A Rasmussen report on a poll on Vermont's U.S. Senate race started out this way:

"Longtime Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy is comfortably on his way to a seventh term in Washington so far."

Republican challenger Len Britton took that as good news. When Britton saw the poll Monday he wasn't focused on those comments, he was looking at the number of people who said flat out without knowing who his opponent might be would vote against veteran U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

33 percent is that number. Britton, a Woodstock businessman, thought that was a good place to start.

The poll also found 58 percent would vote for Leahy.

Never mind, too, that Rasmussen's report said, "
No major Republican candidate has entered the race. Businessman Len Britton, a political newcomer, is the only declared GOP Senate candidate thus far."

Rasmussen also said that Leahy "clears an important early hurdle for an incumbent. At this early stage of a campaign, incumbents who earn less than 50% of the voter are considered potentially vulnerable."

Rasmussen also found:
- Male voters in the state break close to even between Leahy and the generic Republican, but women voters give the Democrat 67% support.

- Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer Leahy by a 49% to 36% margin.

- While a bare majority (52%) of Vermont voters think it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November, 51% say their local representative deserves reelection.

The poll was conducted March 18 of 500 likely voters, with a margin of error 3 percentage points.

There's more HERE.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Len Britton, Sen. Patrick Leahy, vermont politics

Down in D.C., health-care legislation is on the line. Vermont’s delegation is hoping the Senate bill passes the House this week, an outcome that is in question, with further details to be worked out in a reconciliation bill.

It could be that by week’s end, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has joined his House colleagues in voting for either the Senate plan or the reconciliation bill, but the timing is as much up in the air as the outcome.

What’s on the table is not quite what any of Vermont’s three-member delegation wanted, but it’s got enough to make them prefer it over nothing.

They like the idea that the plan would make health insurance available to more people: High-risk people would have access to lower-cost plans. Insurance companies would be barred from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. Children could stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. Adults without coverage could shop for plans through an exchange, theoretically at lower prices. Many employers would be penalized for not providing insurance, but could receive tax credits to help pay for it.

"Congressman Welch is going to continue pushing for a bill that extends
coverage to all Americans, ends abusive health insurance company
practices and makes health coverage more affordable for families and
businesses,” Welch spokesman Paul Heintz said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is keen on the projection that this legislation would offer 74,000 more Vermonters health coverage, spokesman David Carle said. Leahy is also hoping the final version will institute rate reviews for sizable premium hikes, he said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has his eye on $12.5 billion for health centers and doctor training, which he expects to survive the process, spokesman Michael Briggs said. Researchers at George Washington University have estimated it would save $17 billion in Medicaid costs over five years by providing those patients with preventive rather than emergency care, Briggs said.

The plan doesn’t have the public option that all three members of Vermont’s delegation back. Sanders hasn’t given up hope for it, but also looks to an option in the Senate plan that would allow states to establish their own single-payer program starting in 2017, Briggs said. Sanders hopes to see that date changed to 2014, he said.

Welch and Leahy also pledge to keep working on mandatory prescription drug-price negotiations and a repeal of the insurance industry’s exemption from anti-trust laws.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy

The three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation all raised money for re-election during the last quarter of 2009, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who faces a primary challenge from Daniel Freilich of Wilmington and a general election challenge from Republican Len Britton of Taftsville, raised $350,419 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. That’s oodles more than his challengers. Candidates have to report to the Federal Election Commission when they have raised or spent $5,000.

Freilich’s report shows $28,898 in contributions, with all the large contributions (greater than $200) from out-of-state supporters. He had five Vermont contributions, all $200 or less. Freilich spent $25,597 and reported $4,701 on hand.

Britton, who has said his campaign wouldn’t accept any special interest money, reported raising a net of $8,152 during the three-month period, listed $7,518 in expenditures and had $1,412 on hand.

Leahy reported receiving $289,308 from 1,984 individuals, many from outside Vermont and often in amounts ranging from $10 to $50. He had 30 contributions from political action committees for a total of $63,511.

