Anti-Trump Rally at RI State House Calls on Elected Officials for Protection

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

 

View Larger +

An rally organized by the Rhode Island Working Families Party, as part of the "Resist Hate RI" movement, called on elected officials to "protect residents and families from President-elect Donald Trump's policy agenda" on Monday. 

Nearly three hundred people turned out at the State House Bell Room where they were urged to sign letters to Governor Gina Raimondo, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, and Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed, asking the politicians to "stand up for immigrants in our communities, protect social programs, defend reproductive rights, and fight for working families," including a $15 minimum wage.

"The worst aspects of bigotry and white supremacy have risen to power nationally. Today more than ever, we need you to use state policy to protect us all from the aspects of President Trump's policy agenda that aim to make us less tolerant, less equal, and less safe," stated the letter. 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Hundreds Rally

"We have a lot of power in our state to do things to protect our communities, families, and values of tolerance and and equality," said Rhode Island Working Families state director Georgia Hollister Isman at the outset of the rally. 

According to the group,  Representatives Shelby Maldonado, Jean Phillippe Barros, Kathy Fogarty, Teresa Tanzi, Chris Blazejewski,  Aaron Regunberg and Representatives-elect Moira Walsh, Susan Donovan, Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, and Senator-elect Jeanine Calkin were all present on Monday. 

View Larger +

“We’re here because our state government needs to step up,” said Regunberg. “That means doing more than taking a wait-and-see approach to Donald Trump’s KKK-endorsed agenda. It’s our job to make sure that this agenda does not become normal here in Rhode Island, and we commit to doing everything we possible can to starting right now to protect Rhode Island values and Rhode Island families.”

 

SLIDES: Winners and Losers from the 2016 Election

 

Related Slideshow: Winners and Losers - 2016 Election

View Larger +
Prev Next

Winner

Joe Trillo and John DePetro

While most Republicans in Rhode Island were hiding in the bushes, Trillo (the former GOP lawmaker) and DePetro (the WPRO talk show host) were loyal advocates for Donald Trump from the beginning and through the rough spots.

Both could be big winners and could score slots with the administration -- want to go to the White House? You now know the rings you need to kiss.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Winner

Donald Trump, President of the United States

The most unlikely candidate pulled off the biggest victory in Presidential history. The billionaire developer was underestimated which set forth much of his success during the primaries and in the election. The next four years will never be dull.   

View Larger +
Prev Next

Winner

General Michael Flynn

The Rhode Island native and URI grad will have a major roll in the Trump Administration and America's foreign policy. As top GOP consultant Ian Prior wrote in GoLocal in July about Flynn when he was on the VP shortlist:

Of course, there are any number of national security experts that can prosecute the case against Hillary Clinton, but Flynn is unique. He is a registered Democrat that was appointed by President Obama in 2012 to serve as Director of the DIA. Even more importantly, he resigned two years later over what he believed to be a misguided approach by the administration as it concerned ISIS.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Loser

Nellie Gorbea, Secretary of State

This year's election was one of the the most mismanaged in modern Rhode Island history. First, the Chief-of Staff of the Secretary of State's office gets into a battle with talk show host John DePetro on social media. The action seemed inappropriate at best for the head of the office administering the election.

Then, the state's Presidential election hit a number of rough spots with faulty equipment and a failed repair and triage system that lead to long lines and frustration in a number of communities across the state.

The job of Secretary of State has three major components:

1) Take care of the State's achieves

2) Maintain a database of businesses

3) Run the state's elections

She needs to assure voters that she understands the problems and correct the mistakes.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Loser

Brandon Bell, GOP Chair

Both Democratic Congressional candidates won big. The GOP had a net loss in the legislature.

Bell went all in on taking out Speaker Nick Mattiello -- a pro-business legislator, instead of recruiting a large number of competitive candidates. If Mattiello delivers of paper ballots like his campaign claims - Bell will have wildly miscalculated at every level and will have left the GOP a weaker party.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Losers

Cicilline and Langevin

A Trump win greatly increases the likelihood that Rhode Island will lose a Congressional seat in the next federal redistricting. Rhode Island will be more like Vermont and Delaware -- two Senators and just one House member. This will mean a big loss for Rhode Island's clout in D.C.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Winner

Allan Fung, Republican Mayor of Cranston

Fung had just the kind of night he wanted to have. He ran up big numbers against Democrat Mike Sepe and put parkinggate in his proverbial rear window.

The margin of victory is impressive -- Fung ran up 68% of the vote and has established himself as one of the top Republicans in Rhode Island.

Now, the personable Fung is the GOP frontrunner to challenge Raimondo as it does not look like she is going to Washington, D.C. now.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Loser

RI's Broken Technology Infrastructure 

No money, no car, and no vote.

Lets see if we got this right. You have to wait in line to vote in some locations for as much as two hours because not enough scanners were deployed. Some days you can't register your car because the Hewlett-Packard system is not deployed and the state is now suing the company. And, tens of thousands of folks most in need have not been able to get their most critical benefits (or the from benefits) because the UHIP technology was flawed despite hundreds of millions being spent. 

View Larger +
Prev Next

Winner

Speaker of the House, Nick Mattiello

If Mattiello does hold on to his House seat, he will be a stronger Speaker than ever before. He has added more Democrats to his majority and was the architect to many of the Democrats victories. 

The simmering stress between Mattiello and Raimondo will turn into a vibrant boil over during the next two years. Raimondo was no help to Mattiello or House members -- they had to clean up for her truck tolls and absorb her unwillingness to release 38 Studios documents.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Loser

Gina Raimondo, Governor

Raimondo's options and national political network just took a major blow. No longer can Raimondo jump to the Clinton Administration to avoid a difficult reelection. Moreover, national Democratic connections are now in Siberia as the Presidency, the House and the Senate are all in Republican hands.

View Larger +
Prev Next

Loser

Peter F. Neronha United States Attorney District of Rhode Island 

In a short period, it is highly likely the Neronha and a few other high profile political appointees will be replaced by the Trump White House. 

The impact of Ray Gallison and others is an unknown.

 
 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook