Former Governor Don Carcieri being interviewed by WPRI’s Tim White in an exclusive interview. (Screen shot courtesy of WPRI)
Give Don Carcieri, the unequivocal architect of the 38 Studios deal, credit for at least two things.
One is that the former governor finally came forward and faced the public. He should have done so four months ago, but we panned him when he didn’t so we’ll recognize that he did. The other is that he did so with Tim White, the go-to guy when a politician needs to publicly apologize.
But that’s as much credit as he should get, if not more.
He hardly took ownership of the fiasco for which he is largely responsible. He parsed himself as being one of 12 members of the EDC board who decided to back Curt Schilling’s video game company with taxpayer dollars. In reality, it was his idea to court Curt here with a giant loan guarantee. He didn’t just vote for it, he dreamed up the idea.
But that wasn’t even Carcieri’s slimiest statement of the night. That moment would be when he suggested the state default on the loan rather than repay it. After all, he argued, it’s only a moral obligation bond.
“All I’m saying is this is not an absolute slam dunk obligation for the state,” Carcieri told WPRI.
Bonds or otherwise, moral obligations matter when doing the people’s business. And Carcieri’s ambivalence to this may well be one of the reasons he failed so mightily as a public official and made such a bad gamble with regards to 38 Studios.
Besides, the people just wanted an apology … I didn’t hear anyone ask Don Carcieri for any advice on how to get ourselves out of the mess he created for the state.
“Bonds or otherwise, moral obligations matter when doing the people’s business.”
Unless the moral obligation is someone’s pension.
Wait, so now progressives are SUPPORT protecting bondholders over all others?
awesome article
Give Carcieri credit for a lame apology, garnished with advice about continuing to throw money in a proven open cesspool??
Credit him for being “smart” enough to go with some sellout commentator that everyone works with for finessed, lame excuses??
Is everything a f$*$ing game?
Truly, this ethos and the colonial mindset behind this la-la piece is stunning only for its bubblegum adolescent depravity.
Business as usual commenting ever so lightheartedly on business as usual.
How will we ever attract legitimate non-bribeable businesses to a beautiful state run by giddy insiders?
Of course they are leery of Rogue’s Island. What legit entity wouldn’t be?