Brendan Doherty – Page 2

October 9, 2012October 9, 2012

Progress Report: Even More Riley Lies; KKK History in Smithfield; Mortgage Gordian Knot; Roger Williams

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downtown from providence river — Downtown Providence from the Providence River. (Photo by Bob Plain)

First Mike Riley was telling lies about Congressman Jim Langevin in TV commercials. Now, we’re pretty certain he’s telling lies about RI Future to other reporters. Or, it’s just another example of why Mike “McCarthyism” Riley is totally unfit to represent Rhode Island in Congress (we’ll offer more evidence of as much a little later this morning).

Read Dee DeQuattro’s post about Riley this morning and decide which you think it is.

Riley and Langevin debate, without candidate Abel Collins, on WPRI tonight at 7. The market’s leading TV news station blundered big time in not including Collins in the debate, and exacerbated the mistake by not being forthcoming with their reasoning for doing so. Journalism should err on the side of inclusion and explanation and WPRI did neither with their responsibility to host this particular congressional debate. Such decisions deserve scrutiny and ace reporters Tim White, Ted Nesi and others who work there would be demanding nothing less if the subject wasn’t their employer.

For a man who says he possesses uncommon integrity, the ProJo Politifact team sure does catch Brendan Doherty telling a lot of lies. Today, they refute his accusation that Congressman Cicilline, when mayor of Providence, “espoused a sanctuary city.” Doherty has been poltifacted six times and half of those times he wasn’t telling the truth. He was given a half-true and a mostly true and only once was he said to be telling the full truth. This from a candidate whose campaign is based around his opponent being distrustful.

Admit it, you wish you were too high-brow to pay attention to them but Dan McGowan makes great lists. Today’s list shows which RI communities have the highest rates of unemployment and it looks a lot like lists of the communities with the worst budget situations as well as public school high-stakes testing results. What does that indicate? (Hint: it isn’t the unions fault)

Thanks to Ed Fitzpatrick for joining RI Future in calling for the town of Smithfield to change the name of a local road named after a KKK leader … it seemed like a no-brainder to us, too, and we kept waiting for the rest of the state to join the call. But evidently Rhode Islanders were too busy rallying against civil liberties and looking for frightened voters in attics to care…

The mortgage crisis in Rhode Island, in case you didn’t know, is a Gordian knot – meaning untangling the mess may prove impossible without a special solution. That solution looks like it could be loan modifications.

Is True the Vote committing a criminal conspiracy by suppressing voters rights?

Disappointed with our choices for State House seats? Just be glad you don’t live in Arkansas, where candidates garner headlines like this one: Legislative Candidate Endorses Death Penalty For Rebellious Children In Book

October 9 is a pretty significant day in the history of progressive and/or radical politics:

In 1635, Rhode Island founder Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In 1940, John Lennon was born.

In 1967, Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia while trying to foment revolution there.

And in 1969, the National Guard breaks up protests related to the Chicago Eight trial. They were accused of inciting violence at the 1968 DNC Convention.

October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

Doherty Doesn’t Want to Protect Transgender People

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Amidst the diversionary tactics Republican congressional candidate Brendan Doherty attempted to perpetuate Wednesday, the root cause of his opposition to expanding and strengthening the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for some of society’s most vulnerable populations – Native Americans, immigrants and members of the LGBT community – has become apparent.

In response to a media inquiry from Ian Donnis, a political reporter for WRNI, regarding concerns related to VAWA, the Doherty camp told Donnis:

“To the extent that federal funds are directed to investigate and prosecute violence against male transgender individuals, it should not be part of VAWA.”

“Every victim of domestic violence deserves equal access to services, regardless of ethnicity, gender, identity or sexual orientation. A victim is a victim; and all individuals should be treated equally,” said RI Democratic Party spokesperson Bill Fischer. “Expanding and strengthening VAWA would extend protections to domestic violence victims who are most vulnerable.”

The Senate passed bipartisan legislation to expand and reauthorize VAWA, which had 68 votes, including the support of every Republican woman Senator. It also had widespread support among anti-domestic violence groups. GOP House leadership has blocked the Senate bill from becoming law.

“Today we understand what Doherty meant when he told the Providence Journal in September that he was against reauthorizing and expanding the Violence Against Women Act because of the legislation’s ‘protections for people in other walks of life,’” said Fischer. “Unfortunately, Mr. Doherty has decided to support his Republican colleagues on this important issue and embrace the right-wing cultural values of exclusion.”

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

Dems Say Doherty Fell Short on Pro-Women Bill

In light of congressional candidate Brendan Doherty’s Women for Doherty rally tonight, the Rhode Island Democratic Party today questioned Doherty for not supporting legislation that would expand and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Specifically, the party questions Doherty’s unwillingness to expand and strengthen protections to Native American women, members of the LGBT community and immigrants.

