Deb Billado: Republican optimism moves us forward

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deb Billado, chairwoman of the Vermont GOP.

Thursday night Vermont Republicans from all across the state gathered together, in-person and un-masked, to celebrate the 70th birthday of Gov. Jim Douglas. For many it was the first time that life seemed “normal” in the last year and a half. Over 200 people gathered, mingled, sat down to eat together or stood around sharing a drink. We made small talk, saw old friends, and met new ones.

Lou Varricchio/TNR

Former Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas

In one night we both looked back, and thanked Gov. Douglas for his time being the standard bearer for Vermont Republicans, we also had a chance to look ahead past the pandemic from which we have just emerged. Seeing Governor Douglas and his former Lt. Governor Brian Dubie side-by-side again was a comforting reminder that it was just six elections ago when Republicans held the top two statewide seats. A few elections before that we also controlled the House.

It was clear last night that Republicans wanted to get back to normal in more ways than one. While the promise of recovery from the COVID pandemic was being fulfilled last night, many are still looking forward to the day when a greater degree of sanity leads in Montpelier. Allowing foreign nationals to vote, defunding police departments, adding abortion to the Vermont Constitution, these things that were completely unthinkable 10 years ago have become the focus of the Democrat’s veto-proof majorities.

Meanwhile the common-sense pragmatic warnings of Republicans have gone ignored. Our State Employee’s Pension fund is severely underfunded, Act 250 continues to stifle the growth of business outside Chittenden County and education property taxes continue to explode, despite fewer students in our public school system.

But we can’t move forward by looking back. We have to set our sights on the road ahead and roll up our sleeves to do the work, put in the hours and create the conservative infrastructure we need to continue to get Vermont back to normal. The only way to do this is that every Republican reading this — and I do mean every one — has to make a commitment to make a difference by doing something different. If we all keep doing what we’ve been doing for the last 10 years, we’re going to keep getting what we’ve had.

It means people who have never volunteered before — they must put in the hours to help their candidates and their party. It means that people who have never donated before — they must become donors. This means that people who have never run for office before — they must become candidates.

It also means that the people who spend most of their time complaining — they must instead become constructive. It means that people who always tear down certain Republicans — they must instead become promoters of the Republicans around them. It means the people who want to kick out certain Republicans and make our coalition smaller — they must instead become recruiters of the next generation of Republicans leaders and voters. It means some people have to stop saying “you should” and start saying “I should.”

One person can’t do it alone. A small group is going to have a small impact. But if we can work together in a way we haven’t before we can be successful. Just as we all survived COVID by making sacrifices, looking out for others, and doing things differently, so too we can turn the tide on Vermont politics by making important but necessary changes so that we can end this Leftist Lockdown of our state and move Vermont Forward.

Image courtesy of Lou Varricchio/TNR

15 thoughts on “Deb Billado: Republican optimism moves us forward

  1. Another Republican thread another sh**posted hatchet job. More patent ridiculousness. Once again Mr Johnson descends upon a Republican authored thread to kick dirt in Republican Party face under the guise of concern-troll bipartisanism and again blaming the party for the problems but offers no solutions. Then claims we should be less Republican to attract Democrats – my coffee is on my desktop screen and tanktop lol.

    This follows an oh-so familiar pattern and there’s not one conservative thread this hasn’t been hurled upon. It’s like racial sensitivity training asking whites to be less white to make racial minorities more comfortable. This is anticonstitutional Marxist-based collectivist folly. Salting and peppering commentaries with the obligatory NWO & educational system honorable mentions then churching it all with “Love Thy (Dem) Neighbor” and assorted religious nonsense doesn’t change position at all. Try loving thy Rebublican neighbor for a change.

    The Marxists continue to say 100 years of failure mens nothing lol – it just hasn’t been done right – we now have the plan. Why should anyone listen to the failed ideas from one who has tried to unite both parties into his own party, epic fail and now demanding the Republican Party do the same thing. Take a look at 802 alliance – merged with Camapign VT bc theres not enough bipartisanists to fill a room and offerings are truly boring. Bipartisan only works on a coalition caucus level for a particular cause. Ran for office with no outreach or ground game, didn’t knock on doors claiming he didn’t think it necessary lol. Blamed the other candidate’s ambition for loss.

