Tag Archives: Vermont Governor

Tayt Brooks finds a job

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Guess who’s getting his hands on the cookie jar?

Governor Elect Phil Scott announced a number of appointments today, but the one that really piqued my interest was that of St. Albans’ own Tayt Brooks who will serve as “director of affordability and and economic initiatives.”

As you may recall, Brooks occupied space in the Douglas administration as “economic development commissioner.” It sounds pretty much like his old job has simply been rebranded to protect the innocent.

It’s an interesting position for Brooks who formed his own superPAC, Vermonters First, and famously coaxed Leonore Broughton into parting with north of $100,000. in 2012, laboring and bringing forth a goose egg for Republicans in statewide elections…other than that of incumbent Lt. Gov., Phil Scott.

As director of that superPAC, Brooks got himself into hot water over having dinner with gubernatorial candidate Randy Brock during the 2012 campaign.  That’s strictly a no-no, as it has the optics of coordination between the campaign and the supposedly “independent” superPAC. Of course we believed that the topic of the election campaign was never even mentioned!

In that same election cycle, Vermonters First sent Franklin County voters an absentee ballot request to complete that resembled an actual ballot and apparently confused many voters.

As I recall, the activities of the superPAC belied the notion of anything that could remotely be considered“coordinated”…or even competent!

One ham handed-flyer distributed by VF-PAC was so garish and badly designed that we at GMD speculated that Brooks had amateurishly designed it himself on his own computer, so that less of Ms. Broughton’s dough went out the door. Would that was all! The flyer also featured the Seal of the State of Vermont. On campaign literature, that is also a big “no-no,” and even caught national attention.

Leonore was at it again in the 2016 cycle, even though Vermonters First appears to have evaporated. The entire superPAC depended upon one donor, and I suspect she figured she could do just as well (or poorly) without Brooks ministrations.  At least she bagged herself a governor this go-round.

Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I plan to put the office of “affordability and economic iniitatives” on speed-dial at my house.

There are a whole lot of affordability challenges that Mr. Brooks ought to be tackling, like telephone, cable and internet service; prescription drugs, textbooks…and fresh fruits and vegetables! The list goes on and on.

Somehow I suspect Mr. Brooks attention will not be devoted to making ordinary Vermonters’ lives more affordable; the ones who are just struggling to get by.  It’s pretty easy to guess that this office will have its laser focus on making business (and I don’t mean Mom & Pop operations) more “affordable.” That’s where the “incentives” come in. We’re not talking free in-state tuition for students who commit to living and working here after college graduation. We’re talking tax cuts, custom infrastructure and other goodies for the likes of IBM.

I suppose Brooks was bound to get office space from Scott.  Hopefully, the governor won’t  allow him to play with scissors.

 

Matt Dunne picks up key endorsements

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As Bernie’s campaign considers the way forward, our Vermont contests are just getting interesting.

Democratic candidate for governor, Matt Dunne has announced two huge endorsements from organized labor that should significantly bolster his campaign.  Both the Vermont Labor Council of the AFL-CIO and the Vermont Service Employee’s Association VSEA have come out for Dunne.

Dunne was a strong contender in the 2010 election cycle that ultimately delivered the governorship to Peter Shumin. I remember his enthusiastic young canvassers from that race, and was delighted to see them out in force this time, as well.  I had a very pleasant visit from two of his youthful squad a couple of days ago, the first canvassers to come to my door this year.

Sunday’s forum in St. Albans at St. Paul’s Methodist Church will be my first opportunity to hear from all of the Democratic candidates…and Bruce Lisman…on one stage and I am really looking forward to the experience.

It’s unusual to have a forum including members of both parties during the primary, but I am most eager to hear Lisman’s response to the inevitable question as to whether or not he will be a Donald Trump supporter.

I suppose, since Lisman played coy about his political affiliation for a number of years after launching “Campaign for Vermont,” he thinks maybe he still has a chance to pick up some votes from the Blue Dogs in Franklin County.

