With the election set to end Tuesday, it’s (almost) all over but the crying. Thanks for stopping by. You can follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go.
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STORY OF THE WEEK: For a sense of how much American politics has changed in 12 years, consider a line of attack used by GOP candidate John Loughlin against Democrat David Cicilline during the tilt for an open CD1 seat in 2010. Then – as now – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a favorite villain for Republicans. During a press conference near the front of Providence City Hall, Loughlin’s campaign displayed a sign depicting Pelosi and Cicilline as two peas in a pod. That critique now seems quaint, a vestige of a less fractious era, given how the rhetoric in American politics has grown more threatening since then. The recent attack on Paul Pelosi, and an earlier case involving Brett Cavanaugh, underscores concerns about growing violence. Capitol Police, the agency responsible for protecting members of Congress, reports (via Reuters) that cases related to “concerning statements and threats” jumped from 3,939 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021. Experts generally expect political violence to continue for a number of years. The situation has been decades in the making, and has continued with former President Donald Trump’s amplification of lies about a stolen election in 2020, said Jim Ludes, director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University in Newport. “These ideas turn not just Americans against Americans, but it undermines our fundamental confidence in the American system,” Ludes told me during an interview on Political Roundtable. “And I think that it is, it’s a reason why so many experts are worried about the health of the Republic, and the danger for more political violence in the years ahead.” At the same time, even though Ludes found himself agreeing with much of what President Biden said in a related speech this week, “I found myself wondering why this was the speech that he would make less than a week before election day. The timing, I think, is political. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong. But I think that if we’re going to have a serious conversation about lowering the temperature in American politics, it needs to happen not just a week before election day, it needs to happen in the long time between elections, where people are working together and really trying to solve problems, rather than just scoring political points.”
CD2 CLASH: My rigorous survey of local political experts shows that either Republican Allan Fung or Democrat Seth Magaziner will win the race next week for the open seat in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District. During the closing weeks of the campaign, Magaziner has aggressively pressed a populist economic argument – targeting big profits for oil companies – while Fung has maintained his laser-focus on pocketbook concerns in a time of high inflation. A number of analysts consider the race a toss-up. This much is sure: if Fung wins, the effort to oust him in 2024 will begin instantly. Political consultant Kate Coyne-McCoy (who backed Sarah Morgenthau in the Democratic primary) tells me she would immediately begin searching for a pro-reproductive rights Democratic woman to run in ’24. Under this scenario there would also be questions about whether Magaziner’s campaign made a strategic lapse by not focusing more – a la Gina Raimondo in 2014 and 2018 – on Fung’s record in Cranston. On the other hand, if Fung loses, questions will center on how a race that seemed in his grasp, based on advantages of a favorable geographic base and strong name recognition, slipped away.
CD2 CASH: As I reported this week, election deniers have contributed more than $100,000 to Fung’s campaign. Fung spokesman Steven Paiva points to how Fung has consistently cited President Biden as the legitimate president, and how Magaziner loaned himself $800,000 for his first campaign in 2014.
LET’S TALK: The contrast in political communication styles between Gov. Dan McKee and his predecessor, Gina Raimondo, is considerable. It took Raimondo time to grow more comfortable in talking with reporters after her first win for governor in 2014. Nonetheless, she recognized the role played by news organizations – and her own obligation to make a detailed case for herself and her administration. On the other hand, Gov. McKee got irritated when faced with entirely appropriate questions during an Ed Fitzpatrick podcast this week. While McKee stages frequent press conferences, he has been far less available than Raimondo for long-form in-studio interviews at The Public’s Radio. On his most recent visit, in August (and yes, repeated asks were made after that), McKee turned a bit defensive in responding to questions about former Chief of Staff Tony Silva and subpoenas related to the ILO Group investigation. GOP candidate for governor Ashley Kalus is facing questions about her own discourse after Brian Amaral reported on her texting quite a bit of off-color language as part of a contractor dispute in Illinois. Meanwhile, with Democratic allies pouring more money into Rhode Island to reinforce McKee, the election will reveal whether Kalus made a late surge or whether the incumbent has maintained a comfortable lead.
GINAWORLD: Speaking of our former governor, she is slated to be back in Rhode Island on Nov. 21 to speak with U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, as part of the Providence Chamber’s annual meeting. Raimondo is still considered a potential successor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a scenario that may be more likely with a GOP takeover of the U.S. House. As Politico reports, Raimondo has “notched critical victories for the administration around the CHIPS Act,” although “the possibility of a Raimondo-led Treasury department has enraged progressives and watchdog groups who claim that she’d take a light touch with regulating powerful interests in finance, tech and international trade.”
TAKE OF THE WEEK: Different views from different Rhode Islanders.
STATE REP. LIANA CASSAR: Candidates and campaign workers are closely engaged this week in the final leg of the endurance sport that is campaigning for elected office. All but the last few strides of the races are behind us. This year the work has been all-consuming, as it’s the first real race after COVID tamped down the ability to meet voters where they were in 2020. Many candidates have mentioned that this year’s voters were somewhat less likely to engage at the doors, with many folks still not aware there’s an election going on. This election cycle is a wake-up call to figure out how to get more folks engaged in our state’s electoral politics. Primary election turnout in the 15% range statewide (with around 25% of the seats in the General Assembly already determined before the general election) points to a great opportunity to spend the next two years working on civic engagement to increase enfranchisement and improve representation. More candidates and more voters will better assure that we have a government that is chosen by the majority of Rhode Islanders.
