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


10.23.2008

 

What didn't they say?

Credit WPTZ with holding a gubernatorial debate. Credit them with trying to find a unique location.

But let's just say the Echo center may be a really cool place to go see turtles and frogs, but it is not such a cool place to watch a debate. Unless you're a frog or a turtle - they had the best seats.

The candidates and the anchors were on one floor. The "audience" was on the next floor, with no way of actually seeing the candidates or the anchors except on the TV screen in front of them, with no sound. About 20 chairs were assembled there, but when somebody at WPTZ told me I might not be able to hear the questions or the answers very well from there, I bailed and went back to the office to watch on TV.

There was also a room to watch it downstairs at Echo, via TV, though I'm told the sound wasn't very good there.

I'm not sure they ever intended to have much of an audience, other than the numerous Channel 5 brass, UVM prof Garrison Nelson and campaign staff. Gov. Jim Douglas' staff might not have realized that - as they dispatched supporters to the corner of Battery and College streets to greet the non-existent people flooding into the venue. As I was high-tailing it back to the office I had to dart around the governor's car, which had stopped to let him out so he could thank his people for standing there.

I'm told you will be able to watch the debate from the comfort of your computer at www.wptz.com as of later this afternoon.

I'll let you go and watch it and tell us what you think the candidates should have said about each other that they didn't.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Kind of symbolic.

There is an important race for governor.

Nobody can really see what is going on.

Fewer people care.
 
At least this election, you can see Douglas getting a little upset. His temper starts to show through. Kind of like McCain? He kind of lashes back when he thinks he's been wronged, but you know he's like so not a fighter. That kind of mamby pamby leadership is why Vermont will continue to die on the vine.
 
Yeah, Gayle really got to him...I think...I couldn't really understand a ^@*%ing thing she said.
 
Jim = Unemployment
 
Gaye = disaster
 
Jim Douglas listens to the people - he just doesn't hear them!
 
Douglas still wants to follow the GOP mantra of destroying state government.

His plan, like Bush's, is to privatize everything - even if it costs more or cuts services.

You should know that Jim Douglas' administration issues cuts workers and replaces them with higher cost private contracts.

He's not really saving the state any money - it just LOOKS that way!
 
Gov Douglas is nothing but smoke and mirrors!

He says one thing and does another!
 
Douglas=privatized before your eyes.
 
Let's privatize the governor's post and contract the position out to someone who has a clue and a plan.
 
If 'a clue and a plan' are the criteria, that rules out Symington, Pollina and Coopy.

But there is truth in the fact that the entire VT State system is bankrupt of the talent needed to get the State back on track...

A citizen legislature of farmers, shop owners and retired teacher, as good as their intentions may be, doesn't have the experience or background to deal with the complex issues facing the State. You have seen in it the last series of legislative sessions. The highlight of each has been gridlock, and when significant bills did pass, they tended to raise taxes and the cost of living and doing business in the State.

If a business was this troubled they would be bringing in Turnaround professionals. Why don't we?

Throw the bums out.
 
Why didn't Wall Street corporations bring in "turn around" experts? Let's stay with people who are less greedy and/or have more common sense.
 
Common sense? You won't find that in the VT legislature. The problem can't get fixed until you acknowledge it exists.
 
How about throwing out the bums that created the monsters Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae, starting with Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and the rest of the criminal dimocrats that used these agencies as personal slush funds as well as payoffs to their incompetent constituents who couldn't even pay their loans back? Not to mention Barny Frank and his boyfriend at Fanny Mae or the money funneled as "campaign" contributions to their favorite dims, Barack, Dodd, and Kerry. Does anyone wonder why the markets are crashing down around us as the specter of a dimocrat Washington looms greater and greater? Say goodbye to free enterprise and hello to communism.
 
You have that exactly correct.
 
This part time legislature is not working. These people are not equipt to run a state.
 
How true!
 
TOM COSTELLO FOR LT GOV
 
Wall Street afraid? More like they were too busy lining their own pockets to care what happened to shareholders and others.
 
Odd "these people" were equipped to run the state during Democratic administrations where a surplus was achieved but are not under the current Republican administration.
Could the governor and his appointees be the difference?
 
Nope, it couldn't be.
 
THE WORLD IS CHANGING AND OUR LEGISLATURE IS NOT. The part time amateur thing is not working anymore.
 
I couldn't agree more. Throw the bums out!
 
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