Bernie Sanders

Vermont's U.S. Senate delegation today joined several prominent colleagues in introducing legislation aimed at boosting Americans' access to primary healthcare, as well as expanding existing federal healthcare programs.  

The bill, called Access for All Americans Act, is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). The legislation seeks to provide all citizens with primary healthcare, tackle a shortage of primary care physicians by encouraging students to enter the healthcare field, and expand a Federally Qualified Health Centers program, which would boost services to low-income and uninsured citizens.  

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington)U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington) today released a new video criticizing President Bush following the recent announcement that the nation's deficit will reach $482 billion this year.

The Green Mountain State's junior U.S. senator called the news of the ballooning deficit "extremely disconcerting" and called for reform of the Bush tax cuts as well as spending for the War in Iraq.  

Not that the current congressional delegation is in any serious risk of being defeated any time soon, but just how powerful is the advantage of incumbency? In Vermont -- very.

The last time an incumbent U.S. Representative from Vermont lost an election to a challenger was in 1990 when Peter Smith (R) was defeated by Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington).

On the other hand, since the state held its first direct election for U.S. Senator in 1914, no incumbent who ran for re-election has been defeated by a challenger.

We would have to go back to the era before direct elections to find an example of an incumbent senator losing re-election. That distinction goes to Nathaniel Chipman, a Federalist who served only one term from 1797 until 1803

The man who calls himself the "only candidate for federal office whose campaign exposes visual evidence disproving the official conspiracy theory of 9/11" is challenging U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Windsor) in the Democratic primary for the state's At-Large Congressional District seat.

And if history is any indication, Welch can expect to face Montpelier resident Craig Hill again in the general election even after defeating him in the primary.

Hill ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 2004 and lost to U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Middlesex) who received 94.3 percent of the vote. After losing the primary, Hill then challenged Leahy as a Green party candidate in the general election and finished fourth with 1.3 percent.

In 2006, he again ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and drew just 1.3 percent against then-U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Burlington), who received over 94 percent as a write-in candidate. Hill then ran as a Green in the general election and drew just 0.5 percent of the vote, finishing fourth.

For Bernie Sanders, persistence has paid off. With every statewide run since 1972, he was able to increase his percentage of the vote, until ultimately winning a seat in the House in 1990 and later a U.S. Senate seat in 2006.

Progressive Party gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina held a rally on Thursday, yet led most observers to believe that he was going to announce his challenge to Brian Dubie for lieutenant governor. Speculation on the morning news was that Pollina would bow out of the race for governor, giving former House Speaker Gaye Symington, a Democrat, a clear shot to unseat Republican Gov. Jim Douglas this fall. And the Progressives and Democrats would be again lining up their interests for the greater good.

But it was not to be ... Pollina announced to Vermont he was staying put and going to act the spoiler.

Democrats are likely watching their chances to take the governorship slip away.

Don't expect Vermont's U.S. senators to be a presidential runningmate. In a survey of the U.S. Senate's membership not already running for president on whether they'd accept an offer to be vice president, The Hill newspaper found a variety of responses to the veepstakes question. Some were accompanied by laughs, others took the question seriously.

So, how did Independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Patrick Leahy respond?

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders: Photo by Getty ImagesAs we suffer with rising gas prices and no relief insight, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign is running ads in Indiana proposing suspension of the gas tax, a proposal Republican John McCain floated a week earlier. Yet, Clinton has a way to pay for it.

"The Windfall Profits Tax," often pushed by Vermont's very own Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, is Clinton's remedy to make up the revenue short-fall from the federal government giving us some relief. And with ExxonMobil this week releasing record profits -- again -- this proposal may pick up steam in the Rust Belt.

While economists consistently highlight that this new tax will make our problems worse by drive more crude to the developing markets of China and India, Democratic primary voters will surely rejoice "in sticking it to the man." And right now, there's no bigger "man" than Big Oil.

Vermont state House Speaker Gaye SymingtonMore than 400 excited Vermont Democratic Party activists gathered Friday night to hear U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd speak at the party's Curtis Leadership Awards. While the speech by the Connecticut Democrat and one-time presidential hopeful was the main attraction, more importantly was Gaye Symington. The state House speaker, who is weighing a gubernatorial run, took on a more prominent role at the events.

It is clear the game of musical chairs has begun. As a potential Symington run against Republican Gov. Jim Douglas seems more imminent, change also seems to be in the air for the House leadership.

Sen. Bernard Sanders

Last night, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders made his national comedy debut on the "Colbert Report" and he was a star. As always he was on message and Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert was the perfect foil.

Bernie discussed his usual message of income inequity and the unfairness of capitalism. And with Colbert playful jests, Sen. Sanders made his point brilliantly.