This statement will surely draw heat, but it seems to me that an objective view of perceptions among Republicans and, especially, conservatives in Rhode Island is that Governor Carcieri chose to end his term as a leader early (in contrast to his term as an administrator), for the reason that Larry Ehrhardt expressed succinctly in a recent Political Scene:
"The governor wanted that Deep Water bill so bad that he was willing to trade just about anything for it. The speaker of the House needed that budget not to be vetoed because it barely passed in the House, and if the governor had vetoed it, the speaker might not have been able to override the veto because of tremendous dissension within the House. So the speaker definitely needed that budget not to be vetoed, and that was the midnight bargain that was made: Deep Water versus the lousy budget."
A bad deal for Rhode Island energy consumers in exchange for a bad budget balanced only in an imaginary sense. Republican candidates for governor should take this up as a point of differentiation.
I was a very vocal supporter of Don 8 years ago.
I believed he would bring change to the State House.
In the interim, I became very disillusioned as he seemed to crumble in the face of GA opposition.
Instead of freezing spending in the face of the GA’s completely unrealistic Budgets, he caved and went along with them.
Anyone remember Jackson’s retort when Chief Justice John Marshall handed him a defeat in court involving the Cherokee Nation? “Marshall’s made his decision, now let him enforce it!” Too bad Don never took a similar stance in dealing with the thugs on Smith Hill.
His latest appointments to the Judiciary are a complete farce. Politcal hacks all of them, i.e. Lynch!
The word on the street is that there will be ZERO appointments to the Bench until Joe Montalbano is appointed to the RI Judiciary. Just what RI needs!
I for one will be very vocal in pointing out Montalbano’s past problems and total disregard of the law in favor of political alliances before the JNC on 9 August!.
I wonder who else will show up to state the facts regarding this political mobster!
That said, anyone want to make a wager that Carcieri WILL appointment him to the Bench?
blah....blah....blah.....from the "we love our backwater Rhode Island and will die if we can't bitch and piss and moan endlessly about our plight here in Demmieville".....
Deep Water bill is a very good investment for Rhode Island.
Aldo, Gov. Carcieri will not appoint Joe Montalbano a judge. Relax!!
Don Carcieri has been a very good governor and history will treat him well.
The gov quit long ago. He basically lived in Florida.
Posted by: Swazool at July 4, 2010 1:19 AM