Leahy spent a bundle — $180,464, but still has $2.74 million on hand for the primary and general election.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., also comes up for re-election in the fall and has been fundraising in the event he faces a challenger. No one has stepped into the spotlight yet. He reported $209,077 in new contributions in the last quarter, with $77,000 from 52 political action committees and $132,198 from 510 individuals.

Welch spent $50,405 and has $794,904 on hand.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., doesn’t face re-election in the fall, but still raised $100,584 in the last quarter of 2009. He spent $26,317 and has $122,619 on hand.

— Nancy Remsen

Labels: Dan Freilich, Len Britton, Mark Snelling; Vermont politics, Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy

Good-enough reform on the move

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., intends to head to Capitol Hill at 5 a.m. today to give himself plenty of time to navigate the still snow-slick streets of Washington, D.C., and arrive before 7 a.m. for another critical vote on the Senate’s health care reform bill.

Two votes — one to approve a package of amendments to the bill and a second to cut off debate on the amended measure — are scheduled for shortly after 7 a.m.

Senate leaders already demonstrated they had the political muscle to win passage of the bill by Christmas Eve when at 1:30 a.m. Monday they mustered all the Democratic senators plus two independents — including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — for the first of three procedural votes requiring a three-fifths majority or 60votes.

Leahy and Sanders both said Monday in interviews that they will vote to pass the bill when it comes time to vote — likely at 7 p.m. Thursday.

“I can vote for it,” Leahy said. “It’s not the bill I would have written. I’m extraordinarily disappointed the public option isn’t in there.” Still he argued, “the pluses outweigh the minuses. If we don’t move forward, I don’t think we will see a revamping in myh lifetime.”

Sanders offered similar qualified support. “I am more than aware this bill is nowhere near as strong as it should be. For me, the bottom line is, if we fail now, how many more years will it take Congress to get back to it.” He added, “Is this better than nothing? My answer is that it is.”

Both senators spoke on the Senate floor Monday about the provisions in the package of amendments offered Saturday that they considered critical improvements.

For Sanders, the addition he argues could revolutionalize health care across the country is a $10 billion investment in community health centers and primary care personnel. The funding would expand these health centers, which offer an array of primary and preventive care services, to an additional 10,000 communities, Sanders said. The funding will also pay off school loans for primary care doctors, dentists, nurses and other front-line medical staff who agree to work in medically underserved regions of the country.

“In my view, these two programs are some of the best and most effective public health care programs in the United States of America. And they enjoy widespread — widespread tripartisan support,” he said, noting that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., supported expansion of the community health centers during his presidential campaign.

“My strong hope is that when this bill is finally passed, we will adopt the House language which calls for $14 billion,” Sanders said.

Some critics of the heatlh reform bill have suggested Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s amendment gave waivering senators reasons to vote yes.

Sanders countered that the funding for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps wasn’t pork. Providing Americans greater access to primary care will keep people out of hospital emergency rooms and save money, Sanders argued. “This is a win-win situation.” He added, that while it may pay for two or three more community health center in Vermont, “in many ways it will be better for other states.”

Leahy also won inclusion of some provisions in Reid’s amendment package, most importantly a change in the formula for the distribution of Medicaid funding to Vermont for a six-year period beginning in 2014. This change is expectd to mean an extra $250 million in federal support for Vermont’s subsidized health care program.

“That wouldn’t have affected my vote, whether it was in or not,” Leahy said Monday. The original bill, he argued, penalized Vermont for expanding who was covered by government subsidized health care. Other states would get extra money to expand beginning in 2014, but Vermont wasn’t going to be eligible.

“We were being punished for the doing the right thing,” Leahy said. The change, he said, was a remedy, not an add-on.

Heidi Tringe, deputy chief of staff for Republican Gov. Jim Douglas, cheered the provision Leahy got inserted in the bill. “This is great news. We were very concerned.”