On April 26, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S.1925) by a vote of 68-31 that extended protections to Native Americans, undocumented immigrants and members of the LGBT community. Even though thirteen female senators, Republican and Democrat, called upon House Speaker John Boehner to pass the Senate’s legislation, the House GOP passed its own reauthorization that excluded these expanded protections. The VAWA expired without Congress reaching consensus and the Republican-led House left town without passing a strengthened, bipartisan VAWA reauthorization.

In comments published in a Sept. 16 column in the Providence Journal, Doherty would only voice his support for the Violence Against Women Act in its current version, but was unwilling to support legislation to also expand and strengthen protections for Native Americans, immigrants and members of the LGBT community. “If members of Congress want to add protections for people in other walks of life, that’s fine, but submit another bill,” Doherty told the Journal.

“Brendan Doherty talks about being bipartisan and the need to compromise, but with his comments dismissing people ‘in other walks of life,’ he is siding with the Republican right, even though every Republican female senator, among several Republican senators, voted for a bipartisan compromise on this issue,” said Rhode Island Democratic Chairman Ed Pacheco. “We want to send a message to Mr. Doherty that actions speak louder than words.

“As the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence launches their ‘No More’ campaign and given that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, now is a great time for Mr. Doherty to clearly explain his reservations about protecting some women, but not all women, from domestic violence,” Pacheco said. “The Democratic Party believes that protection should be extended to all women, and Senate Democrats, along with many Republicans, voted for that this spring. Most Americans understand that domestic violence is domestic violence – period – and it’s not a less important issue for any individual.

“Voters have every reason to be concerned about Mr. Doherty’s position on this important issue,” Pacheco concluded. “Unfortunately, Mr. Doherty has chosen to stand with the House Republican leadership above the needs of victims of domestic violence.”

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

Planned Parethood Protest Women for Doherty Event

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Expect a lot of women at the Westin tomorrow night. Planned Parenthood is putting together a Women Are Watching event outside the downtown hotel to “counter” a Women for Doherty event that will be going on inside.

“Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island wants Rhode Island voters to know whether their legislators have supported women’s health issues, so that they have this critical information when they vote in November,” said Judy Tabar President of PPV!RI in a press release.

The Doherty event was promoted on Craigslist. Both begin at 6:30.

According to the release from Planned Parenthood:

At the rally, Rhode Island women and men will seek Mr. Doherty’s acknowledgement of Congress’ radical movement to restrict women’s health care and to commit to supporting women’s health care and defend Planned Parenthood’s services.

The Women Are Watching campaign aims to educate Rhode Island voters on the positions of 2012 candidates regarding women’s health care issues and to empower women to hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable, and elect pro-women’s health candidates. Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island welcomes new volunteers, activists and members.

The current Republican-led Congress has voted 33 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act which includes many preventative health care benefits for women including equalizing healthcare costs. Republicans have tried to end Title X funding which provides underprivileged women access to cancer screenings, birth control and other reproductive health services. Mr. Doherty supports Mitt Romney who has promised to end co-pay free contraceptives and to defund Planned Parenthood.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund Federal PAC has endorsed David Cicilline for this Congressional seat, based upon his 100% voting record on issues of women’s health care.

October 3, 2012October 2, 2012

Polls Show Why Few Counted David Cicilline Out

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David Cicilline got some good news when WPRI’s independent poll confirmed what Democratic pollsters had been saying: that he was beating challenger Brendan Doherty in opinion polling.

But the added bonus is that he got to shut up doubting ninnies like me by proving us wrong. Earlier this year, when the polling was especially bleak, I attributed him staying in the race to stubborn pride and a Democratic Party incapable of removing problematic incumbents. While there is a certain amount of ego associated with being a politician, “pride” might’ve been too strong a word. “Confidence in his own abilities,” seems more appropriate (a confidence that outstripped that of many cynics like myself). And the RI Democratic Party’s problems are endemic to political parties that have had many of their functions taken over by government (often for good reason).

It’s too soon for jubilation in the Democratic camp, but for Mr. Cicilline and his supporters (and progressives), the increasingly likely chance that a Republican won’t represent RI’s First Congressional District is a heartening sign that cooler heads have prevailed.

