Sanders in the Senate: Vermont set to look even nuttier

Manchester Union Leader ^ | May 18, 2005 | Editorial

[billorites]

IT IS BECOMING harder and harder to believe that Vermont was once ideologically similar to New Hampshire. In the land of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, a real-life socialist is the front-runner for U.S. Senate.

A poll by Burlington TV station WCAX found that U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders, a registered independent and self-proclaimed socialist, would win 60 percent of the vote against either of the two Republicans considering the race, including the lieutenant governor. It is early, but Sanders’ support is so solid that Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has endorsed him rather than try to find a Democrat to challenge him.

Sanders is running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Jeffords, the liberal-leaning independent who left the Republican party in 2001 after the Democrats offered him a committee chairmanship. If he wins, Sanders reportedly would be the only independent ever elected to the Senate.

Vermont is where Calvin Coolidge, one of America’s most conservative Presidents, was raised and where he got his values. It used to be a land of common-sense conservatism much like New Hampshire. Now it is run by liberal refugees from New York who have turned the state into a hippie haven. Both Sanders and Dean were born and raised in New York City.

Sending Sanders to the Senate would make Vermont look even kookier than Howard Dean did. And most Vermonters don’t seem to have a problem with that.

[Vaquero]

May I suggest to the expatriot socialist NYers who now run Vermont(into the ground)that you should attempt annexation into Canada (our gay neighbor to the north). We will wave bye bye.

[Cowman]

listen carefully to Bing Crosby in "White Christmas" you'll hear him make a joke, on the train to Vermont, that it's hard to find any Democrats up there.

Another old movie with some good political lines is The Ghost Breakers with Bob Hope. The joke that equates Democrats with mindless zombies is as accurate today as it was then.

How far Hollywood has fallen

[NHResident]

I wouldn't get all that 'gooey' over the Union Leader - it's fallen a long way since the days when the Loeb's controlled it. And Vermont's support for Sanders isn't all that far from Manchester's electing a 'rationally challenged'State representative (or Senator - I don't remember which) in the 90's. NH is probably the best of a very bad lot.

[grania]

Why are the centers of Liberal whackoism in urban areas

The "prestigious" colleges tend to attract students who think they're better than the actual residents and should tell them how to run their lives.

That's my opinion, and I'm not going to sully it with research!

[scott says]

[Cowman]

The "prestigious" colleges tend to attract students who think they're better than the actual residents and should tell them how to run their lives.

Back when I darkened the hollowed halls of a well known northeastern university the worst of the professors there were the ones who became professional students to avoid going to Vietnam. The profs that had common sense were those who had actually been in the real world (either business or military service) The best of the best were in disciplines of agriculture or animal science.

I think that infrastructure may contribute to the slide into nuttiness as well. If you are used to doing for yourself (if something breaks you fix it yourself rather than calling a town service to fix it for you) If you are self sufficient you are more likely to take offense at town employees snooping around your property. If you are a slave to the town services you are most afraid of those who do things that you have the town do.

[Cowman]

[who knows what evil?]

...they're almost bearable socialist because most of them are wacko NICE!

Unless they find out that you are a Republican, a Christian, or that you (gasp!!!) voted for President Bush! The hatred for any of the preceding in Vermont is palpable.

[cmiller623]

How old is Bernie the Buzzard?? He has to be in his 60's. Unfortunately, Vermont keeps sending their nuts to the Senate and House. ARen't there any conservatives anywhere up there?

[gulfcoast6]

They are like us, put one up there and forget him. He will be there forever like Gene Taylor will be from So. MS. Get one or two projects to work on and it makes them heroes.

[grania]

If you are used to doing for yourself (if something breaks you fix it yourself rather than calling a town service to fix it for you) If you are self sufficient you are more likely to take offense at town employees snooping around your property

That makes perfect sense, and I never thought about things that way. If you live in an urban environment, you're most likely not self sufficient, and couldn't survive on your own, so of course you get very dependent on excellent and continually escalating services.

Give folks enough space, a means of defending and caring for themselves, and, by gosh, that's just what they'll want to do.

Thanks for the insights. It still doesn't explain nutty Vermont, though.