Earlier today, the Shumlin Administration announced that the Vermont Health Connect website had been taken offline until mid-November to repair its functionality. Fine. A good step, managerially speaking.

It does, of course, create a prime opportunity for the Governor’s Republican challenger to launch an all-out attack on VHC’s failures. Unfortunately for the VTGOP, its “challenger” is Scott Milne. Who, instead of organizing his own news conference and blasting Shumlin with (cough) a “laser-like focus,” what did he do?

He issued a lame, predictable press release. (Which I can’t link to because it’s not posted on his website.)  (Oh wait, there it is. Took him a while.)

No, no, NOOOO.

Don’t crank out a few unmemorable paragraphs of partisan bumpf! Get out in front of the cameras! Get your face and your attack on the teevee news! Gitcher pitcher in the papers!

Well, admittedly, if Milne held a news conference he’d have to answer questions. And as usual, he has no answers.

“I’ve been meeting with some of the top health care leaders in the state throughout my campaign, discussing the right path for Vermont moving forward. I will continue to do what Gov. Shumlin should have been doing: engaging medical professionals, Vermonters looking for affordable care, and insurance providers to develop a solution to healthcare that expands access and provides more options to consumers.”

Mahatma Milne, The Man Without A Plan.