Ashley Kalus’s introduction video shows promise and dangers.
The recently released video promoting Republican Ashley Kalus’s campaign for governor provides reason to think she’s got some real opportunities and exposes some of the risks her campaign faces:
On the risk side, her references to bringing policies from specific other states is the sort of thing that rubs provincial Rhode Islanders the wrong way and can remind them that she’s new to the local political scene and is bringing in out-of-state help. Meanwhile, her reference to her work with COVID in RI obviously has a bad association in people’s memories. People just shouldn’t use images of people getting needles in their arms when they want a positive association.
On the opportunity side, it’s so obvious that Rhode Island needs to open the windows for some fresh air and common sense that this may be the year it actually works. This is particularly true on the education front, although it will take somebody who can speak the truth about things like school choice and economic reality without seeming to threaten what Rhode Islanders feel like they already have (which they grip with desperation no matter how inadequate it is).
I watched her interview on In the Dugout, I though there were so many red flags, she didn’t actually answer many of the questions Sten asked her. She kept saying we are going to follow the science. Well, which science? Because there really seems to be two or more sides to this “science” thing. According to what I heard she would implement a vaccine passport type of thing in RI if the science told her to. And her whole involvement in in the vaccines is pretty crazy, putting someone in charge of a state who could profit from imposing more vaccine mandates and passports does not seem in our best interest. Also how I heard it she is not for school choice, only state run schools would be allowed.
I just watched her commercial posted above, lots of good words but nothing about HOW she’s going to do any of it. She also got sooo excited when she started talking about vaccines. Ugh.