With Matt Dunne, Sue Minter and Peter Galbraith to contend with, all strong policy veterans with progressive chops, Lisman will have his work cut out for him just to look relevant. He may have cut a figure on Wall Street, but in Vermont, he’s just a carpetbagger without the good sense to try putting in some lesser public service before reaching for the governor’s mansion.

In any case, it should be an interesting evening.

Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum Sunday

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Thank you to Paula Schramm who provided the following information for anyone who would like to attend a Gubernatorial Candidates Panel in Franklin County:

St. Albans Gubernatorial Candidates Panel – Sunday June 12th

When: Sunday June 12th 2:00-4:00pm
Where: St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (11 Church St. St Albans, VT)
Featuring: Matt Dunne, Sue Minter, Peter Galbraith, Bruce Lisman

RSVP here or at www.radvt.org/june12
or on Facebook at – https://www.facebook.com/events/1082285081828401/
Pose questions for the candidates at radvt.org/june12questions

The next Governor of Vermont will have to make critical decisions that will shape the lives of our communities for decades. Our next governor could be the leader who will help grow a vibrant, stable, open Vermont for all families. Who are the people who want to take on this role? Where do they stand on the issues that will most affect our lives and families in Franklin County? We have invited all current candidates and have confirmations already from Matt Dunne, Sue Minter, Peter Galbraith and Bruce Lisman. Join us and spread the word!

The Candidates Panel is hosted by Rights & Democracy, a new statewide grassroots organization geared to bring people together to take action to build healthy communities and make the values of our communities guide the policies of our government. We work in partnership with community groups, progressive unions, faith communities, organizations fighting for human and civil rights, and environmental and climate action groups. Co-sponsors include Main Street Alliance, Voices for Vermont’s Children, and the Vermont Center for Independent Living.

Interesting, isn’t it that notably absent from he lineup is Phil Scott, who apparently prefers to keep his head down and hope no one notices.

Skipping such events suggests a certain entitlement on the part of Scott, which national voters in this election cycle do not seem to find at all attractive.

If Franklin County voters get the impression that Scott thinks the Republican nomination is in-the-bag for him, they just might not show up at the ballot boxes.

‘Just sayin’…

 

Finding a Governor in the VPR Tea Leaves

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2016: the year of surprises. Donald Trump sweeping to victory in Nevada and South Carolina this week has every pundit in the game eating crow. Bernie’s huge win in New Hampshire was unthinkable a few months back. That said, we’re going to have to wait a while longer to be surprised when it comes to the Vermont governor’s race.

The VPR poll didn’t say anything shocking on the subject of who will occupy Vermont’s top office next year. First of all- Vermonters aren’t paying attention yet, and that’s good news for the Democrats. Fully 2/3 of Vermonters are either not following the race closely or not following it at all.

It’s no surprise that Lt. Governor Phil Scott polls well. He is the only candidate in the race who occupies statewide office. He has the best name recognition. The casual reader might say that it looks like he has a huge lead. Only one-third of respondents said they could tell whom they favored in the Governor’s race so far. So, you can throw out the question that tries to stack all of the four candidates against each other. Democrats and Independents aren’t yet ready to say which candidate they support.

Republicans are clear about their choice for Governor. Phil Scott is the solid favorite on the Republican side. Bruce Lisman couldn’t hit double digits no matter how the question was asked. After all of the time, effort and (of course) money that Bruce Lisman put into Campaign for Vermont and his race the VPR poll must be a big disappointment.

Matt Dunne has a solid lead against Sue Minter across regions and demographics. Still, those who are not sure who to vote for make up the majority of Democrats, so it’s still anyone’s game. A friend reminded me today that Brian Dubie had a 20 point lead all summer long in 2010 as the Democrats were battling it out. Dubie’s poll numbers dropped quickly once the race was head-to-head.

My money says that Scott’s numbers will dive like Brian Dubie’s if one of the Democrats surges and becomes the presumptive nominee, and will definitely do so once the primary happens. August is a long way away at this point though, and a lot can happen in six months.

