Gov. Jim Douglas (R, VT) is NOT a Magician

One of the most basic foundations of magic is the sleight-of-hand.  Some are better at this than others.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas is terrible at sleight of hand:

Vermont governor Jim Douglas would oppose a law granting same-sex marriages, according to the Associated Press. The Republican governor said Thursday that the state’s “current civil union law is sufficient.”

State senator John Campbell, who said he would introduce the bill during the legislature’s next session, said it won’t gain much traction without the governor’s backing.

Instead, the governor said, he would rather the legislature concentrate on the state’s fiscal shortfalls. Vermont has accrued a $36.8 million revenue shortfall, with a $27 million request for new spending. However, Campbell and Vermont’s Freedom to Marry Task Force’s Beth Robinson say that Douglas is asserting that the legislature can only take on one issue at a time.

“The notion that working on civil rights takes away from these other issues really is a false one,” Robinson told the Associated Press. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)

So, essentially, the press conference went like this:

AP:  Gay marriage?

Gov.:  Nah… Separate But Equal is “sufficient.”

AP:  But… Brown v. Board of Education…

Gov.:  Hey!  Look over there!  The economy is tanking!  OMG!

(Associated Press looks away as Governor Douglas runs out the back of the room)

Absolutely despicable