burlingtonfreepress.com

Sponsored by:

vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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


4.24.2008

 

Top woman

Last night, legislators crowned the Women Legislator of the Year. She was characterized by one of the presenters as "congenial."

Drumroll, please. Rep. Donna Sweaney, D-Windsor, was the winner.

Sweaney is the unflappable - I guess that's congenial - chairwoman of the House Government Operations Committee.

As they introduced the nominees, the presenters addressed the issue of whether it's still valid to note a female legislator of the year vs. something that included both genders. Haven't we, it'd be easy to say, gone beyond that now that girls can play Little League?

In the Statehouse, there are a bunch of women in positions of power - the chairs of both appropriations committees, the House speaker.

House Speaker Gaye Symington said, though, there aren't enough portraits of women hanging on the walls of the Statehouse.

Rep. Sandy Haas, P-Rochester, said the nominees for this year's female legislator of the year included women from four decades, which puts them all in different eras of equality, or lack thereof. In her situation, Haas said she thought (God help her) at one point that she wanted to be a journalist, but she was told by an editor (never trust an editor is journalism's lesson no. 1) that they really didn't have female reporters.

There's also nothing stopping the men from organizing a male legislator of the year award. They would just probably all vote for themselves.


Here are Sweaney's comments made on the House floor today:
I want to thank the General Assembly for the honor bestowed on me as Legislator of the Year. My name appears on a beautiful plaque with outstanding people like Karen Kitzmiller, Marion Milne and Gaye Symington. Not only do I stand with these women but the outstanding women nominated for this honor, Avis Gervais, Helen Head, Martha Heath, Sue Minter and Alice Nitka.
Any success I have here I also owe to my mentor and friend Rep. Cola Hudson. He once told me that a committee chair only has power that he/she derives from the committee members. I do have a wonderful committee.
I am proud to serve among all the amazing women members of this House and Senate as well as the wonderful men who sit beside us and support us.
Thank you so very much for your generosity.”



- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Who is the African American legislator of the year?
 
Who is the Native Vermonter legislator of the year?
 
I don't think that there are any Abenaki legislators.
 
I don't think that there are any Abenaki legislators.
 
How about white male straight conservative family-oriented Christian legislature? Are there any left in Vermont?
 
Who are the Democrat legislators in Vermont? I don't think there are any. They're mostly closet Republicans.
 
Yea, they've had it really rough.
 
"How about white male straight conservative family-oriented Christian legislature? Are there any left in Vermont?"

Not in the Republican caucus. They are all Larry Craig types.
 
"How about white male straight conservative family-oriented Christian legislature? Are there any left in Vermont?"

Not in the Republican caucus.
 
Boy am I misinformed. I had heard Richard Sears was named woman legislator of the year.
 
Who is the ignorant trash with bupkis little deducebag fella of the year?
 
What category does Gaye Symington fall into?
 
Is there any truth to the rumor there is a soon to be released Legislator calendar?
 
Terri,

Did you ask why no Republican women were nominated?
 
None of the Republican women actually qualify as women. They are mere walking puppets.
 
Anonymous said...

"Terri,

Did you ask why no Republican women were nominated?"

Evidently, it's a merit-based award, little fella.

Always a pleasure.

Dismissed.
 
"Evidently, it's a merit-based award, little fella."

Fair enough dip-shit. But its kind of hard to be judged on a merit award when you don't even get invited to the beauty pageant.
 
"Who is the ignorant trash with bupkis little deducebag fella of the year?"

Competition for the bubba is very stiff this year.
 
"None of the Republican women actually qualify as women."

Are you saying that Karen Kerin is not a woman? That's not very forward thinking.
 
"Competition for the bubba is very stiff this year."

Yeah, but you have it sewn up, cut-and-pastin', bring-nothin'-to-the-table, ice-cream counter-workin', jerkwad.

Dismissed.
 
jim douglas' highwaters said...
"Competition for the bubba is very stiff this year."

"Yeah, but you have it sewn up, cut-and-pastin', bring-nothin'-to-the-table, ice-cream counter-workin', jerkwad."

Gee, how sweet, schmuck, but given the fact that it's an award for ignorant-trash with bupkis, little deducebag fella of the year in an evidence-free, nonthinking role, I'm sure your ignorant, anonymous ass has a lock on this year's bubba, little factually-challenged fella.

Always a pleasure.

Dismissed.
 
Is it true Jeb Spaulding is being too cautious with investments because he expects to be elected Governor in 2010?
 
Yes it is. Those darn politicians always scheming.
 
For those of you who ever wondered how a true moron presents himself read the 9:31 posting.
 
a true moron presents himself as ignorant-trash with bupkis investments because he expects no Republican women to be released.

Always a pleasure.
 
huh? do you have anything coherent to say?
 
as much as anyone here!
 
then please explain the 8:50AM post for those of us less gifted verbally.
 
If you are handed the answer, you will never learn how to figure it out by yourself.
 
If Cathy Voyer thinks she can take on Welch, she's either insane or she knows something that the rest of us don't!
 
Anonymous said...

"huh? do you have anything coherent to say?"

Yeah, you're ignorant trash with bupkis and you don't.

Happy? Gee, that's swell.

Go cheney yourself, schmuck.

Dismissed.
 
Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "Top woman":

"Then please explain the 8:50AM post for those of us less gifted verbally."

In other words, you need me to explain it to you and the rest of the nameless-nitwit/coalition of the clueless community again because I'm still goin' too fast for your ignorant asses.

Dismissed.
 
WOW three more striking examples of how a moron attempts to communicate with the real world.

Thanks for enlightening us Coopy.
 
In other words, you're ignorant trash with bupkis.

Then again, you always are.

Still, thanks for clearin' that up, little factually-challenged/fundamentally-dishonest/evidence-free fella.

Dismissed.
 
yawn!
 
Hey Scooper, congrats on the fine cut and paste job.
 
Helen Head truly you jest

Have you ever been in her committee?????

She can't even recess to go to the crapper without getting Gayes permission!

Head"less"
 
Ever notice that most Republicans are mature professional-type people only serving in Montpelier for a temporary time that have already has careers of some kind? Conversely, dims/progs are idiots that need the money because they couldn't make it in the private sector on their own, or are naive kids that are so impressed with their divine selection to change the course of history that they have short cutted the usual path that leads thru EMPLOYMENT.
 
It is interesting that the Dims have been overrun by trustfunders with nothing else to do with their time than spread their form of socialism on the rest of us.

I am the only one seeing the irony in the fact that the 'party of the regular guy' has been overrun by the elitists whose only motivation is to further their elitist causes. They couldn't be more out of touch with 'the regular guy' but the 'regular guys' don't seem to care.
 
Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "Top woman":

"It is interesting that the Dims have been overrun by trustfunders with nothing else to do with their time than spread their form of socialism on the rest of us."

It is, eh? And your evidence of this, little factually-challenged fella, is.....?

That's what I thought.

Feel free to add "It's interesting" to your list of tells, little factually-challenged fella.

You're welcome.

"I am the only one seeing the irony in the fact that..."

I don't doubt that for a second, schmuck.

Is that a Freudian Slip or is your ignorant ass really that fookin' stupid.

That's what I thought.

Always a pleasure and frequently amusing.

Dismissed.
 
You go Gaye
 
Bring on Daryl Pillsbury
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

June 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   September 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   January 2008   February 2008   March 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008   December 2008   January 2009   February 2009   March 2009   April 2009   May 2009   June 2009   July 2009   August 2009   September 2009   October 2009   November 2009   December 2009   January 2010   February 2010   March 2010   April 2010