Why I love Phil Scott

[KaiserDave]

The 82nd Governor of Vermont Phillip B. Scott

Many on this forum are continuously baffled by my love and support for this man. I'm a fairly progressive Dem who clearly despises Trump and much of the Republican Party in power. I supported Elizabeth Warren for President, and now support the failing campaign of Bernie Sanders. These are progressive, decisively left of center policy positions. While it's true I dislike and disagree with the DSA Left and have my issues with the Bernie left, I am a progressive Democrat. So why do I love the centrist Republican Governor of Vermont? This will be a full description on why. A few things to establish first.

1. I am not from Vermont but I spend many weeks out of the year in Vermont, and I love it very much
2. I welcome responses and questions


Local Issues
When it comes to governing the state of Vermont, the primary responsibility of the chief executive of the state or any state, Phil is doing a great job. There is no denying that Peter Shumlin was a bad governor who mismanaged the budget, the state economy, and spent all his political capital on a statewide single payer scheme that didn't work and would never have worked. Phil Scott put the focus back on the fundamentals of a strong economy, supporting budgets that are balanced and grow along with the statewide growth rate, and as well as holding the line on taxes and fees in a state plagued by an affordability and demographic crisis. This hasn't yet resulted in a turnaround in the demographic crisis, but it is the right approach. But this fiscal prudence is not national Republican giveaway to the rich/attack the poor economics, make no mistake. Phil may have a conservative approach to budgeting on the local level, but he's not slashing programs for giveaways to the top. His cut to the tax on social security benefits didn't apply to top income brackets, and he spent govt money on increasing the earned income tax credit by 3%. This is an approach in his phrasing, meant to help the most vulnerable.  Additionally, the minimum wage goes up every year in Vermont, and while Phil has a different approach to paid family leave then Dems in the State Legislature, he shares the same goals.
National Leadership
When it comes to national leadership, Phil hasn't hesitated to buck GOP orthodoxy. Not only has he endorsed Bill Weld and supported the impeachment and removal of Donald J Trump and opposed almost every horrid measure Trump and his allies in Congress have tried to path. He's preserved elements of the ACA Trump and Congressional Republicans gutted, and kept Vermont in the Paris Climate Agreement. He's also supported a woman's right to choose and LGBT equality. He is a moderate Republican, and no lackey to the right wing establishment.
Political Courage
Phil got onto the national map briefly with his support of a background checks and gun regulation bill. It was a mild and very necessary reform. However that didn't stop the gun lobby from hounding him, as well as some radical Vermonters. Phil was not pro gun control, but when a van was found with various weapons and a school shooting manifesto. He had to act, and he did. It was a genuine change of heart, and I deeply respect that. His approval fell 20 points (it has since returned to it's lofty position around 60%) but it was the right thing to do and was the consensus that needed to occur.
Personality
Obviously personality is second to policy, but Phil is a nice guy. He's affable, kind, and by all accounts truly cares about the issues. It's no surprise so many can help themselves but like the guy. One good example is when he had a 20 minute long conversation when a young woman supporting more radical climate action at an event. Many other "more important" folks wanted to meet him, but he stuck to this conversation, and listened. "Listen, Learn, Lead" is truly an admirable slogan. Finally, he responded to a letter I wrote to him! I told him I appreciated his ability to bridge the partisan divide and be civil, and asked how he'd reverse the demographic challenge in Vermont. He replied kindly with a detailed reply on tax relief and credits.


Well, there you go! Why I love Phil!

[VirginiaAaron]

https://www.zuckermanforvt.com/

[Kleine Scheiße]

phil is an FF and a good governor but i can't in good conscience endorse a republican

scott >>> baker > hogan > sununu

[President Johnson]

Phil Scott and Charlie Baker are massive freedom fighters.

[KaiserDave]

If Phil became an Independent, that would be cool. It's not entirely out of the picture, considering the State GOP is run by Trumpists. But I don't much care either way.

[KaiserDave]

Update!
Phil's COVID-19 response has been impressive! Typical of him has dropped everything and moved to address this pressing crisis with every weapon in his arsenal. He's issued a Stay at Home order, effectively locked down the state, and approved assistance measures from the State Legislature to help those who need it in these trying times. Now Vermont gets hardly any media attention because of the small population, but it looks like that they will flatten the curve. Seeing Phil's speeches and actions on this crisis compared to the President's is a stark contrast that goes to show's Trump's incompetence and Phil's effectiveness.

[brucejoel99]

https://www.zuckermanforvt.com/

*https://rebeccaholcombe.com/, because an anti-vaxx politician like Zuckerman = HP.

As for Scott, an overall FF who I'd vote for over Zuckerman because of vaccines, but I'd still vote for Holcombe over Scott.

