Rhode Island Politics
From a poll conducted by WPRI 12. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has a favorability rating of 33 percent, with an unfavorable rating mired at 57 percent. Ten percent of those polled weren’t sure how they felt about Whitehouse. Five percent thought Whitehouse was doing an “excellent” job. Yikes. Apparently, many Rhode Islanders who thoughfully oppose the…
Former Steve Laffey campaign manager John Dodenhoff (he ran Laffey’s Senate campaign in 2006) was on the Dan Yorke Show to explain that he ate lunch last week with Michael Lepizzera (former Laffey campaign member, now affiliated with Frank Caprio) who put forward an idea of having Frank Caprio run as a Republican so long…
Anybody catch this little nugget? A one-time chief of staff to former Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, [Former state Sen. Edward] Morrone has spent the last year as the $94,100 “director of intergovernmental affairs” in the office of Montalbano’s successor: M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport. In recent days, Superior Court Presiding Judge Alice B. Gibney…
Patrick Lynch’s campaign issued a press release (thanks, Ian Donnis) implying that the Statewide Coalition must be racist because they associate with the Tea Party movement which is, in turn, responsible for a number of ugly protests around the country featuring racist rhetoric and signage over the past year. The plot thickens, however. Harry Staley…
Last week’s Violent Roundtable on the Matt Allen Show featured Rep. John Loughlin (R, Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth) and Senator Leonidas Raptakis (D, Coventry, East Greenwich, Warwick, West Warwick) and is, as always, worth a listen. As one might expect, the three participants (John, Lou, and Matt) were in agreement on most issues, albeit with…
An interesting call to the Dan Yorke Show as I was nearing home on my commute. The caller started out complaining about the corrupt, one-party political system in Rhode Island and then suggested that he simply couldn’t vote for Republicans because, while he’s fiscally conservative, he’s socially liberal. He included opposition to the welfare state…
My post concerning the Warwick Beacon’s look into Warwick firefighter pay/contracts has generated some commentary regarding the RIPEC report (mentioned in Russell Moore’s story) that found: On average, [a RIPEC] report showed that Rhode Islanders spend about $6.24 on fire services for every $1,000 of personal income, or just under double the national average of…
With the legislature back in session, the press releases have resumed, and I’ll tell ya: If all Rhode Islanders received them in their emailboxes and gave each a moment’s thought, there might be more discouragement across the state. Those whom we elect don’t seem to understand cause and effect and the 1,000-papercuts principle. So, here…
Here’s the scene: Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on a semi-rural road that locals often use to avoid a mile or so of Middletown’s two main roads, the school bus pulls up to a modest split-level house, and the driver opens the double doors. A middle-school girl skips up the driveway and stops a few feet…
Rep Jon Brien (D-Woonsocket) has been on the Dan Yorke Show since 2 pm. Ya knew something was up when he asked Dan and his listeners whether they are satisfied with their representation in Washington. After a couple of point blank questions, Brien confirmed that he is giving serious consideration to running against Congressman Patrick…