Thursday, November 10, 2016
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean announced Thursday that he hopes to reclaim the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.
“The dems need organization and focus on the young,” he wrote on Twitter. “Need a fifty State strategy and tech rehab. I am in for chairman again.”
Dean served as chairman of the DNC once before — from February 2005 through January 2009 — following his 2004 bid for the presidency. During his time at the helm, he pursued a “50-state strategy” focused on rebuilding state parties in regions that had been written off as reliably Republican.
In an interview with Seven Days Thursday evening, Dean said he hoped to revive that strategy and convince young voters to become more engaged.
“They understand politics does matter. They’re in shock. They’re largely demoralized. We need to harness their energy and get them back in the saddle,” the 67-year-old said. “It’s basically going to be a youth movement.”
Key to that, he said, was to articulate “a coherent message.”
“I think we need to provide a real alternative to Donald Trump,” he said. “We can’t be Republican-lite.”
Tags: Senator , Howard Dean , Bernie Sanders , Keith Ellison , Democratic National Committee , Image , Web Only
Insecurity and unease on the part of migrant workers and their families isn't a new phenomenon, emphasized Enrique Balcazar, a former farm worker and an organizer for the human rights group.
But if Trump's win left liberal Vermont in bewildered apprehension, the sentiment was all the more acute for Vermont's migrant worker community. Balcazar and Lambek spent a harried day fielding calls from undocumented laborers and citizens alike, all digesting the election results.
Tags: Migrant Justice , Enrique Balcazar , Will Lambek , Cheryl Connor , Donald Trump , Image , Web Only
Among the disappointed: Felicia Kornbluh, an associate professor at the University of Vermont. She specializes in history, gender, sexuality and women’s studies.
Had Clinton won, “it would have been a big freakin’ deal,” said Kornbluh, who spoke to Seven Days on Wednesday to give a feminist’s post-election perspective.
Tags: Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump , Felicia Kornbluh , president , planned parenthood , abortion , Image , Web Only
“We’re just shocked and really deeply saddened and confused and kind of feel like this is the first real tragedy that we’ve been old enough to understand ...” Wheelwright said. “We were kind of too young to really grasp 9/11 and what it meant for the country, and now we’re faced with a similar situation of just feeling really lost.”
Said Bick: “I came late to my class and there were very few people there and I don’t think I’m going to make it to my next class.”
At least one professor preemptively canceled class.
Do either of them know any Trump supporters? “I saw someone on Facebook and I unfriended them,” said Wheelwright.
Tags: University of Vermont , Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Hours after Hillary Clinton conceded to Donald Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) vowed to work with the president-elect — under certain conditions.
The 75-year-old senator, who backed Clinton after losing a long-fought Democratic presidential primary, promised to play nice if Trump "is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country."
Tags: Bernie Sanders , Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , president , senator , Image , Web Only
Her colleagues looked despondent and spoke in resigned and hushed tones. No one wanted to be interviewed. Rita Neopaney, a Bhutanese woman who on Tuesday was jubilant when describing her first voting experience to Seven Days, stopped to say only that AALV clients had showed up at the office to voice their confusion and fear after Donald Trump was elected president. The nonprofit provides social services, such as case management and workforce development, to refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers.
"I would say that everyone is sad and worried about the future," said Jacob Bogre, AALV's executive director, adding, "We tried to reassure the staff and some of the clients."
"Racism, [that's] what it is," said Thato Ratsebe, the nonprofit's health educator, public relations and direct staff manager. "I'm worried about how my clients feel. These people have lived the refugee experience."
Tags: Farhad Khan , Jacob Bogre , Association of Africans Living in Vermont , AALV , Islamic Society of Vermont , Muslims , Image , Web Only
Many foreigners are recoiling in horror at what American voters wrought on Wednesday. Immigrants and minorities and their supporters are alarmed. People are joking — or maybe not joking — about fleeing abroad.
The Fears aren't oblivious: They've lived in Germany, where his U.S. Army career took him, for most of the past three decades, and have been getting texts from friends concerned about Donald Trump's win. While he's no political zealot, Carl said he figures that, if he had done some of the things Trump has been accused of, he would be in prison.
