Vermonters in Washington

Photo - Matthew Thorsen - Seven Days

Ignore the Trump stuff for a moment. Impossible I know. Three weeks out from the election and my mother is glued to CNN and MSNBC. I can’t get off Twitter. But look behind the every-day and you see the tectonic plates beginning to shift in national politics. And it starts in a state with 620,000 people.

If the U.S. Senate were to change hands from Republican to Democratic control next month, the agendas for an entire nation would change. And that change would be led in part by two senators from Vermont: Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders. You know Bernie. We all do. We who live here also know Leahy, the 80-year-old liberal who won his seat in 1974 after Nixon’s Watergate crimes. If you walk the streets of Montpelier or Burlington, you can generally bump into either senator on a weekend getting a sandwich or rushing to a meeting. 

If Democrats take over the Senate - and that’s a fair bet - Leahy and Sanders become chairs of two powerful committees that control federal spending in this country. Leahy has chaired committees over the years, has been president pro-tempore of the Senate and is that body’s most senior member. 

https://www.leahy.senate.gov/about

As the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, he is next in line to chair that panel. That means Leahy would have control of the federal budget and oversee the budgets of every federal department: the Pentagon, Homeland Security, the CDC, agriculture subsidies, National Endowment for the Arts, Public Broadcasting.  You get the picture. It is the most powerful, least sexy, role in government. But it means Vermont would be in line for major influxes of federal spending, or at least not be left out. Leahy has toiled for decades with the Appropriations machinery, chairing subcommittees and making sure federal dollars come to Vermont for land conservation, historic preservation and other things we value. 

If Trump wins the election and the Senate is controlled by Democrats, the White House will have to negotiate with Patrick Leahy. I would pay for that seat. 

Leahy could also chair the Judiciary committee if he chose. From that perch he could control judicial nominations and remake the federal judiciary in the aftermath of the Trump/McConnell court-packing scheme. But Leahy has made it clear that Appropriations is his priority. Judiciary gets you on TV. But Appropriations is where the money is spent and where the power really rests. 

Bernie stands to become chairman of the Senate Budget committee.  Let that sink in. Bernie Sanders as a Senate committee chairman. Talk about fox in the hen house. This panel sets the priorities for spending the government’s money. It’s another post that gets you on TV a lot. Basically Sanders would come up with the spending blueprint for the country and send it over to Leahy at Appropriations. Then Leahy and his staff decide whether they will adhere to that blueprint. Again, the power is with Appropriations. But rest assured there would be much back and forth between the staffs for Bernie and Leahy. The many years that Leahy has spent cultivating and respecting the cult of Berni’ will pay off. The two get along. 

But wait!

Bernie could also chair the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. In my days in DC as a reporter in the 1980s, we just called it the Labor Committee. It was chaired by Ted Kennedy. Washington Senator Patty Murray is next in line to chair that panel. But Murray also could have her pick of chairs and move up at Appropriations. Not to mention that her role in the leadership of the Senate could change. 

If Bernie were to rise to chair the HELP committee, he is home. This panel deals with his issues, especially health care. We would see all sorts of proposals around making health care cheaper and available to everyone. Medicare for All would be the theme of the year. Pilot programs in Vermont and other states could be proposed. Activists like my buddy Deb Richter, the activist doctor from Montpelier, would suddenly see their voice magnified. Insurance company and PHARMA execs should look out. 

Whatever happens, if a Democratic wave hits the U.S. Senate, get ready for Vermont’s two senators to gain an immense amount of power. And they know how to use it. 

The Prosperity Commission

My proposal for a “Commission on the Future of Vermont’’ gained some traction last week. People wrote in! COMMENTS are encouraged. Just be nice. Some commenters said my suggestion of Mary Powell and Bill Schubart as co-chairs were blind to the role of the next generation. Others said everyone should have a seat at the table. 

Roger Allbee of Newfane wrote to say that Vermont formed a Commission on the Future of Rural Vermont after a devastating flood in 1927.

Former House Speaker Gaye Symington wrote to say no one over 45 should serve. “Could our Boomer generation please get over itself and out of the way?’’ she said. She is kinda right. 

And Paul Costello of the Vermont Council on Rural Development said that his group has been doing this work for years and would love to be part of a commission effort. 

All make good points and I think I have them covered. It looks like we have agreement on the notion of Vermont at a crossroads. We know the problem. A shrinking population that is not generating enough tax revenue to pay for the kinds of services and culture demanded by an open-minded, fairly liberal citizenry that cares about education, climate change and the next generation. We need more people here. I proposed 25,000. Some commenters want more. These newcomers will start companies and create jobs that in turn attract more people who want what we have: a beautiful place with an outdoor lifestyle far removed from the sameness of the suburbs and the expense and noise of the city. 

The key point is that such a commission must have the strong support of the governor. I pointed out last week that Gov. Phil Scott is politically safe on his way to re-election and the legislature is securely Democratic. Both sides have the ability to join forces in support of a commission without threat to their electoral positions. The commission will spend two years coming up with recommendations for the legislature that would move Vermont into the next generation.

I also promised to begin suggesting members of the commission. I will keep a running list from the comments section. (Warning: I cannot stand Facebook so your suggestions there may die quietly. You have to make suggestions in the comments section.) 

Today’s suggestion for a commission member - Eileen Peltier, the executive director of Downstreet Housing and Community Development in Barre. She is brilliant, caring and has turned a quiet little non-profit into the key driver behind the development of affordable housing in Central Vermont. She gets it. 

Keep your commission suggestions coming.