[R]epublican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman has doubled down on the strategy that provoked a public spat with rival Phil Scott, sending a second political mailing painting his opponent as an ally to Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin.
Like the first flier — which Scott sharply criticized in a speech at the state Republican Party convention in late May — the new piece shows Shumlin and Scott, the lieutenant governor, laughing together. The text aims to portray Scott as an ally of Shumlin and a supporter of the Vermont Health Connect online exchange, which has been plagued by technical problems.
“A picture is worth a thousand words,” the mailer reads. “Phil Scott won’t change Vermont’s direction.”
The mailer also quotes from a 2014 Seven Days article where Scott described his relationship with Shumlin as “honest” and “trusting.”
The mailers have exacerbated tensions between the two Republican gubernatorial campaigns, with Scott’s campaign manager, Brittney Wilson, calling them “an act of desperation” filled with “blatant lies.”
“Lisman’s clearly not getting any traction running on his record, so instead he’s tearing Phil down to up his numbers,” Wilson said.
Shawn Shouldice, Lisman’s campaign manager, said Scott’s frustration with the first mailer had no bearing on campaign strategy.
“These mailers are raising very important issues that are entirely appropriate,” Shouldice said. “The policies that have been enacted while Phil Scott has been in office have been egregiously bad.”
Responding to Wilson’s assertion that the mailers distorted the truth, Shouldice said, “We’ve used Phil’s own words. We didn’t pull them out of a hat somewhere.”
Wilson acknowledged that Scott has worked with members of all parties during his political career, but she felt it was a strength in navigating Vermont’s liberal political landscape.
“One of Phil’s greatest qualities is his ability to work with Republicans, Democrats, independents and Progressives to get things done,” Wilson said.
Shouldice countered that Scott’s willingness to work with politicians of all stripes was a weakness.
“There’s no disputing that Phil Scott is a nice guy,” Shouldice said. “Our point is maybe he is too nice.”
While Scott and Shumlin have a number of significant policy differences, Scott has worked with the governor and other Democratic leaders during his many years in the Statehouse. Scott has attended a number of Shumlin’s Cabinet meetings and news conferences, and he was initially open to the governor’s single-payer health care proposal.
The Lisman mailer quotes Scott in a 2012 WCAX TV interview where he said single-payer “may be the answer.”
The entire quote shows that although Scott was open to the proposal, he raised red flags about how the system would work.
“I think there’s a lot more work to be done before we go to a single-payer system,” Scott told WCAX. “How much is that going to cost? How are we going to pay for it, and who’s going to pay for it?”
After Shumlin dropped his single-payer proposal and Vermont Health Connect began experiencing issues, Scott called for Vermont to transition to the federal health exchange. And while the lieutenant governor has criticized Shumlin on other issues, such as his budget proposals and his support of a carbon tax, some Republicans have criticized Scott for not being a vocal enough opponent to Democratic policies.
“When they say balance the budget, what they’re doing is just raising taxes,” Scott said in sharp remarks after Shumlin’s last State of the State address. “Last year they raised taxes and spent more money.”
Lisman, for his part, has been harshly critical of Shumlin on virtually every front while bemoaning a lack of Republican leadership in the Legislature. Lisman began his campaign hitting Shumlin, but he now routinely ties Scott and other Republicans to the administration.
“No one, and I mean no one, in government has listened to you or your neighbors,” Lisman said at the state Republican convention in May.
Lisman has outlined a detailed plan for how he would approach health care in Vermont, including proposals to audit the state’s Medicaid program and to allow residents to shop for health care plans in other states.
On Scott’s campaign website, health care is addressed briefly with the promise to “Fix the exchange, eliminate the mandate, and return savings to you.”
Shouldice said that only Lisman could bring conservative change to Montpelier or overhaul a health care system that has not been reformed for years.
“If Scott’s campaign is upset, they are upset that we have disrupted his coronation walk to the fifth floor,” Shouldice said. “This isn’t a beauty contest. People are ticked off, and Bruce aims to change that.”