I’ve long said that simply being “against David Cicilline” is not enough to carry the election. Anthony Gemma proved that it was certainly not enough to win a Democratic primary. And Mr. Doherty may soon find that it’s not enough to carry a general election. This is a problem for Mr. Doherty, because when you take away the “I’m not David Cicilline” argument, what does he really have? He’ll be a Republican but not a total Republican. He’ll vote to repeal Obamacare, but only when the Republicans have something to replace it with (don’t hold your breath). The days of “maverick” Republicans are gone: Sarah Palin saw to that. See, no one trusts maverick Republicans. Republicans don’t like them because they don’t always follow party dogma. Democrats dislike them because they follow GOP dogma too often. I seem to remember a Bible passage about how a slave can’t serve two masters.

Another factor which is worth noting is that Mr. Cicilline is a damn fine campaigner. Having worked on a campaign that got our asses handed to us by his operation, I had confidence that his campaign would not slip up; a meeting with his campaign manager Eric Hyers confirmed that the campaign was likewise highly confident in their candidate. But even a good campaigner can run into problems, especially with an albatross like Providence hanging around his neck.

Providence-City-Hall — Providence City Hall

Except, it has not yet really turned out to be an albatross. Certainly the “excellent fiscal condition” misstatement was hammering him hard for a while. But Mr. Cicilline did his act of contrition. Mayor Angel Taveras has pulled the city away from bankruptcy while at the same time publicly supporting our embattled congressman. And then: messenger matters.

Neither Anthony Gemma nor Brendan Doherty could have been/can be convincing bearers of the Providence attack. For one, neither of them live in Providence. Neither were they Cassandras during Mr. Cicilline’s tenure in Providence. The most convincing type of person who could’ve utilized that attack would have to be an opponent from perhaps the Providence city council, who spent the last two years in a higher state office (with part of that being a run for Congress). There is not a politician who fits that description. There’s no one who fits that description.

Furthermore, the Providence argument is problematic. If you’re talking about dishonest politicians alright, but I still think it sounds a bit more cheerleader-y than dishonest. But if the implication is that the way Mr. Cicilline treated Providence’s finances is indicative of the way he’d treat the country’s finances (though a city is not really comparable to a nation for how their economies work), then you get into the deficit and how you bring that down. And everyone in Rhode Island knows the Republican solution: cut everything that doesn’t blow people/things up. I can see why Mr. Doherty is not taking that tact.

The race is by no means over as we head into the final months. I can always be wrong twice (my ardent critics will say “most of the time”). But if you were pessimistic about the chance that a progressive Democrat would retain their hold on the First Congressional District, you can smile now. A bit.

October 2, 2012October 2, 2012

Progressive Politicians, Proposals Popular in Poll

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A month before the election a new WPRI poll shows Rhode Islanders comfortably support both progressive politicians as well as progressive policy proposals.

The big news from the new poll for both politicos and progressives is that Congressman David Cicilline leapfrogged Brendan Doherty since the last WPRI poll and the liberal incumbent now leads the conservative challenger by six percentage points.

“The new survey of 250 likely voters in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District shows Democrat Cicilline at 44%, Republican Doherty at 38% and independent David Vogel at 6%, with 10% of voters undecided. That’s a 21-point swing since the February WPRI 12 poll, when Doherty led Cicilline 49% to 34%,” wrote Ted Nesi about Cicilline’s surge.

Pollster Joe Fleming said he was “surprised” at the size of the turnaround but I’m not. Rhode Islanders lean left and one of the candidates is and one isn’t liberal. While Doherty will continue to go negative against Cicilline, at the end of the day the incumbent isn’t nearly as toxic as is the Republican brand in the first congressional district.

Similarly, popular progressive Senator Sheldon Whitehouse holds a “commanding” lead over his “little-known” challenger Barry Hinckley. “Whitehouse leads among every subgroup of voters except Republicans,” writes Nesi. “The Democrat has a 26-point lead among women, a 26-point lead among voters ages 60 and older, and a nine-point lead among independents.”

Like the most progressive members of the congressional delegation, progressive policy proposals also fared well in the poll – most notably marriage equality.

“Same-sex marriage enjoys significant support in Rhode Island, with 56% of voters in favor of legalizing it, 36% opposed to doing so and 14% unsure,” according to WPRI. “Support is strongest among Democrats (72% in favor) and voters ages 18 to 39 (64% in favor), while opposition is highest among Republicans (59% opposed) and voters 60 and older (43% opposed).”

The overwhelming support for marriage equality could turn some State House politicians who were on the fence because they may have thought their constituents didn’t support equality.

“Every day more Rhode Islanders are raising a voice in support of marriage equality and this poll should serve as a wake up call to those politicians who continue to oppose equal rights. We look forward to working with legislators from both sides of the aisle when the General Assembly returns in January to finally make Rhode Island a state that honors the commitments and values the worth of all families,” said Ray Sullivan of Marriage Equality Rhode Island in a statement.