[KaiserDave]

https://www.zuckermanforvt.com/

*https://rebeccaholcombe.com/, because an anti-vaxx politician like Zuckerman = HP.

As for Scott, an overall FF who I'd vote for over Zuckerman because of vaccines, but I'd still vote for Holcombe over Scott.

I didn't know Zuckerman was an anti-vaxxer. Do you have a link?

That's not good not good. As for Holcombe...fine...but...Phil is the better manager in my view and has a better governing philosophy. I hope she gets the nomination though, because polls have Phil up by over 30 against Holcombe.

[brucejoel99]

https://www.zuckermanforvt.com/

*https://rebeccaholcombe.com/, because an anti-vaxx politician like Zuckerman = HP.

As for Scott, an overall FF who I'd vote for over Zuckerman because of vaccines, but I'd still vote for Holcombe over Scott.

I didn't know Zuckerman was an anti-vaxxer. Do you have a link?

That's not good not good. As for Holcombe...fine...but...Phil is the better manager in my view and has a better governing philosophy. I hope she gets the nomination though, because polls have Phil up by over 30 against Holcombe.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/21/anti-vaccine-coronavirus-137446

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I just got around to reading this write-up, and it actually makes a lot of sense. It hasn't convinced me to support Phil Scott myself--because I'm, well, a socialist, and he's a Republican governor--but I get now why you think so highly of him.

Vermont politics used to produce a ton of these locally-oriented, unideological types of guys, most famously in the GOP during the period when it was basically a one-party state, but to some extent in the VTDP as well. Even pre-2004 Howard Dean (my childhood governor, before my family relocated to New Jersey) had kind of a similar vibe.

[KaiserDave]

I just got around to reading this write-up, and it actually makes a lot of sense. It hasn't convinced me to support Phil Scott myself--because I'm, well, a socialist, and he's a Republican governor--but I get now why you think so highly of him.

Vermont politics used to produce a ton of these locally-oriented, unideological types of guys, most famously in the GOP during the period when it was basically a one-party state, but to some extent in the VTDP as well. Even pre-2004 Howard Dean (my childhood governor, before my family relocated to New Jersey) had kind of a similar vibe.

Yeah
I’ve never agreed with the prevailing logic that Dean is somehow so left wing

[KaiserDave]

Seven Days has a longform piece on Scott's response to the pandemic. The view of his leadership has been overwhelmingly positive.

My opinion of him isn't quite so adulatory as OP's, but I'm glad to have him as our governor. That's a relief, because I've become disenchanted with both the crankish and unpragmatic leftism of the Vermont Progressives and the Ivy Tower liberalism embodied by someone like Holcombe.

I looked at it earlier, it’s great!

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

NE is trending Dem, and VT Govs and NH Govs tend to be late breaking like in 2018, in a Bidenslide, Sununu, Scott wont survive and MT Gov will stay D

[Continential]

I just got around to reading this write-up, and it actually makes a lot of sense. It hasn't convinced me to support Phil Scott myself--because I'm, well, a socialist, and he's a Republican governor--but I get now why you think so highly of him.

Vermont politics used to produce a ton of these locally-oriented, unideological types of guys, most famously in the GOP during the period when it was basically a one-party state, but to some extent in the VTDP as well. Even pre-2004 Howard Dean (my childhood governor, before my family relocated to New Jersey) had kind of a similar vibe.

Yeah
I’ve never agreed with the prevailing logic that Dean is somehow so left wing

Dean was seen as left wing because he opposed Iraq.

[KaiserDave]

I just got around to reading this write-up, and it actually makes a lot of sense. It hasn't convinced me to support Phil Scott myself--because I'm, well, a socialist, and he's a Republican governor--but I get now why you think so highly of him.

Vermont politics used to produce a ton of these locally-oriented, unideological types of guys, most famously in the GOP during the period when it was basically a one-party state, but to some extent in the VTDP as well. Even pre-2004 Howard Dean (my childhood governor, before my family relocated to New Jersey) had kind of a similar vibe.

Yeah
I’ve never agreed with the prevailing logic that Dean is somehow so left wing

Dean was seen as left wing because he opposed Iraq.

True, but otherwise he was fairly centrist.

[erſatz-york]

There was a Keys to the White House game on AH.com a few years back (before the 2016 GE) where we managed to elect Phil Scott as POTUS in 2020 (Tim Scott was his running mate) after one term of Hillary. Good stuff.

[KaiserDave]

There was a Keys to the White House game on AH.com a few years back (before the 2016 GE) where we managed to elect Phil Scott as POTUS in 2020 (Tim Scott was his running mate) after one term of Hillary. Good stuff.

