vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

1.16.2009

Leahy love fest

The chances that Republican Gov. Jim Douglas will run against Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy when the six-term senator runs for re-election in 2010 are slim to none, but just in case Douglas was toying with the idea, new poll results suggest he might want to stay put in Montpelier.

The poll was done for Daily Kos by Research 2000, and it says Leahy would beat Douglas 58 percent to 36 percent if the election were today. Just as significant, Leahy laps Douglas easily in the favorability category: 63 percent are thumbs up on Leahy and 33 percent are thumbs down, while its 52 percent favorable, 41 percent unfavorable for Douglas.

The governor, through new spokesman Steve Wark, is letting it be known that politics isn't on Douglas' radar right now; he's totally focused on confronting the state's financial situation.

Good strategy, that. It's hard to imagine why Vermonters would turn out the most powerful (in terms of seniority) senator in the history of the state in favor of Douglas, who would be a freshman Republican in the minority party.

But then, the clock is ticking on Douglas' chances to move on to bigger things in Washington, so you never know.

-- Sam Hemingway

posted by vt.Buzz | 4:32 PM |

Comments:

But what if Leahy decides to retire? He has always said he would like to come back to live in Vermont.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:23 PM, January 16, 2009

Leahy kicked Jimbo's ass before. There is no doubt that he could do it again.

Jimmy knows it and won't even try.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:08 PM, January 16, 2009

Leahy was thrown off the Senate Foreign Relations committee back in 1988 for leaking classified information (by his OWN party). The other day he was giggling and tee-heeing at the traitor Eric Holder's "confirmation" hearing for AG, making little jokes about his basketball skills when he should have been asking him why he worked for the pardon on FBI's No. 2 most wanted felon Marc Rich not to mention the pardoning of unrepentant FLN terrorists! Dick Cheney hit the nail on the head about the idiot Leahy. May he move to California so he can be with his real pals, Batman and Robin.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:53 AM, January 17, 2009

Bubba,

That's old news - and its news that the GOP and conservatives keep bringing up brecause they have nothing else!

Pat Leahy will go down in history as one of the greatest Vermont politicians and senators in history - that's a fact!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:57 AM, January 17, 2009

I'm guessing Douglas will exit Vermont in 2010 saying bye bye suckers. Thanks for the free ride.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:08 AM, January 17, 2009

Sadly, Leahy's popularity started going up with the influx of the leftist out-of-state scumbag trustfunders. And what does the state have to show for all of those wasted years? A slimeball senator that knows no matter how ineffectual he is, all he has to do is to make a few idiotic statements about how he's going to get to the bottom of something or other, demand answers, blah, blah, blah! And Champlain still isn't a "Great Lake"!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:34 AM, January 18, 2009

Can someone list a few accomplishments Leahy has taken credit for?
I only know of the list of subpoena's he typed trying to put all the Administration in jail, getting a museum named after him and all the photo-ops when someone in VT gets a defense contract. When Jessica's law was mentioned, Leahy hid under a rock, when automatic pay raises came up- Leahy hid again.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:13 AM, January 18, 2009

The lefties in Vermont think Leahy and Sanders are so great, but when you ask them to mention some of their accomplishments.......silence! Conversely, when you ask the same loons what Douglas should do different to improve the economic status of the state.......silence!

What you'll get is either (a) a cut and paste tourette-like outburst from jw OR (b) a highly intelligent comment like "Markowitz for governor" from the rest.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:53 AM, January 18, 2009

Why does the Free Press feel the need to stoke the fires of an election that's 2 years away? Why do you feel the need to goad and needle the Governor about an election that's 2 years away. C'mon.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:21 PM, January 18, 2009

What has Jim Douglas done?

What has any GOP lawmaker in Vermont done?

It's a pretty short list of accomplishments.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:24 PM, January 18, 2009

But the list of destructive things that the Dems tried to pull off over the last 2 sessions goes on and on. Nevertheless, they certainly succeeded in sending the message that Vermont hates business.

Great work.

Thanks.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:44 PM, January 18, 2009

It's Jim Douglas who hates business. His policies will result in huge increases in energy for decades to come.

His inability to solve problems has put us in a very big hole.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:00 PM, January 18, 2009

Let me see....by supporting the cheapest electricity in New England (Entergy) Douglas will cause "huge increases in energy". I guess it follows in the idiot world that by shutting down Entergy, we will have CHEAPER energy costs!

The idiots have taken over Vermont and elected jw king.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:26 PM, January 18, 2009

Because of Douglas's policies, we won't have the cheapest energy in New England for much longer.

Douglas supports extending the live of VY without negotiating for lower energy prices from them.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:36 PM, January 18, 2009

Don't you think he'd like lower energy prices from them if it didn't break previous contracts or was at all possible? Use your head!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:33 PM, January 18, 2009

Deb Markowitz for Governor.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:03 PM, January 18, 2009

bubba said...
Don't you think he'd like lower energy prices from them if it didn't break previous contracts or was at all possible? Use your head!

