Abel Collins – Page 2

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

WJAR: Collins Can Debate Depending on Poll Results

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Depending on the results of a new Brown University poll expected next week, WJAR News Director says it’s likely congressional candidate Abel Collins will be invited to debate the other two candidates for the the second congressional district seat.

“I suspect he will pass our criteria and be invited to our debate,” said WJAR Channel 10 News Director Chris Lanni. He said the criteria includes garnering at least 10 percent support in polls.

Brown University has a poll coming out next week, and Lanni said he expects Collins will meet the mark. In a WPRI poll released earlier this week, Collins 9.2 percent of respondents said they plan to vote for Collins. The poll has a 6.2 percent margin of error. Lanni said margin of error will be factored in with regard to WJAR’s analysis of the Brown poll.

“We are very transparent about our rules for being included in debates,” Lanni said, noting that the criteria was shared with all the campaigns. WPRI, on the other hand, declined to comment on why Collins was not invited to their debate.

Below is WJAR’s criteria for being included in congressional debates:

The candidate must meet all legal and Constitutional requirements for the office he/she seeks.

The office of the Secretary of State must determine the candidate is qualified for placement on the next ballot.

The candidate must be a member of a political party recognized by the state of Rhode Island or an Independent candidate who shows evidence of a credible candidacy. Candidates who lose in the primary election cannot be included in a formal debate before the general election.

Evidence of a credible candidacy must include demonstrated fundraising ability, a structured campaign, and at least 10% support (including the full benefit of the margin of error) among all registered voters who are likely to vote, in the final poll published by Rhode Island College or Brown University, at least three weeks before the debate. NBC 10 will not consider any other polls, for inclusion in formal debates.

Formal debates are special programs produced by NBC 10, usually involving a moderator and structured format. Candidates are invited in writing and the format is provided to them before the debate. Specific questions will not be provided to candidates prior to the debate.

The candidate must agree to abide by all rules concerning the format and conduct of the debate.

NBC 10 and RIC may cancel a debate in their sole journalistic discretion.

All decisions concerning this debate, including but not limited to candidate qualifications, candidate invitations and the interpretation and application of these rules, are within the sole discretion of NBC 10 and RIC and shall be final.

Candidates who would not meet the criteria for formal debates may be included in informal candidate forums on programs such as “10 News Conference” and “Political Roundtable.”

Congressman Jim Langevin said he thinks Collins should participate in debates. Republican candidate Mike Riley declined to comment.

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

Langevin: Collins Should be Allowed in TV Debates

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In contrast to WPRI, Congressman Jim Langevin thinks his campaign competitor Abel Collins should be allowed to participate in the televised debates, he told me in an interview today.

“All three of us should be debating,” Langevin said. “The voters on election day are going to be confronted with three options. If they aren’t hearing from all three candidates in the debates, it deprives the voters.”

Mike Riley declined to comment on the matter. A campaign staffer said to me, “We don’t make statements to your blog.”

WPRI will hold a televised debate on Tuesday night between Langevin, the incumbent, and Republican candidate Mike Riley, who is largely financing his own campaign. Collins was not invited to participate. WPRI General Manager Jay Howell declined to comment on why Collins wasn’t invited.

Phillipe and Jorge reported last week that they believe WJAR may invite Collins after all. They wrote, “P&J have a feeling that situation may change.

Abel appeared on Channel 10’s News Conference last Sunday by himself, with both Langevin and Riley apparently standing up host Jim Taricani. Reports from those close to the event said that Our Jimmy was less than amused (read: furious), so after Collins’s solo performance, look for a quick JARhead ‘sorry your invitation got lost in the mail’ weaseling.”

Collins has started a petition drive asking WPRI to include him in the WPRI debate.

September 29, 2012September 29, 2012

Candidate Abel Collins Snubbed from TV Debates

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Independent congressional candidate Abel Collins may have little chance of beating incumbent Jim Langevin. But then again, Mike Riley, the Republican candidate doesn’t have much of a chance either. So that can’t be the reason two of the TV networks – WPRI and WJAR – have decided to snub Collins from their CD2 debates.

Maybe it’s because Riley has the endorsement of one of the two major parties and Collins doesn’t. But that logic can be countered with the reality that Collins, a social and economic progressive, is far more in political step with the average Rhode Islander than is Riley, who is a far-right wing radical more akin to Ron Paul than John Chafee, so maybe that’s not it either.

The reality is TV stations owe their allegiance to ratings rather than democracy, and at the end of the day they are going to do whatever they need to in order to get the most amount of people to watch.

To that end, maybe a petition spreading around the internet imploring WPRI to allow their audience to see how Collins’ ideas stand up to Langevin’s and Riley’s.

According to a Phillipe and Jorge column this week that brought a ton of attention to the two TV networks blacklisting of Collins, they think WJAR will eventually invite Collins to their debate.

