Why does Vermont have a Republican governor?

[Eric J in MN]

Was it a three-way race or something?

[rwheeler31]

1. Good Question

Vermont is so beautiful, why would anyone vote to mess it up?

[mitchtv]

2. wasn't it backlash?

for civil unions?

[RhodaGrits]

3. Why does New York have a Republican Governor? Why does

California have Arnold?

WTF is wrong with these deep blue states that they elect a Republican governor???

- a dismayed New Yorker

[Maat]

4. Here in Cal., I wish I had any idea.

With Arnold, it seemed like I could talk until I was blue-in-the-face, and all they would talk about was his movies. And I blame it on the local hate talk radio hosts, 'Jon and Ken.' They savaged both Ronda Miller (one of the victims of his groping) and the rest of the candidates. They made up the biggest pack of lies about Gray Davis.

I was there. It was just like the situation with Bush. Either Bush or Arnie could sacrifice a baby on television, and the idiots would be cheering. It was none other than my esteemed Congressman, Darrel Issa, who paid for the recall signatures that got Davis, and got Arnie in .

Of course, I live in Freeperland (the Inland Empire - Riverside and San Bernardino counties), and it is none other than my esteemed assemblyman who will be sponsoring the latest hate/anti-gay amendment to the California constitution soon . Sometimes I feel like giving up ... but I won't.

Of course, I'm the one that e-mails and calls, and, of course, they listen to me and change their hard right ways .

[Eric J in MN]

5. New York has a Republican governor because Mario

Cuomo is against the death-penalty, and many New Yorkers wanted the deat penalty after a mass-murder on the Long Island Railroad.

[RhodaGrits]

6. I think that is a bit simplistic. I've lived here for the past 27 years

and was born here long before that. I'd never heard that one before. And we may have a death penalty but we don't enforce it. The Repubs here are in trouble though - they lost a lot of seats and it looks like the Repub held majority is crumbling. The biggest problem with our NY government IMO is Silver though... the best thing the Dems could do would be replace him and thats not going to happen. Our legislative process is a joke - passing (or failing to pass) an annual budget is shameful.

And I'm particularly furious about having Pataki and the legislators shove these damn casinos down our throat - something the locals are opposed to and is going to cause us nightmares. We do not have the infrastructure. In particular, the roads can't handle the projected traffic. They've not been upgraded or expanded since they tried to handle the Woodstock traffic in 68 and most people remember that gridlock from the City on up. Idiots.

[7th Generation VTer]

7. Act 60

...and Act 68, mainly. These were the legislative tangles that were supposed to resolve the inequality in education funding, and resulted in a bureaucratic nightmare (even CPAs can't properly understand our state tax forms now) and outcries from more rural and property-wealthy towns. Act 68 was meant to resolve some of the more tangled issues, but there is still a backlash from towns such as Manchester and Dorset (populated by extremely wealthy escapees from the cities; median home prices in Manchester are $700,000)(and I work in Manchester and HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!!). These towns, coupled with the more rural backlash against the Civil Union law, combined to hand the Governorship and Lt. Governorship to Repugs. Democrats and Progressives and other forward-thinking people have all run for these seats the last 2 elections but have divided the vote, making it easier for Douglas and Dubie to be elected.

Incidentally, the town of Killington was so disgusted by Acts 60 and 68 that it decided -- and voted at Town Meeting -- to secede and join New Hampshire.

[Eric J in MN]

8. Was Act 68 signed by Howard Dean? NT

NT

[Oak2004]

9. Not entirely true about vote splitting

The Progs have deliberately avoided running anyone for the governorship in recent years. Not that this has helped any. The Dems have not reciprocated and declined to run a candidate for Lt. Governor, which *is* why we have a rethug-variant Republican Lt. Governor. That, and we do use GEMS tabulators here (which is why we *really* need to organize locally here, or we too may find ourselves with our government slowly whittled away from us).

It's been complicated by the last two Dem. gubernatorial candidates running very poor campaigns. And it was made possible in part by a giant infusion of funds into Republican coffers from VA (not VT) immediately after the Civil Union bill passed.

It is most certainly true that our tax system is a complete mess. The self-evident solution is to abolish property taxes and go to straight income-tax-based funding of schools, but there isn't the political will to do so openly. So instead, it's being done covertly, with a Rube Goldberg property tax/income tax hybrid.

[gorbal]

10. Actually

what happened was that a former progressive won the Democratic nomination, then some of the Democrats split off and supported Jeffords. I guess people don't mind him so much.

[Oak2004]

11. Jeffords didn't run for governor

And it was Dem leaders who wooed the former Progressive into their fold, in a recruitment effort that went on for over a year.

(To which, I can assure you from an inside vantage point, most Progs said "good riddence, and I hope he brings you as much 'happiness' as he has so often brought us ;-) ")

[gorbal]

12. I meant Douglas, ehem.

They formed a group called "Democrats for Douglas"

http://www.jimdouglas.com/dems_for_douglas.shtml

[MoonWomyn]

13. the former progressive

ran one of the worst excuses for a campaign ever seen. It isn't surprising that he lost, it's surprising that he didn't lose by more votes. It was sad.

[gorbal]

14. It is sad.

It is sad because under his leadership the City Of Burlington was voted the number 1 most livable city.

I have never been all the way up to Burlington, do you think it deserves the title?

[TaleWgnDg]

15. Whew! And I thought somebody would *blame* . . .

.
Whew! And I thought somebody would *blame* . . . Fred. Fred Tuttle (may he Rest In Peace).


more Fred at http://www.bellwetherfilms.com/fred_tuttle/


.

[wicket]

16. God bless Fred Tuttle!

He lived near my parents, wonderful human being and he is definitely missed.

[david_vincent]

17. You guys are all missing it

The cold hard truth is that there are lots and lots of Vermonters who are rednecks.
The ordinary people I see in these parts don't give a fig about anything but car racing, getting drunk, and buying lottery tickets. I mean, how can you even answer this question without commenting on the fact that there are great segments of the Vermont populace who are seriously retrograde in their thinking. Actually, you can't even call it thinking, since it's really the way they live. And did I mention the rabid gun lovers? I've been in 47 states and I've never seen so many people who have devoted their lives to using up everything they can as fast as possible, in an apparent frenzied attempt to leave future generations nothing. And they won't try to defend their conduct with reasoned argument, they'll just flip you the bird and gas up the F350 that they use for trips to the grocery store. I could also mention that this state has some huge struggles with mental health -- lots and lots of people with problems are going untreated.
Hey, it's time for me to shut up, pop open a brewski and scratch off some more tickets!! woo hoo!!

[AX10]

18. Kerry got 60% to Bush's 39%.

Leahy wins big every time, and their Congessman is a socialist.

Douglas is not a right winger either. He tends to be moderate on social issues.

[david_vincent]

19. I was feeling a mite peckish when I wrote that

as it happens, I brag to friends in other states about our electoral results as compared to theirs. However, I stand by my comments. I am, naturally, looking forward to seeing Sanders in the senate.