vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

12.01.2006

Douglas meets McCain

Gov. Jim Douglas, who's down in Florida for a Republican governor's conference, was among those cited in a New York Times article as meeting with Sen. John McCain to talk presidential inklings.

Douglas isn't committing to McCain, at least not yet, spokesman Jason Gibbs said today, but he has "great admiration and respect" for him. Douglas also appreciates the work of outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is "very, very good friends" with outgoing New York Gov. George Pataki, notwithstanding their major disagreement over International Paper's tire-burning experiment, and he thinks highly of former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani.

You'll have to read between the lines to see which one Douglas might be apt to support - the one he has great admiration and respect for, or the one with whom he is very, very good friends or what.

"There's a real possibility he may decide to support one of those individuals," Gibbs said.

There's no possibility he's willing to support Sen. Hillary Clinton. He disagreed with her over the tire burning and is not very, very good friends with her. That's at least two strikes. Her party affiliation would make the proverbial third strike.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 1:09 PM |

Comments:

"So, Jim's endorsement isn't really worth much, is it?"

Because he couldn't get Vermont to vote for George W? Oh yeah, he DEFINITELY should have pulled that off, what a LOSER.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:25 PM, December 02, 2006

Hey, is one_vermonter really Clavelle? He was the last guy I heard talking about the size of Douglas' johnson, probably lost him a couple of extra points in his PATHETIC gubernatorial run.

If you want to look at short coattails, look at all the Dems who endorsed Clavelle, who then lost by 20+ points to a Republican in one of the most liberal states in the country.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:31 PM, December 03, 2006

Jim Douglas is a consummate politician. How else do you explain his getting an award from the national AARP for Catamount Health, a bill he hated from the beginning, a bill the local AARP worked to pass, in spite of Douglas' persistent and mealymouthed efforts to stop it. Now, Douglas is featured sitting in front of a bunch of holsteins and talked about as if he was the prime mover and shaker. Did the man who is credited for being above partisan politics do anything to credit the legislature for the work they did to overcome Douglas' myopic, anemic and downright silly health care proposals? Nope. Not enough room in the AARP article for John Tracy or Jim Leddy or Gaye Symington or Peter Welch. We have an empty suit for a Governor. By taking credit for work that is in no way his, it tells us a lot about his character: ain't none. I hope the press will spend some time looking at the dismal record of his administration, and soon. He is a consumate politician, for sure. But beyond that, there's not much there, there.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:30 PM, December 03, 2006

It won't be long before Tracy, Symington and Welch will be thankful not to be aasociated with Catamount Health.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:42 AM, December 04, 2006

Boo hoo hoo. We want our OWN article. How come he gets one?! It's not fair, it's just not FAIR!!

# Posted by:

BarreBoy | 8:04 AM, December 04, 2006

Obviously, getting credit for reform is more important to the Gov than actual reform.

I wouldn't worry about it. The voters have neutered Governor Ding Dong by revoking his veto stamp.

Let preen for the cameras. The House and Senate will continue their work.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:42 AM, December 04, 2006

The most dangerous place in Vermont is between Jim Douglas and a microphone.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:57 AM, December 04, 2006