Vermont Democratic Party

As I mentioned last week, over the next month or so, the Vermont Democratic Party will be hosting open Grassroots Trainings in a town near you: VDP staff will present information on communications, finance and field operations during a campaign.  Check the event page on our website for information on the closest training to you.

We also opened a second office in Burlington to kick off our state-wide coordinated campaign early.  We have hit the ground running, working with former Chittenden County Chair, Miro Weinberger, in his bid to be the first Democratic mayor in Burlington in thirty years!  If you had the opportunity to volunteer in Burlington in 2010, the building should be familiar: we’re back in 209 Battery Street.  Stop by and visit!

In case you missed it, President Obama rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline, a decision applauded by our full Congressional delegation.   Senator Leahy said,“I commend the President for standing up to strong-arm tactics that are intended to politicize this issue, short-circuit the environmental review process and force an arbitrary deadline.  This inherently dirty tar sands project would be a wasteful diversion from the cleaner and more sustainable energy future and energy security that are so important to our country and our economy." Senator Sanders said, “The United States must help lead the world in combating global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It would be incomprehensible to give approval to a tar sands oil project when producing tar sands oil creates 82 percent more carbon emissions than conventional oil, and when it poses the risk of extremely damaging oil spills. I agree with NASA scientist James Hansen who has stated that fully exploiting the tar sands would mean ‘game over’ for our efforts to reverse global warming. are serious about protecting the planet and improving our economy, America’s energy future must focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy.” Congressman Welch led House Democrats in opposing the pipeline and vowed to continue his efforts as Republicans in Congress look for ways to overturn the President's decision.  You can read his comments about the pipeline decision here.

Tonight is President Obama's State of the Union address to Congress and the nation.  All of major television networks will air the address, which you can also stream live from the President's website.

State Street News
Governor Shumlin’s budget address on January 12 highlighted several initiatives to boost economic development and job creation, including investments in higher education and our transportation infrastructure.  You can read his speech here.

Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell used a parliamentary procedure rarely implemented in the Vermont State Senate to allow the entire state Senate to examine and question the Irene Property Law Task Force at the same time.  With issues relating to Irene recovery spread across numerous Senate committees, this procedure allowed all Senators, regardless of committee, to participate in hearing and questioning the task force. 

On the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, Vermont Senator Ginny Lyons (D-Chittenden) and Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell held a rally with Ben and Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield to announce a Vermont Senate Resolution calling upon Congress to support a constitutional amendment clarifying that corporations are not people.  

Vermont’s Secretary of State Jim Condos penned an editorial that ran in the HuffingtonPost this weekend about a troubling trend: vote suppression legislated as “voting reform.”  Across the country, legislators are tightening restrictions on voting, mandating ID cards, shortening the windows for early voting, and other measures that will have the net effect of reducing voter access to the polls in November if left unchallenged. 

Vermont’s Congressional Delegation
Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders, and Congressman Welch announced that Vermont would receive an additional $4.9 million in federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, bringing $19.5 million total in federal funding for the program to Vermont. 

Our delegation also secured $21.6 million in federal community development grants to help rebuild Vermont communities following Irene.  In addition to that funding, the delegation also announced $8.7 million in federal flood relief assistance to help Vermont farmers and property owners recover from Irene damage and protect their property from future storm-related damage. 

Senator Leahy has worked with New York Senator Chuck Schumer to secure funding to prevent the shutdown of river and lake gauges that helped mitigate damages during Tropical Storm Irene.  These gauges were scheduled for shutdown this year, but the senators fought for additional funding to keep them functioning after their key role in last year’s flooding. 

A heartfelt congratulations goes out to Senator Leahy’s chief of staff, Ed Pagano, who has been appointed Deputy Special Assistant and Senate Liaison for President Obama.  A UVM grad, Ed served in Senator Leahy’s office since 1993. 

The Supreme Court two years ago this month gave corporations unchecked power to influence American political campaigns. Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote an essay for U.S. News & World Report about why the ruling in Citizens United vs. the Federal Elections Commission should be overturned. Read it here.

Thank you for your continued support of Vermont Democrats!

-Jake