Election Notes Vermont

In a rural state like Vermont, Bernie Sanders carries heavy political baggage. His native Brooklyn bray grates on Yankee ears. Worse yet, he is a socialist. And he struck out in previous tries at statewide office. Yet the four-term former mayor of Burlington last week was elected the first independent Congressman in decades. Why? While Sanders rails raucously against huge corporations and tax breaks for the wealthy, Vermonters finally realized that his revolutionary bark has little bite. He ran Burlington efficiently, pushing nothing much more radical than a decree that 10% of all city-funded trade jobs go to women. Also, he had the good luck to be opposed by a Democrat who sounded even more extreme: Delores Sandoval, a University of Vermont professor, called for legalization of drugs. Meanwhile, incumbent Peter Smith, a Republican, offended all hunters who can't shoot straight by advocating restrictions on semi-automatic weapons.

Moving to the national stage as Vermont's only Congressman, Sanders said he will oppose any offensive U.S. military operation in the Persian Gulf and will call for a five-year, 50% slash in defense spending. His soak-the-rich tax ideas will be welcomed by many Democrats. The apparent message from Vermont: let's shake things up in Washington.