August is here, signaling the run-up to the September primary. Thanks for stopping by for my weekly column. Your tips and comments are welcome, and you can follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go.
1. It’s summer and Rhode Island politics is far from the thinking of many Rhode Islanders. But if some stories are breaking through to make an impression, they may include how Gov. Gina Raimondo continues to compile an imposing campaign account, while at the same time the cost of UHIP keeps growing and there are are more questions about the state’s child-welfare agency. In Raimondo’s favor, her television and online ads are already in heavy rotation and will remain so. Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, Raimondo’s GOP opponent from 2014, has maintained a more low-key approach after an initial burst of advertising last fall. Still, the UHIP saga is a gift that keeps giving for Raimondo’s rivals, since it’s a multi-year story with a tangible impact on real people. (Whether anyone has a more effective strategy for improving the situation is uncertain.) Raimondo’s team has touted improvements in Rhode Island’s economy. Republicans question the governor’s approach and they put the credit elsewhere. So what will weigh heaviest in the minds of Rhode Islanders when they turn out to vote? Are their lives getting better, or does the state’s current landscape lead them to prefer a change at the top? (And will any of the other gubernatorial candidates stage a big upset in the September 12 primary?)
2. Some progressives are rallying around Matt Brown‘s run for governor — and he offers an alternative for Democrats or left-leaning independents dissatisfied with Gov. Raimondo. But Brown had $41,000 in his campaign account at the end of Q2 — and that’s a very small amount to use in mounting a gubernatorial campaign. It also raises questions about whether Brown will be able to afford television ads in the closing weeks of the primary campaign. Brown spokeswoman Juliet Barbara said the former secretary of state’s campaign will continue to reach people through a variety of ways: “We’ll assess the media mix strategically, on a week-by-week basis, based on what’s working to make sure we’re getting our message out effectively to voters. We’ll also continue to grow our robust field operations. Research shows that the single most effective way to connect with voters is through person-to-person interaction. Already, more than 500 volunteers have lent their time to this campaign — knocking on doors, talking to folks at events, posting up outside grocery stores, and making calls. During the first two weeks of July, we talked to roughly 15,000 Rhode Islanders, thanks to our incredible volunteers and staff. This is truly a people’s campaign.” Barbara said Brown “absolutely” has the resources to beat Raimondo. “Rhode Islanders won’t be bought, and they’re ready for change,” she said. Barbara points to how the late Robert “Cool Moose” Healey barely spent anything while attracting more than 20 percent of the general election vote in 2014. Then again, Healey developed his colorful profile through a series of runs for office, while Brown disappeared from RI’s political scene after his U.S. Senate run dissipated in 2006.
3. “Why, in 2018, do we act like raising huge sums of money is a good thing?” former Gov. Lincoln Chafee, a Matt Brown supporter, tweeted this week. Many people would agree with that sentiment. Still, the viewpoint is a bit rich, if you’ll pardon the pun, coming from a wealthy descendant of one of Rhode Island’s “Five Families” whose campaigns have been bankrolled in part by his even wealthier wife.
4. The end-game in the PawSox drama is drawing closer, and some signals point to the team leaving for Worcester. Longtime Worcester Telegram & Gazette sportswriter Bill Ballou tweets that a “PawSox-to-Worcester plan” is expected to be unveiled the week after next. Minor League Baseball has trademarked “WooSox.” Some observers suspect the die is cast for the team to move out of state. But a source familiar with the details said Pawtucket is continuing to tweak its proposal, and that “Larry [Lucchino] has an open mind.” Dylan Zelazo, a top aide to Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien, said city officials continue to meet with the team. But the PawSox have had a conspicious absence of public enthusiasm for the stadium plan backed by House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello since it emerged. (Asked for comment, PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless said, “It is understandable for there to be premature speculation, but we are still in discussions with cities and hope to conclude the process at or near the end of this season.”) Meanwhile, the team’s last game of 2018 is scheduled for September 3, more than a week ahead of the September 12 primary.
5. T. Kevin Olasanoye, executive director of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, said he remains a strong believer in the district committee process even after the endorsement controversy last month that infuriated progressive Democats. “It’s small d democracy, it gives average ordinary folks the ability to put their names on the ballot and run and say, ‘I’m one of the people who can represent this district well and make decisions who we think our senators and reps should be,’ ” Olasanoye said on Rhode Island Public Radio’s Political Roundtable this week. Yet as he noted, there’s more than a measure of mystery about how district committees work. And the RI Democratic Party puts far more effort into publicizing legislative fundraisers on its web site and through its weekly e-blast, rather than posting information about district committee openings. Asked why the party doesn’t put that information online, Olasanoye said on RIPR’s Bonus Q&A, “We have some work to do with the secretary of state’s office and the varous board of canvassers office to make that that information is available …. Obviously, there are things that we can do better and we will do better.”
