Monday, Monday

More darkness and dampness over Burlington this morning. Feel bad for all the tourists. And there have been scads of them this summer!

And for the second consecutive Monday in Vermont, no candidate for statewide political office is holding a press conference to get their name out on the airwaves tonight and in tomorrow’s daily papers.

I just don’t get it.

It’s called “free media.” Sure it gives the press a shot at questioning the candidate live, unrehearsed, with the cameras and tape recorders rolling. But shouldn’t someone who aspires to be one of Vermont’s two U.S. senators or our only voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, or, god forbid,  governor, be brave enough to chance it?

If I’m not mistaken, the November 7, 2006 election in the United States of America is of rather significant consequence, is it not?

There are, are there not, some rather substantial, significant and heavy issues on the table, eh?

Front and center, there’s the needless, now endless bloodbath in Iraq. The senseless war that the Bush White House and the GOP happilly began as a macho response to 9/11 and now can't figure out how to end.

And then there’s the current U.S. National Debt - greatest amount of red ink in history courtesy of the Bush-Cheney-Rove-DeLay Team of radical, right-wing extremists.

But even more disturbing is the new and much more deadly man-made threat called “global warming” - a fact of our lives that more and more folks are finally - finally - starting to face. 

Question: How did the values of the good ol’ USA, the once shining beacon of technological genius, artistic creativity, justice, freedom and hope to the rest of the planet, get so twisted and turned around so quickly? 

Answer: One party rule since January 20, 2001.

Which is probably why this is not a good election to be a member of the Republican Party, eh?

And that explains why self-funded Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rich Tarrant - the  former software executive - is spending millions to fabricate a new political image out of whole cloth and convince stupid Vermont voters he is a “true Independent!”

Ah, the things money can buy!

It might work in some states, even in Tarrant’s true home state of Florida where he built his new oceanfront mansion and garages his Bentley, but it ain’t going to work in Vermont.

For a little recent front-line evidence, check out this story about Richie Rich on the campaign trail from last Thursday’s Brattleboro Reformer:

"Your radio ads say that you are a 'true independent in the Vermont tradition,'" said a Brattleboro woman who declined to give her name. "But there isn't anything about you being a Republican. What does that mean?"

Tarrant said he was not taking Republican money, he didn't need the job and he thought independently, pointing to his idea to wean Americans from foreign oil by switching over to sugar cane-based ethanol fuels, and for expanding Medicare to insure all Americans.

"But how are you going to get anything done in Washington where you're either for us or against us?" she continued. "If we do send you to Washington, how do you think you're going to do it?"

"You have to start somewhere," said Tarrant.

As an independent herself, the woman said that she often votes Republican, but did not want to support continued Republican control of the Senate.

"I don't know if I can give Bush power anymore," she said. "I probably will not vote Republican for that reason. You have a good candidate (Tarrant), but it's not a good party."

Rich Tarrant may have enormous personal wealth, and indeed he earned every penny of it, God bless him! But when it comes to Vermont politics, you just can’t put a price tag on common sense.

Not yet, anyway.

P.S. Republican Gov. Jim Douglas is acting gubernatorial today. Jimbo's visiting three farms (Shaftsbury, Bridport and Shelburne) to, according to his release, "highlight innovate (sic), renewable energy technologies used by farmers to reduce energy costs and increase profitability. The Governor said Vermont is well on its way to helping the nation produce a significant percentage of renewable energy from forests and farms....Governor Douglas will visit farms that are producing bio-diesel, methane generated electricity and hay pellets for electric generation.

Holy shit! Literally!

Wonder if WGOP, er, WCAX-TV News can avoid the temptation to cover this little bit of "free media" for our incumbent gubernatorial candidate?

Who's running against him, anyway?

Comments

[John]

"and convince stupid Vermont voters he is a 'true Independent!'"

Hey Peter; even if you think Vermont voters are stupid, you're not supposed to actually say it out loud.

[Snarky Boy]

Hell, "stupid Vermont voters" have been convinced Bernie's a "socialist" for decades. And the only one who got rich from that charade has been -- well -- Bernie. Yes, he's a millionaire now , too.

Real socialists don't believe in either of those two nuts.

Only Snarky tells the truth -- with a laugh. Go see for yourself at: SnarkyBoy.org

[mwb]

Just wanted to mention that I think you are doing great with your blog and, although I intend no disrespect concerning your column or your skills as a print columnist by any means, it is my perspective that you certainly make a much better blogger than you do as a print columnist.

By that I only mean that this medium fits you and you it much better.

You're a true political j-blogger at heart (j-blogger = a journalist who blogs), even if up to now anyway, you may have long been completely unaware of it.

Great work Peter! It seems like you might have finally found your true calling.

By the way, as far as the subject of this particular blog post of yours goes and especially the rhetorical question that is your closing paragraph (i.e., Who's running against him, anyway?:

Unless I am completely mistaken, I might have spotted what's his name aka the mystery candidate running for Governor on the Democrat's ticket (or, at least what I took for the Scudder Mobile anyway) driving down Main Street in Montpelier earlier this afternoon; that is, unless it was just someone else with huge Scudder signs on the sides of their car anyway. If only I had a camera with me at the time.

Hey, there is an idea Peter, you should call on folks to send you photo's of certain invisible political candidates running for some of the top statewide offices.

Although, if you ask me, I would rather that they all stay out of sight until the week following labor day, as that is soon enough. Any earlier is more than I can take of them myself and, if anything, too much of them too soon only makes me not want to vote for them come election day; which is one reason I deplore all the heavy media ads so soon as they have appeared and keep appearing one after another over and over. What a turn off!

Of course the problem with that is political columnists like yourself then have nothing much to write about concerning them except for what you have within this somewhat whiny post of yours today (no insult intended, nor meant).

But hey, most bloggers -- myself included, have days when our blog or comment posts get whiny to one degree or another (e.g., like this comment post of mine managed to do above [smile]).

That is merely the nature of blogs and bloggers: i.e., honestly speaking what is on our minds and with our hearts, most of the time anyway.

[mwb]

Within the final paragraph of my earlier comment post, I had *meant* to write:

... : i.e., honestly speaking what is on our minds and *within* our hearts, most of the time anyway.

[SnarkyBoy]

Letter to a Young Blogger
By Paul Bremmer

Trust me, Odum, I know exactly what you’re going through in your attempts to bring calm and civility to your website. As you may remember, I was the first “ambassador” (it still feels funny using that term) to Iraq after the great liberation of that nation. Now, also like you, I live up here in Vermont, a place where we both can agree allows people to do stupid things but still live in a – well – certain bliss born from a kind of professionalized cognitive dissonance. I hope you get my drift.

At first blush, comparing the newly democratized Iraqi people I was trying to tame and the leftists verbal monsters you’re now facing may seem like quite the stretch but, trust me, we’ve got a lot in common. We both, for example, speak power to the powerless. Better yet, we’re not afraid to wield that power. Like the good father these people apparently never had, our role is to make ‘em bow to authority, no matter what the sissy-pant-liberals think about that kind of iron fist. Oops, did I say sissy-pant-liberals? Damn right, I did. Deal with it.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, praising ourselves. Never – ever – underestimate the well-practiced quality of speaking out of both sides of your mouth. I can’t help but think of my work in Iraq when I hear you declare your desire for an “open forum” but then keep pulling the plug on your most active participants. There’s nothing more frustrating than people actually believing in what you’re saying! That’s so 1950s!

The people I tried to support in Iraq and the ones you’re currently embattled with cannot be trusted. Why the hell do you think it took a billion dollars worth of security to keep me alive there? Likewise, it ain’t gonna be cheap for you to keep swatting away your leftists antagonists. But you must stay the course (Rummy taught me that line – and it really seems to work).

Like us, you need to throw wisdom (and ideals) to the wind. This isn’t, as you know, about any of that, anyway. Once you get yourself in a battle like this, the only thing that matters is your ego. I know it might sound crass, but it’s the truth, goddamn it.

I know it may seem lonely there at your site now that you’ve seemingly swatted away the trash but don’t get discouraged. Repeat after me: I am right. Power is always right. See? Doesn’t that feel better?

I can’t tell you how odd it felt sitting around in Saddam’s old digs all by myself for hour after hour, day after day, wondering: Am I doing the right thing? But then Rummy or Condi or GW himself would give me one of their lift-me-up talks and – damn it – I felt better. GW even told me this once: “Pauly, if there ain’t no need for a man on the front lines than there ain’t no need for the front lines to be protected against the people on the back lines who must not like what we’re doing for ‘em.”

I’ll admit, it seemed better at the time. In fact, it even seemed to make sense. But maybe it was just because the Prez was talking in my ear that it made me feel better. And that’s how you’ve got to keep feeling when your buddies talk in your ear. You’re all in this together and reason will not – repeat: will not! – get you out of this.

Besides – and I really didn’t want to bring this up – none of your blogging friends seem to be running to your defense anyway. But that’s neither here nor there. If they want to be pansies, let them be pansies. Baruth, for example, will never tire of talking about himself and you’re just NOT going to change that now.

The real issue here, Odum, is persistence. We must be persistent – no matter what. Cheap shots can’t stop us. Rumors can’t stop us. And, gosh darn it (I just realized your two-year-old kid might be reading this), logic can’t stop us. Because this is, after all, about us. And more than that, it’s about us being right.

I guess I just want to say: Stay the course, Odum. It’s worth it. I stayed the course for a year and now I’ve got a great abode in your state of Vermont. I’ve got all the security and protection I need and the money just keeps flowing in no matter how many walks I take. People up here seem to care for soldiers like you and me. In fact, the only people they seem to care more about are their elected officials who are NEVER voted out of office.

I know, I know, my soldiers ran the security state of the United States, but you’re not far behind, my friend. You keep busting ass on those silly leftists, propping up folks like Parker and Welch and, before you know it, you’ll be raking in the big bucks at a firm like Kimball, Sherman & Ellis before you know it. Trust me, they respect power like no one respects power – just look at their lifestyles, you fool!

I love your rhetoric of concern. It’s cute. But I really love how quickly you’ll shelve it to protect what really matters: your ass and the oh-so-non-confrontational website community you’re trying to create. It’s that new school/old school dichotomy that makes it so palatable.

Don’t mess it up. And don’t let reason get in your way.

Like my friend, Bill O’Reilly says (and I know you may have issues with him), at this point it’s about two things: You can finish the job you started or you can cut and run and let your enemies win. The simpler we make it, the simpler it’ll be.

Semper fi, baby. Semper fi.

{You've been snarked! For more fun, go to: SnarkyBoy.org}

[polisciguyvt]

I read your column online each week and usually enjoy your take on Vermont politics. Your repeated mention of a lack of press conferences held by this year's candidates amuses me however. Press conferences are a good tool to reach people like yourself, who are genuinely interested in politics and follow every detail of the races. Press conferences are of no use to candidates who are trying to reach the average voter though. Most people don't scan the papers every morning looking for what the candidates said at a statehouse presser. I think candidates who use their time out on the road (like Scudder Parker's candidate in residence program) are better able to reach undecided voters. The folks who read news stories about trumped up press conferences have probably already made up their minds about who they intend to vote for. I would figure an informed journalist like yourself would realize that.