Blowing in the Wind Thursday

Gov. Jim Douglas was in great form for his weekly presser at 11 a.m. this fine morning. Had his successor as state treasurer [and perhaps as governor?], Democrat Jeb Spaulding with him for the "dog & pony" opening.  About how we better all start figuring out how to plan to pay for our "Baby Boom Generation" retirement.

Buy lottery tickets.

Just kidding.

The "mainstream" press will have that one.

Yours truly went for the political jugular and the Guv's absence from the Tree-Hugger Wind Power Crowd's big conference at the Sheraton put on by Renewable Energy Vermont.

Q. A big crowd at the Sheraton and you’re usually at those conferences. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. Does your absence from the picture tell an accurate picture that the Governor of Vermont is perhaps the leading opponent of wind energy development in the state?

DOUGLAS: I think the director of that organization indicated that he hadn’t invited me.

Q. But the fact they wouldn’t even think to invite you? How distant? What another world you’re in when it comes to the energy picture, whereas wind-energy seems to be growing in popularity. But you are the No. 1 opponent of wind power, are you not?

DOUGLAS: I was disappointed that I wasn’t invited, frankly. They invite me in election years to appear with the candidate they’ve already anointed, so I was disappointed and certainly would be pleased to participate. It’s too bad that it was politicized.

But frankly, other than wind, I think that we’re really on the same page. I’ve been a strong supporter of methane, of bio-diesel, of the grants through our Clean Energy Fund, of small-scale hydro, of the renewable and clean sources of power we have for base load generation of electricity for our state. The pellet and switchgrass development and hydrogen fuel-cell research that’s underway. I’m a strong supporter of alternative energy, and with the one exception of industrializing our ridge lines, I agree with them.

What a guy!

Q. So primarily it’s an aesthetic issue with you, Governor?

DOUGLAS: Well, largely. It’s a matter of weighing the benefit versus the cost. I’ve told you this before, you know, people come up to me and say, 'Put up wind turbines, so we can close Vermont Yankee.’

And they really think we could generate an equivalent amount of electricity from wind turbines as we get from the nuclear power plant and, of course, it isn’t even close.

If it were, maybe we’d be having a different discussion, but to get maybe 6 percent of our electricity from the maximum number of towers that have been proposed, I really think the clear-cutting, the impact on wildlife, the aesthetic impact really doesn’t justify it.

Q. But you’ve seen the polling data or the survey data. Is this the first issue of the ‘08 campaign right here?

DOUGLAS: Well, Stewart, I can’t answer that...I don’t make my decisions based on polls and never will. I’ll tell you how I feel about something. But I respect the process. The Public Service Board has made a decision [on Sheffield] and I certainly respect that.

Comments

[JPC]

Why is he calling you stewart?

[WhinyBoy]

Wah. Wah. Wah. I wasn't invited, so I didn't go. What a lame ass Douglas is. Why doesn't he exhibit some initiative and show up anyway? He admits he's on the same page on a majority of the group's issues, so why not go and say "let's debate this and we can hear how each side thinks and maybe try and arrive at some compromise." Invite or no invite, it's an issue that is obviously important to a lot of Vermonters. They are Douglas constituents, just like the folks who continue (for reasons known only to God) to return Douglas to office. I think Douglas has no ability to handle face-to-face confrontation or negative criticism from the press or the public (sound familiar?, so he hides and waits for the storm to blow over. He's good at showing up at events where his minions show up to kiss his pasty white ass. How does this guy continue to be re-elected? He's a divider, not a uniter.

[JPC]

Yeah show up inivited....that's just wrong. There are usually reasons people don't invite you to something. You must be a hit at all the functions you attend whinyboy. I'm sure your friends are very pleased when you show up uninvited, assuming that you have friends and actually get out. Considering the sponsors it isn't a wonder they didn't invite Douglas.

[WhinyBoy]

I think you meant to say "univited" Mr./Ms. Just Plain Crazy, or JPC. Think before you rant. I can see my point was lost on your feeble mind. I was saying that I think Douglas should have the balls to think outside his very small box for once and maybe say "what the hell, I'll crash this party and engage in some debate with those who dare think differently from me. It's an important issue, and I want to make sure these folks understand where I'm coming from (Mars?)" A governor can do that, contrary to what you might think Just Plain Crazy. If you want to get personal JPC, I can tell by your numerous posts in here that you mmust be quite a worker, giving your employer (my condolences to he or she) your full commitment. Or maybe you are the night burger flipper at Al's.

[vermonter]

Your argument that Douglas should just crash an event to which he wasn't invited makes no sense at all. You'd be pissed off if he showed up uninvited to an event you were holding.

And why is it okay for you to call Douglas a "lame ass," a "pasty white ass," and a "divider," but get all personally offended when JPC criticizes you?

[Nate Freeman]

So who invited Dubie-Do? Was the Lt. Guv invited, uninvited, or did he just show up?

It's certainly interesting that he showed and the Guv did not, no?

[WhinyBoy]

I might be "pissed off" if he showed up to an event of mine uninvited, but I would turn the opportunity into a chance to call him on the carpet publicly, hopefully with one functioning Vermont reporter present to butcher the exchange. Douglas seems pretty strong in his convictions about wind, so who better to debate the topic with than the other side? That's what high-ranking public officials are elected to do. Educate oneself, engage in debate, listen to public opinion and make a decision that benefits all, not just a few.

As for why I can call Douglas what I did, because he's a public official who I think is a) lame b) pasty white and c) a divider. He wants to be center stage, so be it. I hear he was picked upon unmercifully throughout his formative years, so the name calling shouldn't be new to him.