One poll question shows Rhode Islanders overwhelmingly supporting protecting Medicare over paying down the national debt by a 64 percent to 32 percent margin. Another shows that while the economy and jobs is the most important issue to Rhode Islanders, with 54 percent of respondents saying so, more than twice as many (18 percent) said healthcare was the most important issue than said taxes (8 percent).

WPRI does a great job putting all their poll results into an interactive graphic that is really fun to play around with.

Later today, the TV station will release the results of poll questions pertaining to Gov. Linc Chafee, Treasurer Gina Raimondo, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and President Obama.

September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

TV Ad Ties Doherty to Romney, Republicans

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Driving home the point that Brendan Doherty would side with conservative Republicans instead of Rhode Islanders if elected to office, Congressman David Cicilline has a new TV ad out today that illustrates this.

In a press release, Cicilline campaign manager Eric Hyers added, “At the end of the day, Brendan Doherty wants Republicans in control of Congress and Mitt Romney setting the agenda in the White House. In fact, he thinks Romney would “be fantastic for Rhode Island. Rhode Islanders will have a clear choice this November between re-electing President Obama and Congressman Cicilline so we can get our state back on the right track, or voting for Mitt Romney, Brendan Doherty, and the Washington Republicans who got us into this mess to begin with.”

The release goes on:

In January 2012, Doherty formally endorsed Romney for President in January 2012, describing him as a “proven leader.” In the same month, Doherty traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for Romney and was later introduced to the Republican presidential nominee by former Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri.

The ad also outlines areas where Romney and Doherty agree on policy – including their support for repealing President Obama’s historic health care reform law, as well as their mutual opposition to reproductive freedoms for women and the Buffett Rule that would require millionaires to pay at least the same tax rate as the middle class.

September 24, 2012September 24, 2012

Dems Disagree Doherty Can Protect SS, Medicare

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Democrats disagree that Brendan Doherty, the Republican running against Congressman David Cicilline for the CD1 seat, can offer what the conservative former state trooper calls an “iron clad pledge to protect Medicare and Social Security benefits.”

While Doherty is holing a press conference today at 10 a.m. to tout as much, the RI Democratic Party called his “pledge to preserve Social Security and Medicare an empty one, given that leaders in his party have been attempting to undermine these programs for years.”

Bill Fischer, spokesman for the Democratic Party, said in a statement released this morning:

Mr. Doherty is a Romney Republican who has clearly stated he would repeal the Affordable Care Act; raise the eligibility age on Social Security; and will vote for Republican control in Congress. This is an agenda that is bad for Rhode Island’s seniors. The hard truth is that Mr. Doherty is making a pledge to seniors today that he can’t deliver because his party has other plans in mind. The harm the GOP has attempted to inflict on the senior safety net is intensive and Mr. Doherty jumped on the bandwagon when he joined his colleagues in their goal to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

If Doherty were serious about protecting seniors, he wouldn’t be calling for the repeal of our historic healthcare reform. Maybe he doesn’t understand the enormous benefits Rhode Island seniors have already received since its passage. Thanks to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, 128,390 people on Medicare in Rhode Island have access to preventative health care services, such as colonoscopies and mammograms. In Rhode Island’s First Congressional District alone, 7,300 seniors have saved over $4 million on prescription drugs because the Affordable Care Act closed the donut hole.

The truth is, Medicare and Social Security are under attack by a Republican-controlled House and Doherty would vote to maintain Republican control, allowing these same folks to continue their assault on programs seniors depend on. Democrats recognize Medicare as a fundamental right for seniors, who have earned it, while Republicans view Medicare as a negotiable budget item that can be cut as they see fit. Voters will see past Doherty’s empty rhetoric and realize the difference between the two views.

September 23, 2012September 23, 2012

Doherty Must Be Kidding

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doherty_points14 — Brendan Doherty pointing – again

Brendan Doherty recently put out a tv spot titled “Gotta Be Kidding Me.” In the ad, Doherty claims that politicians in both parties find it tough to cut wasteful government spending, which he eloquently follows up with “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Those guys don’t know what tough is.” Doherty then talks about fighting crime and says, “After fighting real criminals, these guys in Washington don’t scare me one bit.”

Which “guys” (no gals?) is Doherty referring to? Has it slipped his mind that Republicans control the House? One would hope that he’s not too scared of his fellow Republicans.

But, I agree with Brendan Doherty that we should indeed be scared of the Republicans who have been running the House. Those “guys” want to repeal Obamacare, continue the war against women, end Medicare as we know it, and want to keep giving tax breaks to the rich. That’s exactly why we shouldn’t send Brendan Doherty, another Republican, to Washington.

