This article was forwarded to me by a friend in Vermont who felt that it revealed a lot about how politically powerful people function behind the scenes. Indeed, it is a rare report that, at best, can only be found in independent sources like this small weekly newspaper in Vermont.
This article focuses on the State of Vermont and how a particular, well-connected individual functions behind the scenes to enhance and discourage would-be political players. My sense is that he is a trustworthy agent of the rich and powerful in Vermont who are determined to keep well out of public view.
Sylvester’s secretive ways have also earned him a long-standing, and perhaps at times unfounded, reputation as a puppet master, the proverbial “man behind the curtain.” The man some insiders call the “Prince of Darkness” declined to be quoted for this story.
“He’s got access to people with real money, and those people with real money will invest in politicians who will protect their interests,” says Garrison Nelson, a University of Vermont political science professor and longtime political observer. “Harlan’s basic goal has always been to keep the tax rates low for his high-end clients, and he’s found congenial Democrats and Republicans to go along with him.”
I've argued before that political power in the US is much like an onion where you find many layers of powerful people. The deeper you go to the core of the onion, the more difficulty you encounter because of all the protective secrecy barriers that exist. You see, the ruling class must protect the "democratic" mythology that gives their regimes the important veneer of "democratic" legitimacy.
Notice that the political labels of "Democratic" and "Republican" are easily interchangeable. Of course, the two parties serve the same ruling class. They are needed, once again, to serve the false "democratic" mythology with which the American people have been indoctrinated.
