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


9.23.2008

 

Disclosure issue returns

You knew it had to come back -- the fact that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington didn't fully disclose her family's income.

Jim Douglas, Republican incumbent, is taking the issue to the people with a television advertisement. You can see the clip here. It's blistering with its reference to Symington's release of "bogus" tax returns.

Symington, you will recall, released information about her own income, presenting the information on a tax form -- but not the actual forms she and her husband filed with the federal and state tax departments. Chuck Lacy, her husband, prefers to keep his income information confidential and Symington is honoring his request.

The problem is Douglas released his complete tax return and so did independent Anthony Pollina. The Douglas campaign charges "Speaker Symington continues to withhold information that Vermonters deserve to know."

Why does the public need to know? "They deserve to know if any conflicts exist between her and her husband's many business dealings -- and the state of Vermont," explains the Douglas campaign.

Democrats responded, steering clear of the substance of the ad, focusing instead on its negativity.

"When given the choice to promote his record or make personal attacks, Jim Douglas choice to take a page from the Karl Rove playbook," said Liz Saxe, spokesperson for the Vermont Democratic Party.

Saxe wondered, too, if the Douglas campaign would have the same standard for disclosure for the man the governor called his co-pilot on Tuesday morning -- Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie. Shouldn't he release his financial information? Saxe asked.

"We are going to research the precedent of previous campaigns for lieutenant governor," said Susie Hudson, Dubie's campaign manager, when asked if he would release his tax returns.

Tom Costello, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor provided the Free Press with his tax returns Tuesday afternoon -- without hesitation. "It seems to me a candidate for statewide office should disclose tax returns," Costello said. "I'm fully prepared to do so and I would think Brian would also and the other candidates, too. It shouldn't be an issue."

But it is and so is the advertisement that Douglas is running. Ian Carleton, Democratic party chairman, plans to complain about "Jim Douglas' negative campaign tactics" at a Wednesday morning news conference.

Meanwhile, the Symington campaign was focusing on some nuanced change in the way outsiders perceive this gubernatorial race.

The Rothenberg Report suggested that a race formerly seen as "currently safe" for the incumbent was now rated as "clear advantage incumbent." Do you see the difference there? In case you don't a # explained that this race "moved benefiting Democrat."

Stateline.org said Douglas was "still favored to keep his seat" but Symington was seen as "running a credible campaign." Her problem, Stateline said, is Pollina, who "has the endorsement of key labor groups and is poised to split the liberal vote."

Finally, there's a long assessment by Jessica Benton Cooney of Congressional Quarterly. Cooney hinted there was "at least some uncertainty about the outcome."

These are all folks outside Vermont, who has you can see in the Cooney piece, got there information from folks here. So it's hard to believe they have any special insight. Still reports like these can boost or erode candidate confidence.

Interesting political day, wasn't it?

-- Nancy Remsen

Comments:
While the two party candidates argue over tedious issues, we Vermonters are revolting against the partisan game and supporting Pollina.

Douglas and Symington are bad for Vermont and under their joint rule Vermont is struggling. If you want real change vote Pollina.
 
Where's my milk check!!!
 
Pollina certainly can't claim the high ground on campaign finance.
 
Gaye should do an ad with her baiting a fish hook, then holding up the "villain award" (an odd name) given by Field and Stream magazine to Douglas for being afraid to bait his own fishing hook and saying "What's the matter, little Jimmy? Is the wormy scary?"
 
Jim's ad is too negative. I think it will backfire. Instead of attacking her, why doesn't he point to something good he's done in office? Of wait, I think I just answered my own question.
 
Doogie is lyin' scum on a good day.
He's not havin' a good day.

Pollina gave dubie his job and he's the only thing keepin' doogie in his.

It's time for doogie to get started on his lobbyist scum career and restore competence to the Pavilion.
 
Glad the dims have finally come up with a legitimate issue - Douglas doesn't like to fish! (Shouldn't that give him some points with the loonies over at PETA?)
 
How bout her releasing her emails? Douglas had to.
 
Who would email her?
 
The Vermont-NEA saying dump Act 82 or else. Who knows what could be found?
 
Jim Douglas - Dennise Casey

SHAME ON YOU!

Stooping to new lows in campaigning - with outright lies about an opponent.

It is clear that Jim Douglas is nervous or why would he lower himself to Karl Rove style politics.
 
From Free Press web report...
"Douglas campaign manager Dennise Casey says the ad merely uses language from media reports about Symington’s finances, and that given the nation’s fragile economic condition, trust in a candidate’s financial disclosures is an important issue."

Then if it is so important, can the Governor disclose how is total assets went from $1-million in 2006 to $2-million in 2008 --- when the stock market has been so volatile.
 
Probably the personal contributions to Douglas from Fecteau (no bid lease for Bennington temporary state offices) and Corrections Corporation of America (for sending more prisoners out of state).
 
