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In His First Gubernatorial Debate, Liberty Union Candidate Bill Lee Highlights His Outsider Status

Peter Hirschfeld
/
VPR
From left to right, Bill Lee, Sue Minter and Lt. Gov. Phil Scott at a debate Thursday in Montpelier hosted by the Vermont Commission on Women.

On Thursday afternoon, Liberty Union candidate Bill 鈥淪paceman鈥� Lee made his debut on the gubernatorial debate stage. Seated alongside Democrat Sue Minter and Republican Phil Scott, the former Red Sox lefty fielded questions about issues facing Vermont women. And the Craftsbury resident made it clear early on that he isn鈥檛 your average candidate.

Lee ambled into the House chamber of the Statehouse a few minutes late for his first debate of 2016 campaign. He wore jeans and an untucked tropical shirt with a picture of a sunbathing brunette in a red bathing suit on the left front pocket.

Trailed closely by a two-man camera crew from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which is doing a documentary on his run, Lee took his designated seat at the table. Over the course of the 90-minute event, Lee frequently acknowledged his outsider status.

A full look at the policy positions presented by Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and Sue Minter during Thursday's debate will be available later today.

鈥淎nd I may be out of the box,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淏ut out of the box is good. When you鈥檙e out of the box you can see the ridges, you can see the trees, which are alive. You can see everything that鈥檚 alive out there.鈥�

Lee hasn鈥檛 raised any money. He doesn鈥檛 have a campaign staff. He鈥檚 said he鈥檇 treat the governor鈥檚 office as a part time job. And so far, he hasn鈥檛 done much campaigning beyond his attendance at Thursday鈥檚 debate, which was hosted by the Vermont Commission on Women.

But thanks to Republican Phil Scott, who has insisted on Lee鈥檚 inclusion in almost all general election gubernatorial debates, Lee will have plenty of chances this fall to connect with Vermont voters.

"I may be out of the box, but out of the box is good. When you're out of the box you can see the ridges, you can see the trees ... You can see everything that's alive out there." 鈥� Bill Lee

On Thursday, Lee took the debate audience on a rhetorical journey to unexpected destinations. A question about how candidates would address the challenges facing working mothers, for instance, meandered its way to this insight:

鈥淚鈥檓 not an atheist. I believe in God. She鈥檚 black. And her name is Lucy. And that鈥檚 where it starts from,鈥� Lee said.

Lee didn鈥檛 offer up any discernible policy positions related to that question, or any others for that matter. But women, he insisted, will do well in his administration.

鈥淲omen are going to be fine in my utopian environment,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to run the show, because a lion sits on his ass and licks himself. It鈥檚 the females that go out and hunt.鈥�

Fundamentally, Lee says the root of Vermont, and the nation鈥檚 problems are its citizens鈥� eating habits, and their disregard for the environment.

鈥淎nd we鈥檙e a civilization that is on the brink of becoming extinct,鈥� he said.

Asked about the condition of the women鈥檚 prison in Vermont, and the fate of the women doing time there, Lee said the solution lies in eradicating obesity.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 where your opioid [addictions] come from,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fat, we鈥檙e out of shape, we鈥檙e lazy, we鈥檙e round and we do not exercise enough.鈥�

"That's where your opioid [addictions] come from. We're fat, we're out of shape, we're lazy, we're round and we do not exercise enough." 鈥� Bill Lee

When asked about getting more women into the science, technology and math careers, Lee focused on the need to create jobs, then recalled a feud with former president Ronald Reagan.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 stand him. I used to quail hunt up on his ridge in Verdugo, in California, and finally he put his estate up there, and I couldn鈥檛 shoot mountain quail anymore, and I really didn鈥檛 like him after that. But back to jobs,鈥� Lee said.

On ensuring accommodations for pregnant women in the workplace, Lee offered this:

鈥淵ou know I believe in the workplace. I鈥檝e always been that way,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a renaissance guy in that respect. I believe in every woman鈥檚 right that鈥檚 out there.鈥�

Credit Peter Hirschfeld / VPR
/
VPR
At Thursday's debate in Montpelier hosted by the Vermont Commission on Women, Bill Lee says he's not in cahoots with Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. Scott insisted on Lee's inclusion in this year's gubernatorial debates.

And when debate moderator Anne Galloway, founder of VTDigger.org, asked the candidates what they鈥檇 do as governor to assist victims in human trafficking cases, and hold their perpetrators responsible, Lee recalled playing baseball with inmates at San Quentin prison before offering his solution.

鈥淵ou take away the economic problem, people are happy to go to work, they鈥檙e not into trafficking,鈥� Lee said.

His answer to the trafficking question then segued to his thoughts on firearms.

鈥淚 shoot ducks. I have a Browning auto 5, I have a Browning 410, I have a 28 gauge, I have an Ithaca 16 gauge,鈥� Lee said.

And lastly, Lee touched on home safety.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in hand guns. I have a 36-caliber Colt conversion Jesse James gun. I couldn鈥檛 hit jack diddley with that thing, you know? But it will kill close range,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e afraid, go out and get two grey geese, put them on your front steps and I guarantee you no one鈥檚 going to come up to your front door without you knowing about. We don鈥檛 need more guns, we need more geese. Thank you.鈥�

Lee at times reflected on his fish-out-water status.

鈥淚 sound like Mr. Smith goes to Washington. I kind of feel like it. It鈥檚 the first time I鈥檝e ever been in here,鈥� Lee said.

He then turned his attention to the shape of the House chamber鈥檚 domed ceiling.

鈥淚 like round things, you know?鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a geodesic dome guy. I want to live in a geodesic dome. I want to save this planet. And I think being governor is a good start.鈥�

Lt. Gov. Scott may have insisted on Lee鈥檚 inclusion in this year鈥檚 debates. But Lee made it clear they鈥檙e not in cahoots.

鈥淚鈥檓 not out here to take away Sue鈥檚 votes,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚鈥檓 out here after Phil鈥檚 votes.鈥�

'I'm not out here to take away Sue [Minter]'s votes. I'm out here after Phil [Scott]'s votes." 鈥� Bill Lee

Asked after the debate whether he still thinks it鈥檚 a wise idea to include the Liberty Union candidate in future forums and debates, Scott said it is. The lieutenant governor says he鈥檚 heard people say they don鈥檛 know much about Bill Lee, but would consider voting for him.

鈥淏ut they liked the idea that he played for the Red Sox,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淣ow they can have an opportunity to see what his platform is.鈥�

Minter, asked about the three-person format, said she prefers it to the empty chair she faced off against at a debate hosted by WDEV at the Tunbridge Fair last Saturday. When WDEV鈥檚 Mike Smith refused to capitulate to Scott鈥檚 condition that Lee be invited, Scott opted not to attend, leaving Minter as the lone participant in the 鈥渄ebate.鈥�

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