I rarely trumpet the “Donate” feature on this blog. The timing rarely seems right, especially in this year of an ongoing — and worsening — crisis of homelessness made worse by Our Betters’ deliberate policy choices. But Giving Tuesday offered an opportunity.
Which I took. And wow, did you ever respond.
Between Giving Tuesday and the day after, my income for the entire year went up by more than 20%.
All I can say is, thank you. Your response is heartening and inspiring.
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Rather devastating piece has been posted in an unlikely spot, Forbes Magazine, about Zoie Saunders, Gov. Phil Scott’s pick for education secretary. It’s written by Peter Greene, a longtime schoolteacher turned education commentator. We’ll go through some specifics, including a lengthy quote from an unidentified writer at something called The Vermont Political Observer*, but this must be addressed right off the top.
*Hey Peter, next time check the “About” page.
Governor Scott’s office, which did not yet respond to a request for
comment for this article, has said that Saunders will not be doing any
more interviews until she’s in office.
Hoo boy. Batten down the ramparts, boys. Pull up the drawbridge. Sound red alert. Someone go below decks and look for a hull breach, because I think we’re taking on water.
The administration’s refusal to make Saunders available for interviews can only be taken one of two ways: They don’t trust her to speak contemporaneously, or they’re very, very nervous about her prospects for Senate approval. Neither is what you’d call a good look.
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It’s been several months since I pointed out the “Donate” option on this here blog and asked readers to consider a one-time or recurring contribution. I try not to push it too much, but once in a while…
There are many causes far worthier than mine competing for your dollar. I will not try to claim special status, and as usual I urge you to support the nonprofit causes of your choice. Food banks, homeless shelters, flood relief, journalistic outlets, so many needs, even in a place as relatively blessed as Vermont.
But hey. If you appreciate the insight I bring to the table or just enjoy my writing, think about putting a dollar value on your readership. If it’s worth your time, maybe it’s worth a few bucks.
I’m constantly keeping an eye on events. I write blogposts at least three times a week, usually four, sometimes five. I’ve been writing about Vermont politics since 2011, so I bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the table.
There is no paywall here, nor will there ever be. Honor system. Please give it a thought.
And even if you don’t give me a dime, I do thank you for your attention.
Just taking a brief pause in the post-election flow of japery and badinage to remind you of the “Donate” option on this here website. I’m not going to be pushy, I’m not going to build a paywall or charge for “premium content” as if I could call this “premium content” without laughing at the kind of presumption I can’t stand in our political betters.
There are many ways you can spend whatever discretionary income our oligarchy-driven economy trickles down to you. There are worthier causes and more urgent needs. But if you appreciate this blog and you’d like to tangibilize your appreciation, hit that Donate button. Make a one-time donation or set up a recurring contribution.
I’d like to thank all the people who have already done so. It means a lot to me and my tolerant spouse. Thanks also to the larger group of people who think this outpost is worthy of their time and attention.
That’s all. Thus Endeth The Lesson. Let’s get back to the politics.
Sharp-eyed readers with too much time on their hands may have noticed that one of my posts from last week is no longer there. This is because, for the first time in my years-long blogging “career,” I’ve taken down something I posted.
I’ve made corrections whenever warranted. But this time, my mistake undermined the point I was trying to make and it can’t be fixed through a simple correction.
The post was about the new owner of the Vermont Lake Monsters, who heads up RockFence Capital, an investment fund that loans money to minor-league baseball players. If the player doesn’t reach the majors, he gets to keep the money. If he does make the big time, he has to repay the money with interest.
But I centered the post on Ozzie Albies, second baseman for the Atlanta Braves. And I’ve learned that Albies is not, and has never been, a client of RockFence. Other players in similar circumstances are RockFence clients, but not Albies.
In my judgment, the post is flawed beyond salvage. So I’ve taken it down, with apologies to RockFence.
Okay, so I offended some people with my post about sexist shadings, and the prospect of more to come, in the coverage of House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint. The complaints concerned the use of the term “catfight” and the accompanying illustration of two teenagers pulling each other’s hair. I’m accused of, essentially, committing exactly the offense I was criticizing in the post. For some, the use of “catfight” in such a context is out of bounds.
I can see your point of view. But if you’ve read me for any length of time at all, you’ll know It’s What I Do.
I’ve often described my blogger persona as 90% analyst/commentator and 10% poo-flinging monkey. I’ve sometimes upped the “monkey” percentage. I bring a certain fearlessness and wildness to a #vtpoli that is overly polite, reticent to offend anyone.
