I have a crush on Susan

VPR Governors "Debate"

Wednesday, August 18 2010 @ 08:19 AM GMT+4 iBrattleboro.com Contributed by: paulgardner http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php/20100818081930428 Fascinating debate show on VPR last night with the 5 Democratic challengers - did you catch it? I came out with a new favorite. I had not expected that. My mind was made up. It was a pro forma listen, I thought. But before I reveal who my new favorite is, here some other observations from the show. First of all, I call it a show because a debate did not take place. There were questions and answers and some posturing and campaigning, but no debating. The atmosphere was mostly collegial. There were a few testy moments, notably between Matt Dunne and Deb Markowitz. The candidates were given the chance to directly question each other. Dunne questioned Markowitz on the subject of transparency - and whether her office (Sec. of State) had been transparent enough. She thought she'd done well (natch) and he thought she could have done better (ditto). Easily the most bizarre moment of the night was the Peter Shumlin softball question for Susan Bartlett. First he praised her for her work on the Senate Appropriations committee (and praised himself for picking her to head the committee) then asked her to explain the "rainy day fund" which Doug Racine and Matt Dunne had been discussing moments before. Bartlett's explanation was at once so wonky and so clear that it made the Racine/Dunne discussion look superficial and simple minded by comparison. Racine was easily the most relaxed and personable candidate of the show, but Bartlett's performance exposed him a bit, imo. Score one to Shumlin. The two VPR moderators did a good job overall in their hosting and questioning duties, but to me their questioning of Shumlin seemed sharper than that of the other 4. In one instance he admitted a mistake on an education funding bill where he had compromised with Governor Douglas. Perhaps that line of questioning was agreed to in advance to give him a chance to speak to that issue. Deb Markowitz wins the dubious distinction of most disappointing. I have been touting her as the only candidate who can beat Dubie based on polls of the state that pit the various candidates against Dubie head to head. At the end of the night, those hand full of polls were all she had. In light of what I heard from the other candidates, that wasn't enough. Matt Dunne must have mentioned his experience as director of Head Start/Vista and its 6,000 employees 4 times at least during the show. So often that it made clear that he felt a need to stress his experience. For me it's the political version of "me thinks the lady doth protest too much". The more he talks, the more there seems to be an experience/maturity issue there. I love Peter Shumlin. He's a sharp politician who I mostly trust (a rare combination). Unfortunately, I think his negatives are high for many people and perhaps that's because he has a tendency to lapse into an almost Nixonian, whispery politician speak. I.e. he doesn't talk like "normal" people. You have to make an adjustment to your listening to take in what he's saying (see Racine below). This breaks my heart because he's ready to push for single payer health care and he'd be the staunchest foe to the relicensing of VY which are both huge issues for me. I just don't see him beating Dubie. Doug Racine likes to tout his defeat of Dubie in a Lieutenant Governor's race back about a decade ago when he was the incumbent and nobody knew who Dubie was. I don't think he can repeat the performance, but I could be wrong. He's a sharper and more impressive candidate overall than I thought. As mentioned above, he was the most personable of the candidates. He's the Democratic candidate who sounds least like a politician. He has the easy bonhomie of a salesman - which he is. He's been in state government long enough that he doesn't have to make too many grating references to his experience like Dunne does. He knows the issues well and discuss them without sounding wonky. All that said, my new crush, my new favorite for next governor of Vermont: SUSAN BARTLETT. It wasn't even close. It's not even the thought of how a non-politician like Dubie who is leaning on a lot of outside help is going to deal with an unaffected, brainiac, insider woman. Bartlett herself is a force. She reminded me at once of Bill Clinton and Temple Grandin (the high functioning autistic who has been on Terry Gross's Fresh Air numerous times and written several popular books about her condition). Bartlett plowed into every question given her and got to the nub of the issue in a way that was at once intellectually rigorous and easily understandable to the layman. She was political without seeming it. I don't see how Dubie can beat her and oh by the way, she'd be the best governor of the bunch.

Qualified to be Governor

Qualified to be Governor from Susan Bartlett on Vimeo.

