Fundraising vs. Good Govt: Which Matters More?

Note the irony that while one prospective 2014 Democratic candidate for governor was making headlines for raising an almost unfair amount of money from corporate interests from outside of Rhode Island, the other prospective candidate was busy not making headlines for being honored by good government group Common Cause RI with its 2012 Excellence in Public Service Award.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras was honored with the award for “for his work on redistricting, voting rights, and ethics as a community activist, and now as Mayor,” said a Common Cause release about their annual meeting. “The award is given to those who demonstrate integrity, courage and leadership in pursuit of open and accountable government.”

Adding to the irony is that Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig was also at the Common Cause event to talk on the dangers of such unfettered money in our electoral process. If you’re a fan of good government or even just politics, you’ll really appreciate his presentation, which you can watch here: