Vermont Megathread

[Not Me, Us]

No reason a state as great as Vermont should have a right-wing Republican as their governor. Go Zuckerman!

[Not Me, Us]

Also, I would actually like to discuss this

I'm not sarcastic when I say, if you think Phil Scott is right wing (or a right wing Republican), please tell me how.

He vetoed a minimum wage increase, paid family leave, and legal marijuana.

[Not Me, Us]

Also, I would actually like to discuss this

I'm not sarcastic when I say, if you think Phil Scott is right wing (or a right wing Republican), please tell me how.

He vetoed a minimum wage increase, paid family leave, and legal marijuana.

1. The minimum wage goes up every year in Vermont, he vetoed a measure to increase that rate, and it makes sense. The wage is high, but he's tempering it to adjust for the cost and growth rate. It's sound economics. He supports higher wages, and wages have gone up.

2. He has an alternative plan for family leave, and you can debate the merits of it, but it's hardly right wing.

3. He vetoed one bill, and signed another one that he and the legislature agreed on. It's compromise and progress.


To suggest that he's right wing, much less a right wing Republican is patently false

This is really all irrelevant. Whether or not you think Scott is a good governor, a Democrat would have been a better one. There is no reason to ever vote for a Republican, unless the Democrat is George Wallace or something.

[Not Me, Us]

The only "official" leadership position elected by the full Senate is the President Pro Tempore. The floor leaders are elected by their respective caucuses in a secret ballot, so if asked Scott could say he voted for himself/Romney/King Angus/Howard Baker's ghost/whoever, and nobody would be able to prove otherwise.

Well presumably he would also announce his opposition

What's even the point of him running as a Republican in that case? That just makes his path to victory in a federal race extremely difficult. If he isn't going to support a Republican for majority leader and won't vote with Republicans on major issues to avoid pissing off liberal Vermonters, then why even bother. He should run as an independent if he has any brains.

[Not Me, Us]

How long do we think Scott will stay in office for? It's pretty clear that he'll be Governor for as long as he wants, but has he given any indication of when he might retire?

[Not Me, Us]

I really don't think Scott will run for Senate. He can be Governor for life if he wants, he'll never face a competitive election unless he messes up big time. Why would he throw that away for a longshot Senate bid? Especially when he'll be forced to take tough votes and be forced to take stances on national issues that he can mostly ignore as Governor. Not to mention, he's already in his 60s, meaning he could only serve a max of like 3 terms, meaning he'll never have the chance to chair any powerful committees, especially when he probably wouldn't have a great relationship with the GOP Senate leadership. A Senate run makes no sense for him from a career perspective.

[Not Me, Us]

https://vtdigger.org/2021/02/18/burlington-gop-chair-resigns-says-party-hijacked-by-far-right-extremists/

A rising star in the VTGOP, Burlington Party Chair 19 year old Kolby LaMarche has resigned, and left the party due to party leadership not condoning Trump for the insurrection attempt.

Who will be the next casualty of the VTGOP fight?

Do you mean condemn?

Also, the VTGOP is sending itself into perpetual irrelevance. You'd think the fact that Vermont was Biden's best state in 2020 and simultaneously reelected the most moderate GOP elected official in the country would give the party a pretty clear framework to work with, but I guess you can't fix stupid.

[Not Me, Us]

If Scott wants to run for Senate, he should do so as an independent. I would support him if he did.

[Not Me, Us]

https://vtdigger.org/2021/04/06/scott-rolls-out-timeline-for-full-reopening/

Scott unveils plan for nigh-full reopening by July 4th

Honestly, July 4th seems a bit late. I'm not familiar with how well Vermont's vaccination effort is going, but nationally I think restrictions will probably be able to lifted by June 1st at the current rate. By then, everybody 16+ who wants to be vaccinated should be able to do so.

[Not Me, Us]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/05/phil-scott-vermont-republican/618944/

Phil Scott's FIRST national interview, a must read. Main takeaways are that he isn't interested in becoming an independent, though he admits it would be "easier" but he isn't interested in running for Senate tiers and is "terribly happy right here in Vermont.” He notes that while he is a "little" concerned about Biden's spending, he supports the coming infrastructure package, and to my surprise, he says if Leahy is running for re-election, he will be voting for him.


On becoming an independent?

"I asked Scott why he hadn’t become an independent. “That would probably be the easier path, to be quite honest with you,” he said. “But if you look at the longevity of the Republican Party, there’s a lot to be proud of, from my perspective.” He listed Baker, Hogan, Representative Liz Cheney, and Senator Mitt Romney as leaders that give the party hope, and suggested that to abandon the GOP over Trump would be akin to surrendering the party to him. “We’ll see what happens in the future,” Scott said. “But I have no intention of leaving the Republican Party.”"

