about chair-lifts and Depends.

Next time some robocalling pollster wants to know my age, how about letting me hear an eighth option: ”Are you over 85?”

Primary Flashback and Franklin County Frolics

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A belated congratulations are due to GMD’s own Mike McCarthy, who now, officially joins Rep. Kathy Keenan as our excellent  Democratic candidates for the Vermont House from St. Albans City.  Mike has already served a term as St. Albans’ House Rep. so we look forward to having him back again.

The heat knocked me out for the past week or so, but I’ve recovered enough to want to comment on the outcome of the primary.

Although I wasn’t particularly active in the primary, I could not be more pleased with the outcome. Despite the pain we all feel at the national spectacle, I think we have much to be grateful for, here at home.

Sue Minter and Dave Zuckerman comprise a very strong Democratic ticket. I look forward to the debates with relish!

I was also pleased to learn that despite the early endorsement pass by the VCV, Philip Baruth will be defending his seat against the Republican challengers once again.

Returning to Franklin County, it was, I think, a relief for the entire county that disgraced senator Norm McAllister went down in defeat. We can now refer to him summarily as ‘disgraced ex-senator’ Norm McAllister…and doesn’t that feel good.

Nevertheless, roughly 700 Franklin County voters actually endorsed candidate McAllister, leaving one to ponder whether his family is exceptionally large, or there is a significant population out there with disturbing attitudes toward women.

None could have been more relieved with the primary results than Franklin County Republicans, who would have not found it a pleasant experience to campaign on the same ticket with a virtual pariah

Stepping into the breech for Republicans was Representative Carolyn Branagan, who will join Dustin Degree in competition against our two outstanding Democratic candidates for senate, former Senator Sara Kittell and clean lake activist, Denise Smith.

It goes without saying that I support Sara and Denise without reservation, but I have to say that Brannagan would be a strong third choice. She’s a good moderate representative for her district and has a pretty good environmental voting record.

Incredibly, Branagan got some grief from McAllister and some of his supporters for having had the temerity to offer herself as a candidate in the scorched aftermath of McAllister’s untimely departure. No one expected him to run again, given that he was facing numerous charges for crimes against women; but run he did, submitting his petition in the last minute of the eleventh hour, when no one had a chance to discover that it did not satisfy the minimum of the law before time ran out on a challenge. That didn’t stop him from attacking, in a parting shot, the only woman on Franklin County’s Republican senate ticket

So now we have an interesting race shaping up for two senate seats in Franklin County: two strong Democratic women, one respected Republican woman…and Dustin Degree.

It does seem fitting that, for his sins, McAllister will definitely see a woman he probably loathes in his senatorial seat….no matter which woman that ends up being.

Of course, popular wisdom around here probably has Degree holding onto his seat, but I beg to differ. Branagan came in a strong second to Degree in the primary; and I think that even Republicans may be ready for a little more estrogen in the Franklin County delegation.

And there are those nagging, unanswered questions about who-knew-what-when.

In what could only be imagined as an attempt to drag Degree under the bus along with him, thus improving his own chances in the primary, McAllister himself hinted broadly that Degree knew more about him (and presumably, the ‘intern’) than anyone else.

We may never learn the whole story about the intern, but McAllister’s statement means Degree is in for some increased scrutiny.

Degree and McAllister campaigned almost in tandem in the past two election cycles. They passed two years as seatmates in the senate. The intern maintains that she helped on their shared campaign.

It is difficult to believe that Degree never visited the apartment where McAllister shared a bedroom with the intern, and that he never observed how very young and fragile she looked next to the sexagenarian farmer who presumably bossed her around at the statehouse.

Also to be questioned is Mike McCarthy’s House opponent Cory Parent, who gave the teenaged intern rides back to Franklin County from the statehouse. He seems to have been another close intimate of McAllister’s. One would think the relationship between McAllister and the intern could not have been entirely unobserved by Parent and Degree.

So, it should be interesting over the next couple of months. I sincerely hope that whoever conducts the debates does not shy away from the McAllister question. The voters deserve some answers before they cast their ballots again.