vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

8.18.2008

A rank worth filing?

Austin Cassidy's Independent Political Report (read from the name: supports independent candidates) ranks Anthony Pollina second among independent candidates vying for federal or statewide offices in the nation.

You can see the rankings HERE.

It doesn't specifically indicate whether that's second most viable or second funniest but the presumption seems to be the former.

The ranking puts him one ahead of Cindy Sheehan, the anti-war activist who is running against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And four ahead of Jack Kevorkian, who is running for Congress in Michigan.

Does it mean anything when it comes down to it?

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 4:26 PM |

Comments:

Looks like that website is set up by "Chris Pearson" -- is that the Vermont Progressive Party insider ?????

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:19 PM, August 18, 2008

Why are the media paying any attention to Pollina anymore?

He's lost 3 statewide campaigns, his campaign is bankrupt and he isn't even on a major party ticket anymore.

Pollina isn't a candidate, he's a punchline.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:20 PM, August 18, 2008

Why is Hallenbeck anti-Pollina?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:46 PM, August 18, 2008

Pollina is lucky that there are reporters willing to give him any publicity at all.

He's a fringe candidate.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:20 PM, August 18, 2008

At least Peter Diamondstone belongs to a 'major party' according to the state's definition.

I don't think that the press can justify covering Tony Pollina's campaign much longer.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:22 PM, August 18, 2008

At least Pollina has a schedule of events and isn't just sitting sround, like Douglas, waiting for the coronation.

Douglas's campaign is to wait around for something to expolit for a few days or weeks. No record of great accomplishment to run on, so scare people and point blame.

Douglas wanted Bush and he got him, but so did the rest of rational America. Don't forget the war is costing us billions and billions. China owns us like nobody's business. Oil companies getting filthy rich.

This is what Douglas told Vermont was good for us. Have to wonder about his judgement.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:55 PM, August 18, 2008

No.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:15 PM, August 18, 2008

I hope all the "I'm a patriot because I hung a support the troops ribbon on my trunk" crowd are watching Generation Kill. A little dose of reality never hurts.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:05 PM, August 18, 2008

Who gives a rats ass about Pollina - lets move on!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:00 AM, August 19, 2008

I don't see how this kind of ranking helps Pollina. It's not like he's really an independent, whether you capitalize it or not.

You have to have a record of positions/votes to distinguish yourself as independent, unaffected by party labels.

Pollina's positions are straight Progressive. Being called a "top-ten independent/third-party candidate" doesn't change the fact that he's a well-known quantity and his positions are well-known.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:46 AM, August 19, 2008

Anthony Pollina is a lying weasel, but so what? He couldn't even get enough signatures to get on the Progressive Party ballot. Non-story.

More importantly, what the hell was the Free Press thinking when they laid off columnist Ed Shamy? Ed wrote a hilarious column, now the only funny stuff left in the paper is when the political writers pretend Pollina should be taken seriously.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:12 AM, August 19, 2008

Terri, is it true that that website was set up by Chris Pearson??

How is he involved with this "Independent" website??

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:31 AM, August 19, 2008

Hey Geniuses,
If I created this website, don't you think I would list Pollina as #1. Some other Chris Pearson creates web templates for WordPress, which is a blogging software.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:24 AM, August 19, 2008

Someone is a little defensive.

What's the problem Chris?

You don't think people should ask questions?

You could have simply said, "That's another Chris Pearson."

But you choose to attack instead.

That's why the Progs will always finish last. They get angry when people ask them questions.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:50 AM, August 19, 2008

The Progs have almost no support in the state.

They have a few members in the House, but none in the Senate and no statewide office holders.

It isn't a party, it's a cult.

Yes, cult leaders get angry when people ask them questions. Hence, Pearson's response above.

Drink the cool aid. Ask no questions.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:11 PM, August 19, 2008

I like to think that what makes Vermonters unique is our ability to travel the road less traveled and actually accept third-party candidates as relevant. What is this "cult" nonsense?? It's close-minded Vermonters like you that most of us could live without. I hope someday that Vermonters do elect a Prog or whoever to be governor. We've always blazed the trail, and I hope we continue to do so.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:21 PM, August 19, 2008

I like to think that Vermonters like candidates who don't mind being asked critical questions by the voters.

Don't ask Tony Pollina what happened at the milk company.

Don't ask him the name of the anonymous donor who bailed the company out with $200,000 -- the same time Pollina was raising money to run for office.

Don't ask Tony why he can't follow the campaign finance law he lobbied for.

Don't ask Tony why he sued the state over the finance law that he lobbied for.

Don't ask Tony how many times he needs to get trounced at the polls before he realizes that he has virtually no support in the state.

Don't ask Tony any critical questions. Don't ask Pearson any critical questions.

He's too busy mixing the kool aid.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:28 PM, August 19, 2008

Don't ask him why his campaign is bankrupt.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:39 PM, August 19, 2008

Pollina is no longer a viable candidate.

He has 30 vocal supporters ... a long string of losses ... and nothing to show for it.

Peter Diamondstone will win an election before Pollina.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:40 PM, August 19, 2008

Anonymous 11:50AM...

Maybe you should read Pearson's reply again -- there is nothing in it that even suggests he is "attacking" - if anything it is your response that is an attack!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:44 PM, August 19, 2008

Oh, when he said, "Hey Geniuses" he wasn't being a sarcastic and condescending boob ??

Chris actually thinks that everyone here is a Genius ??

Is that how you read that?

