Editor’s note: This piece by Jon Margolis comes to vtdigger.org through a special arrangement with the Vermont News Guy.
Early in last night’s candidate debate, Sen. Peter Shumlin delivered an unusually astute (for a candidate) bit of political analysis that illustrates the challenge facing him or whichever of his opponents wins the Democratic primary for governor.
Shumlin said the voters of Vermont were like the members of a large, complex (as aren’t they all?) family about to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, a meal which can be either pleasant or “a hair-pulling deal.”
What those voters want, he said, is a governor whose presence at the head of that table reassures them that “a food fight isn’t going to break out.”
The bad news for the Democrats is that the Republican nominee, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, who exudes poise, stability, and geniality, has at least tentatively crossed that threshold.
The good news for the Democrats is that, based on the performance of the three contenders who met at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common Thursday evening, any one of them has the potential to cross it, too.
Shumlin and Senators Doug Racine and Susan Bartlett answered the questions put to them knowledgeably, confidently, and even not all that long-windedly. Judging from conversations with several of the hundred or so in the audience, all three candidates impressed just about the whole crowd.
They were occasionally funny, sometimes at their own expense, and considering that the primary is only two months away, remarkably civil toward one another.
In fact, if there was a political downside for the Democrats, it was that all three came across so well that few of the onlookers were ready to choose among them.
“I was undecided when I came, and I was hoping to leave here with a favorite,” said one woman. “But I think they’re all great.”
A couple of qualifications before proceeding. First, there are five Democratic candidates, and the two no-shows can’t be judged here. Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz was never scheduled to attend. Former senator Matt Dunne was, but withdrew after his wife gave birth to the couple’s third baby Monday.
Second, the News Guy, as the debate moderator, was the one asking the questions (until throwing it open to the floor after about 40 minutes). Sitting at the table with the candidates is not the same as sitting in a row with the spectators, so the perspective may be a little warped.
For that reason, and because it’s late (the debate ended at 9), this will be a shorter than usual post, hitting just a few of the highlights of the evening
Perhaps because of the questions, the candidates did not, as they reportedly have in recent debates, spend much time attacking Dubie. At one point, in fact, Shumlin expressed a mock sympathy for the lieutenant governor.
“Free Brian Dubie” Shumlin said, calling attention to the Dubie campaign aide at the back of the room videotaping the debate, to which Dubie had also been invited. Dubie has declined almost all joint appearances with the other candidates, and Shumlin said it was because Dubie’s campaign consultants were keeping him under wraps.
The closest the candidates came to a squabble came when Racine said that this year’s Legislature had “left an $8 million hole in the budget,” and gave Gov. Jim Douglas authority to make the cuts.
Not so, said Bartlett, who insisted, “we did leave with a balanced budget and did not tell the governor to go ahead and cut.”
The candidates revealed some policy differences, though they pale in comparison to the differences between the parties. Bartlett demonstrated more support for the idea of consolidating school supervisory unions. But none of them favored forcing local school districts to combine.
Shumlin most strongly supported creation of a statewide universal “single payer” health care plan. Racine leans in that direction, but is awaiting the report of a special commission on health care created by a bill Racine sponsored. Bartlett did not express support for a single payer system.
Though the debate kept going beyond its 90 scheduled minutes, almost nobody left. The audience seemed to be having a good time. Perhaps more surprisingly, so did the candidates, though they had done this, Bartlett estimated, “at least 30 times,” and were scheduled for scores more.
Maybe they sense that any one of them has the chance to emerge as the kind of person Vermonters want to see carving the turkey at the head of their Thanksgiving table.