Bartlett Campaign Manager Questions Poll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 6/24/10

Contact: John Bauer 802-279-7222 john.bauer@bartlettforgovernor.com



John Bauer, Susan Bartlett's Campaign Manager, questioned the validity of the recent Rasmussen poll on the gubernatorial race. "It's method of gathering information and the questions they asked have little or no bearing on the democratic primary on Aug. 24." she said. "It does not indicate which candidate likely voters in the democratic primary prefer."

His reservations are summed up by Eric Davis' post on vtdigger.com.

"Rasmussen polls should be interpreted cautiously. As explained at the \methodology\ link on Rasmussen’s Web site, Rasmussen uses automated prompts with touch-tone responses rather than live operators to collect its data. The Rasmussen method is not as effective as live operators in coming up with a sample that includes likely voters. (For example, how effective is an automated response system in screening out those under 18 who pick up the phone?) Also, rather than make calling a larger number of respondents to get a sample that is representative in terms of age, gender, and other demographic characteristics, Rasmussen weights the responses they do get to come up with an adjusted sample." Davis wrote.
"Also, this poll is not much help in terms of trying to project results in the Democratic primary, since it attempts to measure candidates’ support in the general election."

“This poll told voters the primary is Sept. 14,” Bauer said. “I wonder what else they got wrong? A general election poll of 500 people does not measure the strength of any candidate in the primary.”

Gubernatorial Candidate Susan Bartlett

Tuesday, 06/22/10 Noon and 7pm
Bob Kinzel
There's a wide field of candidates for governor, and Primary Election Day is August 24. This month on Vermont Edition we're interviewing the major party candidates and getting their positions on key issues in the primary races. On Tuesday our guest is Democrat Susan Bartlett, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Bartlett describes herself as the moderate among the five Democratic candidates, and we learn about her platform and how she approaches key issues facing the state.Listen ...

The senator from Lamoille County is telling it straight, but is anybody listening?

Finally Susan

The senator from Lamoille County is telling it straight, but is anybody listening?
By Andy Bromage - Seven Days [06.16.10]

Senator Susan Bartlett has a reputation for toughness, so no one expected her to get weepy during her final budget presentation. The Lamoille County Democrat was briefing her colleagues on the Senate floor, on a cloudy day in April, when she was overcome with emotion.

After 18 years in the legislature, including 10 as chair of the budget-writing Senate Appropriations Committee, Bartlett was retiring to run for governor. This was the last budget she would shepherd through.

“I knew I’d feel sad,” said Bartlett, half crying, half laughing. “I’m crying because — whew — I don’t have to do it again.” By turning a potential “Muskie moment” into a joke, she skillfully avoided embarrassment.

For years, 63-year-old Bartlett has been the legislature’s go-to person on all things fiscal. Fellow senators say her understanding of state government is unmatched; her institutional memory, indispensable.

“She has an incredible ability to process numbers,” says Sen. Diane Snelling, a Chittenden County Republican who calls Bartlett a “mentor” and has served for nine years on her committee.

One of five Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for governor, Bartlett is trying to parlay her deep knowledge of state government into a victory at the polls on August 24. That, combined with her politically moderate views, are what set her apart from her competitors.

Read on ...

Seven Days Profile

One of five Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for governor, Bartlett is trying to parlay her deep knowledge of state government into a victory at the polls on August 24. That, combined with her politically moderate views, are what set her apart from her competitors.

Most pundits would give Bartlett long odds: She has scant name recognition, no major endorsements, and doesn’t have a lot of campaign cash. Polls show Bartlett squarely at the back of the Democratic pack, trailing Republican candidate Brian Dubie by 18 points in a hypothetical match-up.

But Bartlett appears undeterred. Vermonters want a centrist in the governor’s office, she reasons, and after eight years of Republican Governor Jim Douglas, voters are ready to give a Democrat a chance. She says her Democratic rivals — senators Doug Racine (D-Chittenden) and Peter Shumlin (D-Windham), Secretary of State Deb Markowitz and former Senator Matt Dunne — are too liberal to beat Dubie, the popular lieutenant governor.

Read on ...