If I’ve Lost Philip

In February of 1968, Walter Cronkite went to Viet Nam to cover the aftermath of the Tet offensive. After he returned, on February 27, 1968, Cronkite delivered an editorial commentary on national television suggesting that the war was not winnable in any conventional sense. He recommended peace negotiations.

Legend has it that President Johnson, hearing of this editorial, said something along the lines of “If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America.”

We have now experienced our own Cronkite moment here in Vermont, but concerning a different subject. Philip Baruth has declared that he “is now officially off the bus.” The bus in question is the Barack Obama campaign bus.

Let me explain. Philip Baruth is a University of Vermont professor, blogger, recently elected Vermont State Senator, and former Obama delegate at the Democratic National Convention. He wasn’t just a delegate, he was a slavering, raw-meat-eating, both-fists-in-the-air Obama delegate. He campaigned harder for that delegate spot than most candidates for elected office. Philip came out early for Obama and all through the 2008 campaign he was active and vocal in his support.

And now, this: “It’s not just that Obama hasn’t differentiated himself substantially from George W. Bush. On domestic spying and increased drone attacks and Gitmo and now extending the Bush-era tax cuts, Obama is choosing to govern more or less like a first-term President Lieberman.”

Senator Joe Lieberman? That’s Baruth-speak for dog puke. After the dog has eaten feces.

President Obama is too busy to notice us small-fry Vermont bloggers. Still, if he only knew. He’d be saying, “If I’ve lost Baruth, I’ve lost the core of the Democratic Party.”