Rhode Island Politics

After his speech for a gathering of (mostly) Portsmouth Republicans, Mayor Laffey took a sweeping path to not answering a question about whether he’ll challenge Lincoln Chafee for a seat in the U.S. Senate. It didn’t take much listening between the words to hear a “yes” — albeit an indeterminate one. Considering that the sweeping…

For the record, I thought I’d register my opposition to the placement of a casino in Rhode Island. However, I do support the people of Rhode Island being able to vote on the matter, so long as it is presented legally (unlike the fiasco last summer). During the controversy last summer, I posted about a…

This aspect of the article to which Don links in the previous post particularly caught my eye: Ban anyone, other than a “recognized employee of a news organization,” from videotaping or taking photographs of House sessions and House committee meetings “without the express permissions of the speaker.” I’m aware of the tendency of the blogosphere…

This posting continues a periodic series on Rhode Island politics and taxation, building on eight previous postings (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII). In addition, this posting also builds on previous postings (here, here, here as well as other postings by Justin and Marc here), all of which have noted the difficulty Rhode…

So, Providence Mayor Cicilline thinks he’s made quite a deal with the Providence Crossing Guard union because he negotiated down the hourly wage of new guards from $16.95 to $11.20. The truth of the matter is that guards are guaranteed a four hour work day, so it is essentially a 20 hour, $224/week salaried position.…

Hm. Well, now it’s my turn to think out loud. Dems–>Repubs has been done before, especially in the south. But I somehow doubt such would occur here. Instead, what would probably happen is that Langevin would become characterized as an “independent” Democrat. My guess is that the “politics of the polity” in Rhode Island would…

You raise some interesting points, Marc, and you’ve sparked a wacky idea — just an out-of-the-box consideration, really, but… Assuming that we don’t manage to change the political culture in Rhode Island to begin unseating incumbents, and given current political trends, what are the chances that a Langevin in the tenth or fifteenth year of…

Ramesh Ponnuru raises a sore point for Rhode Island conservatives: If Langevin wins the Democratic primary, I’d be open to the idea that conservatives should support him over Chafee. Langevin at least votes pro-life most of the time. I’ll admit that I don’t get out there and network as much as I should, but my…