Editor’s note: This commentary is by Doug Racine, who is a former Democratic state senator, lieutenant governor and secretary of the Agency of Human Services. He lives in Richmond.
[T]he 2016 campaign for governor is off to an early start, giving Vermonters an opportunity to get to know the candidates, their values, and their priorities. Vermont faces serious challenges. Our economy still struggles and too many Vermonters are finding it difficult to get by. Citizens want government to solve a long list of problems, from child protection to opiate abuse to the cleanup of Lake Champlain, but also limit taxes and the size of government.
Vermonters will be well served by pushing candidates for specifics on how they plan to address these issues. We shouldn’t settle for nice sounding rhetoric and generic political sound bites. (Who isn’t for building a strong economy and creating jobs?) We should push the candidates to engage in a real debate about who has the better plans for building a bright future for all Vermonters. Rehashing a problem isn’t enough; candidates must give us a plan to fix it.
This race is not about gender. Qualified candidates should be judged by their skills and experiences, the power of their ideas, and the practicality of their proposals.
In Mark Johnson’s recent VTDigger profile of Phil Scott’s candidacy, it was clear that Phil has a long way to go on specifics. Having been through a few campaigns myself, I know that Vermonters of all political persuasions will demand more.
But what really caught my attention in the article was Phil’s subtle sexism, which I hope was unintentional. However, it was nonetheless real. Even as he acknowledged his awkwardness in a previous campaign against a female candidate, he went on to lament Shap Smith’s withdrawal from the race because he said that race would have been issue oriented. The clear implication is that a race against Sue Minter would not be about issues because she is a woman, a “difficult challenge,” he agreed. Somehow, even in the 21st century, some still think that when a woman runs for office, the campaign is about gender. Phil, talking about his awkward moments, sounded awkward yet again.
This race is not about gender. Qualified candidates should be judged by their skills and experiences, the power of their ideas, and the practicality of their proposals. Lately our news headlines have been dominated by immigrants and guns, and our candidates have been questioned about their own opinions. This is a great opportunity for voters to listen to what our candidates have to say and what they don’t say, and reflect on whose positions best represent their own.
As the 2016 campaign continues we will need more specific policy solutions from all of the candidates. Vermont’s challenges are serious. Vermonters deserve serious debates between the candidates, and not awkward discussions of irrelevant matters involving X and Y chromosomes.
