GOP builds Dean dossier

MONTPELIER (AP) -- There's so much interest in who Howard Dean is and what he did while he was governor of Vermont that the secretary of state is considering adding staff to the state archives.
Now that Dean's fund-raising success has vaulted him to among the leading Democratic presidential candidates, reporters and opponents are trying to compile a dossier on his nearly 12 years as governor.

"There's a lot of fishing expeditions," said Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz.

And it's not just the eight other Democratic campaigns that are interested. Republicans are preparing for the possibility that Dean might be President Bush's general election competition.

"I don't think it's any secret that as a general matter, parties, both Democratic and Republican, do opposition research on any candidate that might be the nominee," said Skip Vallee, a Burlington-area businessman who is the state's Republican national committeeman. "Obviously, there are a number of Vermonters who are quite happy to assist anybody who's doing opposition research."

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/Stories/0,1413,104~8678~1543688,00.html

I think this may be a source that favors Republicans, but over the last few days, Vermont Republicans have been suggesting, rather strongly, that since Dean is running for national office, that his records as governor be opened to the public. Since te Republicans now are in virtually total control of the Vermont government, it is likely that they are askling Dean nicely, but may pass legislation tat over-rides the agreement to seal Deans records for ten years, longer than the traditional six years. Dean originally was negociating for twenty years, and they finally came down to ten, but becasue this was not usual, the Republicans may decide they can throw out the agreement for this reason, and in any case, there isnt much from stopping them from changing the law and opening the record. The Progressive Party has grown fairly large now, but they have little love (lets say none) for Dean duee to his resistance to progressive party legislation while he was governor, so it is unlikely that they will resist such a change in the laws.

But between communications between Dean and other officials, and considering Dean had more support from moderate Republicans than democrats, and therer was a great deal of friction between Dean and liberal democrats as well as progressives, they may be able to reconstruct a fairly accurate record of the things Dean doesnt want to be opened to public scrutiny.

This is not to say that there is a was a great deal of dirty dealing going on in the Dean administration, but Dean stated that hewanted his records sealed becasue he didnt want anything embarassing popping up during any possible future campigns he might be interested in.

Again, people may be reading more into this statement than actually is there, but Dean does have a tendency to state things in ways that can be taken wrong, and in fact, such a statement has led people to ask what could be embarassing, when in fact, this may simplpy be Dean being cautious. He was rather cautious in many of his decisions, such as signingthe Civil Union Act, waiting until thre seemed to be a safer level of public support before finally signing it, but this agains is not all that uncommon among a lot of politicians.

There may be noting there at all, and very likely, there isnt much there at all, but Deans unwillingness to open the records looks worse than being willing to open them, and an attempt to "RECONSTRUCT" Deans records, may turn out to be worse for him than actually opening the record's because areas in which the reconstuctions may not be clear, may lead people to speculate the worse, than give the benmefit of the doubt. And sometimes appearnces can be everything. People may end up speculating more about Dean from partial reconstructions, than the actual events would bear speculating about.

I really HATE to suggest something that may be in Deans interest. But keeping these records closed and allowing a group that does not just consist of Republicans, but left democrats. progressive, and reporters putting togetther a dossier on Deans career as governor may do worse damage than just opening the record.
Sort of like all of the crap the Clintons went through over Whitewater. Eventually they were exonerated, but not without a lot of public expenditure, public speculation,negative opinions and so on.

Sealing those records may not have been worth it.

Question -- aren't a significant portion of W's records from his terms as TX governor also sealed? Maybe Dean could strike a bargain of sorts with the Bushies come campaign time. You know, the old "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" bit.

It's not like he faced any scrutiny for it during the last campaign.

That texas is in Republican hands...and so is Vermont.

They could choose to open all of Deans records legally, or have a group of people from the media, from the Liberal Democrats and Progressives, who Dean fought with continually and opposed almost all of the time, and Right Wing, and even moderate Republicans who want to see Bush in office, aswell as the media, who were a bit opffended by Dean doing much in private, (like the Civil Unions signing), so that a Coalition of the WILLING, who are willing to reconstruct a history of Deans record as governor, when NO ONE is going to require it of Bush, It will be a state thing, and the Republicans could easily write a new law in Vermont in order to open Deanrecords. Or put tobgetther a history based on views from the left and the right, as well as the media. And so such a reconstruct could be easily seen as being well balanced as it contains infomation from the left, and from the right, that concur. which in most cases would be taken as an indication that it is factual. If two groups witrh opposing viewpoints and political agendas reconstruct a history of Deans tenure as governor, it is more likely to be accepted as a realistic reconstruction than if it comes only from the Republicans.

Deans sealing of his records for so long, and his statements as to why he did it could be taken to be far more insidious than anything that is actually in the record( I hate saying this about Dean) but it certainly will not hurt Bush to have the public ask what Dean is hiding if he fights an attempt to open the record. No one in Texas is going to ask do the same for Bush's record, as Democrats just dont have the votes the to even put forth such legislation.

It might be a valid question to ask the same about Bush, but since he is the incumbent and his record as PRESIDENT is wide open, complaints about his record as governor being sealed just will not have the same impact.

records into the national spotlight by being an example of Republican hypocracy on this position.

I *promise* you that Shrub has WAAAY worse stuff in his records than anything Dean has in his. Bring it on, PLEASE!

This would be a great jumping point to get Shrub's records publicized.

This is all state level legislation and no way to get at Bush's record. You can ask, but the Republicans in control of the Texas Legislature can just say, that aint the way we do it here in Texas.
Bush doesnt have a fight in front of him about opening the records or not, and as I said, enough of Bush's record as president already exists to make his Gubernatorial Records of less import, nad have less impact, but Dean is trinyg to become president, with NOTHING of his record open to the public, and Dean has a lot of peopleon the left, the rigt, and the media unhappy with him, so they could put togetther a history of Deans gubernatorial record look less than sterling. Most of you guys do not like what I have posted, but a great Deal of it comes from the Vermont Media, and a lot from the left wing Progressive Party, as well as Liberal Democrats in Vermont. THe president is now PRESIDENT, so his record as president is now open for all to see, like him or not. EVERYTHING about Denas record is sealed, and he may be placed in an extremely sticky situation that just will not have the same impact as asking for Bush's record.

This implies that a person can't go to any Vermont public library and put together various documents and records each state prints up. I don't know what specifically Vermont does publish and leave available, but I'm sure it is a lot, like other states. Anyone can get how much money VT spent on what and where under Dean's governorship, statistics, taxes, etc. It probably is just a bit harder to do it with his sealing of the records. Of course, some media and political people will find it easier to make assumptions rather than do the legwork. I guess this makes you correct, that it would be easier on the Doctor if he opened everything up, making his political enemies jobs' easier to twist the facts around to pretend that he was not a successful governor.

is who came up with 6 years. It was a decision of theirs which recognized the governers right to seal records for 6 years as part of executive priviledge.