video: NEW: Speaker Fox Comes Out in Favor of the Master Lever
Friday, April 12, 2013
House Speaker Gordon Fox in a live interview with RIFuture.org's Bob Plain, came out in favor of the master lever. Responding to Ken Block's allegation that the master lever may have helped Fox win the November election, the Speaker slammed Block for finger pointing and innuendo.
"I haven’t looked at his numbers, but the presumption that he makes is that even if those numbers work out, that those people wouldn’t work for Gordon Fox or the Democratic candidate otherwise" Fox said. "I wonder what he is offering up for it and I have to question his motivations. I take umbrage with the shot he threw at the senate president, that somehow the senate’s only interested in doing economic development with move the needle - somehow subvert away the issue of master lever."
According to Masterlever.org, more than 70 people testified before the Senate Judiciary in support of elimination of the master lever and House Judiciary heard from more than 100. Not one person appeared in favor. Polarity in thought regarding elimination of the master lever remains an area of contention between the two, with Block alleging that Fox as Speaker and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed are preventing democracy from moving forward by not allowing the master lever legislation to the floor for a vote.
Using the master lever is a choice
“Ken has taken this argument and we have a disagreement on this," said Fox. "His presumption is that we get rid of it and it is going to make a better democracy. My presumption is that when somebody’s in a voting booth and there’s no signs of duress, or somebody’s going in there forcing them, and they choose a master lever, you have to presume that they know what they are doing and that they are using the master lever. It’s what their choice is and otherwise, what do we have? A system of giving out tests before people? Democracy can’t work with that.”
The presumption, said Fox, is that when somebody is going in there, barring some kind of threat or duress, that their choices matter and the premise is that somehow - I assume he’s saying that I’m blocking master lever because I’m afraid I might lose my elections."
“I don’t make public policy that way,” Fox said. “And that’s not my motivation and I think it’s unfair for him to do so.”
The Speaker questioned Block's motivation for trying to remove the master lever from use in Rhode Island elections, as an affront to those who want to use it.
"One could wonder is Ken Block’s motivation really good government and is he setting himself up or his moderate party to win the governorship. Maybe that’s why he’s doing this and throwing these bombs. We have disagreement on this and let’s keep the argument where it should be on the merits and go from there. I happen to disagree with him on this issue. I think the master lever is a tool and its useful as a tool for those people who want to use it. No one forces them to do it. If someone doesn’t want to use the master lever, guess what? Don’t use it."
"Fundamentally is it about fielding candidates?" asked Fox. "Is it about giving choices to people. That’s what the issue really should be about. When you start questioning what people are motivated by, [the] finger can point that way as well."
