Just weeks ago Obama swept Vermont and the nation to became president-elect. That was the big story. Meanwhile, the Vermont press chose to largely ignore an interesting and unusual aspect of this year's gubernatorial contest - the fact that an independent candidate, Anthony Pollina, nudged past a high-profile Democratic to place second behind front-runner Republican Jim Douglas.
As such races go, this outcome is remarkable. Consider:
1) An independent candidate running against candidates from the two major parties.
2) Pollina was outspent by Symington and the Democratic Party 2 to 1 (4 to 1 by the Douglas campaign).
As the race for governor heats up, the very lifeblood of democracy is being drained away by Governor Jim Douglas with support from the Democratic candidate, Gaye Symington. As recently as mid-August there were two dozen debates and forums scheduled for public meetings with the candidates. The topics ranged...