Progressive Eclipse: Burlington, Bernie and the Movement That Changed Vermont

by Greg Guma

Burlington's 2012 mayoral race lasted six months. But in the end local Progressives lost control of City Hall for the first time in 31 years. This fast-paced account chronicles the recent struggles of the most successful insurgent political movement of the last half century, extending the story begun in The People's Republic, Guma's acclaimed book about the rise of Bernie Sanders and Vermont's progressive movement.

Much changed after Sanders went to Congress in 1990. Economic and political pitfalls created new challenges. Putting local events in context, this sequel also explores the impacts of the Occupy movement and the campaign to overcome the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. But the main focus is the hotly contested mayoral race between an ambitious housing developer (Miro Weinberger), a cagey GOP leader (Kurt Wright), and a quirky Independent (Wanda Hines). For the first time since Sanders' 1981 victory, there was no Progressive in the race.

Progressive Eclipse explains why progressives found themselves on the defensive, examining the decision by Sanders and Mayor Bob Kiss to invite military contractor Lockheed Martin to Vermont and the financial problems that emerged after Burlington launched a municipally-owned cable TV and fiber optic system. It also looks back at the record of three Progressive administrations, and chronicles the twists and turns of the race that resulted in Weinberger's victory.

An eclipse doesn't mean the end of anything, writes Guma. But this one raises some thorny questions about the future of progressive politics in Vermont and across the country.

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2012

About the author

Greg Guma has been a writer, editor, historian, and progressive manager for half a century, leading organizations and social justice campaigns in Vermont, New Mexico and California. His work with Bernie Sanders led to his acclaimed book, The People's Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution. Dons of Time was his second novel. His latest books are Fake News: Journalism in the Age of Deceptions and Restless Spirits & Popular Movements: A Vermont History. His journalism and essays have been published worldwide.

Greg’s tenure as CEO of Pacifica Radio highlights a wide-ranging career that began with his years as a daily newspaper reporter in the late 1960s. There he investigated a supermarket credit scheme and shamed Bennington into adopting housing codes. In 1978 Greg exposed an FBI disinformation campaign orchestrated to stoke a fake terrorist scare involving Kristina Berster. Two years later, he broke the news that Bureau agents posed as US Census workers. Other award-winning stories investigated military privatization and perception management.

Greg Guma's books include Vermont's Untold History (1976), Bread & Puppet: Stories of Struggle and Faith (1985, with Susan Green and Robin Lloyd), The People's Republic (1989), Passport to Freedom: A Guide for World Citizens (1992, with Garry Davis), Uneasy Empire: Repression, Globalization and What We Can Do (2002), Celia's Land (2004, with Georgia Davis Powers), Spirits of Desire (historical novel, 2005), Big Lies (essays, 2011), Progressive Eclipse (campaign chronicle, 2012), and Dons of Time (sci-fi/historical novel, 2013). He also wrote the 2003 play Inquisitions (and Other Un-American Activities), about Lucy Parsons and the Haymarket tragedy, and the 2002 audio documentary Nonviolent Warriors: Dave Dellinger and the Power of the People, available on CD.

Greg has also edited several books, including Reign of Error: A Cartoon Look at the State of the World (2005); periodicals including Public Occurrence (1975-76), The Vermont Vanguard Press (1978-83), Toward Freedom (1986-88; 1994-2004), and Vermont Guardian (2004-2005); and has written scripts for documentaries, including Haitian Pilgrimage, Journey Home: Accompaniment in Guatemala, No Longer Enemies: Healing Wounds in Vietnam, and a segment in Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie.