Category: Op/Ed
In Vermont’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, the challenge voters face is two-fold: determining which candidate can best fulfill one’s own political priorities and goals, and determining which candidate has the best chance of beating Republican Brian Dubie.
Last weekend, we threw a huge party at our house so we could celebrate my stepson’s recent wedding in Oklahoma with our friends and family in Vermont. It was a great time, or so they tell me; I was so busy being a good hostess I didn’t speak to any of the guests.
I found out that putting together such an event is not easy. So I’ve compiled a brief list of dos and don’ts for anyone who might someday decide to hold a party where the number of guests exceeds the population of the average Vermont town. Here goes:
With Vermont’s Aug. 24 primary coming into sharper focus, it’s interesting to observe the public’s reluctance to change.
As Vermont candidates face questions about how to grow our local economy, in Washington the consequences of Bush-era policies — particularly the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, and the rapid escalation in defense spending — are coming home to roost, making it all the more likely that Washington can no longer provide additional stimulus to jumpstart the economy, putting more of an onus on states to provide visionary and bold visions of their own.
President Obama and congressional Democrats passed an extension of unemployment benefits over the objections of Congressional Republicans with a 60-40 vote in the U.S. Senate. On the surface, the battle was about how (not whether) to approve the unemployment benefits: Republicans said they wanted to pay for the expense upfront to avoid adding to the deficit; Democrats said not only would an extension help a struggling national economy, but that it was simply the right thing to do.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, met with business leaders in the Capitol last Friday and issued this warning to the nation: Until businesses and wealthy individuals know if the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 will be allowed to expire or be extended, they won’t invest in new jobs.
Well, girls, your mother and I have discussed it, and we both feel it is time that we give you a new privilege. You’re getting big enough now, you both worked very hard in school this past year, and you’ve earned it.
Congressman Peter Welch will almost certainly be re-elected to a third term in November. Like many incumbent House members, Welch has built up a strong political organization with the financial resources to match. Welch’s campaign has already raised more than $1 million. His campaign bank account is 100 times larger than that of any of the three Republicans seeking the congressional nomination in the Aug. 24 primary.
