I had to chuckle at this gem, given Governor-elect Lincoln Chafee's all-but-established precedent of rebuffing requests for meetings from folks with whom he disagrees:
During the 45-minute long ceremony, Chafee will give his first address as governor, focusing, in part, on the idea of "setting aside differences and focusing on commonalities as we move the state forward," according to Chafee spokesman Michael Trainor.
One wonders whether "differences" is the Chafee administration's pet term for constituents who differ with the governor-elect on particular issues, as in: "Hide, here come the differences
"focusing on commonalities as we move the state forward,"
What's the problem? I think he's being consistent. He will focus on the commonality (ies?) A mutual dislike for each other. After that? I guess not so much.
Posted by: Patrick at December 20, 2010 2:21 PMChafee is an odd mix of petty vindictiveness, know-it-all arrogance and shear mumbling bumbling stupidity. What's really scary is the large number of Democratic party/union hacks Gov. Divisive Bigot is surrounding himself with.
Posted by: Tim at December 20, 2010 3:54 PMI guess I'll be set aside. :-(
Posted by: John at December 20, 2010 5:24 PMMaybe the reporter should have followed up with the question, "Define we?"
Posted by: G-Man at December 20, 2010 5:48 PMSure. To Governor Barney, 35% is equivalent to Louis XIV's "divine right of kings".
Of course, Linc couldn't begin to pronounce "L'etat, c'est moi." But he'll say it in many different ways.
Posted by: Contrarian View at December 20, 2010 6:15 PMRI is about to find out that, however much they trusted the father (and rightfully so), Linc Chafee is no John Chafee.
Posted by: John at December 20, 2010 6:32 PMThe more I read here about Chafee, the more convinced I am that Rhode Island did the right thing electing him - I guess bipartisanship's a dirty word here. I choose to find the usual talking points here a source of mirth.
Posted by: bella at December 20, 2010 9:23 PMSo Bella, name some things that Barney has done since Nov. 2nd that demonstrate "bipartisanship".
Naming Catherine Taylor to Elderly Affairs does not count.
Posted by: BobN at December 20, 2010 9:35 PMbella-We get it.OK?You like this feckless jerk.Be happy with him.
Meanwhile I'll be content to despise him and wait for his departure.
Bob, I humbly beg your forgiveness. I didn't realize you had the authority to revoke Ms. Taylor's GOP voter registration. I guess you will also be questioning that of DEM head Janet Coit, and questioning the fitness to serve of the Carcieri State Police and ACI heads Chafee's reappointed.
As for you, Joe, if you're that paranoid about a governor who has not even taken office yet, may I gently remind you that there are planes, trains and automobiles heading out of Rhode Island every day, and no governor can stop you from hopping on one of those.
bella-I'm hardly paranoid-I just listen to what this fool says.BTW why don't you get the hell out?I've lived here and paid taxes for 27 years and taken exactly NOTHING from the State of RI.
People like you are running this state into the ground.
Bipartisan has little to do with who he's hiring Bella. Furthermore, he's talking about bridging divides through a closed door with the average middle class taxpaying population on the outside.
Posted by: Max Diesel at December 21, 2010 2:10 PMDon't you people get it?
For eight years RI has had a Governor who wouldn't play ball with the progressive left, the poverty pimps, the dream-act'ors and the union mob. Now we'll have a governor who will. That's the newly spun definition of bi-partisanship.
Right? Bella?
Posted by: George at December 21, 2010 3:09 PM It's being reported in the Phoenix (which has been pretty accurate re: Chafee appointments) that feckless liberal John Loughlin has been talking to the Chafee team about the director of veterans affairs position.Now that's a real lefty appointment.
This argument is over.
Nice try bella, but you have no case. The appointment of Rush Limbaugh to the RI Dept of Veterans affairs wouldn't prove Chafee as being "bi-partisan" (see, we have to put it in quotes in this context because you and Chafee are trying to re-define the term).
If John Loughlin were appointed to this position, it would make no difference in how Chafee handles the union problem, the deficit problem, the illegal immigrant problem, the entitlement problem, the pension problem, the wreckless spending problem, the high tax problem... No, everyone he choses to deal with on the REAL problems facing this state, will be people he agrees with and people who agree with him. All other optionions will be uninvited.
Posted by: George at December 21, 2010 4:09 PMbella-as a physically disabled Vietnam veteran I can tell you that any STATE department of veterans affairs means exactly nothing.It's the Federal VA that runs your life and since I doubt you're a veteran just shut your damn trap.Go spew your verbal garbage on RIF.
I'm sure some jerk like Pat Crowley will designate youy a rock star until he tires of your usefulness.
Like he did to Lucy Burdick.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 21, 2010 5:23 PMThe Lack of access is your major complaint. The former governor basically had an office at WPRO. A whole bunch of whining and complaining is what we have here. And, making matters worse, a useless circle jerk by the likes of Joe B’s blathering on The Bud show, Danny boy Yorke’s Canadian goose honkings, and the complete meltdown by the ferret- John Depetro.
Posted by: David S at December 21, 2010 10:25 PMDavid S
He's so far up Buddy's as* he can taste the marinara sauce. And that's from the undisputed toilet bowl champion.
Posted by: Phil at December 22, 2010 6:30 AMI guess Phil wasn't listening yesterday when I flat out disputed Buddy on something and I don't think he appreciated it.
Anyway,being dumped on by the likes of Phil and David S makes me know I'm doing something right.
I have to wonder why Phil spends so much of his quahogging time listening to someone he can't stand.
I sure don't tune in Olbermann or Madcow.Chris Matthews I do sometimes because he at least has a functioning brain,even though he's nearly always wrong.
David S-if I'm "blathering"please let me know what I've said that wasn't factual or go blow it out your a**.
Same to you Phil.
Joe- to me you are but a bit player. You are at best a Shakespearean extra, a Dickens flat character, a walk-on. You inflate your role and importance in my previous comment. You are a kind of oral blowfish.
Posted by: David S at December 22, 2010 8:08 PM"I have to wonder why Phil spends so much of his quahogging time listening to someone he can't stand."
All I could do this last few days was to hang on. I do listen to those whom I disagree. Given the local choices I cannot avoid that. I do on occasion find the talk shows entertaining. I also listen to WGBH and the local NPR station along with the two sports talk shows. I'd listen more to my satellite radio if I could find where I last left it. CD's and books on tape are also possibilities. There are two quahogger channels on VHF. One for the East Bay and one for the West Bay. Seagulls provide interesting commentary on a variety of things.
The point remains:
The lying idiot-elect and his lemmings are blah, blah, blabbering about bi-partisanship, when, in truth, on the most important issues facing the state - he invites only the guilty parties to the table.
Posted by: George at December 23, 2010 1:28 PMDavid S-I know how unimportant I am to anyone except my family.
Do you know how unimportant you are?
Why don't you tell us what you do except spit smartass poison on a blog?
I already finished up with doing anything work related-I did my best and sometimes it was good enough and sometimes not.
You won't even use your real name-I see so much of this here-aliases.You're pathetic.
Here's a hint-most people in the world are bit players.1000 years from now if they dig us up we'll all just be anonymous mulch.
DavidS
Keep poking the bernstein bear and see it throw itself against the bars of its cage over and over and over again. I must admit it is a bit amusing.
David S and Phil-you two guys are expending a lot of energy to make me supposedly get aggravated-on the scale of things that have really bothered me over the years,you two don't amount to a speck of mouse crap in the cupboard.
Keep wasting your time listening to talk radio and getting impotently angry-I think I must listen to less of it than either of you.
It would be insincere of me to convey holiday greetings,but at least enjoy good health.