It’s great that our politics are not as destructive as the national version. But there are times when politeness simply won’t do the trick.
Continue readingThroughout this weird campaign season, Gov. Phil Scott had insisted he was too busy with pandemic response to do any fundraising, campaigning or debating.
Until yesterday. In an interview with Seven Days, Scott reversed course: “I do feel that I owe it to the competition, as well as to the process, to get myself involved in the last three or four weeks [of the campaign].”
Ahem. Let’s recap.
On Friday the 10th, Your Obedient Serpent took Scott to task for refusing to campaign.
On Monday the 13th, Scott reversed course.
This could be one huge, belief-beggaring coincidence. But am I going to take some credit for Scott’s change of heart?
You bet I am.
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For the second time in its brief history, The Vermont Political Observer is headed into the deep freeze. I’ve accepted a gig as a political columnist and contributor for VTDigger. I’ll be writing weekly columns on the website, and contributing daily to Digger’s “Final Reading,” an email newsletter that you can get for free simply by signing up.
The folks at Digger approached me a few weeks ago. I wasn’t particularly looking for a job, nor did I expect any offers, and it took some thought before I accepted. I love the freedom of blogging. And last time around at Seven Days, fitting me into a journalistic enterprise proved to be quite the strain (on all of us).
But hey, paid positions don’t come along every day in the news biz. Hardly at all, in fact. In the end, the offer was too good to refuse.
And when they get tired of me or I get tired of them, I can always come back here. And I will. Stay tuned!
We get comments, we do, we do. Of late, they’ve included a couple of complaints about my occasionally salty language. To be fair, that language appeared in the headlines of two recent pieces, not buried somewhere in the text, so the offending words were hard to ignore.
I appreciate the feedback and I take it seriously, but I can’t promise to cut it out. There are times, especially these days, when a good Anglo-Saxonism is absolutely the appropriate response to some bit of political bullshittery or ratfuckery.
Oops, I did it again.
Besides, the only benefit of having A Blog Of One’s Own is that one gets to set The Rules Of One’s Own. I ain’t in this for the money, Lord knows.
Also, I find Vermont politics to be a little too reserved. This is fine, for the most part; I’d hate to cover that mess in D.C. where everyone’s hackles are permanently on Code Red. But our politicians commonly back away from any kind of real confrontation — or exposure of disagreements behind the scenes — out of an overly developed sense of politesse.
Which, up to a point, is a virtue. But there are times when differences that affect policy outcomes warrant a bit of sunshine. Or when a little vinegar improves the flavor.
I see myself as the vinegar. Or, in the words of my Twitter bio: “Political analyst, poo-flinging monkey.”
So yeah, I fling some poo from time to time, and I will continue to do so. Somtimes I’ll even call it “shit.” If you don’t like it, I will defend to the death your right not to read it.
So, over at journalismjobs.com there’s an intriguing listing from my former employer:
Award-winning, locally owned Seven Days newspaper is on the hunt for a political columnist or a news reporter to join our state government team.
That’s either/or. They’re going to hire one or the other. Which means they haven’t made up their minds whether they’re keeping “Fair Game.” It’ll depend, one must assume, on the inclination of the best applicants.
Before I begin the uninformed speculation and free advice, let me make one thing clear. I have no inside information. At this point, I have less insight into the inner workings of Seven Days than I do for True North Reports, the ha-ha “news” site bankrolled by reclusive moneybags Lenore Broughton.
When I got the ziggy, I didn’t know whether they intended to keep the column going or kill it. In recent years, Seven Days has sought to distance itself from its hippie-dippie alt roots. Maybe the Peter Freyne Memorial Chair no longer fit in with the highfalutin aspirations of Vermont’s largest organ.
On the other hand, it’s tough to imagine a Seven Days without “Fair Game.” Back in the bad old days, Peter Freyne was their only news guy, to use the term very loosely. The column has been a staple of the paper since practically day one.
Also, at this point it occupies a singular place in Vermont’s news ecosystem. There are no other political columnists, besides the part-time ruminations of VTDigger’s Jon Margolis. “Fair Game” remains incredibly popular — a must-read for anyone in Vermont politics or news media. That’s a lot of legacy and pageviews to surrender. Also, Vermont politics needs a good shitkicker. It’s far too comfortable a space right now.
But if they’re going to keep “Fair Game,” they need to make some decisions about what exactly it is and what their expectations are. Otherwise it’s not fair to the new hire. It sure wasn’t fair to me.
The Vermont Political Observer. 