‘God won’t save us from climate catastrophe’
Best progressive Rhode Island headline of the day comes courtesy of the Huffington Post: “Sheldon Whitehouse: God Won’t Save Us From Climate Catastrophe” Michael McCauliff’s lede was pretty great too. WASHINGTON — God will not save us, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) declared in a Senate floor speech on climate change Wednesday that sounded more like [...]
Rhode Island will win marriage equality today
Rhode Island will remove the last obstacle standing in the way of marriage equality today when the full Senate votes today at 4 p.m. If I’m right, we’ll become the 10th state in the nation – but the last in New England – to abolish same sex marriage discrimination. “We think that when the vote [...]
Metts Opposes Marriage Equality On ‘Biblical Principles’
Judge Ronald R Lagueux, in his ruling in Ahlquist v. City of Cranston that removed the prayer banner from the walls of the auditorium at Cranston High School West, described the Cranston School Committee’s open meetings to discuss the prayer banner as at times having the tenor of “a religious revival.” This is something those [...]
Sen. Lombardi Interviewed On Anti-LGBT Website
State Senator Frank Lombardi (D-Cranston), is expected to be a strong “no” vote on S0038, the Marriage Equality bill to be heard during tonight’s Senate Judiciary committee hearing. In the past he has related his vote to his strong Catholicism, but last week he was interviewed by MassResistance, an anti-LGBT hate group as identified by [...]
Senate Judiciary Still Likely Anti-Marriage Equality
While it’s certainly great news that Teresa Paiva Weed said she will allow the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on marriage equality if and when it passes the House next month, the committee isn’t exactly the legislative equivalent of the Castro District. In fact, it’s pretty anti-equality. Of the seven returning members, only two are [...]
Scott Brown TV Ads Are Theater of the Absurd
The battle between Senator Scott Brown and progressive challenger Elizabeth Warren has spilled over the Massachusetts border into Rhode Island, and those who have missed the volley of advertisements are either altogether abstaining from TV or hopelessly engrossed in what happens next to Honey Boo Boo. Those in the latter group have probably stumbled upon [...]
Elizabeth Warren Reaches Rhode Island Family
It is all too often that I encounter the jaded political soul. Every day I hear a variation on the theme of distrust of all politicians. “They’re all liars,” “I hate all politicians” and “None of them care about anyone but themselves.” It is easy to think that way and, I must admit, I have [...]
Hinckley: ‘Abolish Department of Education’
Barry Hinckley might think the polls predicting his political demise are flawed, but according to Occam’s Razor – the theory that the simplest reason is probably the correct one – no conspiracy theory or professional blunder needs to have occurred in order to explain his poor performance among likely voters. The simplest theory as to [...]
DCCC Poll Good News for Whitehouse Too
A recent DCCC poll also shows good news for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. He’s leading his challenger Barry Hinckley 64 to 27 percent in the First Congressional District.
Pisaturo, DaSilva Could Alter Balance of Senate
Much has been made about the what the outcome of Tuesday’s primary could mean for gay marriage in Rhode Island. The state Senate is the last branch of the government to stand in the way of marriage equality and there’s a lot that could happen in the Democratic primary to shift the landscape of that [...]
The Video Barry Hinckley Doesn’t Want You to See
It must be that Barry Hinckley really doesn’t want Rhode Islanders to see the video we posted of him telling out-of-state donors that although they can’t vote for him, he will vote for them if they help fund in Senate campaign. It’s a damaging look at his candidacy, especially since he has already been labelled [...]
‘Lifelong New Englander’ or One-Time Floridian?
First he was accused of running for office just to boost his professional profile. Now, Democrats say Barry Hinckley may have moved to Rhode Island just to run for office. “…now Democrats are questioning whether Hinckley simply chose Rhode Island because it is relatively affordable to run for a Senate race in the Ocean State,” [...]
‘Two Handfuls’ of Senators Block Marriage Equality
Forget about a marriage equality bill making it out of the Senate this session, such legislation hasn’t even been heard in committee this year. It was introduced on February 16, but still hasn’t received its customary hearing. “I think you know what my position is on this,” said Sen. Michael McCafffrey, a Warwick Democrat, when [...]
RI Progress Report: Tobin Corners ‘Creepy’ Market; More on Marriage Equality, Barrington’s Tuition Proposal
It won’t happen this session, but we’d be real surprised if opposition to marriage equality in the Rhode Island Senate can fend off the legislation for another year. Ted Nesi reports that the Senate’s opposition to gay marriage is “softening.” Meanwhile, Ian Donnis reports that Rev. Gene Dyszlewski is running for the Senate seat being [...]
Senate Takes Historic Vote On Homeless Rights
The state Senate today has an opportunity to move Rhode Island one step closer to being the first state in the country to adopt a a homeless bill of rights, said Karen Jeffreys, of the Coalition for the Homeless, as members vote today on a measure that would guarantee Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents equal [...]
Bill Would Cut Payday Loan APR from 260% to 36%
Two weeks ago a House committee heard some compelling testimony on a bill that would curb exorbitant interest rates on so-called “payday loans.” Today it’s the Senate’s turn, as the Corporations Committee will discuss Sen. Juan Pichardo’s version of the legislation. And according to a press release, Pichardo seems pretty confident the bill will become [...]
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