Brendan Doherty, you’ve gotta be kidding us. You are one of “those guys” that you’re trying to warn us about. You’re in lockstep with the Republican agenda that aims to set our country back.

And by the way, Brendan, according to your own campaign website, government spending is down by $1,000,000,000 since last week and is still going down.

September 21, 2012September 21, 2012

Doherty Distances Himself from 47 Percent Remark

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Brendan Doherty has distanced himself from Mitt Romney’s politically devastating comments about the 47 percent, according to the Providence Journal.

“I don’t agree with Mitt Romney’s characterization,” Doherty said in a statement to the ProJo.

Exactly what part of Romney’s diatribe against income tax-less moochers with no personal responsibility Doherty disagrees with wasn’t clear. He didn’t actually talk to the reporter, John Mulligan, rather Doherty just sent a press release about it, it seems.

But at least Mulligan got a release. I made several overtures to the Doherty campaign and they ignored them all. (And Dave Layman and I are friends!) It’s almost as if Doherty disdains progressives the way Romney does the 47 percent.

What is clear is what Doherty, who has endorsed Romney for president, has said about him in the past: “Mitt Romney is a proven leader who will stand by his convictions while seeking consensus to find real solutions to the daunting challenges facing our nation.”

It’s hard to make the case that Romney is a consensus builder after he got caught on video saying “my job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

It’s also going to be hard for Doherty to make the case that he doesn’t share Romney’s belief that poor people are lazy and lucky. Especially when he then campaigns with other right-wing Republicans like Devin Nunes, about whom Democratic Party spokesman Bill Fischer said, “Nunes has described Medicaid as a program ‘imposed on the poor’ and has stood with Paul Ryan in support of radically altering the safety net for our seniors.”

Similarly, Doherty wants to repeal Obamacare but extend George Bush’s tax cuts for the rich.

Doherty may say he doesn’t agree with Romney’s off-color comments about the 47 percent, but if elected you can bet he would vote as if he agrees with them.

September 20, 2012September 20, 2012

Cicilline Leads Doherty in Third Poll Since Primary

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A third poll since the primary shows Congressman David Cicillne with a comfortable lead over conservative newcomer Brendan Doherty, this one was commissioned by the Cicilline campaign and shows him enjoying a 51 to 41 edge over right wing Republican.

“Democrat David Cicilline has secured majority support over Republican challenger Brendan Doherty in the race for Rhode Island’s First Congressional seat,” said a memo from pollster Diane Feldman, of the Feldman Group, to the Cicilline campaign. “With only 8 percent undecided, the contest is not very mobile and Cicilline is the likely winner of it.”

Accounting for three-way race, “Cicilline leads Doherty 46 percent to 36 percent, with independent candidate David Vogel receiving 7 percent and 11 percent of voters undecided,” according to her memo.

The results closely mimic a recent poll conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which showed Cicilline with an 11-point lead over Doherty.

Feldman’s memo says, “Voters favor Democratic positions on many key issues facing the country, including health care reform. Seventy-two (72) percent of voters in the First Congressional District support the Democratic position favoring the Affordable Care Act, while 22 percent of voters favor the Republican position of repealing the Affordable Care Act completely, and starting the process of health care reform all over again.”

Doherty has said he is opposed to Obama’s landmark healthcare reform bill.

“The First Congressional District remains heavily Democratic,” Feldman wrote in her memo. “President Barack Obama dominates Republican challenger Mitt Romney and fully 50 percent of voters believe their families are better off if Democrats have a majority in the United States Congress, while only 16 percent of voters feel their families are be better off if Republicans have a majority.”

September 20, 2012September 20, 2012

Progress Report: Cicilline Surging Against Doherty; GOP for Father-Daughter Dances; Affordable Housing; 47 Percent

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David Cicilline is surging. After comfortably beating Anthony Gemma in the primary it now looks like he’s comfortably ahead of his conservative challenger Brendan Doherty in polls commissioned by the Democrats. While Republicans, Buddy Cianci and other Cicilline detractors might dismiss partisan polls, it still gives the incumbent an advantage and shows momentum.

We’ll have more on Cicilline’s surge later this morning…

State House Republicans say they will join in the controversy in Cranston about what to call elementary school dances in Cranston (your tax dollars at work?). But this isn’t a partisan issue, as evidenced by David Cicilline’s position on the issue.

Three cheers to Gina Raimondo for using her political capital to advocate for affordable housing funding. She’s pushing for voters to approve a $25 million bond to build and/or rehab 600 units. This is an important economic development opportunity for Rhode Island. Raimondo is a longtime board member of Crossroads Rhode Island and her commitment to homeless people is admirable.