Tringe noted Vermont and Massachusetts were the only two states that weren’t going to receive extra Medicaid money. Now that “inequity” is remedied, Tringe said.

Len Britton, a Republican who plans to challenge Leahy in the 2010 election, criticized the Medicaid formula fix Leahy won, citing it as one of the “cynical sweetheart deals” Senate leadership used to “buy” votes of support for the bill.

“This is political sausage-making at its worst: lots of pork and by-products,” Britton said. “It may taste good going down, but it’s hard to digest later. Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from Senator Leahy and the professional career politicians in Washington.”

Leahy countered that Republicans sing a different tune when they have the votes. “When they are on the winning side, whatever they put in is good policy.”

— Nancy Remsen

Kill the bill ... or not

Howard Dean, former Vermont governor, presidential candidate and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, got attention last week for suggesting the Senate version of the health reform bill had been watered down so much it should be killed rather than passed.

Sunday on “Meet the Press,” Dean was singing a different tune. Here’s what he said during a segment with moderator David Gregory.

Dean: “I would certainly not vote for this bill if this were the final product. But there are — the House bill is a — quite a good bill. This bill has improved over the last couple of weeks. I would let this thing go to conference committee and let’s see if we can fix it some more ... .”

Gregory pressed again later in the interview.

“All right. But, Governor, my, my question was without the public option, is your position say no to the bill?” Gregory asked.

Dean said, “My position is let’s see what they add to this bill and make it work. If they can make it work without a public option, I’m all ears. I don’t think that’s possible.”

So how do you think Dean would have voted on the procedural vote that took place in the wee hours of Monday morning had he been a senator? Would he have buckled to pressure from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to get something passed, even something with imperfections, or been hard-nosed about needing a government-sponsored insurance option?

— Nancy Remsen

Rep. Trombley dies at 57

Rep. Ira Trombley, the mustachioed Democrat from Grand Isle who always seemed to be in good cheer, died suddenly Sunday. He was 57.

Trombley had been out of the Statehouse much of last session with an infected foot, but Rep. Mitzi Johnson, D-South Hero, said he appeared healthy of late, had lost weight and was looking forward to the upcoming legislative session.

As the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force pointed out, Trombley went to the Statehouse in a wheelchair to cast his vote for same-sex marriage this year. He also followed meetings of the Health Care Committee, on which he most recently served, via telephone.

Johnson said Trombley likely died of natural causes — a family member returned home from Christmas shopping and found him unresponsive. “It’s an awful shock because he had been doing so well,” said Johnson, who was elected to the Legislature along with Trombley in 2002.

Trombley was known for his involvement in all kinds of Grand Isle community groups, Johnson said. “He had sort of mastered the art of being in two places at once,” she said. “He really loved this job.”

His connections with people went beyond physically attending events, though. “He was Dr. Postcard,” Johnson said, sending notes to people in and out of his district to thank them for writing letters to the editor of newspapers or congratulate them on a new job.

Trombley is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and grandchildren. A service will likely be held after the new year, Johnson said.

Gov. Jim Douglas will appoint someone to fill Trombley’s House seat.

— Terri Hallenbeck

VY’s many subplots

Last Thursday, a day before Entergy Corp. was due to reveal how much it is offering to charge Vermont utilities for Vermont Yankee power, Vermont Public Interest Research Group announced it would be joined by a handful of business leaders for a news conference Monday to react to the offer.

How did they know what their reaction would be before the deal was out? They didn’t need to know what the price was to know how they felt about it.

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, conceded Monday there was no price VY would offer that he’d be happy with. “Even if the price was competitive, the reality is that there are alternatives that can produce the power more safely at just as reasonable a rate with more Vermont jobs,” he said.

Let’s just be clear, then. This group was using the price offer as the reason for holding a news conference, but the price offer was irrelevant to how they feel about the plant.

