Tag Archives: Planet Hank

The Elephant in the Room

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Dearie me. I seem to have triggered a bit of a firestorm in Vermont political circles with last week’s piece about Hank Poitras, the foul-mouthed videographer, podcaster, and (shamefully) chair of the Windham County Republican Committee. (I’d referred to him as chair of the Brattleboro party committee, per The Brattleboro Reformer, but apparently he’s a bigger fish than that.) Poitras is pictured here in one of his own videos, thrusting middle fingers skyward and shouting “Fuck all you liberal motherfuckers!” just like a good Phil Scott Republican. (I think that’s how the governor kicks off his weekly press conferences, but I could be mistaken.)

My post, which featured some of Poitras’ more loathsome on-the-record comments, caused consternation in VTGOP circles and prompted Vermont Public’s Peter Hirschfeld and Lola Duffort (wow, team effort) to produce a very good piece about The Artist Who Styles Himself As “Planet Hank.”

Poitras was scheduled to share a stage with VTGOP chair Paul Dame and Barre Republican Rep. Michael Boutin last Friday evening. After media inquiries, Boutin sought to remove Poitras from the program and then withdraw from the event before changing his mind following “prayer and counsel,” according to Boutin’s Facebook page, where you can watch his brief address to the smallish crowd.

It also seems to have scared Dame away from a personal appearance. He begged off at a very late stage, citing “unexpected family obligations,” and sent along a video message instead. Probably had to walk the dog or summat.

I have to tell you, this is one of the proudest moments of my decade-plus as a Vermont Political Observer.

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I Don’t Think Vermont Republicans Really Want to Share a Stage with Planet Hank

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Warning: This post contains quite a lot of bad, offensive language. It all comes from the subject of the post. I feel that it must be presented in unexpurgated form because it illustrates the mindset of the subject. The worst of the language will be in quote boxes and preceded by trigger warnings.

Hey everybody, get a load of Hank Poitras, d/b/a Planet Hank, video artiste and right-wing provocateur who is scheduled to share a platform on Friday with state Rep. Michael Boutin of Barre and Vermont Republican Party chair Paul Dame.

Poitras is also, apparently, chair of the Brattleboro Republican Committee.

And I’m here to tell you that Vermont Republicans would be well advised to sever all ties with Poitras because he is provably a “misogynistic, narcissistic sociopath,” in the words of New Hampshire progressive videographer “Kyle from the Shire.” That characterization is fully warranted, given the flood of online content produced by Poitras himself. It includes plenty of racist, misogynistic, and hateful material, the kind of stuff that makes disgraced former senator Sam Douglass look like Mr. Rogers by comparison.

Oh, and he also has a criminal record from his time living in New Hampshire.

Best strap yourselves in, folks, because this is going to be a bumpy ride. Complete with trigger warnings.

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The Kids Give It Another Try, Accompanied by a Chorus of Fake-Ass First Amendment Claims

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Oh hey, remember the two ninth-graders who wanted to form a chapter of Turning Point USA at their high school? The ones who had to hastily cancel a January event at the Canadian Club in Barre?

Well, they’re back. Yep, gonna give it another try on February 20. Maybe someday they’ll learn to schedule events far enough in advance to rustle up a crowd.

Interesting that Turning Point USA appears nowhere on the meeting’s publicity materials. It’s now billed as “Club America,” which, you’ll be shocked to learn, is a TPUSA joint aimed at the high school crowd. Perhaps they realized that the name “Turning Point USA” is itself a red flag a-waving.

The boys have reined in their expectations regarding speakers. They’ve dropped the “Invited” list that (laughably) included Gov. Phil Scott and professional anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. Two of the confirmed speakers from January are back on the agenda: State Rep. Michael Boutin of Barre, a first-term lawmaker with some decidedly outré views, and Vermont Republican Party chair Paul Dame.

Which once again begs the question, why is the head of Phil Scott’s party choosing to associate with a couple of dipshit kids who want to bring ultraconservative extremism to Vermont? Somebody should ask him, and should ask the governor what he thinks of Dame’s complicity.

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