Carol Anne Costa: That’s What He Said
Thursday, April 24, 2014
In the push, pull and tussle that is running for and holding political office, temptations exist on many levels. It is not an easy task to govern, legislate, be present for constituents, raise money, develop new ideas to help a district and at the same time present a cohesive and compelling message to the public, in order to be returned to office cycle after cycle, often times while holding down a full time job. So while we can agree and/or disagree with our pols we must acknowledge the commitment. So can we blame part time politicians for taking shortcuts or engaging in guerrilla like tactics? Are recent RI developments in RI Senate District 21 merely youthful exuberance or cold political calculus?
The Magnetic Draw of “Real” Libertarianism
It appears that the Rand Paul form of libertarianism is drawing Tea Partiers and civil libertarians like a moth to a flame, as so many of them are finding his words and message completely irresistible. Included in the crowd who are so magnetically attracted to the Paul message is the youthful Minority Whip and Senator from District 21, Nick Kettle. It seems Kettle’s latest distraction revolves around alleged plagiarised material from some of Rand Paul’s position papers. But, Kettle is not alone. There is a bit surging wave of Rand Paul copycats scattered about the nation, as chronicled by Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski. To quote William Shakespeare, is it “much ado about nothing” or is it blatant plagiarism? The definition of plagiarism, according to Merriam Webster is: pla·gia·rism noun \ˈplā-jə-ˌri-zəm also -jē-ə-\ : the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person : the act of plagiarizing something. Apparently, imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism or libertarianism.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn politics and in crafting positions often times thoughts are “commandeered” and manipulated to drive a message which will dovetail into more global feel, or mimic a nationally recognized voice. It happens. But, where I get the squishy feeling is non attribution to the author or authors and lack of guilt in absconding with another’s intellectual property. As the Kettle plagiarism story developed, it was the laissez-faire reaction of the Senator which is most concerning. When faced with the questions of plagiarism the Senator's reaction is a bit insouciant, as he stated in part to Providence Journal’s political reporter, Randy Edgar, “Perhaps it was mimicked.” and continued in part, “There are only so many words in the english language.” This reaction exhibits a lack of guilt or ownership of the misstep and could easily be chalked up to youth, but not for the pattern emerging from the Kettle bivouac. Perhaps Senator Kettle’s exuberance is catching up with him, as responsibility and remorse tend to go far with voters but are sparse in his quiver. In my experience the public doesn't expect perfection but they do admire and reward humility.
Kettle in Hot Water, Again
Although Mr. Kettle is still steamed up it might be the perfect time to simmer down. Kettle has had at least 2 other incidents which garnered media scrutiny. Back in 2011 Kettle was forced to issue an apology for urging Tea Party members to fill a statehouse hearing room before “the homeless folks” showed up. As covered by GoLocalProv The tone of the Kettle call to action email certainly raised some eyebrows. The email text read in part,
“I need as many tea party supporters there for this one. Get there early to fill up the room before the homeless folks! Help me ask why this homeless person has better clothes than I? I need some support when myself and Senator’s Maher and Pinga raise the tough questions to end this dog and pony show of Chairman Tassonni’s…
Thanks, Nick Kettle”
Fast forward to February of 2014, when as reported in the Coventry Patch, Kettle again found himself in hot water with the creation of a fake Facebook page attacking Coventry Representative, Scott Guthrie. The cartoon image of a Dr. Otto Octavius type character adorned with Representative Guthrie's face whose tentacles were reaching into bags of money was created under murky circumstances and pushed through social media. Is it politics, 1st amendment or bad judgement? Again, it is the Senator's reaction to the revelation that is most concerning as, Kettle’s response as documented in the Patch story states, "I'm not going to apologize or complain about the rough and tumble politics that is Coventry." A little “my bad” could go a long way. Make no mistake, this young man is a political force, he cleverly harnessed a wave of Tea Party sentiment and rode right into office. He is also to be saluted for being the youngest man elected to the RI state Senate. That is an impressive feat. I truly admire Kettle's gumption to run as a young man and further give him great props for running two successful campaigns. And, to a great degree I concur with his assessment of the rough and tumble of politics, as aptly stated by Mitt Romney, “politics ain't bean bag.” I have nothing but respect for Kettle’s political prowess, yet remain suspect of his tactics.
So as the political cycle heats up, Kettle, this time around has a motivated opponent in Margeaux Morisseau in what I am sure will be a terrific political fight and definitely worth the price of admission. This race, I hope will be a battle of ideologies. I can envision the fight card now …. The Liberal vs. The Libertarian. These two contenders enter the political ring from completely opposing corners, it will make for an interesting heavyweight card, as contested and smart campaigns make us all better.
Full disclosure, Nick Kettle is my Senator and Margeaux Morrisseau is a Scituate Democrat. I only hope the campaign remains about the issues, as only the citizens will benefit from a full throated debate. DING DING DING, Let’s have a clean fight….
Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently a public housing manager. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.
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