by Alicia Freese vtdigger.org With the 2014 election a little over a year away, roughly 100 Democrats congregated inside an old brick building on a side street in Barre City to pique the giving spirit of their donors.
Current officeholders and lawmakers made up a sizeable portion of the crowd Friday evening, and a string of speeches constituted the night’s entertainment.
Admission to the ‘Autumn Harvest Celebration’ ‘ held at the Old Labor Hall, a former Socialist gathering place ‘ was flexible, ranging from $30 to $2,000. Donors who gave $2,000 attended an earlier event as well.
After trouncing Republicans in the 2012 election, Vermont Democrats have pivoted their attention to a new menace ‘ super PACS and the specter of ‘outside money’ ‘ to drum up their fundraising dollars.
‘We need to remain vigilant and engaged,’ party chair Dottie Deans told the crowd. ‘The 2014 elections are right around the corner; we must prepare because our opposition, funded by donors with deep pockets and outside interests, are preparing as well.’
Deans described the Democrats’ success during the 2012 elections as a tale of underdog triumph. ‘We need only to look to the 2012 elections for proof. We were outspent by a millionaire-funded super PAC and a barrage of negative ads, but who won? The Democrats,’ she said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy chats with guests at a fundraising event for the party on Friday. Photo by Alicia Freese/VTDigger
Deans was referring to Vermonters First, a conservative super PAC bankrolled by Lenore Broughton of Burlington, which spent roughly $1 million trying to give Republican candidates a leg up.
House Speaker Shap Smith, in his remarks also predicted that 2014 will be a ‘very, very difficult election.’
Gov. Peter Shumlin struck a more triumphal tone. ‘Has there ever been time when it’s better to be a Vermont Democrat than right now?’ he asked.
State Treasurer Beth Pearce ‘ who won the 2012 election by over 30,000 votes but whose campaign is considered the closest thing the Democrats have to a cautionary tale ‘ chided Shumlin for his confidence.
Pearce said she asked Shumlin, after he appointed her to the position, if running a campaign to hold onto her seat would be difficult. ‘He said, ‘Ah, piece of cake,’ she recalled. ‘Thank you, Governor, for that.’
Pearce, whose Republican challenger Wendy Wilton had support from Vermonters First, told the group, ‘We were fighting against an incredible super PAC and you showed that money doesn’t matter. What matters is the vision and what matters is the future of Vermont.’
The mayor of Minneapolis, RT Rybak, was the keynote speaker. Rybak, who is also vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, recounted a Democratic gathering he’d attended in Mississippi, a Republican stronghold.
He’d anticipated greeting a beleaguered party, but was surprised to learn that Democrats there had been snatching up mayor seats, school board positions, and other local offices.
Rybak warned the group that Democrats lose their vigilance, Republicans could make the same types of gains in Vermont.
‘The point that you’ve got to remember in Vermont is while they were winning those small races in Mississippi and building the party that way, that’s the danger of what could happen here. The opposite could be true here.’
And he offered Pearce up as an example. ‘I want you to just think about what they tried to do to Beth last time. â ¦ They dropped one thing after another after another on a great public servant.’
Vermont’s other Democratic statewide officeholders (the party occupies five of the six positions, all but lieutenant governor) gave speeches as well.
Attorney General Bill Sorrell, who one day before had made public his intention to run for office again in 2014, used his time at the podium to make a plug for his re-election.
He touted the ‘lead’ role his office has taken on investigating national issues such as wireless cramming (unauthorized third party cell phone charges) and patent trolling. ‘Vermont right now is the buzz for being the least friendly state in the union for patent trolls,’ he said.
‘Thank you for your past support,’ Sorrell concluded his speech. ‘I hope to have your support next year.’
T.J. Donovan, the Chittenden Country state’s attorney who challenged Sorrell in the Democratic primary in 2012, was in the audience. Donovan has declined to say whether he will run again in 2014.
Congressman Peter Welch makes the rounds at the Vermont Democratic Party’s ‘Autumn Harvest’ fundraiser. Photo by Alicia Freese/VTDigger
Two-thirds of the congressional delegation was also in attendance. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch gave the crowd a candid glimpse at what the last few weeks in Washington had been like.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, is touring the southern United States with the Democratic super PAC, South Forward.
The Democrats emerged from the shutdown ‘ the blame for which has largely fallen on intransigence among Tea Party Republicans who sought to repeal the health care law ‘ ascendant, if not unscathed.
In the more genial setting of a single-party get-together, Leahy and Welch made less of an effort to conceal their vexation with Washington Republicans.
‘It was weird to be in Washington these last few weeks. It truly was,’ Welch said, shaking his head. ‘They said they were going to do it, they were going to ‘shut ‘er down.’‘
He described fellow representatives such as Michele Bachmann as ‘some of the great minds of the 18th century.’
Then, shedding mockery for solemnity, Welch recounted watching Republicans walk by security guards, wearing buttons in support of them, without taking blame for their plight. Welch said he’d spent a lot of time talking with those guards, some of whom were struggling to make mortgage payments and pay electricity bills in the absence of their paychecks. ‘It was real,’ he said.
At a press conference the day before, Leahy refrained from weighing in on Ted Cruz’s conduct during the shutdown, saying he would leave it to Republicans to chide their own. But Friday evening, he allowed himself a jab at the Texas Republican, who led the failed effort in the Senate to roll back the Affordable Care Act.
‘I have a great deal of love and respect for this giant to the north, Canada,’ Leahy said. ‘After all, Canada sent my parents’in-law, who immigrated to Vermont, and Marcelle [his wife] was born here. I’ve always thought of these great gifts from Canada. One I’d like to send back is Ted Cruz.’
‘Oh, God, would I like to send him back,’ he said chuckling, adding that Cruz was the only senator he’s known in 38 years who he’s seen ‘misread’ Dr. Seuss.