But that didn't diminish their excitement about Maria finally taking the citizenship test.
And so on a gray Wednesday afternoon in the nearly empty U.S. District Court in Burlington, Maria became an American, one of the first to take the oath since Trump became the president-elect. She couldn't keep her eyes off the certificate proving her citizenship for more than a couple minutes.
"It was not something I was worried about," Maria said of Tuesday's election. "And I have him," she added, indicating her husband. "Everywhere we go, we make it work. We look forward, not back."
Tags: immigration , Christina Reiss , Maria Fears , Image , Web Only
“The people of Vermont have given us a mandate for fiscal responsibility,” the Berlin Republican said, standing in the Statehouse lobby in front of a bust of Abraham Lincoln. “I am putting together a very capable team to make sure we have a strong budget in place, that the transition is smooth for Vermonters and that we accomplish the goals we set during the election.”
Scott, a six-year lieutenant governor and co-owner of a Middlesex excavation company, defeated Democrat Sue Minter 52 to 43 percent in Tuesday’s election. He will replace retiring Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin on January 5.
Though several of Scott’s initial picks come from the Douglas administration, he said he would look “outside the box” as he fills out his cabinet and staff. “Being a Republican isn’t a litmus test,” he said.
“What I’m looking for is talent — people who understand the economy is important,” he added.
Tags: Phil Scott , Donald Trump , Peter Shumlin , Neale Lunderville , Image , Web Only
Phil Scott Wins the Race for Governor
The Republican lieutenant governor landed the state’s top office, defeating Democrat Sue Minter by nearly nine percentage points, according to preliminary results. The 58-year-old Berlin construction executive — and amateur race car driver — has served as second-in-command for the past six years. Read more.David Zuckerman Takes Lieutenant Governor
The state senator became the highest-ranking Progressive ever elected in Vermont. Running as a Progressive and Democrat in this election, Zuckerman took 50.3 percent of the vote, to Republican Randy Brock’s 43.9 percent. Read more.Leahy Defeats Milne to Win a Historic Eighth Term; Welch Wins a Sixth Term
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) handily defeated Republican Scott Milne, 60 to 33 percent. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), running on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, picked up 84 percent of the vote, while Liberty Union candidate Erica Clawson took 9 percent. Read more.T.J. Donovan is Vermont’s Next Attorney General
The 42-year-old South Burlington resident won an easy victory Tuesday night. He’ll become Vermont’s first new attorney general in nearly two decades, taking over for retiring AG Bill Sorrell. Read more.Dems Pick Up Three Seats in the Vermont Senate
Bill Doyle, who’s represented Washington County in the Senate since 1969, fell to former Democratic representative and sergeant-at-arms Francis Brooks. Overall, preliminary results showed Democrats and Progressives picking up two seats in the Senate, giving them 23 of 30 spots in that chamber. Read more.Democrats Maintain Majority in Vermont House
Recounts are likely in several races, but preliminary results show 84 Democrats, 52 Republicans, seven Progressives and seven independents in the Vermont House next term. Read more.Queen City Approves Burlington Ballot Questions
Voters approved two ballot questions that allow the proposed redevelopment of the Burlington Town Center mall to go forward. One of the questions establishes a zoning height change that would allow developers to build buildings up to 160 feet — about 14 stories. The other approves $21.8 million in tax increment financing for street improvements in the area of the Burlington Town Center. Read more.Where Voters Went on Wind, Pot and Schools
Grafton and Windham soundly defeated a proposed wind project, while a school consolidation measure in the Champlain Islands partially passed. And four states — two in New England — legalized recreational marijuana. Read more.Tags: ballot questions , Burlington , cannabis related , development , election , governor , lieutenant governor , politics , Vermont Statehouse , Image , Web Only
Wind Project Defeated
Voters in Grafton and Windham soundly defeated a proposed 24-turbine wind project Tuesday, and the project developer says it will abide by the vote.
In Grafton, the tally was 235-158. In Windham, voters turned the project down by a margin of 181-101.
Tags: Act 46 , Cannabeat , Grafton , marijuana legalization , Stile Brook Wind Project , wind power , Windham , Image , Web Only