If Donald Trump or another wild candidate like Senator Ted Cruz wins the Republican nomination it won’t help Lt. Governor Scott’s chances of winning in November. While the conventional wisdom says Scott will be our next Governor, I think 2016 is the year of the unconventional.

Matt Dunne must be looking at this poll and seeing the opportunity. He has the early advantage among Democrats and if he can introduce himself to the 2/3 of Vermonters who aren’t paying much attention yet he may be able to do the unbelievable and beat Phil Scott in November.

Update: It takes an extremist to endorse an extremist.

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Update: Well, it appears that our current Lieutenant Governor, Phil Scott, who currently  aspires to be the next Governor, has also endorsed Rubio, albeit not in so full-throated a manner as has his predecessor.  It sounds as iif he would prefer to maintain his protective cover, but this endorsement outs him as an extremist enabler at the very least.

So Brian Dubie endorses Marco Rubio for President?

Dubie endorses Rubio for Vermont’s presidential primary

Let’s see what that tells us about our own former Lieutenant Governor.

He didn’t endorse Kasich, who is still in the race. He didn’t simply abstain from an endorsement.  He went out of his way and endorsed Marco Rubio…the third most extreme conservative in the race…and I quote:

“I am pleased to announce my support for Sen. Marco Rubio,” Dubie said in a statement. “Sen. Rubio can win this election and put forward bold conservative ideas once in the White House that would ensure the American Dream is passed down to future generations. Sen. Marco Rubio is a strong conservative nominee who can win.”

How about them apples?

For all of his chameleon-like posturing as a moderate, Brian Dubie has just flown his true colors and they are screeching right-turn red.

Let’s see what Marco has espoused in the primary.

Exhibit A: Immigration?

Like the Donald, he’s “going to build a wall.” It will be 700 miles long and we’re going to have to pay for it.

Commenting on Meet the Press, and in complete denial of the fact that illegal immigration has been in sharp decline since 2005 he said

“We are worse off today than we were five years ago,” he told host Chuck Todd. “We have more illegal immigrants here.”

Exhibit B: Healthcare?

Rubio vows to repeal “Obamacare,” even though he and his family have chosen to enroll in the D.C. exchange, benefitting from the much greater subsidy available to members of Congress than that which is available to the general public. Nice.

Exhibit C: Minimum Wage?

Marco doesn’t believe there should be one. That’s right. In Marco’s perfect world (which, presumably, is Brian’s as well), trickle down economics from the tax breaks he wants to give to the rich will take care of all that. Just like it did in the reign of George II.

Exhibit D: LGBT Rights?

He’ll have no more of that! Marriage is between a man and a woman. Period. His words:

…he threatened to render the decision on gay marriage ineffectual by using his presidential powers to appoint only conservative justices to the bench who would supposedly interpret the ruling differently.

“Ultimately, I will appoint Supreme Court justices that will interpret the Constitution as originally constructed,’ Rubio said Sunday.”

I guess that means interracial marriage will once more be in danger under a Rubio reign, too.  It’s good to be king.

How moderate is Dubie looking now?

Exhibits E & F: Women’s right to choose? Women’s right to affordable healthcare?

Rubio doesn’t recognize those rights…not even in the event of rape or incest.

Furthermore, he has vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, completely mischaracterizing the charitable women’s health service as being in the business of promoting abortion for profit.
Exhibit G: Freedom of religion?

Not so much for Muslims,.

Rubio has compared Muslims to Nazi’s and even suggested that mosques and other places where Muslims gather should be shut down.

I could go on, but you get the picture.

Brian Dubie endorses Marco Rubio’s brand of conservatism, which isn’t at all conservative in the usual sense of the word.

It is extreme and anyone who agrees with Mr. Rubio is an extremist.

Vermonters as a whole do not tend to be extremists so it is difficult to see what Mr. Dubie’s path to victory in the Governor’s race would have been, given that he so enthusiastically endorses the extreme views of someone like Marco Rubio.