DINO of the Year: Anthony Gemma, Jon Brien
Here in Rhode Island, where the people lean far to the left, we don’t have to worry too much about Republicans screwing up our state. Instead, we’ve got Democrats who screw up our state by acting like Republicans. RI Future has a long tradition of identifying these covert conservatives as DINOs – Democrats in Name [...]
ALEC: Bad for the Economy
Last year, there was a lot of talk here about ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. This corporate-backed “research” group produces model legislation for the states and recruits and promotes legislators who are likely to introduce it. It’s a pretty slick outfit, well-funded, with lots of opportunities for travel, and lots of opportunities to make [...]
Huge Night for Rhode Island Progressives
Brendan Doherty, Mark Binder and even, to some extent, Mitt Romney, all made Rhode Island progressives nervous throughout the 2012 campaign season. But once the campaign was over and the votes were counted, it turned out to be a great election day to be a local liberal. Easily the biggest victory was Congressman David Cicilline [...]
Stephen Casey for Woonsocket State Rep
The fact that Stephen Casey requires endorsement is a bit ludicrous, considering he defeated his Democratic primary opponent by a safe margin and has no other party opponent on the ballot come November 6. But a “Do over, ‘cuz I wasn’t ready!” write-in campaign by his primary opponent has Casey continuing his election efforts in [...]
RI Small Businesses: Beware of ALEC’s Minions
Jon Brien recently announced that he would be running a write-in campaign to retain his seat in Rhode Island’s House of Representatives. At a press conference to announce the egotistical continuation of his campaign on September 20, Brien was surrounded by owners of local business including Pepin Lumber, The Burrito Company, and American Beauty Signworks. [...]
Progress Report: Brien Brings Hatch Act in Woonsocket, New Leaders Project’s ‘Pro Jobs’ Agenda; State Sues Orphan
Rep. Jon Brien thinks he can retain his House seat without winning the election. His path to victory: eliminating the man who beat him in a primary. Brien thinks the federal Hatch Act might prohibit fire fighter Stephen Casey from serving in the state legislature because the Woonsocket Fire Department got a $300,000 grant from [...]
Progress Report: Voter ID vs. Health Exchange; Doherty Pretends to be Moderate; Riley’s Fib; Smithfield Patch
Rhode Island sure is a complex place politically. While Pat Smith points out this morning that we’re the only state with a Democratic-leaning legislature and without a Republican governor to pass a voter ID bill, the New York Times points out we’re also the only state without a Democratic governor to move forward with a [...]
Jon Brien Lays Blame
Joining an ever growing list of sore losers, most recently his friend Doug Glabinske, Jon Brien announced a write-in candidacy for House District 50 today; the same seat he lost in the recent primary to Stephen Casey. Citing administrative issues for people not being able to vote or being sent to the wrong polling place, [...]
One Dem Party That Donna Perry Doesn’t Understand
First, right off the bat: anyone who uses the phrase “Democrat Party” is already showing their ignorance of the Democratic Party. You should still read their arguments, but chances are, they’re going to be off-base. And that’s what Donna Perry’s column in GoLocalProv is (the URL says Julia Steiny for some reason). Ms. Perry tries [...]
Progress Report: Brendan Doherty’s ‘Mostly False’ Grade; Higher Ed Access for Foster Kids; NK Firefighters
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 [...]
Jon Brien: Personal Friend and Political Adversary
I’m probably the only progressive in Rhode Island who didn’t break out in celebration upon learning that ultra-conservative Woonsocket state Rep. Jon Brien had been knocked out of his State House seat in Tuesday’s primary. Not that progressives don’t have good reason to celebrate his political demise; they do. Though Brien calls himself a Democrat, [...]
Primaries Prove Fruitful for Progressive Agenda
While there was no landslide for liberal State House candidates, Tuesday’s primary still proved to be a big victory for the progressive agenda. Gayle Goldin easily beat charter school advocate Maryellen Butke in one of the most ballyhooed contests of the primary. Goldin’s victory ensures that Rhoda Perry’s former seat will stay in the hands [...]
Progress Report: Celebrate Homeless Rights, NK Janitors Fired, Govt by Fear in Woonsocket, Public Records
Come celebrate today at the State House an area of public policy in which Rhode Island is leading the nation: protecting the rights of homeless people. That’s right, as the rest of the nation moves toward outlawing homelessness and sleeping in public places, the Ocean State is the first in the country to pass a [...]
Me, Jon Brien Talk ALEC, Woonsocket on WPRO
I have to hand it to Rep. Jon Brien – while I think his politics are repugnant, he’s always a good sport about answering my questions when I ask him about either his involvement with ALEC or his decision to bring his community to brink of bankruptcy. So last week, when he asked if he [...]
ALEC Praises Rhode Island’s 2011 Pension Cuts
While Rhode Island debates if ALEC has its hand in our local politics, a new report indicates the right wing group is at least happy with the results. In its 2012 annual “Rich State, Poor State report,” the American Legislative Exchange Council praises Rhode Island for its efforts to pare back public sector pension benefits [...]
RI Progress Report: Marijuana Decriminalization, Brien Defends ALEC, Doherty Distances Self From Norquist
Two legislative committees last night passed a bill that would make possession of less than an ounce of marijuana punishable by a ticket rather than potential jail time. The bills now head the floors of the Senate and the House. Decriminalization of marijuana makes a lot of sense as it would save taxpayers money and [...]
RI Progress Report: URI Profs File Suit, West Warwick, Tar Heels on Marriage Equality, Doherty and US Chamber
URI professors have filed a lawsuit against the state saying the Board of Governors for Higher Education broke the law when they declined to ratify a contract they had already agreed to after Gov. Chafee weighed in on the matter. Profs may win in court, but in order to win in the court of public [...]
Dem. Lawmakers Distance Themselves from ALEC
Democratic legislators distanced themselves from involvement with ALEC, the far right wing group that acts as a stealth lobby organization to state legislators, saying they signed up because Rep. Jon Brien asked them to do so. Many said they didn’t know much about the organization, even though it has been all over the news as [...]
Brien, Common Cause Spar over ALEC on Twitter
Rep. Jon Brien is the local co-chair of ALEC, the pro-business political group that drafts model legislation that supporters, often elected members of state legislatures like Brien, propose at the local level. ALEC has come under fire as of late for authoring the Stand your Ground law in Florida that initially protected George Zimmerman from [...]
Proposal to Repeal Voter ID Law Discussed Today
A bill to repeal the controversial new voter id law passed last session will be heard today by the House Judiciary Committee, said sponsor Charlene Lima, D- Cranston. Lima said the law, which requires people to show a valid state id card before voting, “is a solution to a non-existing problem.” “There is no widespread [...]
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