We aren't talking about existing contracts. Douglas said he would be fine to relicense VY before the new contract. How is that good for Vermont ratepayers?

Let's also put the shoe on the other foot. What has Douglas done for VTers? And please try to do this without blaming the leg because that's just tired old BS. We could easily say the Leg would have passed "x" number of bills if it wasn't for the Gov but that 4th grade type of argument gets us nowhere.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:18 AM, January 19, 2009

The leg can no longer blame Douglas

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:22 AM, January 19, 2009

Leahy
1. Responsible for the majority of money Douglas uses in the Clean and Clear program

2. Brought money to Vermont for a number of businesses most recently the sock contract for the military and the helmet production

3. Has assisted in stabilizing milk prices for VT farmers so that the middle men and the Grocers aren't the only ones making money

4. Even though you don't agree with the tactics and I don't like the out come he is reponsible for shedding light on the abuses of power perpetrated by Alberto Gonzalez

5. Was doing his job so well that the VP said F U on the floor of the Senate

6. Got Lake Champlain listed as the sixth great lake which no it didn't last but it did secure additional funding for the state

That's just off the top of my head so now please give me even 3 things that Douglas has done?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:24 AM, January 19, 2009

Anonymous said...
The leg can no longer blame Douglas

8:22 AM, January 19, 2009

Why not? He is the most powerful elected official in the state and is capable of blocking by Veto any work the leg does. so why is not his fault when nothing gets done?

No one can give a reasonable explanation why Douglas is not to blame for our problems. He is the executive or LEADER of our state. Fair or not, just like a QB in football gets the glory and the blame the Governor gets the same.

Maybe if Douglas didn't give the leg a budget with a $100 million shortfall in it your argument would have some legitamacy but when he continually and intentiaonlly puts the leg in position that is impossible to manage to just score political points I'm pretty sure the problems are his fault.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:29 AM, January 19, 2009

BUUBBA,

Conversely, when you ask the same loons what Douglas should do different to improve the economic status of the state.......silence!

1. Close the capitol gains loophole and use the revenue to stimulate business by providing tax cuts to small local businesses

2. Support Wind Farms which will genertate job growth, ensure a more stable electric future and and help reduce local property tax burden.

3. Stop eliminating positions that are paid 100% by federal dollars

4. stop sending free money back to the fedearl gov't for projects that required no state match. Especially when that money would have put people to work.

Has this loon given you enough or are you one of those people that constantly moves the goal posts?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:34 AM, January 19, 2009

"Run Vermont into the ground for the past six years and counting."

Prove that it was his policies, and not the national economy.

Prove that it was his policies, and not the direction that the anti-business Legislature took, that did it.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:53 AM, January 19, 2009

"Why not? He is the most powerful elected official in the state and is capable of blocking by Veto any work the leg does. so why is not his fault when nothing gets done?"

I hope you realize just how illogical this is.

He is the most powerful elected official in the state, and I don't like the way things are, therefore it must be his fault.

Logical to a T.

Please at least consider, sir, the possibility that we can't improve the economy of this state so long as a majority of ultra liberal Dems who hold a vast majority of the other statewide offices and a majority in the Legislature are maniacally determined to wipe out any and all traces of profitable, private sector businesses wherever they can be found.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:02 AM, January 19, 2009

jw, what jobs did you apply for today?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:03 AM, January 19, 2009

Anonymous 9:03

No one said I don't consider the legs role nor did I claim that it is all his fault. I asked a question which I will ask again. He is the leader of the state so why is it not his fault?

It seems the only answer you have is to blame the leg which by the way is the same exact logic that you called illogical in your post.

Sir, it seems as though you need to look in the mirror and at least consider what the Governor's role is in this mess. Oh, and take some reading comprehension classes.

"majority of ultra liberal Dems who hold a vast majority of the other statewide offices and a majority in the Legislature are maniacally determined to wipe out any and all traces of profitable, private sector businesses wherever they can be found."

talk about illogical. There are, as you descirbe them, 100 liberal members (D and P combined) in the House. Please tell me how many you can actually identify and what they have done to earn the reputation you assign them. Please remeber you need at least 76 of them to pass any legislation. My bet is you can't name 20 of them but are still comfortable labeling them.