That said, we find it distasteful that she claims pension cuts made it possible to go out to bond for affordable housing. Of course, rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy – a move she objects to – would have a similar effect on the state’s finances. And, it would do so without pitting the working class against itself. In other words, she is arguing that the state needed to take money from teachers and state workers in order to give it to the homeless. Her logic reminds me of railroad tycoon Jay Gould’s famous quote: “I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.”

Speaking of class warfare, the Providence Journal weighs in on Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment with a pretty muddled editorial. More to the point is what the New York Times editorial board said about it: “It turns out that Mitt Romney was right. There is class warfare being waged in the 2012 campaign. It is Mr. Romney who is waging it, not President Obama, and he’s stood the whole idea on its head.” Even the conservative-leaning Washington Post editorial board writes: “Mr. Romney suggests that Obama voters are such sheep that there is no point in reaching out to them — and that their support for Democrats is purely selfish. The possibility that principles might motivate their political behavior does not even occur to Mr. Romney. It’s a demeaning, as well as inaccurate, view of the people he hopes to lead.”

GOP strategists think Romney’s comments could give Democrats the inside track for control of the Senate. And Democrats think it could put them in position to take back the House. Unlike moderate Republican candidates from across the nation, RI GOP candidates have been completely silent on the controversy.

Update: Brendan Doherty has distanced himself from the comments, according to the ProJo.

Happy birthday, Upton Sinclair. The author of “The Jungle” was born today in 1878.

And today in 173, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in tennis.

September 19, 2012September 20, 2012

Politifact Reverses Ruling, But Doherty Still Deceived

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Earlier this week I posted about Brendan Doherty playing fast and loose with facts and pegged it to two Politifact pieces that gave him “mostly false” grades. Then Politifact did a little additional research and reversed its ruling.

We’re not reversing our assertion though. While we agree that Dan McGowan did a better job of vetting all the facts than did the ProJo’s initial piece, that has no bearing on our premise that Doherty isn’t being completely honest.

Whether or not the loan in question was repaid by the borrower, a third party, an act of god or god herself, the loan was repaid. Not in full, mind you, but to the satisfaction of the lender. If Warren Buffett decides to paid my mortgage, I don’t owe that money any more and I’ve made good on my debt. There’s no asterisk on my credit score. In other words, it’s not how a debt gets repaid that determines the borrowers standing but that it gets repaid.

But, really, that’s just a technical detail that doesn’t speak to Doherty’s honesty.

His campaign was pretty clearly trying to imply that David Cicilline’s administration had forgiven a loan awarded to a campaign supporter. Given that it’s always hard to prove a negative, the onus is on the Doherty camp to back up this seemingly unsubstantiated assertion. Until that happens, I find it to fall far short of being true. It doesn’t even meet the Stephen Colbert standard of truthiness.

Politifact was right to reexamine its ruling but not to reverse it.

September 18, 2012September 19, 2012

Do RI GOP Candidates Stand By 47% Comments?

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Republican candidates from both Massachusetts and Connecticut came out against Mitt Romney’s “controversial comments” about not concerning himself with the 47 percent of Americans that he feels are dependent on government, according to Politicalwire, a beltway blog about politics. (Here’s my post on the matter from earlier today, with the video if you still haven’t seen it.)

So far I haven’t heard anything from the Republican candidates running in Rhode Island. I left Dave Layman, from Brendan Doherty’s campaign, a voicemail. I just now left a message for Mike Riley, who is running against Jim Langevin. Patrick Sweeney, spokesman for Barry Hinckley, said he would email a statement by 3 pm, though I haven’t gotten anything from my inbox yet.

According to The Hill, Scott Brown, a Massachusetts incumbent who needs to defend his seat against middle class champion Elizabeth Warren, said, “That’s not the way I view the world. As someone who grew up in tough circumstances, I know that being on public assistance is not a spot that anyone wants to be in. Too many people today who want to work are being forced into public assistance for lack of jobs.”

And according to the Hartford Courant, Linda McMahon said, “I disagree with Governor Romney’s insinuation that 47% of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care. I know that the vast majority of those who rely on government are not in that situation because they want to be. People today are struggling because the government has failed to keep America competitive, failed to support job creators, and failed to get our economy back on track.”

She actually posted her statement to her website, but she also has a history with the idea that 47 percent of the population doesn’t pay income taxes. Red the Courant story for details.

Would someone please let me know if the GOP congressional candidates from Rhode Island decide to speak up about this issue? Since both are accused of being too conservative for Rhode Island, and because Romney’s comments shined a light on what many liberals and moderates fear most about conservative Republicans, I think we should know what Brendan Doherty and Barry Hinckley think of Romney’s comment.

I’ll update this post if and when they speak on the matter.

