Side of the Rhode: Who’s hot and who’s not in RI politics?

Friday, December 10, 2010

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Who’s Hot

Lincoln Chafee & Angel Taveras -> It will be nice to have a Governor who actually cares about the capital city.

J.R. Pagliarini & Melissa Withers -> Question for state Republicans: How’d you let the latest Taveras-appointees get away? Pagliarini was Governor Carcieri’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Withers was a member of the Young Republicans at the same time as Allan Fung and Gio Cicione.

Steven Costantino -> No one in the state has bounced back quicker than the outgoing House Finance Chairman. After faltering down the stretch in the Providence Democratic mayoral primary, Costantino’s services were highly coveted by his former opponent Angel Taveras and Governor-elect Chafee.

Maryellen Butke -> You already know who Deborah Gist is. Butke, the founding Director of the Rhode Island Campaign for Achievement Now (which launches next Tuesday), is also about to become a household name.

Justin Katz -> The Anchor Rising founder has quietly launched a campaign to become a full-time right wing local blogger. It’s good for the opposition to have a sane voice (as opposed to talk radio) and god knows no one else is stepping up for the Republicans.

DREAM Act -> Nice to see this bill finally pass in the House. Still, it’s a shame to see the futures of hundreds of thousands of hard-working, innocent immigrants used as a political bargaining chip.

Who’s Not

President Obama -> The President just passed the Frank Caprio-led course on how to abandon your base with flying colors.

Patrick Kennedy -> Of all people, the retiring Congressman should have been the most vocal opponent to the President’s tax compromise. The man had absolutely nothing to lose, except for maybe an Obama appearance at his farewell party. Instead he packed it in, screwing the majority of his constituents in the process.

Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau -> You want to know why receiver Mark Pfeiffer never returns your phone calls, Mayor Moreau? Because he’s busy trying to clean up the disaster you created.

Peter Kilmartin -> For what is supposed to be the most liberal state, Rhode Island seems to have an awful lot of Democrats with zero liberal values.

NEARI -> Because there was no Hot or Not last week. My problem isn’t so much with John Leidecker’s immature prank; it’s with the arrogant way the NEA handled it. Fire the guy. Or at least reprimand him. Essentially laughing it off certainly won’t help the organization’s public approval ratings.

Arlene Violet -> Taking a break from her weekly anti-Chafee rant, Ms. Violet used her Valley Breeze space to call the DREAM Act a sham because, get this, she is concerned that immigrant students will lie in their college essays about wanting to get a degree and go back to their native country. The native country that, you know, they probably can't even remember. She’s seen it happen, she swears. Talk about your all time ridiculous arguments.

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Comments:

Dan McGowan

2:15am on Friday, December 10, 2010

Got a tip? Feel free to E-Mail me at DanMcGowan21@gmail.com

chris bergsten

8:07am on Friday, December 10, 2010

changing of the guard?
where's Matty J?
gone but not forgotten

Tom Martin

11:48am on Friday, December 10, 2010

This is great - less biased than the other guy. Love that you talk about both progressives and conservatives.

Good job.

Mark Hodgkin

12:03pm on Friday, December 10, 2010

Right, a Governor who cares so much about Providence he uses a homestead exemption to get out of paying taxes to the city.

Russell Conway

6:05pm on Monday, December 13, 2010

"Justin Katz -> The Anchor Rising founder has quietly launched a campaign to become a full-time right wing local blogger. It’s good for the opposition to have a sane voice..."

Justin Sane? Sorry, couldn't resist.