Oh, snap!

Democratic rivals for attorney general, incumbent Bill Sorrell and contender T.J. Donovan, threw down on their home turf last night in a feisty debate inside Burlington City Hall sponsored by Seven Days and Channel 17 Town Meeting Television.

With the August 28 primary less than two weeks away, Sorrell and Donovan are jockeying hard for pole position — or maybe pol position — in the most competitive campaign of the year.

The candidates sat close together (their elbows were practically touching) and the tension was palpable at times. Donovan, the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, stayed on offense the whole night, hammering Sorrell for what he said was a lack of engagement and leadership during his 15 years as attorney general — and for accepting help from a Washington, D.C.-based super PAC. Sorrell vigorously defended his record and got in his own digs, demanding that Donovan stop “distorting” his record.

At times, both candidates shook their heads in disbelief while the other answered a question.

Here are seven highlights (and lowlights) from the evening. You decide which is which.

This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2012.

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Andy Bromage was a Seven Days staff writer from 2009-2012, and the news editor from 2012-2013.

6 replies on “VIDEO: 7 Highlights/Lowlights From Last Night’s Seven Days-Channel 17 Attorney General Debate”

  1. Bloodshed. Been looking for a qualified candidate to take on Bill for many years. We now have one in TJ. Vote TJ in the primary and then vote for him in the general election because McMullen is not who we want.

  2. I think both candidates dropped the ball on the vaccine issue – just like many parents and physicians do. The vaccine issue is certainly about public health – and evidence isn’t friendly toward most vaccines. No parent wants their children to be unhealthy – just the opposite. You will often see a statement like”
    The benefits of vaccination in preventing illness and death have been repeatedly proven and greatly outweigh the risks.” However, that’s not true. Worldwide it’s been shown that as vaccine rates go up, so do cancer rates and autism. Diseases that have a 95% vaccination rate are actually on the rise. In Australia a 25% increase in pertussis vaccination (95.1% of the population) showed a 400% increase in the disease. How does Pertussis, which was 95% eradicated worldwide BEFORE vaccines existed, make such a powerful comeback? Because evidence shows is being caused by the very same vaccines being given. 100 years ago, in 1912, a condition called postvaccinal encephalitis was identified. in 1943 the condition that postvaccinal encephalitis leads to in children was formally named autism. Pharmaceutical companies still claim there is no connection. Over 70% of SIDS cases occur less than three weeks after vaccines are given. Pharmaceutical companies scoff and say it’s ‘anecdotal evidence’, but the research and hard evidence (which is readily available) shows otherwise. Just because a powerful corporation repeats bad information doesn’t make it true. the AG should be able to see through such a thin veil like this, realize the public is being lied to, the evidence is readily available and companies are profiting it in record numbers by telling people things that may be criminally fraudulent.

  3. “Just because a powerful corporation repeats bad information doesn’t make it true.”
    Just because the Internet gives people a forum to publicize and absorb nonsense and hysteria doesn’t make it true.

  4. Both candidates totally punted the Burlington Telecom issue and dropped the ball on other important issues. Sorrell is a terrible AG and needs to go, but TJ isn’t really a lot better. How neither could charge Kiss and Leopold with anything is just plain good ole fashion favoritism. There is no place for that in the AG office.

  5. We don’t want TJ either. He already wants to hire experts to argue cases in federal court and other people to advise the Legislature… HELLO TJ that is the job you are running for. If he is just going to hire someone to do his job for him, why exactly do we need to pay him? Let’s just elect someone who actually wants to do the job AND is capable. That eliminates the two Dems in the race. Dang, I wish Illuzi has run…

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