In 1974, Vermont Senator George Aiken, who had served in the U.S. Senate since 1941, decided not to seek reelection. The Democrats picked up the seat.
In 1974, the seat held by Vermont Republican George Aiken was won by Democrat Patrick Leahy with a plurality 49.5 percent of the vote defeating Congressman Richard Mallary. (With Vermont’s other current senator Bernie Sanders winning 4.1 percent on the Liberty Union ticket).
Pretty amazing that only two men have served in the seat since the Pearl Harbor attacks.
He was also quite the liberal Republican based on his short bio. Breaking up monopolies, food stamps, public works, rural electrification? At odds with the Old Guard? Sign me up to vote for that Republican.
Today, he would be a Democrat. And not a terrible one.
Typical
Hey, maybe Clapper can reassure us:
This report is innacurate but the facts are classified!
I don’t know, maybe the defense industry should rethink this whole full spectrum dominance thing? Maybe this fantasy land idea of an invincible security state is more like an endless black hole of money and self-destructive paranoia? Maybe it doesn’t, you know, help the world move forward into a sustainable future of cooperation and trust? Nah, let’s spend a trillion on a failed and useless manned fighter jet.
Wanna bet the “inaccurate” part is the claim that they’re not listening to her calls?
Evidence that term limits aren’t a good idea.
While I think term limits are idiotic, I actually had the opposite thought – it’s evidence that our democracy is broken when for over seven decades only two men have had half of the representation of the entire state in the Senate – the fact that it’s a small state notwithstanding. And if memory serves, the other seat’s previous occupants – Sanders and Jeffords being the most recent – generally haven’t been short-termers, either. and before he was in the Senate Sanders was VT’s other Congressional rep for some time. Regardless of the job performance of any of them, how is that the sign of a health democracy? And has Vermont ever had a woman represent it in Congress? (How many states haven’t?)
Wikipedia says no: Vermont has never had a woman in Congress. And only six men in the other Senate seat since 1939, none single-termers. Eight representatives, three of whom (including Jeffords and Sanders) later went to the Senate, since 1943.
So, fourteen white men have been the only people representing Vermont in Congress for the last 70 years. Something to marvel at, yes, but not to brag about.
More facts:
There have only been forty-four total female senators. Thirteen were appointed or won a special elections and served less than two years.
Four were elected and served one term (three defeated for re-election, one retired). So, there are plenty of states that have never elected a woman to the US Senate. And Florida, Illinois, Oregon only did so once.
With only a single House delegate, not many “widow’s appointment” opportunities. However, Wikipedia. Many didn’t stay elected for very long.
Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi, and Vermont are the only states that have never elected a woman to the House or Senate. A few only moved out of that grouping in the past six years.
Undefined is the number of “legacy” (spouses, children, grandchildren) elected officials.
So, I should be deprived of the voting to re-elect a good Rep or Senator over a rookie hack because you don’t think that’s reflects a healthy democracy?
Our problems with democracy have more to do with private election funding and uninformed or lazy voters than arbitrary and simplistic rules on who can no longer serve. Although I would support mandatory retirement for those no longer in possession of their marbles (Reagan might not have made it to 1984 and Thurmond would have been out of the Senate long before reaching his hundredth birthday) and some advanced age such as 80 or 85.
The lack of women from Vermont to Congress is more likely the consequence of being a small state and fortunate in who they have elected than the longevity of their elected officials.
Besides, being a woman per se, is not necessarily a good thing. I’m thinking of Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Pallin. Give me Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy any day rather than those two.
f*** yeah. Would also take Sanders and Leahy over Hillary, Dianne Feinstein, etc.