Rhode Island Politics

The Providence Journal today published a very disappointing op-ed from Rep. John Loughlin (R, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Little Compton) that Monique posted on Anchor Rising back in March to some extensive commentary. Loughlin’s premises are that we have a moral obligation to fulfill the pension expectations of public employees and teachers who are vested in the…

Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed will appear on the John DePetro Show this morning. Click here to stream live. Though Tara Granahan wasn’t sure a few minutes ago whether the Senate President would be taking calls, some questions may suggestion themselves from this interview with the ProJo’s Katherine Gregg.

After concurring with Justin’s doubts about bonuses and the definition of profits at Twin River, Valley Breeze Publisher Tom Ward contrasts a notable item on Senator Whitehouse’s resume with his vote a couple of weeks ago to continue funding ACORN. Rhode Island’s former chief law enforcement officer, ex-Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse, voted to continue funding…

The in-boxes of Rhode Island’s state senators have been the battleground, of late, for a political spat between Sen. Leonidas Raptakis (D, Coventry, East Greenwich, Warwick, West Warwick) and Sen. Daniel DaPonte (D., East Providence, Pawtucket): Raptakis wrote to Senate President Theresa Paiva Weed to suggest that the legislature should reconvene (PDF). DaPonte wrote a…

So we’ve all supported the right of the Moderate Party to form, and it’s been an interesting process. Now that Ken Block has achieved the milestone of officiality, however, the big question is what the group actually means by “moderate.” The 4E marketing — economy, ethics, education, and the environment — is tantamount to declaring,…

As evidence of the suggestion, in this morning’s vlog, that Rhode Island Democrats mainly utilize the governor’s office as a scapegoat, I present Travis Rowley’s calling out of Senator John Tassoni (D., Smithfield) for his obvious attempts to hand the General Assembly’s garbage to the governor: Perhaps worse than their inability to fiscally restrain themselves…

Press release of an hour ago: With the recent revelations of alleged fraudulent and potentially illegal activity by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) being reported across the country, Governor Carcieri today ordered all department directors and state agencies to immediately identify and cease any payments being made directly to ACORN-RI or…