Emerson Lynn on Politics

Pollina Forsakes the Progs

    Credibility is the touchstone of any political campaign. Lose it and the slide downhill begins. With Anthony Pollina’s surprise announcement Monday that he will continue his gubernatorial bid as an independent, not a Progressive, one must wonder whether the move was prompted by the tremors beneath his feet.
    Mr. Pollina is one of the founders of the Vermont Progressive Party and for him to forsake his party can only indicate that he believes his candidacy cannot succeed burdened by the Progressive Party’s label. He offered as much Monday when he said: “The old solutions are not working. It’s going to take a different kind of coalition.”

  That candid assessment would not have been made if his campaign were gaining the sort of traction necessary to raise the money needed for a statewide campaign against two high profile, major party candidates. What Mr. Pollina is learning is that the Progressive label is too restrictive and, most important, that his Democratic opponent, Gaye Symington, is also squeezing him on the left. She is as liberal as he is, which means that by remaining a Progressive he is competing with Ms. Symington for the same small bloc of voters.
    Indeed, the “old solutions” are not working. By switching to the independent label he hopes to accomplish two things: Push Ms. Symington to the left and himself to the middle.
    It’s not without precedent. Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle understood it was to his advantage to ditch the Progressive label in his bid to unseat Gov. Jim Douglas. He ran as a Democrat. Bernard Sanders runs as an independent for good reason: He is stronger and more flexible as an independent than as a member of the Progressive Party – or the Democratic Party for that matter. Former Senator Jim Jeffords gave the independent label some distinction when he recoiled from the Republican Party’s drift rightward. Mr. Pollina’s hope is to work himself into the same political vein.
    By following their lead, he hopes to take advantage of the good will Vermonters feel toward independents.
    He also has no choice if his candidacy is to be anything more than an afterthought to this campaign. Political campaigns are won in the middle, and to attract any support beyond his guaranteed 8-10 percent will require some fancy footwork where he treads so little: among those who call themselves political independents – a group with a political hue more moderate than Mr. Pollina’s leanings.
    That, of course, smacks of the very opportunism Mr. Pollina decries. Is this about the Party, the issues, or him?
    It’s about him. But it always has been. He’s scrambling to avoid being embarrassed and becoming an independent gives him the best odds – which are still lousy.
    Still, it would be a mistake to consider the move of no consequence. The Progressives will not abandon him, and those not familiar with the labels that come with politicians [a good swath of the voting public] will probably be more comfortable with Mr. Pollina being an independent than a Progressive. In Vermont, being an independent is almost mainstream. This is likely to make him a more serious candidate against both Mr. Douglas and Ms. Symington – but particularly Ms. Symington. He is more articulate and more effective on the stump – and in debates – than Ms. Symington. Thus far, he has also been more effective as a campaigner because he has chosen to focus more on new ideas than to simply criticize the governor, as is Ms. Symington’s inclination. Mr. Pollina understands the public’s abhorrence of the political divisiveness that yields few results – hence the public’s historically low regard for Congress. By being an independent he seeks to make both challengers part of the perceived problem. He’s the outsider hoping to capitalize on the public’s frustration with those in power – Ms. Symington and Mr. Douglas.
    Still, this race is about two major party candidates who hold most of the cards. Mr. Pollina was roundly criticized as nothing but a spoiler when he announced his candidacy earlier this year. Little has changed. He is still the candidate holding the short straw, he’s just unusually adept at keeping his name in front of Vermonters and is scrambling to do just that. The loser is the Progressive Party itself. Once again, the decision has been made that the party is better suited for smaller offices, and not ready for prime time, and Mr. Pollina has not lost a moment’s sleep.

(Emerson Lynn is editor and publisher of the St. Albans Messenger where this essay first appeared)

Comments

[Karen Kerin]

I suppose that Pollina is only proving that he is a political creature rather than a leader by dropping his label as a progressive. Might that spell the end of major party status for the progressive party?