Don’t expect to see Republican Gov. Phil Scott at Saturday’s “Let’s Go Brandon” rally in Brandon.
The chant, which has become a euphemism for a vulgar condemnation of President Joe Biden, is now the centerpiece of a rally Saturday in Brandon, the first public event for the new Vermont Republican Party chair, Paul Dame — a resident of Brandon.
Scott made clear at his weekly press conference Tuesday that he has no stomach for that approach to politics.
While Biden is a Democrat and Scott is a Republican, “we’ve been working well with the White House,” Scott said. Emphasizing “Let’s Go Brandon” is “not something that I would do,” the governor said, but that’s the path the Vermont Republican leadership has chosen to pursue.
“For some, it’s lighthearted, but I take it somewhat personally if you take it literally, and I just don’t think it’s necessary at this point in time. So it’s their choice. I didn’t have any involvement in that,” he said.
Scott’s advice to the Republican Party: “I think we should move on to other issues. … If you look back at the numbers, 65% of Vermonters voted for President Biden. I think we should be looking, as Republicans, at how do we attract at least 20% of them, 30% of them, in order to win the elections in the future, not offend them.”
As for Dame, the new state Republican Party chair, “I think he was the right choice for the party,” Scott said. “I think that he will learn his way, and I think that he’ll offer a lot, but time will tell.”
— Tom Kearney