Likewise, the price offer has not changed how John O’Kane feels about Vermont Yankee’s future. O’Kane, government affairs director for IBM Corp. in Essex Junction, disagrees with Cohen that alternatives to VY are just as good. He wants the Legislature to vote, giving the state Public Service Board permission to decide whether to grant the plant another 20 years of life.

Even though Entergy’s 6.1-cents/kilowatt hour price offer is one that Vermont’s largest utilities have rejected, O’Kane argues that it sets enough of a baseline that the Legislature should turn the decision over to the board. “The Legislature is not a good instrument for handling highly technical negotiations with a company,” he said.

OK, so are we any farther along in the tale of Vermont Yankee’s future than we were before Friday’s price offer? Hard to say. This story has more complex subplots than a Tom Clancy novel and figuring out which one holds the final clue is not easy.

Entergy, in outlining the offer Friday, argued that the 2012 starting price of 6.1 cents, though it is above market rates today, is below projected market rates. With thanks to Dave Lamont at the state Public Service Department, here’s how Entergy’s offer compares to a market price forecast done for the state last year.

2012: Entergy 6.1 cents/forecast 7.4 cents
2013: Entergy 6.3/forecast 7.6
2014: Entergy 6.4/forecast 7.8
2015: Entergy 6.6/forecast 8.1
2016: Entergy 6.8/forecast 8.4
2017: Entergy 7.0/ forecast 8.8

Central Vermont Public Service Board Chief Executive Office Robert Young said Friday that that forecast of market rates is one among several and that others show lower prices. Because, of course, nothing is simple when it comes to this topic.

— Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Rep. Ira Trombley, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont Yankee

Patrick Leahy's campaign manager has called attention to the senator's scheduled appearance Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" where he will discuss the news of today -- that five 9/11 terror suspects will be tried in federal court in New York City.

"Sen. Leahy believes that trying Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other suspects in federal court will help us bring long overdue justice to the 9/11 terrorists, and he hopes the cases will move forward promptly," wrote Carolyn Dwyer, advising supporters to tune in and watch the senator in action.

"It's a clear demonstration to the world that we trust our judicial system to bring suspected terrorists to justice," Dwyer wrote on behalf of Leahy.

Leahy's view is hardly universal so it could be a lively discussion.

-- Nancy Remsen

Labels: Sen. Patrick Leahy

The Web site Politico seems to think Leahy would be willing to rap the knuckles of Sen. Joe Lieberman over health care. Hard to imagine that Lieberman still caucuses with the Dems.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: Sen. Joe Lieberman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, vermont politics

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, is trumpeting the fact he picked up an important ally in his effort to peel away the insurance industry’s anti-trust immunity – which dates back to a 1945 law.

Leahy’s ally: President Barack Obama. In his Saturday radio address, Obama said he supported a review of the exemption.

The focus of Obama’s radio address was an attack on the insurance industry for standing in the way of health care reform. “ The insurance industry is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest – to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the status quo.”

Leahy introduced a bill last month -- the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act -- which would repeal what Leahy’s says is an “unjustifiable immunity enjoyed by health insurers and medical malpractice insurers.

He took testimony on the bill last week. The House Judiciary Committee apparently is on the same page and could vote on a measure Wednesday.

Leahy said he hoped senators would have an opportunity “to vote up or down on whether to continue this unreasonable exemption. ... Ending this cozy exemption is another way to strengthen consumer choice through a competitive marketplace.”

I’m sure that could be uncomfortable for some senators, which would be why Leahy would like an isolated vote on the question, wouldn't it?

-- Nancy Remsen

Labels: health care reform, President Barack Obama, Sen. Patrick Leahy

Did anyone see the Nobel Peace Prize coming Barack Obama's way?

Here are comments from Vermont's U.S. senators. There's a big buzz out there in partisanland that I won't try to capture unless it becomes local. I'll add more comments if and as I get them.

