Posted on 06/04/2002 7:18:53 PM PDT by RonDog
Leahy Dismisses Conservative Boycott Of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont - June 2, 2002
A radio talk show host is launching an attack against Senator Patrick Leahy reminiscent of the battle over civil unions. When Vermont adopted the landmark legislation giving homosexual couples the rights of marriage, an explosion of angry letters and emails flooded in from around the country. Some threatened to boycott Vermont entirely. Now comes another frenzy -- aimed at Leahy for blocking conservative judges from appointment to federal courts.
Leahy wins applause almost everywhere he goes here at home. After all, he's brought back a lot of federal money during his 28 years in Washington. The new City Market in Burlington never would have been built without the grant that Leahy secured. The crowd at the market's grand opening on Saturday was glad that he held up several Bush administration nominees to federal court -- including personal favorites of Attorney General John Ashcroft. Leahy joked, "I'll tell Attorney General Ashcroft I will speed up the process when he speeds up sending better people." the crowd cheered its approval.
But outside Vermont, among conservatives, Leahy has become a national lightning rod. The latest strike against him comes from syndicated radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, who launched an email campaign to boycott Vermont tourism.
"It's targeted at Senator Leahy and it's all wrapped around the judicial nominations," Chris Barbieri of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce acknowledged. But he's not too worried. As a result of Leahy's block against the judicial nominations, the Chamber has received 250 emails threatening to cancel visits to Vermont.
"250 boycott emails is really nothing significant," he told Channel 3. "We get eight to eight-and-a-half million visitors every year. We get about five million in the summer and fall, and 250-300 is really a drop in the bucket. It's not really going to have any impact."
Leahy also dismissed the boycott: "As everybody has said, this happens about every year on one issue or another. And it ends up we just get publicity for Vermont and more people end up coming here."
"A rainy weekend in the summer costs us a lot more tourist business than this will ever cost us," Barbieri added.
Leahy says he'll move ahead with the majority of judge nominations, but don't expect him to budge on account of a boycott that appears to be a bust.
Andy Potter, Channel 3 news.
"this happens about every year on one issue or another"
"A rainy weekend in the summer costs us a lot more tourist business than this will ever cost us,"
Then why are you all commenting on it? They are scared of it getting publicity, so they are in "SPIN MODE." Nothing to worry about. Ha, we laugh in their faces!
Sure.
Rush targets our president and forgets the real enemy!
Which talkshow should conservatives listen to?
250 boycott emails is really nothing significant,EXACTLY!Except they tell their friends and they tell their friends....
From http://www.lindalarsen.com/Complaining%20Customers_golder.htm:"Complaining customers are the exception.PAY BACK can be a bitch, too.Research conducted by TARP, Inc. found that for every complaint a company receives, there are 26 other customers with a problem and they wont tell you about it. They will, however, spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 11 people on average.
If unhappy customers dont complain, you cant retain. The first step toward turning complaining customers into loyal customers is to get customers to complain. Dissatisfied customers are often silent, opting to switch brands rather than talk."
from
http://payitforward.warnerbros.com/Pay_It_Forward
Unfortunately, this is all that matters to all too many Americans.
The siren sound of socialism always seems to lure populations to their demise.
We need to whack the Vermont tourism industry NOW the way that black activists whacked the Arizona tourism industry THEN.
From http://odin.indstate.edu/Newsletter/jan98.html:"In 1986, Ronald Reagan declared the first Monday in January a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, many states had started celebrating the holiday before 1986. In Atlanta, the holiday has been celebrated since January 1969, 9 months after King's assassination. In total, 27 states, and Washington D.C., had been celebrating before President Reagan's declaration.
There were opponents to making the holiday federally recognized, but by 1991, all states except Arizona had adopted the federal holiday. In 1986, the bill was defeated by one vote in the Arizona State legislature. Even though defeated, the Governor signed an executive order making King's birthday a holiday. The new Governor elect rescinded the order in January of 1987. Because of their refusal to recognize the holiday, many entertainers and conventions boycotted the state. Also, the 1993 Super Bowl, which was to have been held in Phoenix, was moved to Pasadena in protest. Sometime later, Arizona caught up with the rest of the nation..."
Snowmobilers, stick to NH and ME (not politically much better). The trails are better and less crowded and the eco's haven't taken over yet. Better yet, go to Canada where the locals actually value the business that snowmobilers bring.
They don't sell cherry soda
'Cause they've got to fill their quota
If we boycott, then they surely cahnt
They've got way too many saps up in Vermont
Leni
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