    We interact with to world around us and any given situation as we find it. The party is people and it needs new people. If one really cares about the party joining and supporting it financially – no matter how small, as well as supporting local leadership is the way to change things not complaint-laden tirades.

    There is a movement across the US started by a guest on Steve Bannons WarRoom to fill all committee seats, political offices – it it’s a seat or a board they’re being filled by Patriots. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

    Anyone who cannot do something constructive has no right to continually slam those who *are* doing things with broken-record blamgame which does nothing to advance anything and doesn’t move the ball. There is no proof that any of Mr Johnsons claims are true primarily bc a negative cannot be proven, has never revealed sources for the numbers he conjures and are his opinion alone. I firmly believe we are losing bc of machine politics and vote theft by voting machine of which there is evidence.

    Unless we stop allowing students who are not legal residents, second home owners, motor-voter, stop using LHS, stop using voting machines and mandate voter IDs we will lose.

    Unless there is an outside forensic audit by an invesitgative team unconnected to LHS we do not know whether our votes really count. Mr Johnson knows all this but prefers not to discuss bc it is an indictment of the party of whose voting constituents include the highest number of dead ppl – the MarxistDemocrat Party

    If it walks, quacks, carries water for the Dems and attacks their opponents it is a defacto Dem and serving their interests.

  2. If we keep doin’ what we’re doin’ we’ll keep gettin’ what we’re gettin’.

    There are 112,704 people that will stand by you, support you through thick and thin. They are still strong behind enemy lines, outnumbered 5 to 1. Many of them knowing full well the subversive tactics that are being carried out in our state, the test case for Socialism in the NWO….(which was brought to us by a “Republican” president. Bush)

    Yes we all need to come together.

    Let us say the “restaurant” has no money, the restaurant has no employees that stay, the restaurant has nobody new coming into the restaurant, if the restaurant has nobody taking reservations on the phone, if the restaurant has no good reviews on Yelp, if the restaurant says it serves American cuisine, but most the menu has “Northern Szechuan Canine”, “Palmedo Cuban Pleasure” when people are looking for a Cheese burger…..

    What do you do?

    What do the turn around specialists for restaurants do? We have people impassioned, willing to stand by and work for free even. These people need to retained and rewarded. At the same time there needs to be people put and rotated in new positions. Some people need to be fired, if you can’t recognize that then management is clearly the problem.

    I’m tired of being offered “Cuban Palmedo Pleasure” and being told to suck it up because we are out of American Cheeseburgers.

    There are many Americans that can clearly see, something is very, very wrong in our country and our state.

    Who can ever harness that passion, love and unity will be rewarded.

    Don’t blame the 112,704 customers if they don’t come to your restaurant.

    • If we had a picnic meeting with two different Republicans,

      Trump

      Benning, Scott, Beck, you choose…..

      What would be the difference in attendance? In Vermont…..

      That’s part of the answer, Trump would know Vermont is a different play ground and he’d have a whole different ball game, but he’d win. Reagan won, there’s the second answer.

      • There are very, very strong common threads amoung all VERMONTERS, that are completely American, and thereby in harmony with Republicans and American loving Democrats. If we keep throwing out the same red meat arguments, we will only keep the division longer and our position in the public eye, unchanged at the polls.

        You can spread the truth and still lose by epic margins. We are taught to have fair speech, pleasing to both God and men, to which we know we are in the sweet spot. Vermont is the toughest nut to crack, without question. It is also the key for saving our nation from becoming a colony of the United nations.

        Our speech has to not only be pleasing to republicans, but also American loving democrats.

        Common ground:
        1) Vermont has 50% of all births unplanned. We can all agree that unwanted babies is a very sad state of affairs. Vermont had the highest per capita for addicted births, babies born addicted to crack cocaine, we can all agree that might not be our best path.

        2) school funding. We can all agree we want our teachers well paid and our children educated well. We can all agree the funding is a complete and utter failure on every aspect. Do our children knoe the difference between a Republic and Democracy? My guess is no. Our teachers are forced to indoctrinate our students and if the speak up they know they will be canceled, just like our principle was for all to see across the state.

        3) Vermont has a serious Drug and alcohol problem

        4) Vermont has an affordability issue of epic proportions, it crosses all party lines.
        Affordable home ownership
        High paying Jobs
        Affordable rental property for people with normal jobs
        Affordable health care
        Affordable,transportation
        This list is long, because Vermont is very expensive on most every metric, usually because it’s part of the crony capitalist network, socialism’s first cousin.

        We have epic fraud and abuse of tax payer funds that keep those from who are truly in need from getting services they need, like blind people for instance…

        We also might find that most VERMONTERS are not interested in having their daughters become prostitutes, despite what many in Montpelier are trying to tell us.

        • There is no proof for anything you say – it is all merely your own opinion and surmisings. If it cannot be proven what good is it. Pls gather together your Kumbaya Commission – if you can’t, why? Oh – I see ya want to make the Republican Party in your own image without even bothering to support the party lotsa luck Neil.

          If you truly believe these things it’s up to you to involve self in some way – not continue to order others what to think, do and say which is the province of the control freak.

          List things that are wrong but expect someone else do you bidding. Posts are disconnected and illogical.

          • Isn’t free speech nice? People get to talk about their thoughts and ideas unrestricted in the open court of public opinion. It’s good that you can give feedback. Appreciated.

          • Routine WOT attack exclusively on Republicans is a tell & affectionately known as sh**posting in blogosphere parlance – religious overtones exploiting and mangling the word of God notwithsatnding. Tho you may masquerade as conservative Pavlovian devouring of all conservatives who post belies agenda and loyalty.

            Adding not subtracting is the way forward as third-grade arithmatic proves adding more speach to bad speach rather than censorship is the way forward. Adding more Patriot conservatives to the party – not subtracting – is the way forward to changing the Republican Party. But you already know this…don’t you? Take heed lest ye fall sir.

          • Routine WOT attack exclusively on Republicans is a tell & affectionately known as sh**posting in blogosphere parlance – religious overtones exploiting and mangling the word of God notwithsatnding. Tho you may masquerade as conservative Pavlovian devouring of all conservatives who post belies agenda and loyalty.

            Adding not subtracting is the way forward as third-grade arithmatic proves adding more speach to bad speach rather than censorship is the way forward. Adding more Patriot conservatives to the party – not subtracting – is the way forward to changing the Republican Party. But you already know this…don’t you? Take heed lest ye fall sir.

  3. The only way to have more Republicans in the legislature is have strong, non-RINO candidates to oppose the Dem/Prog extremists, plus several thousand Republicans must participate in supervising/monitoring the vote counting, to ensure only valid ballots are counted, and no on the sly ballot box stuffing takes place, during and after counting periods. The watch period has to be 24/7.

  4. Wise words Ms. Billado. It is very important in particular at this point to elect enough Republicans in the next election to ensure that vetoes by Governor Scott ( who has issued more vetoes than any other governor) can not simply be overridden.

    The Democratic/Progressive majority have dropped the ball and focused far too much on fringe issue and impractical solutions while ignoring fiscal responsibility. There is both need and opportunity to provide a much needed alternative. Your call for unity, instead of spending time on who is most ideologically pure, provides a practical and common sense approach moving forward.

    • If Chancellor Scott has issued more vetos than any other governor it’s bc The Marxists in the legislature have submitted more bad legislation than any other state and unsure if this is even true

  5. It’s too little, definitely too late. We’ve been saddled with a progressive republican (RINO) who hasn’t helped the party out whatsoever and has lowered the bar so much on what a republican represents that Phil Scott is most likely the very last republican elected to statewide office. It’s very sad and it could have been prevented a few years back but now it’s over. We are now California east.

  6. Glad you all had a fun time Ms. Billado. Appreciate your comments about what needs to be done and what is not helpful or moving the ball in any way or helping us win. There is a current push in our nation for conservatives to run for or be involved in unfilled positions around the nation and you have also touched upon this also. Hoping for better days to come for all thank you for serving our party.

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