I have a feeling we are going to hear those crickets Bubba was refering to.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:14 AM, January 19, 2009

How much can Douglas do when he has to put up with a far-left legislature that licks the boots of every environmental extremist group (VPIRG, VNRC, CLF) and is obsessed with taxing successful businesses out of the state? As for the wind towers, it is usually the newly-arrived liberals that oppose them (i.e., see Sheffield, Barton, and Sutton for examples). As for encouraging small businesses, and I assume the liberals usually mean organic turnip farms or some other loony enterprise that don't provide good jobs for Vermonters and soon disappear. What the state needs to do is spend LOTS of money to encourage (or "bribe" if you prefer) larger companies to move to Vermont, but that will never happen because the leftists that run the state hate large, successful businesses. Someone should start heeding the warnings of people like the head of EHV in St. Johnsbury who stated that they would never expand in Vermont because of the permitting problems! They are the people that create good jobs!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:12 AM, January 19, 2009

How much can Douglas do when he has to put up with a far-left legislature that licks the boots of every environmental extremist group (VPIRG, VNRC, CLF) and is obsessed with taxing successful businesses out of the state?

This coming from the same guy that says the leftist loons can never come up with answers. So

1 he himself provides no answers
2. blames non-profit enviro orgs for the tax code
3. and down plays small business suggestion with his built in assumptions oppossed to any facts

Bubba, give it a rest man. you want concrete ideas but are unwilling to provide any yourself. You are just a partisan hack that is here to defend the R's no matter what they do. Worthelss in regards to solving our problems.

You argument could easily lead to someone saying "how much can the legislature do when Douglas is more interested in licking the boots of out of state corporate fat cats"

but you see how unproductive that is?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:35 AM, January 19, 2009

Seeing as how a lot of those "out of state fat cats" provide the best jobs in the state for WORKING Vermonters we should be glad to "lick their boots", as you put it. Chattanooga, TN recently "licked the boots" of German "fat cats" and is getting a VW plant (already being built)that will provide roughly 12,000 GOOD jobs in the area! And the area is no "northern Florida", but still the "Scenic City".

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:46 AM, January 19, 2009

So bubba thinks that out-of-state people are bad and we don't like them here ... but at the same time we need to give out-of-state people lots of money so that they will come here.

With that "logic", it isn't hard to see why the GOP is in the minority in this state.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:09 PM, January 19, 2009

There is no way the state of Vermont could match any of these "offers" that other states use to entice big business.

For instance, when IBM was deciding on Essex or Fishkill for Fab2000 - it was the total package NY State offered that clinched it - to the tune of $350 million which happens to be 1/3 of the VT Gen Fund budget.

They were offered electric power at less than the cost of Vt Yankee.

Perhaps if the state of Vermont OWNED the power generation like in NY - naw, Bubba would never agree to gov't owned.

Bubba loves to take shots at everyone - and like typical conservatives he offers little in substatnce except for HATE!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:20 PM, January 19, 2009

As a matter of fact, out-of-staters used to come to Vermont to start good businesses and were welcome members of the community. Also, many came to the state to work just because they enjoyed what Vermont offered at the time. The NEW breed of out-of-stater, starting around the 60's, were quite different - draft-dodging hippies living in their filthy hovels subsiding on welfare or daddy's trust fund. A perfect example is Bernie Sanders, ex-NEK dead-beat and draft dodger. Then we got the elitist trust-funders, much worse, because they all wanted to be the LAST flatlander to move here! Thus, all of the wacko enviro regulations meant to make sure Vermont remained their private "green" disneyworld. So not all flatlanders are bad, but the more they come, the worse they get.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:43 PM, January 19, 2009

Bubba -- You still have not said how we are going to pay for all of these "bribes" to attract these out-of-state businesses.

Who do we tax to raise the hundreds of millions that it will cost to pay these companies to come here?

BTW, where was Jim Douglas during the Vietman War?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:48 PM, January 19, 2009

Business will not come here in this environment

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:30 PM, January 19, 2009

Not as long as Vermont's energy future looks so bleak. The policies of Jim Douglas will drive power costs sky-high.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:59 PM, January 19, 2009

"There are, as you descirbe them, 100 liberal members (D and P combined) in the House. Please tell me how many you can actually identify and what they have done to earn the reputation you assign them."

I can identify many of them, as I follow the legislature very closely.

And for the last 4 years they all worked under the authority of Gaye Symington, who was anti-business.

Yankee slam-tax.

Denying worker's comp cost containment.

Nasty remarks about IBM.

Refusing permit reform.

Flip flop on two-vote school funding, i.e., property tax reform.