September 18, 2012September 18, 2012

Doherty Says Washington Already Cutting Spending

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Can anyone figure out why Brendan Doherty is running for Congress? I certainly can’t.

Similarly to Anthony Gemma, Doherty has been slinging mud at David Cicilline. This is clearly a brilliant strategy, because we all know how well such antics worked out for Gemma.

But what’s really confusing is the centerpiece of Doherty’s campaign: government fraud and waste. According to Doherty, there is “rampant fraud, waste, and corruption” in Congress. Ok, I’ll play along. I’m not sure if Doherty realizes this or not, but Republicans have been in control of the House for the past couple of years. If such rampant fraud is happening under their watch, why should we send another Republican to Washington?

And according to Doherty’s own campaign website, government spending is going down at a rate of about $100,000,000 a day. Prominently displayed on the homepage of his site, Doherty has a ticker showing that Federal spending is going down.

Here’s a video of Doherty’s site that was shot a few days ago on September 13th:

Federal Spending is Going Down, Part I

Here’s a video of his site from yesterday morning:

Federal Spending is Going Down, Part 2

As we can see, government spending is down by around $500,000,000 over the past few days. Is Doherty trying to credit his website with the spending reductions? Maybe his website should be running for Congress!

Finally, while we’re on the topic of waste, where is Brendan Doherty’s outrage over Don Carcieri’s failed 38 Studios scheme that left RI taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars? Why does Don Carcieri host fancy fundraisers for Doherty?

Slinging mud, blaming his own party for rampant fraud, having Don Carcieri host country club fundraisers. Why is Brendan Doherty running for Congress?

If you think you know why Brendan Doherty is running for Congress, please post a comment.

September 17, 2012September 17, 2012

Doherty’s Campaign Is Being Untrustworthy

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So far Brendan Doherty is running his campaign against David Cicilline not all that differently from how Anthony Gemma campaigned against the incumbent congressman: make a lot of accusations and see which ones stick.

So far, not all of them have.

While the conservative Republican got a lot of media attention the day after the primary for his announcing Cicilline’s ten biggest deceptions, it turns out Doherty was the one doing the deceiving with regard to at least 20 percent of the list. The Providence Journal Politifact team has looked into two of the ten accusations Doherty made about Cicilline and found them both to be “mostly false.”

In the first, Doherty accuses Cicilline of intentionally missing deadlines for an audit of Providence finances. Politifact says, “The facts argue otherwise. In the end, we have the former head of the Rhode Island State Police making allegations without key evidence, and ignoring evidence that points in another direction.”

In the second piece, Doherty tries to make the assertion that a former campaign worker didn’t repay a loan to the Providence Economic Development Partnership. According to Politifact, the borrower paid back 93 percent of the loan after defaulting on it. “Doherty cited the case as one of Cicilline’s “most serious deceptions.” It’s not clear that any deception was involved. And Doherty provided no such evidence. Because the statement contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, we rate it Mostly False.”

Brendan Doherty’s baggage is supposed to be that he is a conservative Republican who will side with other conservative Republicans in congress. But Politifact has examined his statements four times so far and he’s been less-than-spot-on in three of them. Not what you want the paper of record writing about you if you’re waging a trust campaign.

Here’s what Doherty said at his presser about the value of being honest: “You have shown yourself to be untrustworthy and therefore unqualified to represent the people of Rhode Island.”

September 14, 2012September 14, 2012

Progress Report: Brendan Doherty’s ‘Mostly False’ Grade; Higher Ed Access for Foster Kids; NK Firefighters

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Yesterday we wrote that David Cicilline would try to make the CD1 campaign about policy issues while challenger Brendan Doherty would try to avoid any discussion of policy and instead smear his opponent by painting him as being untrustworthy. But on Brendan’s very first attempt at this the Projo Politifact team gives him a “mostly false” grade for one of his accusations.

Doherty was on RIPR’s Political Roundtable this morning … listen for how his conservative credentials would serve as an impediment to Rhode Island if he were elected to Congress.

Rhode Island makes it harder for local foster children to access higher education opportunities than do neighboring states. It’s examples like this that make me shake my head when people think the road to economic salvation is more opportunities for the most fortunate among us rather than the least fortunate.

What’s going on in North Kingstown? First the School Committee fires its janitors and now the Town Council is accused of overworking firefighters. Locals say the political system in this middle class suburb has completely broken down.

Aaron Regunberg weighs in on Jon Brien’s loss for GoLocal, as well as what the primary says about RI-CAN’s effect on local politics. Progressives aren’t happy that the campaign for more charter schools in Rhode Island is being financed in part by Big Pharma, among other corporate interests.

Speaking of GoLocal, Dan McGowan wastes no time before previewing the general election for State House races.

