Achorn's Wisdom on Chafee/Laffey - What's Right II

More things that Edward Achorn got right in Tuesday’s projo column on Chafee/Laffey…

3. Remember, you heard it here first…

The Republicans desperately tried to "buy off" Mr. Laffey by offering to support him for the powerless (and pointless) job of lieutenant governor.

Laffey was never going to accept a “powerless and pointless job”. This illustrates the fundamental difference between Laffey and the Republican establishment. The establishment said, “You can win a statewide election!”. Laffey said, “But I want to be able to do something after I win”. The establishment looked back at him with a confused look on their collective face. Achorn makes this point himself…

The Old Guard, which supports Senator Chafee, accepts that the GOP here is so outmuscled and outnumbered that it will never be able to do much more than cut deals with Democrats and pick off a seat here and there. The Young Turks believe that it is time to do more, to shake up the status quo in Rhode Island.

4. Finally, Achorn mentions that Laffey is actually interested in campaigning for office – by this, I mean actually going to fundraisers and rallies after filing the paperwork. The establishment Republicans in this state have never quite understood that retail campaigning is an important part of the political process, especially in a small state like Rhode Island. Laffey’s ability to win votes through actual campaigning is the second biggest wild-card in the primary election.

So what did Achorn get wrong? And what’s the first biggest wild-card in the primary? You’ll have to stay tuned to AR to find out…