Not An Ordinary Politician
Vermont Standard, July 10, 2008, by Kurt Staudter (link not available).
The best part of my job as a columnist comes from the wonderful and interesting people I get to meet. As you might expect it is also the worst part of the job. Yet, on a whole I get to talk to far more interesting people than sleazy ones. I am after all a political columnist and have to rub shoulders on occasion with some of the more unsavory elements of our society; however, I must say that here in Vermont the sleaze-balls are few and far between compared to places like New York or Chicago. Politics in Vermont is tame in comparison, and even our wackos for the most part mean well. And just where would I be as a columnist without our lovable nutcases? Now while the crazy ones make for good copy, it is the great ones that toil along in relative obscurity. It’s too bad our media outlets make this choice for us.
I first met Anthony Pollina more years ago than either of us were willing to admit. He was working on a prescription drug reform package for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, and I’d just helped put SAPA-TV on the air in Springfield. I knew from that first interview he was special, and over the years he has done nothing to dissuade that initial impression. In fact, since that interview I’ve watched as Anthony has grown from someone special to one of the few great people I’ve ever met.
Last week I hooked up with Anthony to do an interview. While we did get to talk about some of the issues, the interview took the unexpected direction of a conversation between friends about political philosophy, and the awful change that has swept society in just the last decade. First off, Anthony Pollina is perhaps one of the most optimistic people I know, and even though we lamented on the harmful direction this country and state has taken, he is hopeful that things can be turned around. Of course a big part of that renaissance will happen only if we throw off the yoke put on us by the custodians of the status quo embodied by the entrenched two party system, and open our minds to the possibility of another Vermont – A Better Vermont.
Eight years ago when Pollina ran for Governor, part of his stump speech always used the catch phrase “vote your hopes not your fears!” Think back now: That was before the terror attacks of 9/11, before we went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and before we saw the economy slip down the toilet. It would seem that we have so much more now to fear than ever before, and the politicians from the two major parties are like carnival barkers selling that fear to us like snake oil. Then there’s Anthony who correctly points out that much of the politics of fear becomes self-fulfilling prophecy, and the only way to break this cycle is to look outside of politics as usual for new solutions to our greatest problems.
Take for example healthcare reform. If you are to believe Governor Douglas and Speaker Symington there isn’t the political will to take on the status quo because the only solution will cost taxpayers more than they are willing to spend. Here they play the fear card that it will cost us more, yet, when the population is polled on the subject of healthcare reform around 70% support change “even if it means higher taxes.” Meanwhile, during the watch of Douglas we’ve seen the uninsured in Vermont go from 47,000 to over 60,000. Don’t fool yourself, Catamount Health does nothing but protect the status quo and took the issue off the table during the last election cycle. Well, unlike his opponents, Anthony Pollina wants that issue front and center just like those of us suffering needlessly from business as usual.
Energy costs got you down, well Anthony and I talked at length about the opportunity lost when the state walked away from purchasing the hydro plants along the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers. Thanks Jim! Now the Democrats and Republicans talk a good game on energy efficiency and independence, but how is it that the so-called “Greenest State in the Nation” is lagging behind other states, even states dominated by Republicans, on energy issues? This can’t be permitted to continue.
It goes deeper that just single issues; what the hell happened to Vermont in the last decade? We had a tradition of being progressive and forward thinking, and now states around us are taking bold steps to solving their biggest problems while our Republican executive and Democratic legislature have taken up the politics of the timid. It’s as if our politicians have become too afraid to leave the security blanket of the golden dome to see that their friends and neighbors are truly suffering. It’s really sad when our politicians spend 90% of their time telling us what can’t be done. What ever happened to those politicians that inspired us to dig deep and do better?
Just like our nation, Vermont needs to do better. Now I don’t know if Barak Obama will shake up the status quo down in Washington, but I do know that an administration run by Anthony Pollina in Montpelier will be a whole lot more responsive to the needs of Vermonters than one led by either Douglas or Symington. Desperate times call for bold solutions to our complex problems, and creative leadership for those kinds of innovations only come from extraordinary individuals. Anthony Pollina is just such a leader. Now is the time to move beyond the politics of fear and begin a conversation about our hopes and dreams.