So Peter Shumlin pulled the rabbit out of his sleeve and turned it into the governor's education spending cap. Now what?
Shumlin made no bones about the fact that he doesn't like the cap, that this move was not about him finding the governor's religion. So one is left to figure that he either hopes the cap gets defeated in the House for lack of support by Republicans or he lets the cap become law and hopes everybody hates it.
That's not such a stretch since voters tend to hate everything related to property taxes, including all attempts to fix them. Shumlin's also made it clear this year he doesn't seem some great solution out there, that there will be no ticker tape parade from voters on property tax.
But will voters: a) hate the cap; b) hate it in time for next election; c) take it out on the governor, or will they spread their discontent to the Legislature that passed it?
Gov. Jim Douglas, at his news conference today, said he was surprised at Shumlin's move, but that whatever Shumlin's strategy is, Douglas doesn't see a downside for himself. "They're curious, but irrelevant," he said of Shumlin's actions.
Anybody got this Rubik's cube figured out?
- Terri Hallenbeck