I wonder if Jim Douglas agrees with the latest GOP tactic to disenfranchise voters!

Lose your home - Lose your vote!
 
Why would ANYONE care if Douglas sends prisoners to other states!!! The state saves money and someone else gets our scum of the earth.
 
Why would anyone care?

Just another disgruntled state employee watching life on the public payroll coming to an end because the gov't run program is uncompetitive against the private sector.
 
Actually, when those prisoners do come back to VT - they are more hardened and more dangerous than when they left.

And with the Douglas Administration cutting Probation, Parole, and underfunding the State Police every year, then Vermonters are less safe!

Jim Douglas needs to be replaced.

At least Dick Snelling had vision, strength and compassion.
 
Sure.... Life in VT prison is charm school populated with the choir boys of crime. We are so effective rehabilitating them.
 
That idiotic Jessica's Law would increase VT's prison costs even more. Longer mandatory sentences and all that good stuff.

I had to laugh a few weeks back when it was reported that the Corrections Oversight Committee was acting all compassionate about the children of incarcerated Vermonters when these are the same people who voted in 08 to send even more VT prisoners out of state and away from their kids. And they voted to move women prisoners to the NE corner, further away from their kids in a lot of cases.

Two-faced hypocrites!
 
Yous sound a little bitter.

But I agree with you....we should have shorter sentences. In fact if they promise to be good and never do bad things again, we should let bygones be bygones and just forget about prison time to altogether. After all VT criminals are a cut above the rest.
 
Who is advising Gaye on this issue? I find it hard to believe they're not telling her that the only way to defuse this story is to make the disclosure.

The press has already decided this is a legitimate issue. With the exception of the Brattleboro Reformer, I don't see that the editorial boards of the state's newspapers are going to buy the notion that this is a dirty campaign ad. I could be wrong, but the ad consists largely of quotes from their editorials.

If she doesn't make the disclosure, this ad runs right up until Election Day.
 
Hey Anonymous 1:44p...

If you want to point fingers at state employees - they too pay taxes - just like any Vermonter!

However, if you must pick on them, how about Jim Douglas - a man who has been on the public dollar since he got out of Middlebury College.
 
It as nothing to do with being a State employee per se. It has to do with wanting to continue on with a service at the taxpayer's expense that is uncompetitive from a cost perspective.

Kudos to Jim D for recognizing it and taking action to control spending. He is a good steward of our tax dollars.

Go Jim!
 
How about taking Vermont's hardened criminals and send them to Angola, Louisiana? As for their kids, they obviously never cared about them to begin with, and the kids will be better off growing up away from them - let's build some modern day Boy's Towns (and Girl's Towns). Win Win.
 
I agree with the post before this. And Symington created her disclosure problem so she has to live with it now.
 
I'm a Republican who has voted for Jim Douglas for Governor 3 times.

Yet I am not pleased with his campaign strategies to go negative - I have always thought VT was above that style of politics.
 
Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "Disclosure issue returns":

"I'm a Republican who has voted for Jim Douglas for Governor 3 times."

In other words, you're an ignorant anonymous-trash gop that struck out lookin' who's now pretendin' to be a Dem.

Thanks for clearin' that up, little nameless-nitwit/fraudulent fella.

"Yet I am not pleased with his campaign strategies to go negative - I have always thought VT was above that style of politics."

Then clearly, your next thought will be your first, little fella.

You already forfeited all claims and pretense that your ignorant anonymous ass "thought" about anything, anywhere at any time when you fessed up to voting for doogie three times, little fella.

Ya already had two strikes on ya for claimin' you were "a Dem" who voted for Jeffords over Flanagan in 2006 when they faced each other in the 2000 election, so ya had at least five strikes on ya, little factually-challenged/fundamentally-dishonest nameless-nitwit fella.

Go get your ignorant anonymous ass a case, a clue and some new nameless-nitwit talking points, schmuck.

Always a pleasure.
 
bubba ...

"How about taking Vermont's hardened criminals and send them to Angola, Louisiana?"

Like the song says, "they gots boys in Anola, servin' 9-99"

So, how's that workin' out for them down there, bubbakis? How does Vermont's crime rate compare to Louisiana or Texas?

Gee, I'm shocked.

Always a pleasure.
 
IndependentVter..

"Who is advising Gaye on this issue? I find it hard to believe they're not telling her that the only way to defuse this story is to make the disclosure.

The press has already decided this is a legitimate issue. With the exception of the Brattleboro Reformer, I don't see that the editorial boards of the state's newspapers are going to buy the notion that this is a dirty campaign ad. I could be wrong, but the ad consists largely of quotes from their editorials.

If she doesn't make the disclosure, this ad runs right up until Election Day."

Ya may as well run it, Indy. It's not like doogie can run on his record of disaccomplishment.
 
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