Perspective on Dean from a Vermont Sierra Club Activist: negative
Below is a post regarding Howard Dean, from an internal Sierra club discussion list.
What amazes me most is the ability of so many people to fail to learn from history
regarding candidates like this.
– Steve Bloom
While I will agree that even Howard Dean looks better than Dubya on the environment, we
all know that’s not saying much.
The Vermont Chapter always decided against endorsing Howard Dean for Governor. (That
counts 4 or 5 election cycles)
Although he developed a fairly strong record on land conservation, in spite of failing to
support some key land programs, he made himself a dismal record on other environmental
issues. He strongly supported everything the utilities and ski areas ever asked him to
do. He supported mega-purchase from Hydro Quebec, refusing to even consider any
alternative or the adverse impacts on our state’s economy. (Both he and the utilities
spent the next decade complaining about the high prices and trying to get out of the
contracts, as though they were someone else’s evil doings.) During a major battle over
stormwater/sprawl legislation, he claimed that water from those polluted streams was clean
enough to drink. I wouldn’t want this guy as my doctor, thank you. He did offer nominal,
initial support to a renewables bill two years ago, but when push came to shove he refused
to lift a finger in support. He repeatedly had his secretaries and commissioners run
various collaborative policy-making groups, only to have the facts emerge later that the
“fix was in” from the start with his road-building, air polluting, power producing
campaign donors. His record is one of opposing just about everything the environmental
lobby supported. He was always there with the lip service as long as there was actually
nothing on the table. He has developed a reputation for saying what his audience wants to
hear, then doing whatever suits him later.
“Rebel with a Cause?” If what Howard Dean spouts these days on the campaign trail is what
he now believes, the biggest thing he is rebelling against is his former self.
Worth a look? Yes, a very close look.
Steve Crowley
VT chapter conservation chair, former chapter chair, political chair, etc.
