vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

1.15.2008

Pollina says he has hit $100,000

Got my first e-mail from "Pollina for Governor" a short time ago.

Progressive Anthony Pollina announced that he has met his goal of raising $100,000 by mid-January. Six hundred donors contributed, he said.

He also claimed support from Democrats, citing Laura Cary, Becky Moore, Crea Lintilhac and Ben Cohen as examples. Pollina wants the Democratic nomination for governor. There are, however, some Democrats who don't want him to have it.

Pollina also has a campaign coordinator - Meg Brook, who is also the South Burlington and Chittenden County Progressive Party chairwoman.

As you saw in today's FREE PRESS, Pollina says he will be giving up his "Equal Time" radio show soon. And no, despite the name of the show, WDEV is not bound by equal time rules in this case. Those are federal rules. Pollina is running for a state office. If there is a question surrounding his time on the air, it's whether the donations that pay for it count as a campaign contribution.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 10:12 AM |

Comments:

Nice. He's going to need a ton more money than that but that's pretty impressive.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:21 AM, January 15, 2008

How long will it take Pollina to smoke it all away?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:38 AM, January 15, 2008

Let's see a cup of coffee at Capitol Grounds is about $3.

A dozen cups a day 3x12=$36 plus a tip....oh that's right Polina don't tip working slugs.

$100,000=2777 days of coffee....great

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:37 PM, January 15, 2008

He don't?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:10 PM, January 15, 2008

Interesting that there is no Wikipedia entry for Pollina.

I don't care about the guy enough to start one myself, but it seems that one of his supporters would get on that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:10 PM, January 15, 2008

If you don't care then what difference does it make?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:35 PM, January 15, 2008

Huh??

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:39 PM, January 15, 2008

Good point. A lot of people depend on Wikipedia. It's easy to post an article. It's an easy information outlet for any pol.

Not to use it is a mistake.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:47 PM, January 15, 2008

It's funny, Zuckerman has a Wikipedia page, but Pollinia, who has run for statewide office a dozen times, has no Wikipedia page.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:04 PM, January 15, 2008

Well, I'm sure all that will be ironed out in the debates.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:15 PM, January 15, 2008

Zuckerman actually got himself elected - and served without running for statewide office - what a concept!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:36 PM, January 15, 2008

The question of whether Anthony is using his show as an "undeclared" hour-long campaign commerical is an interesting legal one, but anyone who's been listening to his show can tell you in practical terms it's been answered: He is.

WDEV is on at work everyday, and I listen to Equal Time. The tone of the show has sharpened and the frequency of attacks on the Governor and his administration has been noticeable for several months.

Of course, I may be one of the few people listening; I think Anthony had 3 callers yesterday. That could be the somewhat tedious and self-serving nature of the format: Anthony; labor activist and head of "High Road Vermont" Traven Leyshon (Who Anthony never identified as the chair of the Middlesex Progressive Party Committee); and "independent" "policy analyst" (and Progressive) Doug Hoffer tossing softballs to each other and jabbing Douglas for an hour. Boring.

That might explain why Douglas "shrugged off" the issue. You only have to worry about an attack if somebody hears it whose mind might be changed, and it seems Anthony is preaching to the choir with his show.

Still, props to Terri for taking the time in her story to put the issue in context by reminding people of Anthony's problems with campaign finance laws, namely suing to overturn the one he loves to take credit for writing when it disadvantaged him.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:04 PM, January 15, 2008

Then why are you blabbing on about it?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:14 PM, January 15, 2008

It's pretty clear that people fear a Pollina candidacy. Every time he runs for office or even opens his mouth people complain he's done something illegal or unfair.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:17 PM, January 15, 2008

Anonymous said...

Then why are you blabbing on about it?

Anonymous said...
It's pretty clear that people fear a Pollina candidacy. Every time he runs for office or even opens his mouth people complain he's done something illegal or unfair."

Hmm, have I touched a nerve here? One moment you dismiss me for "blabbing" about what you seem to suggest is an inconsequential matter; the next you're suggesting I or others "fear" Anthony because we raise doubts about his viability or tactics.

I don't think I suggested he was doing anything illegal or unfair; I find it amusing that the issue continues to have legs, largely because of Anthony's history. I would hope that he's checked with a lawyer and made sure he's on the right side of the line on this.

I'm dubious that Governor Douglas fears a Pollina campaign; on the contrary I think he'd welcome it.

The Progressives' presumptive "we'll decide whether any Democrat is viable enough for Anthony to bow out," attitude is already putting Democrats off. See today's letters to the editor in the Times Argus, where Rep. Jim Masland, D-Thetford, challenges Anthony to run in the Democratic Party primary if he wants the support of Democrats. Masland adds that if he loses, he expects Pollina and the Progressives to back the Democratic candidate.