[John A. Burgess]

Perhaps they should have had a ribbon cutting ceremony,Jim never misses one of those.
John Burgess

[JPC]

"listen to public opinion and make a decision that benefits all, not just a few."

That's what he did, it just doesn't agree with your position. I guess that's where you got your name.

How is Douglas going to engage in discussion/debate, the purpose of which would be to present opinions in order a to change the views of the other. Most of these people have a financial interest, Douglas isn't going to change their minds. Had Douglas came I'm sure the "hate Bush/Douglas" crowd would have bashed him for wasting gas driving to an event he wasn't invited to and for sticking his nose where is doesn't belong.

And does it really matter what I do for work. Maybe I do flip burgers at Al's, or maybe I can just multi-task , you know that's where you can do more then one thing at a time. It really exsists. Or maybe I just sit around on my couch on the taxpayers dime lobbying gov't to send my kids to pre-k so I can walk down the the liquor store and stock up on butts and beer using my food stamps. After that I write the gov't a letter and see if I can get free health care for all, and see if that 5000 bond hillary promised has gone through yet. Could use a couple more kids, just send to daycare on the states dime anyway. Also gotta see if their gonna pay to have the house fixed up so my energy bill they pay for isn't so high.

[vermonter]

Is your ass not white?

What is the purpose of calling him a pasty white ass? It conveys no meaning, other than apparently being a gratuitous insult.

And if the color of his ass has some meaning to you, it appears to be somewhat racist. Would another color be better than white?

[WhinyBoy]

Vermonter. I usually give you a little credit for being somewhat astute with your right-wing ideological principles and comments, but that, my friend, is the dumbest response I've ever read.

[vermonter]

My friend, you're the one who used the expression "pasty white ass" in connection with the Governor's political positions!

[sandy ward]

Come on Douglas has a white ass, chicken I'd say.

[Matt Lyons]

His ass is so white, the dude cries milk!

...and I strongly disagree with his positions on health care reform.

[vermonter]

I think we should explore whinyboy's hypothesis of a correlation between political conservatism and white-assed-ness. It may have merit.

But we need more data:

1. Whinyboy, have you seen the Governor's ass to check for whiteness? How close did you get?

2. Do Pollina, Zuckerman, and Sanders NOT have white asses? Ok, Pollina, apparently of Italian heritage, may be, say, copper-assed, but I'm highly confident that Zuckerman and Sanders are quite pasty-white. Problem: under the theory, this would make them equally as conservative as the Governor.

3. Are Paul Beaudry and Ron Roper super-white-assed, or are their asses the same color as the Governor's?

4. Are there different degrees of white-assed-ness? Like, what if your ass is not a full on pasty-white, but merely bone china white?

5. Do conservative blacks have white asses? Like, does Clarence Thomas have a white ass?

6. If you start out as pasty white, but you go outside in winter and get blue-ass cold, do you become more conservative?

[WhinyBoy]

Points for the effort vermonter.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Douglas in the next 802 rappers video, just to prove the blogosphere wrong.

{insert standard rap beat here}

I'll ignore the issue and make it go the f away
Just so I can live as guv another day.

People wonder how it is I'm always re-elected
I tell 'em "blame it on the Democrats; they leave their dogs neglected.

The people all around me, they always saying "yes"
I wonder sometimes how it is they gettin' dressed.

I'll end this little rap right now with a shout out to my homies
Don't believe my folks my peeps; they all a bunch of phonies.

[Ethan M]

The Guv has always had a keen partisan sense that has keeps him constantly on course for the next election. I believe it is so ingrained now in his personality that he isn't even aware of it. Consider his comment about the wind energy conference:

"I was disappointed that I wasn’t invited, frankly. They invite me in election years to appear with the candidate they’ve already anointed, so I was disappointed and certainly would be pleased to participate. It’s too bad that it was politicized."

Only someone as innately political as the formerly pudgy one from Massachusetts . . . er Middlebury, could consider not inviting a politician to an event as "politicizing" that event.

[Ethan M]

The Guv has always had a keen partisan sense that has keeps him constantly on course for the next election. I believe it is so ingrained now in his personality that he isn't even aware of it. Consider his comment about the wind energy conference:

"I was disappointed that I wasn’t invited, frankly. They invite me in election years to appear with the candidate they’ve already anointed, so I was disappointed and certainly would be pleased to participate. It’s too bad that it was politicized."

Only someone as innately political as the formerly pudgy one from Massachusetts . . . er Middlebury, could consider not inviting a politician to an event as "politicizing" that event.

[vermonter]

WhinyBoy, points for creativity. I look forward to hearing the tune.

[anonymous]

You can't "crash" a public event.

Douglas could have showed up and chose not to, because the poor baby wasn't asked to speak.

Dubie showed. Douglas could have showed. Douglas didn't.

He likes to talk a good game on the environment, but like the typical Bush-era republican, he apparently doesn't mean a word of it. He's perfectly content to leave future generations hanging...

[vermonter]

Anonymous, it's not clear that you read the postings ahead of you before you blurted out your thoughts. "Dubie showed" specifically because he was invited to the event. Douglas "didn't show" specifically because he wasn't invited. You apparently think he should have just showed up uninvited, but I'm betting you'd be the first to criticize him if he HAD crashed the event.

By the way, for what it's worth, I don't agree with the Governor's position on wind turbines. I say put 'em up anywhere there's wind. But I also don't think there's any reason to criticicize him for not crashing a pro-wind event to which he wasn't invited.