It sounds like you are a real genius.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:49 PM, August 19, 2008

The Progs seem to have some anger issues. I guess that's what happens to people who talk so much and have so little to show for it.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:54 PM, August 19, 2008

A loan to the Pollina campaign is NOT a sub-prime loan. It's a PAST-prime loan.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:00 PM, August 19, 2008

Who the hell is Anthony Pollina?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:55 PM, August 19, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Pollina is no longer a viable candidate."

That would imply that he once was viable. And just when was he viable, little nameless-nitwit fella?

"He has 30 vocal supporters ... a long string of losses ... and nothing to show for it."

No, he has brian dubie to show for it.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 8:52 PM, August 19, 2008

Hey did anybody notice the bio that the Free Press ran with the profile of Pollina?

"PARTY: Independent
LIVES: Middlesex
AGE: 56
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, Johnson State College.
EXPERIENCE: Founder of Rural Vermont; former director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group; candidate for U.S. House, 1984; candidate for governor, 2000; candidate for lieutenant governor, 2002; former host of Equal Time radio show; co-founder, Vermont Milk Co.; director, Democracy Fund."

Doesn't look like they're going to call him on his earlier claim that he "ran" the Vermont Milk Company, then changed that to say he merely "served on the board of directors" after it started tanking.

"Whether one can pin the Vermont Milk Co.’s missteps on Pollina is a matter of dispute," is as close as Terri will get.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:10 PM, August 19, 2008

IndependentVter said...

"Whether one can pin the Vermont Milk Co.’s missteps on Pollina is a matter of dispute," is as close as Terri will get."

I'm no fan of Pollina, Indy, but she's right. If he's guilty of fraud or criminal misconduct, then he should pay the same penalty anybody else would. If not, he shouldn't.

Hey, the only thing the guy's responsible for is brian dubie and as much as I'd like to string him up for that, that's simply not a hangin' offense in and of itself.

He didn't lie us into the Iraq War for Christ sake, Indy. Lighten it up.

Ya really oughta try, convict and sentence him before ya string him up. He ain't no tenderfoot city slicker in an episode of Maverick, Indy.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:02 PM, August 19, 2008

Who cares about Pollina?

He isn't a serious candidate.

He's done.

It's back to Jonestown.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:32 PM, August 19, 2008

mojeffcoop@comcast.net

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:54 PM, August 19, 2008

Anonymous...

"mojeffcoop@comcast.net"

Ah, so you've diversified your shtick from ignorant, anonymous-trash scum to ignorant, anonymous-trash-scum spam-slimer.

You're just a regular jag-off juggernaut of nameless-nitwit-nonsensedom, little jerry slimeball. A veritable dynamo of deducebagdom.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:54 PM, August 19, 2008

Jiffy the math is so simple even a simplton like you should get it.

Be a good boy and you don't get punished. Be a naughty a you do get punished.

Ask your case worker to help you sort it out if you still don't get it pal.

mojeffcoop@comcast.net

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:47 AM, August 20, 2008

Pollina, Sheehan and Kevorkian! What a team!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:58 AM, August 20, 2008

More inappropriate stuff from
Anonymous @ 1:47. Should be banned from the blog as seems to be interested in "punishing" other posters for their opinions.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:29 AM, August 20, 2008

"Punishment" which involves revealing other's personal information in hopes of intimidating others is a misuse of the blog.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:37 AM, August 20, 2008

Karl Rove is alive and well in Vermont. Or is it the ghost of Lee Atwater?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:42 AM, August 20, 2008

ummm...according to this story, Douglas has been screaming "the sky is falling" for no reason.

Watch out, Delaware.

With the recent enactment of an innocuous-sounding law that hasn't received much attention, Vermont might have seized the title of America's most business-friendly state for the 21st century, a title Delaware's long claimed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ibd/20080819/bs_ibd_ibd/20080819tech01

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:47 AM, August 20, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Jiffy the math is so simple even a simplton like you should get it.

Really? And how would that apply to a "simplton" who can't spell simpleton, little jerry?

mojeffcoop@comcast.net

"Be a good boy and you don't get punished."

And your idea of being a good boy is to repeatedly post the name, address and phone, periodically threaten to harass or harm their wife by name and continually post the e-mail addresses of other posters without their consent, eh, little jerry?

"Be a naughty a you do get punished."

"a you do, eh? Well, given the fact that you've been pullin' this little number of yours here for a couple of weeks now with no discernible repercussions, not so's you'd know it.

Not here and any rate.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:10 AM, August 20, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Karl Rove is alive and well in Vermont. Or is it the ghost of Lee Atwater?"

It may be the ghost of Josef Goebbels. The ignorant, anonymous ghost of the King himself may well have returned to the building.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:13 AM, August 20, 2008

Anonymous
Anonymous said...

"Anthony Pollina is a lying weasel, but so what? He couldn't even get enough signatures to get on the Progressive Party ballot. Non-story."
I have volunteered for Pollina he had the number of signatures he needed. I'm sick of people who talk with out thinking. Most people on blogs talk out of their ASSES!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:55 PM, August 20, 2008

Pollina is yesterday's news.

He has zero chance of winning.

Next topic.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:04 PM, August 20, 2008

Anonymous said...

"...I'm sick of people who talk with out thinking. Most people on blogs talk out of their ASSES!"

Take your ignorant anonymous ass, for example, little fella.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 4:37 PM, August 20, 2008

coop, who says I'm a fella?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:37 PM, August 20, 2008