Debate Week Continues on 630 WPRO – GOP Candidates Last Night, Congressional Candidates Tonight
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Debate week at 630 WPRO, a GoLocalProv media partner, continues tonight with a debate featuring three of the four Democratic candidates in the First District Congressional race. The debate will air from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by an hour-long segment of analysis and listener reactions. Click here to listen live.
Last night, Republican candidates for governor John Robitaille and Victor Moffitt met in a debate marked by few attacks or gaffes. Both candidates touted their conservative credentials, calling for smaller government and lower taxes. Both also opposed gay marriage and the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero and supported stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
Robitaille said that instead of handing out loan guarantees and special tax deals to bring companies into Rhode Island, the state needed broader changes in taxes and regulation to make it a more inviting environment for new businesses. “We need jobs in Rhode Island and we need jobs now. How do we do it? We do it by getting government out of the way,” Robitaille said. “Businesses create jobs, not government.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCandidates Debate Aquarium
Moffitt, however, accused Robitaille of lacking specific plans for creating jobs or helping the economy to recover. He again proposed building an aquarium in Rhode Island—along with a museum of science and a tourist resort. “We’re the state of hope. Why not have something good people can talk about instead of all the negativity?” Moffitt said.
Robitaille questioned why Moffitt was so focused on the aquarium. “Are you running for the executive board of the aquarium or are you running for governor?” he asked.
Who Would Be a Stronger Governor?
Moffitt, a former state rep, said he would do a better job of working with the General Assembly. But Robitaille said citizens need a governor who will stand up to Democratic lawmakers. “I don’t think the people of Rhode Island want a mediator—someone who wants to go along to get along,” Robitaille said.
Asked to grade the performance of incumbent Republican Governor Don Carcieri, Moffitt gave him a B while Robitaille, who is a former Carcieri staffer, gave him an A-.
The end of the debate turned up a few surprises. Moffitt admitted that he had been a member and a candidate for the Reform Party in the 1990s and Robitaille was asked how he could win a statewide election after losing a race for state rep in 2006.
For more coverage of the debate from 630 WPRO, click here.
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