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


6.08.2007

 

Political fighting

We have our share of political disagreements, stonewalling and gamesmanship here in Vermont, but I don't believe we've sunk to the kind of political fighting that took place in Alabama yesterday.

To wit:

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Simmering tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled
over Thursday when a Republican lawmaker punched a Democratic colleague in the
head before they were pulled apart.
Republican Sen. Charles Bishop claimed that Democratic
Sen. Lowell Barron called him a “son of a (expletive).”
“I responded to his comment with my right hand,” Bishop said.
Alabama Public Television tape captured the punch.

Barron denied saying that to Bishop. He said the Jasper
senator used an expletive to him and he was trying to get away when he was hit
by Bishop on the side of the head near an ear.


Let that be a lesson to Vermont politicians. The Alabama fight was about campaign finance reform - a topic the Vermont Legislature will be revisiting at a July 11 veto session. In Alabama, Republican senators were using delaying tactics to force Democratic leadership to bring up an election reform bill to ban transfers between political action committees.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
You expect grown up behavior from pols in a RED state???
 
Maybe we don't punch each other in our BLUE state, but our Legislature behaves farily childishly sometimes.
 
And Jim Douglas behaves like a child all of the time.
 
So does the leader of the house and senate!!!!
 
I would agree that Douglas plays politics sometimes instead of leading -- just like Shumlin, but not as bad. However, I couldn't agree that he "behaves like a child *all* of the time. Can you back up your claim of all of the time.
 
Shumlin kicked the crap out of Gaye Symington this year. Impeach Shumlin today!
 
Shulin kicked Symington,
Douglas kicked Symington,
Symington kicked Symington.
 
And don't forget - Shumlin kicked the average Vermonter!
 
Let's get a new Speaker of the House.
 
How do we do that?
 
I think that a significant reduction in the number of Democrats elected to the House in 2008 would reflect badly on Symington and lead to a change in Speaker, even if the Democrtas were to retain their majority.

Option 2: beat Symington in her own legislative district (Jericho).
 
But the chances of that are nill,
right?
 
"
Option 2: beat Symington in her own legislative district (Jericho)."

You don't live in Jericho, do you?
 
Nope. Is she unbeatable there? I hear it's pretty liberal.
 
Next you are going to hear it is hard for her because she is a woman!
 
Any minute now!
 
I do know that she is the first Speaker I am aware of to hire a media relations manager. I don't think that's right. More beaucracy in our government. (And no, I do not approve of the Douglas Administration's having a bunch of spokespeople for various government agencies, either, although I think that's slightly more understandable given the size of the agencies and the year-round nature of their work. In any event, two "wrongs" do not make a right: just because the executive branch has spokesmen does not mean that the Speaker of the Vermont House should be communicating with Vermonters through a hired professional media relations manager. The job's called "Speaker." And if you're terrible at communicating, get another job.
 
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