All three candidates are invited to both the Rhode Island Public Radio/ABC 6 and the WPRO debates.

Of course, I think Collins should be invited to all the debates. In fact, I’d like to see him and Riley one-on-one. I think that would show which one of these two Langevin challengers is the fringe outsider.

September 24, 2012September 24, 2012

Green Party of RI Endorses Abel Collins in CD2

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The Green Party of Rhode Island has endorsed environmentalist and public transportation advocate Abel Collins in the contest to represent the 2nd congressional district of Rhode Island.

In a press release sent out by the Green Party this morning, Collins said his is “proud to be the peace candidate in the race, and proud to have the endorsement of the Green Party.”

He added, “Of course it’s possible to challenge the two-party system,” Collins declared. “What’s not possible is to sustain the unsustainable, to make more fossil fuels, or create a peaceful society when people are motivated by fear, and not by love.”

Here’s the rest of the release from the Green Party:

At a state committee meeting in Providence, the Green Party of Rhode Island has voted to formally endorse Abel Collins, independent candidate for Congress in Rhode Island’s 2nd District.

“Abel has common sense, common decency, and a plan to bring Rhode Island into the 21^st Century,” said party secretary Kathleen Rourke. “We’re proud to endorse his campaign. We urge all of our supporters in the 2^nd District to vote for Abel Collins.”

Green Party leaders said they were impressed by Collins’ commitments to reform the financial system, promote fair trade, and push legislation to fight climatechange, while bringing high-paying jobs to Rhode Island in emerging green technologies. His pledge to oppose further U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, and bring all U.S. troops home, also drew enthusiastic praise from the party’s peace activists.

“Abel is without doubt the best congressional candidate Rhode Island has seen in decades,” said party chair Tony Affigne. “He’s a genuine peace candidate, and he’s absolutely determined to get big money out of congressional politics. His election would be very good news for those who love peace, and those who long for true democracy, everywhere in America. He has our complete support.”

September 7, 2012September 10, 2012

Whither the Ron Paul Voter

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Did you hear about how Ron Paul was snubbed at the Republican National Convention? (snubbed video)

Ron Paul has said he won’t be running for President again, or Congress for that matter. Whatever his imperfections, I will miss the guy, and I’m not alone. The question is what will become of his many followers.

It’s safe to say that Libertarian Gary Johnson will be on the ballot in Rhode Island, and that he’ll pick up some of the votes that Paul would have gotten if he were on it. Other Paul voters will be divvied up between Romney, Obama, Jill Stein, or perhaps most likely not show up to vote. I fear in particular that many of his young supporters will simply opt out.

Ron Paul’s anti-Fed, pro-peace, and pro-legalization stances have garnered him a large and enthusiastic youth following, and it would be unfortunate to lose it from political engagement. It doesn’t help that the other champion of these causes, Dennis Kucinich, has himself been pushed out of Congress. The last real hope for leadership on these taboo policies is Bernie Sanders in the Senate, and he is no spring chicken himself. Who will keep the independent minded voters involved when all their heroes are gone?

Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the races in the country, but I can offer Paul voters some solace here in District 2. On November 6th, there will be a Congressional candidate who will work for Federal Reserve System accountability and reform, support the legalization of cannabis, work for peace, and call for an audit of the Pentagon. That candidate is me, and if you’re interested in learning more about my platform, I encourage you to visit my website and follow me on facebook and twitter.

August 23, 2012August 24, 2012

An Independent Take on Gemmapalooza

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First, I’ll admit that I didn’t watch the press conference yesterday. I have seen plenty of the media aftermath though. The impression I get is that candidate Gemma’s accusations of voter fraud are being swept under the rug, and the whole affair is being framed as a media stunt. Even if it was only designed as a way to garner attention for a flagging campaign, it was a success.

However, I think there might be a little more substance to the unsubstantiated allegations than we want to admit. I’ll take a few moments from my own campaign to pile a little more conjecture on top of the pile of Gemmapalooza. After all, it’s not altogether unrelated.

As much as it was about public relations, I believe that Gemma’s campaign was intending to hasten the speed of the state’s investigation of the voter fraud charges. Investigators are likely to put more emphasis on the case with the added pressure of both the media and Doherty’s campaign. Raising the issue now also lays the groundwork for a legal challenge to the primary results if they turn out to be close.

We should all be concerned about whether there is and has been tampering with Rhode Island’s elections. To me, the most probable and meaningful fraud would be the deceased voter scenario. There are many proven occurrences of the dead rising to cast votes (for Kennedy in Chicago famously), and to my knowledge there has never been a serious investigation to see if it’s happening in Rhode Island.

With a long entrenched and dominant Democratic machine in the State, Rhode Island would be fertile ground for such fraud. Former AG James O’Neil thinks so evidently, and I’m not sure he would risk tarnishing his reputation without good reason. If it is discovered that we have a lot of zombie voters, I don’t think that the crime will be pinned to Representative Cicilline. It is more likely to fall on the state Democratic Party.

