Russell Moore: Master Lever is GOP’s Scapegoat
Monday, May 12, 2014
The master lever is just a red herring and a distraction that state GOP uses to wallow in self pity, believes Russell Moore
But not for the reasons you may have heard from Rhode Island politicians and talking heads. There's this notion that the master lever is corrupt, or unfair, or somehow creates an un-level playing field.
"Signifying nothing"
None of that is true. In the grand scheme of things, to quote William Shakespeare, the master lever is "full of sound and fury", but "signifying nothing".
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRiddle me this one. Is the master lever how Lincoln Chafee got himself elected governor as an independent in 2010? Is the master lever how Republicans Allan Fung and Scott Avedisian continuously get themselves elected mayor of Cranston and Warwick respectively? Of course not—those three do their thing by relying on public sector union support and name recognition.
Is the master lever how state senator Edward O'Neill (Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) got elected as an independent, defeating the Senate President in the process in 2008—not to mention subsequent re-elections? Of course not. He did it by working hard and spending a lot money.
A Red Herring
The master lever is, however, just a red herring and a distraction that state GOP uses to wallow in self pity. It's easier for the GOP to whine and complain that the deck is stacked against them than it is to do the hard work of campaigning and running the right people for the right positions.
It's just a convenient scapegoat for a misguided and ineffective Republican Party that can't seem to get out of its own way, let alone win elections. The existence of the master lever is like their rationalization to avoid introspection.
Let me be clear: the master lever is not what ails the GOP. The RI-GOP is what ails the RI-GOP.
Time for introspection
With that in mind, I'd like to see the state get rid of this red herring once and for all so that the GOP, might, just maybe, look inward to see some of their real problems and inadequacies, correct them, and than maybe, just maybe we could have a two party system with more checks and balances.
What does the GOP do to shoot itself in the foot? As someone who's followed politics closely for a decade, I can point to a few things. Firstly, the GOP has a tendency to get way too involved in social issues like guns, Christmas Trees, and persecuting the undocumented, which plays to their minuscule base but turns off swing voters and waters down their economic message.
Secondly, the party runs these candidates whose reaches overextend their grasps. It seems like every single year since I've been following politics we get these candidates who'd make great state representative candidates given their intellects, energy, and eloquence.
Candidates in over their heads
In recent years there were Mark Zaccaria, Bill Clegg, and Michael Gardiner, all of which ran in a Republican primary for the privilege of getting hammered by Congressman James Langevin in the general election of 2010. All three would've made terrific general assembly candidates. In 2012 there was Michael Riley, who undoubtedly would've been a credit to the state legislature given his knack for analyzing numbers.
This year is no different, and just as frustrating. There are already two talented, but hopeless challengers who have lined up to challenge Congressman David Cicilline—Cormick Lynch, a former Marine and financial professional, and Stan Tran, a Brown Medical student. They're both well-spoken and intelligent individuals, but they've got a better chance of hitting the moon with a sling shot than they do ousting David Cicilline. The same can be said for Rhue Reiss who is challenging Langevin.
(I heard Lynch on local talk radio (Dan Yorke's show on 630 am) mention that he raised $5,000. Not bad, if you're running for town council.)
Race for the prize
All these folks would make great legislative candidates. But I guess running for the legislature isn't as glamorous as running for Congress. It's like they're fresh out of college applying to become a fortune 500 CEO. Why stop at Congress? Maybe these folks should just run for President of the United States.
If these people were really serious about becoming members of Congress, they'd take a lesson from those who have been successful getting there. Look at the Congressional office holders we have right now. David Cicilline, James Langevin, Jack Reed, and Patrick Kennedy all started off as state representatives. Even Nomar Garciapara and Dustin Pedroia started off in Double A ball before they became Red Sox All Stars and MVP's.
Lastly, you've got a better chance of finding where Jimmy Hoffa is buried than hearing a consistent, easy to understand message from the RI-GOP. The Republicans should craft a well-honed message based on how the state can make itself more economically competitive and stick to it.
Get rid of it
So let's hope the Rhode Island State Senate follows the House of Representatives, and state Representative Joe Shekarchi's lead (D-Warwick) and eliminates the master lever.
Maybe, just maybe, it will lead to a GOP that looks inward instead of blaming the Democrats and everyone else for all their problems.
Excuse me if I'm not holding my breath.
A native Rhode Islander, Russell J. Moore is a graduate of Providence College and St. Raphael Academy. He worked as a news reporter for 7 years (2004-2010), 5 of which with The Warwick Beacon, focusing on government. He continues to keep a close eye on the inner workings of Rhode Islands state and local governments.
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The 2014 Rhode Island Gubernatorial candidates have assembled their campaign teams -- and managers, all of whom bring extensive political operative experience to the table.
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