6. Aaron Regunberg, who is making a primary challenge to Lt. Gov. Dan McKee, plans to spend a lot — an additional $525,000 on his campaign, according to a new filing with the state Board of Ellections. That’s on top of about $134,000 in reported expenditures. Regunberg unveiled an online ad this week, and his level of expected spending makes it likely that he’ll be buying heavily on TV. McKee most recently criticized a proposed National Grid rate increase and launched a town hall series on addressing Alzheimer’s.
7. Whatever happened to Ken McKay? The former campaign strategist and chief of staff for former Gov. Don Carcieri had a cup of coffee as state GOP chair. He split for DC, taking a job in 2011 as senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnston of Wisconsin, because, McKay said, he needed better job opportunities. McKay went on to work the RGA before forming a consulting firm and then being part of President Trump‘s 2016 campaign operation (He also worked for Chris Christie in that campaign cycle). McKay’s latest gig appears to be as the top state government lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
8. Could a lawsuit filed by the State of Rhode Island turn the tide in the fight against climate change? According to a report in Governing, “Rhode Island is the first state to sue fossil fuel companies for infrastructure costs due to damage from global warming. Its unique claims ‘open the door to some interesting possibilities,’ says Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center. ‘There are some novel, new theories [in Rhode Island’s lawsuit]. And there’s a lot more information about what these companies knew and what they did … since some of the earlier cases.’ The lawsuit names 21 defendants, including some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies — ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Shell. The 142-page document cites existing damage and future threats to Rhode Island residents and infrastructure, including roads and bridges. According to the complaint, the state ‘seeks to ensure that the parties who have profited from externalizing the responsibility for sea-level rise, drought, extreme precipitation events [and other consequences of global warming] bear the costs of those impacts on Rhode Island.’ “
9. Give a listen: Naval War College professor Marc Genest talks with RIPR’s Chuck Hinman about President Trump, immigration and foreign policy.
10. Things have come full circle for one-time ProJo reporter Arthur Gregg Sulzberger. Back in 2005, a member of the Narragansett Lions tried intimidating Sulzberger when he was set to reveal the group’s exclusion of women. That official probably didn’t know that the young reporter was “part of a publishing dynasty that has faced requests to suppress information in matters ranging from the Bay of Pigs to the Pentagon Papers.” That anecdote is almost ancient history now; Sulzberger, 37 at the time was named publisher of The New York Times in December 2017. But there he was at the White House on July 20, raising concerns about President Trump’s “deeply troubling anti-press rhetoric. I told the president directly that I thought that his language was not just divisive but increasingly dangerous,” Sulzberger said in a statement. “I told him that although the phrase ‘fake news’ is untrue and harmful, I am far more concerned about his labeling journalists ‘the enemy of the people.‘ I warned that this inflammatory language is contributing to a rise in threats against journalists and will lead to violence.” David Remnick writes that “the once-secret session provides a fascinating look at Trump’s capacity to feign charm and receptiveness to criticism in private and then return to a war footing not long after.” Meanwhile, some Trump supporters are taking cues from the president’s hostile stance toward reporters and news organizations.
11. Even during his long-ago time as a camapaign consultant for former Gov. Ed DiPrete, Paul Manafort was a high-flyer. “Smooth talking, impeccably attired, he is one of the new breed of fancy consultants who have irons on the political fires in several states at a time,” ProJo political columnist M. Charles Bakst wrote, referring to Manafort, in 1986. At the time, Manafort already had ties to a new military leader in Nigeria and the Marcos regime in the Philippines. Now, prosecutors during Manafort’s fraud trial have pointed to lavish spending (“From one of his favorite stores in California, he bought a $33,000 ‘blue lizard’ jacket, an $18,000 suede coat, a $14,000 quilted silk jacket, a $12,000 brown pinstriped suit, pants priced around $2,800 apiece, dress shirts costing $1,500 each and ties that averaged about $950 each.”) Here’s more background on the trial, the first related to charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller.
12. TGIF last week noted how Cranston Republican Steven Frias was supportive of Clean Elections, a way of publicly financing legislative elections, with the goal of making them more competitive. So is Common Cause of RI, which made a push for Clean Elections starting back around 2005, getting ready to resume the fight? Here’s an update from Common Cause’s John Marion: “This week there was considerable attention on Rhode Island’s longstanding program for public financing of elections for statewide officeholders. It was one of the less-heralded policies that came out of the 1986 Constitutional Convention. That system is showing its age compared to more innovative ideas, like Seattle’s democracy voucher program, but it’s still popular, particularly with candidates down ballot. Both Allan Fung and Patricia Morgan has committed to participating in 2018. Ideally, we would reform the statewide system to include primaries and increase the ratio of the public match, while also extending the system to include General Assembly candidates. However, there are some big challenges before we can get to that point. Those challenges include writing the legislation — it’s a legally complex topic — and finding the money to fund such a program. Rhode Island historically doesn’t create restricted-receipt accounts, a feature of these types of programs. More importantly, we need to commit to a campaign that might take years. Common Cause has only so much capacity and we have been focused on pursuing early voting and redistricting reform. We know there are legislators on both sides of the aisle who are interested in pursuing public financing and we are committed to working with them as we can.”
