Political Quotes

“Walter ``Peanut'' Kennedy, the late Speaker of the House of Representatives came from the district of Chelsea, VT. They used a version of Vermont's old mountain rule. In a local form, mountain rule came from the town's unwritten agreement that State representatives alternate between the sides of the mountain that divided the town at every biennial election. It was about as good a reason for term limits as many I have heard argued on this floor in recent years. It followed the real mountain rule in Vermont which alternated Governors from one side of the Green Mountains to the other side. Madam President, the Governor would come from the eastern side of the mountains in one election cycle and then from the western side in the next. Of course, they were all Republicans so it worked out very well throughout those years. Since the town was overwhelmingly Republican and the candidate from either side of the mountain could not hope to succeed under any other party preference--the tradition more or less held until reapportionment of the legislature along the one man-one vote decision of the U.S. Supreme Court changed the nature of Vermont's system forever.”