All in all, I’d say that Gemma’s antics are going to once again hurt the Democrats’ chances of hanging onto the District 1 seat. The silver lining will hopefully be that we have a more honest election.

ps- As I read it, the horrendous Voter ID law we have would do little to stop the occurrence of the dead voting, as I expect they would mostly be mail-in ballots. The law does not specify that anything more than the mail-in ballot application needs to be submitted to the board of canvassers to vote. Am I reading the law wrong?

July 12, 2012

Progress Report: Making Sense of CNBC Report, Education Funding in Woonsocket, Hard Knock Life in Middletown

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Mohegan Bluffs Block Island — Mohegan Bluffs, Block Island (Photo by Bob Plain)

Get ready for the conservative barrage that because Rhode Island ranked as the least business-friendly state we should adjust policy to appease the good editors at CNBC. But before we do, take a look at what CNBC says are the top two states in which to business – Texas and Utah – and the bottom two – Rhode Island and Hawaii. Where would you rather move your business to?

By the way, every northeastern state finished in the bottom half of this list. Conversely, Rhode Island was the only northeastern state not to finish in the top 10 for education.

Speaking of public education, RIDE’s own Jason P. Becker has a great post today filling in for Ted Nesi titled: “Woonsocket, not the state, failed to fund city schools.” He writes that because the state has increased education aid to schools there and the city has decreased funding that it’s Woonsocket’s fault it doesn’t have enough money. If only government were so simple … for at least the past three years, Woonsocket has raised property taxes very close to as much as the state allowed, and during that same period Woonsocket lost out on some $12 million it expected in state aid. I would argue the question is not did the state do more than Woonsocket, the question is did either do enough.

The Projo’s story on a Middletown group home with more than 400 at-risk kids living there that was closed due to conditions the state felt were “not suitable for the children” reads like something out of Dickens, or Annie.

Maryellen Butke’s campaign for state senator has a new advocate: Donna Perry, who is both the executive director of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition and John DePetro’s sister. I bet she won’t be bragging about that endosement as she door knocks on the East Side.

Nice to see an op/ed by CD-2 congressional candidate Abel Collins on the Journal editorial page today. Some inspiring words: “The biggest obstacle to change is not money, it is cynicism. Did we really fight for nearly two centuries to get access to the ballot box for all just to decide now that voting doesn’t accomplish anything? How would Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, or Thomas Dorr judge the lack of political participation that has come to characterize the U.S.?”

Awesome headline of the day: “House Republicans Spend 89 Hours Trying To Take Away Health Coverage From 30 Million Americans”

CNBC might not like Rhode Island, but Gold Digest does!

June 5, 2012June 5, 2012

Activist Abel Collins Challenges Langevin

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Abel Collins feels he hasn’t heard enough about financial reform from either U.S. Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I. 2^nd District) or his prospective Republican challengers in November’s election.

The program manager for the Sierra Club’s Rhode Island chapter is unhappy enough about the situation to jump into the race himself as an independent candidate. The 2000 Brown University graduate and lifelong South Kingstown resident will officially announce his candidacy Wednesday at 3 p.m. on the south steps of the Statehouse. (In case of rain, another location will be announced. The campaign’s website is electabel2012.com.)

“It’s not about challenging Langevin,” Collins says. “It’s about challenging the two-party structure.”

Collins hopes to bring the issues of Wall Street malfeasance and campaign finance reform to the fore, which hasn’t happened yet in either of Rhode Island’s congressional campaigns.

“Both parties’ hands-off approach caused it, and the legislation they’ve enacted has done nothing,” he says. “There have been no prosecutions, and the total lack of responsiveness made me want to get involved.”

While admitting “I never stayed overnight,” Collins assisted with last year’s Occupy Providence action.

“I was one of the moderate voices,” he says.

Collins seeks greater enforcement of existing financial legislation and RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) prosecutions for insider trading, in addition to the restoration of the Glass-Steagall Act limiting interstate banking and the promotion of community and state banks. His platform also includes promoting public financing of campaigns, green initiatives and fair trade policies.

A graduate of South Kingstown High School before majoring in political science at Brown, Collins lives in the Matunuck area with his family and credits growing up around a beach with farmland nearby for his lifelong interest in environmental issues. With the Sierra Club, he has lobbied for public transportation improvements and the encouragement of walking and bicycling in local communities.

“I tried a lot of different jobs after college,” says Collins, who worked as a letter carrier, in construction and as a poker dealer before turning to environmental activism six years ago. “With the position at the Sierra Club, I really found my home.”

He has also served as a field manager for Clean Water Action, and membership and outreach coordinator at Apeiron Institute.

Collins says his campaign’s biggest goal is to bring a voice from outside the two major parties into the political debate.

“I want to demonstrate that it’s possible to campaign as an independent using the community tools available now,” he says.

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