Vermonters for Economic Health

A perspective on how the Democrat party has changed in Vermont. This letter to the editor of the Rutland Herald from Phillip W. Mayo in Bomoseen spells out the leftward tilt of the Democrats that began in the 1980s.

"...Traditional Democrats support job growth and enact sensible legislation
on issues of importance to wage-earners and taxpayers. This is the
political middle ground that Vermonters want, which both the Vermont
Democratic and Republican parties represented during the '60s and '70s.
There was a time when there were few differences between the Democrats
and the Republicans.

Starting with Madeleine Kunin in the 1980s
the liberal-progressive wing of the party emerged. Democrats changed
direction with new perspective and money which came from outside;
during the Howard Dean era transplants had become the dominant force in
the party. Moderate and conservative Democrats became disenfranchised
and either joined the Vermont GOP, which continued on its moderate path
from George Aiken, Dean Davis, Dick Mallary and others, or stepped away
altogether. Here's the quote I've often heard: "I didn't leave the
[Democratic] Party; the party left me..."