Wednesday, October 14, 2015
"Hillary Clinton won — by a landslide," Politico's Katie Glueck wrote, summing up a survey of early-state insiders.
"Her performance at the first Democratic presidential debate was so commanding that even her greatest vulnerability — the lingering controversy over her private email practices as secretary of state — ended up redounding to her benefit," the New York Times' Patrick Healy gushed.
"Instead of turning in the safe and solid performance she needed," Slate's Josh Voorhees wrote, "Clinton was closer to spectacular on Tuesday night."
Weird. I thought I watched the same debate, but I walked away with a different conclusion.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , presidential campaign , Las Vegas , Democratic debate , Image , Web Only
But it was his forceful defense of his opponent that stole the show. After Clinton spent more than two minutes defending her use of a private email server as secretary of state, Sanders accomplished what she had been unable to do since the scandal erupted last March: He eviscerated the news media for its relentless coverage of the issue.
"Let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the secretary is right," Sanders said. "And that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!"
"Thank you!" Clinton said, smiling broadly and letting out a big laugh. "Me, too! Me, too!"
"And let me say something about the media as well," Sanders continued, arguing that the voters he talks to are worried about income inequality, poverty, trade policy and campaign finance reform — not Clinton's server.
"Enough of the emails!" Sanders said. "Let's talk about the real issues facing America!"
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , Democratic debate , Las Vegas , presidential campaign , gun control , government reform , Image , Web Only
Monday, October 12, 2015
"I have an eight-year track record of building consensus with conviction and courage in the legislature," she says. "I think I have been a strong advocate for the people and have gotten results."
The Burlington Democrat has been reaching out to lawmakers this week to enlist their support and plans to hold a formal campaign kickoff on October 26 at Burlington's Main Street Landing.
Ram, who is 29 years old, isn't the first young Democrat to announce plans to run for the position, which is being vacated by Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. Twenty-eight-year-old Brandon Riker announced earlier this year that he's seeking the job. But unlike Riker, a political novice, Ram has served in the legislature since she was 22.
Tags: Kesha Ram , lieutenant governor , Image , Web Only
Thursday, October 8, 2015
"As stunning as it was, I'm not surprised," the Vermont Democrat said.
In recent days, according to Welch, Republican colleagues had told him they were getting "hammered" in their home districts over whether they would support McCarthy, who some viewed as insufficiently conservative. Even if he'd won Thursday's vote in the Republican caucus and another one later this month on the House floor, McCarthy would have struggled to wrangle the roughly 40 members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Welch argued.
"It just would've been a repeat of the dilemma that Speaker Boehner faced, where he was constantly trying to appease that wing of the party," Welch said. "Where do they go from here is anybody's guess. The thing that's a concern for me is the legislative body has a job to do, and it's called legislating. And we're not doing that now."
Tags: Kevin McCarthy , Peter Welch , John Boehner , Image , Web Only
Monday, October 5, 2015
"We need to have new leadership — leadership that has the ability to move beyond the traditional structures of state government," Dunne told a small lunchtime crowd gathered in Barre's City Hall Park.
Standing in front of his wife, the writer Sarah Stewart Taylor, and their three young children, Dunne said he was running for governor to preserve the "sense of community" that defined his upbringing in Hartland. Now 45 and sporting a touch of gray, the former wunderkind politician credited the experience of raising children with providing a new "sense of urgency" to his quest for public office.
"I'm running for governor because we can't allow that sense of community to be lost in our state," he said.
Tags: Matt Dunne , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
Now Milne is considering an even tougher challenge: running against seven-term incumbent Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who has served in Congress since 1974.
"A lot of people have said, 'Why don't you think about running for that seat?'" Milne said Monday. "It's something that's on the table for 2016, yeah."
Milne fired an unusual shot across Leahy's bow earlier Monday in the form of an email to state reporters. In it, the Pomfret businessman criticized Leahy for holding a $5,000-per-person fundraiser last weekend in Vermont.
Tags: Patrick Leahy , Scott Milne , Image , Web Only
One of those injured was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and the others were taken via ambulance to Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. Officials did not release their conditions.
The train had 98 passengers and four crew aboard when it derailed around 10:30 a.m. as it traveled south near Route 12A and Bull Run Road near Roxbury, WCAX reported.
The rockslide apparently had occurred overnight, officials said; a freight train had passed through late last night without incident. "It's not an issue of a conductor driving too quickly," Gov. Peter Shumlin said. "It was an act of nature beyond the control of anyone conducting the train or … maintaining the tracks."
“We’re very lucky there was no loss of life," Shumlin said during a press conference at Norwich University in nearby Northfield.
Tags: Amtrak , derailment , Peter Shumlin , train , Northfield , Image , Web Only
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Randy Brock, a former state auditor and senator, announced Thursday that he'll seek the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
The Swanton resident and retired risk management officer called the position the “right fit” for his skill set. Because the job comes with few constitutional obligations, he said, he could use it as a “bully pulpit” to advance long-term policy solutions.
“The more I’ve thought about it in recent years, it provides a platform — call it a soapbox — that I think can be a really valuable catalyst for good ideas,” he said.
Brock served one term as state auditor and two in the state Senate before unsuccessfully challenging Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin in the 2012 gubernatorial race. He lost 58 to 38 percent.
Tags: Brandon Riker , Mark Snelling , Phil Scott , Randy Brock , Image , Web Only
Gov. Peter Shumlin celebrated Vermont Health Connect’s second birthday Thursday by announcing a key fix to a problem that has plagued the insurance exchange since its launch.
Speaking at a Statehouse press conference, the governor said the state was prepared to install a software upgrade that should smooth the system’s annual open-enrollment period, which begins next month. He said the online portal would go offline Thursday night so that the software could be installed and would be back in business Monday.
Shumlin, who has long been criticized for over-promising and under-delivering on Vermont Health Connect, took great pains to speak cautiously about the improvements.
“I want to make clear that today is not a ‘mission accomplished,’” he said, standing beside top health care advisers, customer service representatives and exchange users. “It’s an update … that we’re very optimistic that on November 1 this exchange is going to work as we all wished it would have [from the start].”
Tags: Vermont Health Connect , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has met a mark some are calling historic: He’s raked in more than 1 million online contributions faster than any presidential candidate has before.
Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, emailed supporters Wednesday afternoon touting the fundraising pace, hours before a midnight campaign finance reporting deadline.
“I wanted you to hear it from me first: A short while ago, we flew past our goal of 1 million online contributions to our campaign,” Weaver’s email said. “Let’s. Keep. Going.”
Weaver went on to say: “If we do, we can send an unmistakable message about the size and strength of our political revolution to the political media who have dismissed us for too long.”
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , Presidential Campaign , fundraising , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only