I'm obviously disappointed, but there's a lot I like in this interview, including legions of Vermont Dems heaping praise on him!

Good news that he isn't running for Senate. He'd probably lose anyway, but it's nice to not have to worry about that seat.

[Not Me, Us]

No reason a state as great as Vermont should have a right-wing Republican as their governor. Go Zuckerman!

You know literally nothing about VT politics if you believe Scott is 'right-wing Republican.' He's exactly as right wing as I am.

You're certainly correct about that, but my "right-wing republican" comment is like a year and a half old. But I'm not afraid to admit when I was wrong. Really, Scott is a Democrat in all but name and has actually done a very good job as governor. If I lived in Vermont, I'd have to vote against him on principle, but he's a good guy and the only good Republican in the country.

[Not Me, Us]

No reason a state as great as Vermont should have a right-wing Republican as their governor. Go Zuckerman!

You know literally nothing about VT politics if you believe Scott is 'right-wing Republican.' He's exactly as right wing as I am.

You're certainly correct about that, but my "right-wing republican" comment is like a year and a half old. But I'm not afraid to admit when I was wrong. Really, Scott is a Democrat in all but name and has actually done a very good job as governor. If I lived in Vermont, I'd have to vote against him on principle, but he's a good guy and the only good Republican in the country.

I'm thrilled to see you've come around. Mwahahahhaa.

I admit I was far too hackish back in 2019, some of it was tongue and cheek, some of it was very stupid. I have become more critical of Scott since then, but remain a big supporter.

As per usual, you were right.

Of course, my dislike of Scott was pure hackishness as well. Even at the time, I knew I was being unreasonable, but dug in anyway since he had an (R) next to his name. If he was a Democrat, maybe I would have been an even bigger Phil stan than you.

[Not Me, Us]

https://vtdigger.org/2022/04/12/final-reading-the-shot-heard-round-the-state/

Scott said Tuesday that he meets regularly with legislative leadership to hammer out disagreements on the state pension system, housing investments, workforce development and universal school lunches. He described their working relationships as “civil.”

But after an interview with NBC5 that aired over the weekend, Scott fired a shot heard ‘round the state.

Off camera, Scott reportedly said that, if he decides not to seek reelection, Vermont state government could slip into one-party rule. “There needs to be an adult in the room,” he said.

Asked to elaborate Tuesday, Scott said that the state has seen an influx of federal cash this year, resulting in a “feeding frenzy” in the Statehouse. But even a large pot of cash has a bottom.

“A governor, on an engine, is like a rev limiter,” he said. “We have to make sure the engine doesn’t over rev and self-destruct. And that’s what the governor has to do here, as well, is make sure that we're doing the right things to make sure that we don't do harm to our state.”

He thinks pensions, housing, and universal school lunches would harm the state? I guess he is a Republican after all.

[Not Me, Us]

https://www.wcax.com/2022/05/05/donovan-wont-seek-reelection-vermont-attorney-general/

Donovan won’t seek reelection as Vermont attorney general

Surprising, he's pretty young. I wonder if he's quitting politics for good or will come back for Governor or something down the line.

[Not Me, Us]

To those with some perspective, do you envision the state shifting notably to the right in 2022 or the near future (e.g. in the next GOP popular vote win in a presidential race)? In theory, Vermont seems like a state where Democratic margins still seem extremely inflated even by New England standards, even when taking into account cultural and non-racial demographic factors (esp. irreligion & college education). I’m aware that sociocultural factors and adoption of or conformity with local/communal values in particular are underrated as a force in this entire 'trends' discourse (case in point: RGV, Miami-Dade, etc.), but this is not a state where the GOP should be confined to the low 30s in federal races.

I think the main problem for the GOP in Vermont is their stance on social issues. Vermonters are largely pro-choice, for example, so a party that advocates for abortion bans is not going to do especially well there. Just because Vermont is very rural and white doesn't mean it's conservative. Even when it was a safe R state it had some of the most liberal Republicans in the country, and still does with Phil Scott. That's not to say it won't trend right, but I don't think the RGV is a very good comparison.

[Not Me, Us]

https://twitter.com/BeccaBalintVT/status/1552052810564378627?s=20&t=UZkuIYrD...

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT

Vermont continuing to be the most based state in the union.

[Not Me, Us]

https://www.wcax.com/2024/04/26/howard-dean-reportedly-exploring-2nd-bid-vt-governor/

Howard Dean exploring 2nd bit for Governor. I've heard this rumor via a friend as well. Unbelievable if true. Probably the one man who could beat Phil Scott other than Sanders or Welch. I can't really believe it.

Why would he do this, it's really a weird time for him to come out of retirement. Endorsed though, I guess.