13. Some short takes from RI Democratic Party Executive Director T. Kevin Olasanoye, via his visit on RIPR’s Bonus Q&A this week with myself and guest panelist Patrick Anderson from the ProJo: 1) Should Democrats be moving to the left? “We have to build a consensus on these issues,” Olasanoye said. “Legislation, or the art of legislation, is about building bridges ….” 2) How does the RI Democratic Party engage with left-leaning groups pushing for issues like single-payer healthcare and a $15 hourly wage? “Our job is to open up our processes and to try to make sure that people understand that there is not a wizard behind the wall …. Those folks … are going to find some things when they get to the party that they may not understand or may not like, but that doesn’t mean that the people on the other side are bad people or are not Democrats. It mean there’s some consenus-building that needs to be done.” 3) Has Olasanoye done anything to mend fences with women Democrats upset by the party? “… The answer is not so microscopic in that [it’s] about gender. It’s really about just saying to folks, whatever your stripes are, whatever makes you identify with the Democratic Party, there’s something here for you. There’s a place for you to be impactful here.”
14. Four newsroom staffers are taking the latest buyout at the ProJo: reporter John Hill, who has covered a range of beats over 29 years on Fountain Street, while also serving as president of the Providence Newspaper Guild in recent history; Christine Dunn, who has kept a close eye on real estate; well-esteemed scholastic sports writer John Gillooly; and night editor Gary Zebrun. “Each has done excellent work and has been a valued contributor to our efforts for many years. To put it simply, we will miss them,” Executive Editor Alan Rosenberg said in a note to readers. “As they leave, I am evaluating our newsroom’s coverage to ensure that we continue to provide the most important stories for our readers.”
15. Poli/media people on the move: Alex Nunes, a morning producer during RIPR’s WRNI days, and more recently an advocacy journalist, has signed on as news editor of The Westerly Sun …. Juliet Barbara is now the communications director for Matt Brown‘s Democratic gubernatorial campaign …. Ann Gooding has left her job as spokeswoman for the RI Democratic Party; the party is looking for someone to fill her position. “This was a good time for me to take a break in the action,” Gooding told me, following the recent birth of her granddaughter. “Been a diehard Dem my whole life and will always be a proud one, at a pace that allows me to live a little more.” …. Raina Smith has joined independent Joe Trillo‘s gubernatorial campaign as communications director. Smith previously reported for WPRI-TV and ABC6 and served as comms director for former Secretary of State Ralph Mollis and for the House GOP office.
16. As Ted Nesi reports, former RI GOP congressional candidate Russell Taub is facing a watchdog complaint “for allegedly running a ‘scam’ political action committee that claims to have raised more than $1.5 million.”
17. The 1993 movie “In the Line of Fire” featured a presidential assasin (John Malkovich) who wields a homemade gun that didn’t set off metal detectors. So what could possibly go wrong with the emergence of guns manufactured by 3-D printers? A number of RI officials have unveiled efforts meant to curb such weaspons, including U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. The senator and several colleagues called on the Trump administration to reverse a recent decision allowing a Texas company, Defense Distributed, to share blueprints for undetectable 3-D-printed guns. In a statement, Reed said, “Providing easy access to untraceable, unregistered, undetectable 3D-printed guns that are just a click away will be a win for criminals and domestic abusers and a menace to public safety.”
18. Courtesy of Dan McGowan, candidates for City Council in Providence’s Ward 2, Ward 5, Ward 12 and Ward 13 explain themselves.
19. “Know thyself … by writing your first novel“
20. Baseball is a lot like life. So perhaps it’s unsurprising that sports psychology — like therapy in general — was considered kind of out-there back in the day. “Now,” notes the NY Times, “26 of the 30 major league teams have a mental conditioning coach … and many have more layered throughout organizations, as well as countless loyalists among players and managers.” So give it up for kinesiology professor-turned-sports psychology guru Ken Ravizza, whose impact will continue long after his recent death at age 70. Ravizza once left players with “a miniature toilet small enough to fit in the pocket of a baseball glove.” The message? “Forget the last game, forget the last play and forget the excuses.”
