TO THE EDITOR: THE NORTHFIELD NEWS AFTER SPEAKING at a South Burlington AFLCIO meeting, I saw and heard Senator Leahy speak. My reaction, pity, surprised me, but reinforced the rationale for my challenging the 35- year incumbent.

I spoke about our economy, jobs, healthcare, and our energy/environment crisis, exemplified by the Gulf disaster. I talked about “fairness, reasonableness, equity, sustainability, and honorable service”. I elaborated about “needless pain” and necessity to work towards economic equity with progressive taxation and national health insurance.

I lamented about the existential, security, economic, and quality-of-life threats of our energy/environment policies. I expounded that the U.S. had ‘lost its groove’ (Thomas Friedman) and about need to commit to cessation of oil importation and transformation to a green non-carbon economy. I compared the national endeavor to the industrial and information revolutions, our equivalent of the Greatest Generation’s call.

I emphasized need to combat apathy and cynicism and revitalize our democracy by requiring better ethical standards for elected officials, whether required by law or not. The words “personal responsibility” were reiterated, not insisting on lofty unrealistic tenets…just those already required of non-elected officials. Commitment to term limits, minimizing conflicts of interest by declining campaign funds from Special Interests, and putting Country ahead of Party by not ‘automatically caucasing’, was urged.

In contrast, the incumbent repeated stories about his personal history and successes. He discussed tactical issues related to current Congressional bills. He noted his first Special Interests campaign funding and the $1 billion in “stimulus” money he brought to Vermont. Jeff Potvin (AFLCIO) subsequently clarified that most of the funds went to contractors, little to workers, continuing the “rich getting richer”.

What made me feel pity for the Senator was absence of broad vision, neither acknowledgment of the dramatic strategic national and global problems we face, nor solutions. The Senator had ‘lost his groove’, as America has. Financial pain of many Americans, the Gulf, global warming, economic collapse, war…nothing really.

Mr. Leahy had clearly been living in the Senate microcosm for too long. I recalled similar conversations with friends/colleagues in which preoccupation with tactical minutia confirmed loss of big picture, ‘there too long’, and ‘time to move on’.

The experience confirmed the insight of the American people who simply want old guard management out and new leadership in ‘to get our groove back’ before it is too late.

DANIEL FREILICH, MD

Wilmington