It seems that kind of unity on the Left is unlike to make Douglas or his supporters nervous, IMHO.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:34 PM, January 15, 2008

Pollina is a loser. The fact the Dems can't find anyone to run is an indication of just how pathetic the Pollina campaign really is. The only one who apparently thinks Pollina has a chance is Pollina. What a joke.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:28 PM, January 15, 2008

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:28 PM, January 15, 2008

I'm sure the coffee shops don't want to see him run, either -- they'll lose his money.

On the other hand, if he leaves the coffee shops, maybe many others will come in who stayed away while he was there.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:16 PM, January 15, 2008

"The only one who apparently thinks Pollina has a chance is Pollina."

...and 650 people who gave him 100,000 bucks

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:31 PM, January 15, 2008

"I don't think I suggested he was doing anything illegal or unfair;"

Don't you even read your own posts?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:32 PM, January 15, 2008

I feel sorry for those 650 people.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:33 AM, January 16, 2008

650 suckers born every minute...

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:50 AM, January 16, 2008

650 who can't believe the suckers that voted for Governor Doesless three times.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:34 AM, January 16, 2008

Give those 650 a credible candidate and that might change. The Big A ain't it.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:38 PM, January 16, 2008

I hear ya!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:25 PM, January 16, 2008

Well, that settles the eternal "if an ignorant, ill-informed, fundamentally-dishonest anonymous nitwit falls in a forest does anybody give a damn" debate.

Thanks for clearin' that up, little fella.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:33 PM, January 16, 2008

Like anyone pays any attention to your debate? You need to offer something other than being a crank.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:39 AM, January 17, 2008

"Like anyone pays any attention to your debate? "

The only debate JW hears are from those little voices in his head.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:10 PM, January 17, 2008

"Pollina says he has hit $100,000"

Is that lifetime earnings? When did he have a job?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:45 PM, January 17, 2008

Hey, did anybody catch this nugget in Terri's story?

"The donations that fund Pollina's show include those from a nonprofit group called The Democracy Fund, and by advertisements aired during the show, Pollina said. The airtime costs $150 an hour, or $600 a week."

It's too bad Terri didn't have the time to do a litte Googling: She would have found that on Secretary of State's website that the Democracy Fund Inc. is listed as a "Public Benefit" corporation and it registered agent is Anthony Pollina, while its officers are: Anthony Pollina; his wife Deborah Wolf; and Chris Wood. If you check Equal Time's website, you find that its producer, long-time Progressive activist Peter Sterling, has the following e-mail address: peter@democracyfund.org.

And if you check out Anthony's biographical information that he supplied when he was a keynote speaker at Vermont Law School's "Solutions Conference" in March 2007, you find that "In 2000, he founded the Vermont Democracy Fund, which currently focuses on Dairy Farmers of Vermont and Equal Time Radio."

In other words, Anthony funds his radio show through a shell company he set up, one that ostensibly doesn't have to say where the money came from. Why didn't he just come out and tell Terri that?

At least Dan Barlow in the Rutland Herald/Times Argus got it, as did WCAX.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:59 PM, January 17, 2008

Same 'ol Anthony!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:32 PM, January 18, 2008

JWCoop10 said...

"Well, that settles the eternal "if an ignorant, ill-informed, fundamentally-dishonest anonymous nitwit falls in a forest does anybody give a damn" debate."

Gee, the nitwit falls like a tree in a forest and it's still over your coalition of the clueless cabeza, little fella.

You loons can't catch a break any more than ya can buy a fact.

Bummer.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 4:20 PM, January 18, 2008

Umm ... did I miss something? What did JWCOOP's last comment have to do with anything?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:57 PM, January 18, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Umm ... did I miss something?"

Just the facts, little anonymous fella.

On the bright side, a got the ignorant gop-slop, phony Dem nonsense down pat.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:11 PM, January 18, 2008

jwcoop quoted his own post and made fun of it.

He's got so many insult-filled posts on this blog, he's losing track.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:57 PM, January 18, 2008

"jwcoop quoted his own post and made fun of it."

Quiz time...

JW is a:
a. nitwit
b. ignorant, ill-informed moron
c. schmendirk
d. coalition of the clueless
e. all of the above.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:18 AM, January 19, 2008

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:12 PM, January 19, 2008

Come on Democrats lets have a candidate.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:13 PM, January 19, 2008

I haven't seen the Dunne for Governor posting lately.

His mom must have stopped her blogging.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:22 PM, January 19, 2008

Dunne wants to go to Washington.

# Posted by: