Downtown Providence from the Providence River. (Photo by Bob Plain)
It’s well established that things are looking pretty good for David Cicilline, and now Cicilline is predicting good things for Democrats prospects of retaking control of the House of Representatives. The incumbent congressman told RIPR’s Ian Donnis, “The reality is we need 24 seats to take control away from the Republican Tea Party caucus that is now leading the House . I think it’s absolutely possible for Democrats to take back the House.”
Cicilline might be right. Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comments have completely rejiggered congressional contests all over the country, and strategists think it could cost the GOP the Senate.
Speaking of the 47 percent, here’s how the 53 percent benefit from government subsidies.
Dan Yorke had a great and informative conversation with Dem spokesman Bill Fischer yesterday afternoon about polls … if you want to know more about the difference between polls and push polls, listen to the segment. There’s been a lot of misinformation going around about the difference.
This should be a huge concern for Rhode Island: “More than a fifth of children in Rhode Island are living in poverty, and over 10 percent are in extreme poverty.”
New York Times columnist Joe Nocera had a great piece on the Chicago teachers’ strike and the so-called education reform movement. He writes, “teachers are fighting for the things industrial unions have always fought for: seniority, favorable work rules and fierce resistance to performance measures. City Hall is fighting to institute reforms no top-performing country has ever seen fit to use, and which probably won’t make much difference if they are instituted.”
Aaron Regunberg also wrote about the Chicago teachers’ strike for GoLocal.
Bob Kerr on the father-daughter dance controversy in Cranston: “This is nonsense. There is legal cover for it, but it is nonsense. It sounds like a spoof on political correctness, but it is far too real.”
Rest in peace, Mary Carpenter … Rhode Island owes the entire Carpenter family a debt of gratitude for helping to make Matunuck the community it is today.
Today in 1938, a hurricane hits Rhode Island.
The education discussion will be most fruitful when people like Nocera stop participating in it. The line you quote is the exact reason why. See, he buys the other sides characterization of the teachers, then gives us ” but on the other hand” so in essence, he gives us both versions of the so-called reformers view of teacher unions.
If you want a better “mainstream” view of the issues in the strike I suggest Eugene Robinson from the Washington Post
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-standing-up-for-teachers/2012/09/17/ad3ee650-00fd-11e2-b257-e1c2b3548a4a_story.html