Sen. Patrick Leahy: "It's a stunning announcement and it reflects well on America's ideals and the world's yearning for American leadership. Little is possible without leadership. No one can force other nations to follow, but President Obama is reintroducing America to the rest of the world, and people of goodwill everywhere do have hope about working together for progress on some of the world's most daunting and dangerous problems."

Sen. Bernie Sanders: President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the non-Western world and stress diplomacy. Americans should be extremely proud that we now have a president who is restoring respect and admiration for our country around the globe. At a time when our planet faces so many serious problems,, the United States must play a leadership role in bringing the international community together against our common enemies of war, terrorism, poverty, AIDS and global warming. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama is a show of support for his effort in that direction.

-- Nancy Remsen

Labels: President Barack Obama, Sen. Patrick Leahy

Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders were among seven lawmakers who voted against an amendment that would prevent ACORN from receiving federal funding. ACORN is the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and has been around since 1970.

With 83 other senators, Democrats and Republicans, supporting the restriction, Vermont's two senators kind of stand out.

What were they thinking? Vermont Republican Party Chairman Rob Roper called the pair out of touch with common sense for objecting to the restriction on funds for an organization he described as riddled with fraud and abuse.

Leahy and Sanders argued that Congress shouldn't get involved in decisions about which organizations receive federal grants. There's a process for deciding that.

"Just as I would be against banning other specific organizations on the right or on the left from applying for competitive grants, I believe it is harmful, even though popular, to approve an amendment like this," Leahy said in defense of his vote.

Sanders noted ACORN's mixed history -- the recently released videos showing employees giving advice about illegal activities to people who had posed as prostitutes as well as the years of advocating for affordable housing, banking services in low-income neighborhoods and decent-paying jobs.

Like Leahy, Sanders argued it was a mistake for senators to spend time arguing about which organizations should receive funding -- when there was an established process.

ACORN and its problems have a long political history that won't be going away soon.

Expect to see and hear about the votes Sanders and Leahy made for months -- maybe years to come.

-- Nancy Remsen

Labels: ACORN, Rob Roper, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy

A video (which you can see HERE) that questions how much progress society has made toward gender equality in politics and in breaking down stereotypes includes footage of none other than Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Leahy is not portrayed in a flattering manner. He is giving Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a hard time about whether there is enough time for her testimony at a Senate hearing. He is sandwiched between numerous other examples of sexism.

Is it fair for the producers of the video - a group called The New Agenda - to assume he wouldn't have given a man the same hard time?

Do they have a point about society's post-Mayberry progress or lack thereof?

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: politics, Sen. Patrick Leahy, The New Agenda

A little update on the day's events in Washington, when they weren't busy not deciding what to do about clunker cars:

- Today the Senate voted to boost money for food stamps and three in $350 million to the o lift milk price supports — the amount the government pays for surplus milk products — by an estimated $1.50 per hundredweight. That came from an amendment by Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and barely passed 60-37. Sixty votes were required because the amendment broke budget rules.
According to the AP: Sanders said dairy farmers, especially smaller ones, are struggling badly as milk prices have plummeted by more than 40 percent below last year, well below most farmers' production costs.

"Family-based dairy agriculture is on the verge of collapse," Sanders said.
"This is not a regional issue. This is a national issue."

- Also today in the Senate, debate began on the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Sen. Patrick Leahy gave the opening remarks:

"Judge Sotomayor’s journey to this nomination is truly an American story ...
(and) a reminder to all of the continuing vitality of the American dream,” he
said. “She’s a restrained, experienced and thoughtful judge who has shown
no bias in her rulings.”

He'll probably be celebrating her confirmation later this week.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: politics, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont

Sen. Patrick Leahy was mingling with members of the Vermont Democratic State Committee on Saturday morning just before they were to vote whether to endorse him for re-election.

Leahy’s cell phone rang. "Hi, Mr. President. How are you?"

More in Sunday's Free Press.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: President Barack Obama, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont Democratic Party

Labels: Jon Stewart, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sonia Sotomayor