STATE REP. BRIAN C. NEWBERRY: A poll this week by the Wall Street Journal found that 86% of Americans believe the “mainstream media” is a significant cause of division in America. It is hard not to notice that people from the exact same backgrounds tend to populate our press corps, especially the national D.C.- and NYC-based press. I’m not talking skin color or ethnicity, but rather class, education, political and social views. I know this personally having once been a staffer on a top college paper that sees many of its graduates every year go off to big careers in the “MSM.” Looking back 30 years, to a time when I was still a Democrat, the only Republicans I knew then on the staff were in the business department. The editorial staff was overwhelmingly upper-middle class and liberal and every single graduate who remains in journalism holds the same views. And that situation has likely only worsened. But urban upper-middle class liberals do not reflect the political or social views of the majority of Americans, so when they report news through their natural bias and filter, and often coat those reports with a veneer of sneering condescension, it is no wonder such large majorities grow to hold them in reverse contempt. Some viewpoint affirmative action is desperately needed to bring some balance and thus credibility to our press corps. Our republic needs watchdogs. But it needs watchdogs who actually understand and relate to all parts of the population, not just well-off liberal urban enclaves.
[Editor’s note: During a public forum a few years ago, RI GOP National Committeeman Steve Frias credited RI reporters with doing more to expose wrongdoing by local politicians than the RI GOP.]
RI campaign manager for Obama in ‘12 DEVIN “SHORT PANTS” DRISCOLL: There’s a great deal of uncertainty about the outcome Tuesday of high-profile elections across the country, and that includes the race to succeed Jim Langevin. Regardless of the outcome of that race – and I’m hopeful that Rhode Islanders will send Seth Magaziner to Congress – one conversation that should start in earnest on Nov. 9 is what Ocean State Democrats can do to build and strengthen the bench of potential candidates, especially women and people of color. In the 16 or so years that I’ve been around Rhode Island politics, this has been a topic on the minds of some, but candidate development and recruitment needs to take a more central place among party leadership. Some generational leadership changes are likely in the years ahead, and only by working diligently now can we ensure that there is a broad and engaging group of potential successors available to voters when the time comes.
STATE SEN. JESSICA DE LA CRUZ: Unless you live under a rock, this is a reminder that it’s election time, and people across our great state are casting their votes! I’m disappointed that in this economic downturn, the elected supermajority in the State House (Democrats) did not think it prudent to provide immediate relief to struggling Rhode Islanders. They rejected temporarily suspending the gas tax and rejected increasing funding for additional heating assistance this winter. And at a time when we all worry about increasing crime, they also rejected allocating an additional half a million dollars to each school district to fortify schools to protect our children. Those sensible and meaningful budget amendments introduced by the Senate Republicans were immediately rejected by the Democrats in power. My concern is that we’ve lived under 90 years of a Democrat supermajority in the legislature, which is bad for our state (applied to either party) as there are perils to unilateral power. I urge Rhode Islanders to consider an option to the status quo when they get to the voting booth on or before next Tuesday.
Economic Progress Institute Executive Director WEAYONNOH NELSON-DAVIES: I’m struck by how consequential elections are, and how important it is that we encourage everyone to vote. But it’s not enough to encourage people to vote. We need to make it possible for them to vote, make them feel comfortable voting, and let them know their vote matters. It is also important that we elect representatives who reflect the diversity of our communities and prioritize policies that benefit all of us. When people make the connection between their vote and the policies which affect their lives, we can begin to make changes that lift up everyday Rhode Islanders.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: My colleague Joe Tasca spoke with the three candidates seeking to succeed Dennis Algiere of Westerly, the longtime GOP leader in the RI Senate: Democrat Victoria Gu, independent Caswell Cooke, and Republican Westin Place.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY II: An ACI inmate pleaded no contest to threatening a senior member of the RI House of Representatives, although Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office said there’s no evidence that the inmate planned to act on the threat.
SHORELINE ACCESS: Alex Nunes, South County reporter for The Public’s Radio, has done a lot of excellent reporting on the issue of public access to the Rhode Island coastline. Don’t miss his latest investigation, a detailed look at how efforts by local, state and federal officials – including U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse – changed federal law to maintain the Watch Hill Yacht Club’s control of more than half the moorings at exclusive Watch Hill Cove.
AS THE PROJO TURNS: Kudos and congrats to two stalwarts of The Providence Journal who are retiring after long and distinguished careers: We wish happy retirement and new adventures for reporters G. Wayne Miller (41 years on Fountain Street) and Linda Borg (38 years). This comes amid word of layoffs and cost cuts at Gannett, the company that owns the ProJo.
KICKER: Lawrence Verria, chair of social studies at North Kingstown High School and author of a new biography about the late Robert Healey, joined me on Political Roundtable to discuss the storied Cool Moose – who got more than 20% of the vote for governor in 2014 after barely spending any money. Excerpt: “Bob Healey was funny, plain and simple. But that was, you know, he was funny because he made himself funny, as one of my sources said, and all of that was by plan. Bob Healey would set out to do things for purpose, where I think a lot of people thought it was just random or just who he was – which is partly true that it was who he was, he, he loved a good joke. That being said, there was a real functionality to all of this, and that was to draw attention to his campaigns so that he could then deliver a more serious message. Again, I think the message might at times have been lost on us. But I think the message was heard.”
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org