Here’s the film trailer that’s helped to incite the current anti-American unrest in the Muslim world. According to NPR, “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is walking a fine line, distancing herself and the State Department as far as possible from the video that has sparked anger and protests across the Arab world.”

Here’s Senator Whitehouse’s statement on the situation: “The attack on our embassy in Libya was a tragedy, and I join President Obama and Secretary Clinton in condemning the actions of those involved. Now, as our nation comes together to honor the service of Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues, it is fitting that we make special note of the sacrifices made by our men and women serving abroad. As the son of a career diplomat, I know that these brave individuals put public service and patriotism above all else. I am honored to help recognize their service and sacrifice in this dark hour.”

Today in 1966, the United States launched Operation Attleboro in Vietnam. Named after the neighboring Massachusetts town, it’s a historically significant military decision because the search and destroy tactic is emblematic of the United States’ missteps in the conflict.

September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

VIDEO: Cicilline Trounces Gemma; Doherty Is Next

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As was widely predicted, Congressman David Cicilline handily beat his primary challenger and now moves on to face conservative Republican Brendan Doherty in the general election.

Cicilline not only defeated Anthony Gemma, he destroyed him. He garnered 60 percent of the vote and Gemma got just 30 percent. In fact, Cicilline beat Gemma by more votes than Gemma beat Chris Young by, who scored 8 percent.

Here’s the video of Cicilline’s victory speech:

August 21, 2012August 21, 2012

What Does Doherty Think of Akin’s Rape Remarks?

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No one in America today is less popular than Republican Todd Akin, who said “legitimate rape” rarely ends in pregnancy because women can cause some sort of self-abortion to occur in their bodies when such tragedy happens. As we reported yesterday morning, it was a ridiculous thing to both say and/or believe.

The fallout: the GOP has pulled back its financial support for his candidacy, and top party brass are either calling for him to drop out, or insinuating that he should.

But I’m a little confused as to Brendan Doherty’s reaction to the news … his campaign told the Providence Journal that Akin should suspend his campaign, according to its report, but it told Ted Nesi he should “drop out.”

It’s well worth noting that the AP reports that it was a call to drop out, but yesterday morning he told WPRO he had no comment until he knew more about it, which later in the day it reported he was “echoing” another Republican’s sentiments, according to its account.

Which is it? I think Rhode Islanders would want him to be pretty solid on such an issue – especially since he’s selling himself as the candidate of morality.

One of the reasons Rhode Island shouldn’t send Brendan Doherty to Congress is because of the people he will have to caucus with while there … if he can’t even call on a complete fool like Todd Akin to get out of politics altogether, what will he – and we – be forced to live with once he needs such people’s support?

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012

Progress Report: Doherty the ‘Blank Slate’; Pension Vote Fallout; Junk Food Subsidies; Happy B-day, Social Security

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Dutch Island cove — A cove on Dutch Island. (Photo by Bob Plain)

First Brendan Doherty supported Paul Ryan’s draconian budget proposal; then he didn’t. First he wanted to foist anti-organized labor laws on Rhode Island; but he changed his mind on that one too. The Bush tax cuts? He changed his mind on that one during a single interview, so who knows what he’ll think by the end of the campaign. Really, there is only one thing we know for certain about his positions, and Ted Nesi nails it down in a piece about how Paul Ryan will change the CD1 race: “Doherty is about as close to a policy blank slate as you can get.”

This headline from the dept. of no duh: Pension vote key to unions’ support

But the Projo’s Randy Edgar throws in a very interesting graph down near the end of his story: “Meanwhile, state General Treasurer Gina M. Raimondo, the chief architect of last year’s pension overhaul, also plans to weigh in with “financial support” and “information for campaign material” for Assembly members who voted for the pension bill, a spokeswoman said last week.”

RIPR’s Kristen Gourlay reports on an interesting new compensation structure between Blue Cross and some RI hospitals: “The new arrangement moves away from paying the hospitals based on the volume of care it provides – like the number of procedures – toward paying them for better outcomes for patients.”

Speaking of health, did you know junk food subsidies costs Rhode Island taxpayers millions each year? Small government activists, we’re waiting to hear from you on this one … Or does government not need to be shrunk so much when its largess is going to corporate America?

Fellow kayakers, here’s a new map of some of the best waterways in the Ocean State to paddle. And here’s the existing one folks who like to get out on Narragansett Bay use. Me, if I can swing it, I’m going to pay Dyer Island a visit this weekend. And it seems like Tim Faulkner, over at EcoRI, recently paid a visit to Prudence Island.

Today in 1935, President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, one of the many ways America governed itself out of the Great Depression.

True that, Projo!

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