Good stuff

[KaiserDave]

Update!
Phil's COVID-19 response has been impressive! Typical of him has dropped everything and moved to address this pressing crisis with every weapon in his arsenal. He's issued a Stay at Home order, effectively locked down the state, and approved assistance measures from the State Legislature to help those who need it in these trying times. Now Vermont gets hardly any media attention because of the small population, but it looks like that they will flatten the curve. Seeing Phil's speeches and actions on this crisis compared to the President's is a stark contrast that goes to show's Trump's incompetence and Phil's effectiveness.

SECOND UPDATE

Hello folks! While I'm sure my Philist ideology has been elaborated in many posts, specifically in our wonderful VT-Gov thread I'd like to elaborate on the points I made in March. Phil Scott's COVID-19 response has been the best in the country. He executed a short lockdown followed by a data driven reopening. As a result Vermont has the lowest positivity rate and case growth in the country. At one point the state went over 40 days without a single new death. Now this isn't just Vermont being a rural low-population state, Wyoming is to (VT population is 623,000, WY is 578,000), but they had 70 new cases yesterday and Vermont had 3. Phil Scott has successfully steered Vermont through its greatest domestic crisis in a century. He had received bipartisan praise for his tremendous efforts. That is leadership, and that is why I like Phil Scott.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

KaiserDave, your new signature is simply peak Prairie Populism.

[KaiserDave]

KaiserDave, your new signature is simply peak Prairie Populism.

Thank you I try

[OSR stands with Israel]

Update!
Phil's COVID-19 response has been impressive! Typical of him has dropped everything and moved to address this pressing crisis with every weapon in his arsenal. He's issued a Stay at Home order, effectively locked down the state, and approved assistance measures from the State Legislature to help those who need it in these trying times. Now Vermont gets hardly any media attention because of the small population, but it looks like that they will flatten the curve. Seeing Phil's speeches and actions on this crisis compared to the President's is a stark contrast that goes to show's Trump's incompetence and Phil's effectiveness.

SECOND UPDATE

Hello folks! While I'm sure my Philist ideology has been elaborated in many posts, specifically in our wonderful VT-Gov thread I'd like to elaborate on the points I made in March. Phil Scott's COVID-19 response has been the best in the country. He executed a short lockdown followed by a data driven reopening. As a result Vermont has the lowest positivity rate and case growth in the country. At one point the state went over 40 days without a single new death. Now this isn't just Vermont being a rural low-population state, Wyoming is to (VT population is 623,000, WY is 578,000), but they had 70 new cases yesterday and Vermont had 3. Phil Scott has successfully steered Vermont through its greatest domestic crisis in a century. He had received bipartisan praise for his tremendous efforts. That is leadership, and that is why I like Phil Scott.

Who would you vote for in an presidential election between Joe Biden and Phil Scott

[KaiserDave]

That's a good question, and it entirely depends on the circumstances.

But really, given how I hate national Republicans in Congress, and how naturally he would be forced to do business with them I would probably vote for Biden.

However Phil running as an independent in some kind of extreme circumstance and taking his usual pragmatic, results based spin on things I would take very seriously.

[Cabbage]

Update!
Phil's COVID-19 response has been impressive! Typical of him has dropped everything and moved to address this pressing crisis with every weapon in his arsenal. He's issued a Stay at Home order, effectively locked down the state, and approved assistance measures from the State Legislature to help those who need it in these trying times. Now Vermont gets hardly any media attention because of the small population, but it looks like that they will flatten the curve. Seeing Phil's speeches and actions on this crisis compared to the President's is a stark contrast that goes to show's Trump's incompetence and Phil's effectiveness.

SECOND UPDATE

Hello folks! While I'm sure my Philist ideology has been elaborated in many posts, specifically in our wonderful VT-Gov thread I'd like to elaborate on the points I made in March. Phil Scott's COVID-19 response has been the best in the country. He executed a short lockdown followed by a data driven reopening. As a result Vermont has the lowest positivity rate and case growth in the country. At one point the state went over 40 days without a single new death. Now this isn't just Vermont being a rural low-population state, Wyoming is to (VT population is 623,000, WY is 578,000), but they had 70 new cases yesterday and Vermont had 3. Phil Scott has successfully steered Vermont through its greatest domestic crisis in a century. He had received bipartisan praise for his tremendous efforts. That is leadership, and that is why I like Phil Scott.

Hey, Phil just broke Howard Dean's old record for largest raw vote margin in a VT governor election. Not set in stone since there's still some outstanding votes, but I'd say he's probably got it.

[KaiserDave]

Yes indeed! It's more beautiful than ever.

[Schiff for Senate]

Scott's a great man, leader and politician. He's my favourite politician from either party.