Need more examples of her anti-business attitude, sir?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:30 PM, January 19, 2009

No one has suggested how Vermont could realistically compete against larger states with more money to bribe large corporations to locate here. How does one spend one third of the state's budget on corporate bribes? That's the reality facing the state and attempting to deflect the problem onto other than corporate greed is going to change that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:53 AM, January 20, 2009

Should read "attempting to deflect the problem onto other than corporate greed is NOT going to change that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:54 AM, January 20, 2009

It isn't Vermont's business climate, its the climate within business that has changed since deregulation and the dog-eat-dog atmosphere it has created. When the Watson's still had a major stake in IBM, ie, when they first located here, the corporate philosophy of that company and many others was different. Circumstances in the business world have changed for the worse in the meantime. We have Mr. Reagan and his successors to thank for that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:23 AM, January 20, 2009

Ask a Republican how they propose to pay for their outrageously expensive idea and they can't answer the question.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:39 AM, January 20, 2009

Vermont, of course doesn't have the money or workforce to lure an auto maker or other large corporation. What it SHOULD do is change it's well-deserved reputation for being anti-business towards businesses presently IN the state. When a socialist idiot like Bernie Sanders, who has never had a real job in the private sector starts a war against IBM it kinda sends a negative message to the business community. As for luring smaller businesses here, start freeing up incentive money by reducing the state workforce to about the same percentage per resident as New Hampshire. And get rid of, or totally ignore VPIRG, VNRC, and CLF!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:34 AM, January 20, 2009

It's Republicans promoting the falsehood that Vermont is anti-business because they can't have everything their way, that gives the state a bad name. Stop dumping on Vermont and promote what a great state it is, and attitudes will change. Repubs are responsible for the negativity because they constantly promote it.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:40 AM, January 20, 2009

About real jobs in the private sector: Jim Douglas is the one who has NEVER had a job in the private sector. Why do you rail at Sanders when you know that that description fits Douglas?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:42 AM, January 20, 2009

If New Hampshire is so great, just cross the Connecticut and live there.
Problem solved.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:44 AM, January 20, 2009

Bubba said:
"What the state needs to do is spend LOTS of money to encourage (or "bribe" if you prefer) larger companies to move to Vermont, but that will never happen because the leftists that run the state hate large, successful businesses."

Then he said:
"Vermont, of course doesn't have the money or workforce to lure an auto maker or other large corporation ..."

This guy is so messed up that he contradicts himself.

It's no wonder that the GOP is where it is today. They don't believe in their own ideas.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:57 AM, January 20, 2009

Well, Bush started with Bill Clinton's recession and weakened intelligence gathering, but in spite of a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers not to mention natural disasters like Katrina, had five straight years of growth and low unemployment thanks to his tax cuts for EVERYBODY! However, with a DOW over 12,000, Harry Reid and San Fran Nan took over and I guess it's only fitting that Barack start HIS 4 years off with a recession! Hopefully, he will do as well.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:44 PM, January 20, 2009

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:48 PM, January 20, 2009

Bubba,
You are unbelievable - Bush's tax cuts and "hands off" policy for teh free market are exactly why we are in teh greatest recession since 1930s.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:31 PM, January 20, 2009

No, we are in this situation because of CRA passed under Jimmy Carter and the obsession of liberals with lending money to people who can't pay it back! (i.e., see Frank, Barney)

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:01 PM, January 20, 2009

George W. Bush had no power as President.

Barney Frank was in charge of everything.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:47 PM, January 20, 2009

"It's Republicans promoting the falsehood that Vermont is anti-business because they can't have everything their way, that gives the state a bad name."

That is simply not true. You can cheerlead all you want on the road to ruin and pretend you're on the road to prosperity, but that doesn't make it true, moron.

If you like the anti-business climate of this state, that's fine. It's your prerogative. Just say so. But don't LIE and say that it's not anti-business.

The never-ending permit process, lack of infrastructure, inability to put up a cell tower (i.e., make a cell call), environmental lawsuits, and high taxes and housing costs all make this a crazy place to start or locate a business.

Name the last business that moved here. Name the last business that started or expanded here.

That's right, you can't. New York can. Massachusetts can.

But we can name dozens of businesses that closed, moved, shrank, or are in the process of doing the above, like IBM -- all in the last four years since Gaye Symington and her pals told businesses that they weren't welcome here.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:24 PM, January 20, 2009

Some companies that started here or expanded here:

Ben and Jerry's
Vermont Teddy Bear
Jogbra
Burton Snowboards
Husky
Dealer.com

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:49 AM, January 21, 2009

New York and Massachusetts, in case you haven't noticed have many times the tax base of Vermont and much more money to attract? (bribe) businesses to relocate there. Facts not fanatasy.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:52 AM, January 21, 2009

More companies that started here or expanded here:

Blodget
Hazlett
IDX (now GEHealthcare and sufferinG from their acquisition by a larger company)
Macro

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:04 PM, January 21, 2009

Pizzagalli
S. D. Ireland
Griswold
etc.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:07 PM, January 21, 2009

Check out the captive insurance industry in Vermont in today's Free Press and note the salaries

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:57 PM, January 21, 2009

Markowitz for Governor.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:10 PM, January 21, 2009

See Microsoft is laying off masses of employees because the almighty stockholders aren't making enough profits. And just imagine, they aren't living in Vermont's hostile business climate!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:51 AM, January 22, 2009

Go Deb.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:19 PM, January 22, 2009