R-ISLANDER

OBAMA'S FLIP FLOP HUGE MISTAKE

All the awful stuff Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld did over the last eight years is really horrifying for anyone who believes in America's greatness and it's usefulness as a light in the darkness for all those who believe in the democratic process.  Everyday, more and more is revealed of how Cheney et al nearly destroyed our way of life...and more bad news is to come:

This is how Frank Rich's article begins this week:

"That’s why the president’s flip-flop on the release of detainee abuse photos — whatever his motivation — is a fool’s errand. The pictures will eventually emerge anyway, either because of leaks (if they haven’t started already) or because the federal appeals court decision upholding their release remains in force. And here’s a bet: These images will not prove the most shocking evidence of Bush administration sins still to come. "

Frank Rich refers to this article and accompanying slide show, from this
morning's GQ magazine, as "creepy."  Really.
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_9217

Here's Rich's today NYTimes column:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/opinion/17rich-5.html?th&emc=th

And forget about what Nancy Pelosi and the CIA knew and when they knew it!  Get the criminals who DID the torture: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush, et al.

Thousands At Rally for Clinton

While Patrick Kennedy, a Barack Obama supporter, spoke to a few people in Pawtucket (most of the people were from Massachusetts btw--NOT Rhode Islanders--canvassers for Barack) THOUSANDS, at least two thousand people were in the RIC Auditorium today to hear the next president, Hillary Rodham Clinton.  The size of the crowd though lively and huge, could have been better, but it was great to see people of all ages, all colors, all genders, and all cultural backgrounds as excited as they were for Hillary.

She won thunderous applause for her emergency economic plan and--unlike Obama--her UNIVERSAL healthcare plan.

She faces an uphill battle against Obama and his forces from Massachusetts, LOL, but we hope for the best.  President Bill Clinton, the rock star of the democratic party will be here on Thursday.

It was great to see Sheldon Whitehouse and all those other democratic leaders at the rally.  Mayor Cicilline was disinvited because Hillary did not want the Firefighters with whom he is fighting to picket.  She is solidly union.  I was thinking about donating and voting for Cicilline for Governor, but unless he comes out in support of Hillary as he promised, or so I thought, I will rethink that....if he can't see that she is THE candidate who can accomplish more for us, I'm not impressed with his judgement.  He'll come around and BEFORE the primary on the 4th I hope.

Patrick said they are working on bringing in his father, Ted Kennedy, before the primary.  Nice, but Rhode Island wants Hillary and Patrick should be with us and let's hope that Ted, who I love, will be as effective for Obama in Rhode Island as he was in Massachusetts.  ;-) 

"It takes a woman to end this war" as one of the signs at today's great rally stated, and that woman is Hillary!

Want social security left alone, vote for Hillary.  Want healthcare, vote for Hillary.  Want to save your house, vote for Hillary.  She has solutions not just verbiage.

CLINTON RALLIES IN RI ON FEBRUARY 24 at RIC

At RIC on Sunday, February 24, 11:30 to 2:30, Hillary Clinton will hold a rally for all her Providence Plantation fans.  It should be huge.  As a pretty much working-class state, like Ohio, let's hope that Rhode Island holds strong for Hillary even if Patrick Kennedy is supporting Barack Obama.  (There's a reason for supporting Hillary if I've ever seen one!)

Detailed message sustains working-class Clinton fans

For Tom Buffenbarger, the choice in the Democratic primary is simple: a man with a dream and a woman with a plan. And to him, Barack Obama's lofty vision doesn't answer the nuts-and-bolts questions working-class America has for its next president. (By Susan Milligan, Boston Globe)

WILL TOM RYAN GO TO JAIL TOO?

After reading this article about how legislators have been found guilty of influence peddling, the question is will the corporate officers who benefitted monetarily also go to jail? I bet not!

Rhode Island: Prison for Ex-Official

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NYT)

A former top state lawmaker was sentenced to more than three years in prison for using his legislative influence to benefit a pharmacy chain and an insurance company. Judge Mary M. Lisi of Federal District Court said Gerard Martineau, a former House majority leader, had used his office “in the most perverse way” but also had shown genuine remorse. Judge Lisi sentenced him to 37 months and fined him $100,000. Prosecutors also said Mr. Martineau, a Woonsocket Democrat, was cooperating in an influence-peddling inquiry at the Statehouse. Mr. Martineau pleaded guilty to using his influence to benefit the CVS pharmacy chain and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island while doing hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal business with them.

OBAMA WANTS IT BOTH WAYS

Barack Obama's team seems to want it both ways when it comes to interpreting the rules for Convention in Denver:

1.  His team says that Florida and Michigan delegates must not be counted because the original rules said they would not if they held their primaries early.

2.  His team now says the Super Delegates can not vote their conscience as the original rules imply but must vote either the way their congressional district voted, or how their state voted or for whichever candidate got the most votes.....The rules do not demand any such thing.  The rules, created by among others Jesse Jackson, indicate that there will be Super Delegates because the party needs the input of the seasoned, elected party elders to make sure we don't nominate another George McGovern candidate who cannot win the general election.

Now, it seems to me that Obama needs to be consistent.  It's either we follow the rules or we don't.  Which is it Barack?

The Obama team needs to stop whining, bickering and tell us which way is it?  The super delegates or Florida and Michigan are seated for Hillary.

WHY HILLARY WILL WIN IT ALL

Several points can be made after Super Tuesday as to why Hillary will win this election:

1.  The Kennedy "Magic" is either long dead or not easily transferable, and in fact in many ways it may have been a huge negative.  After all, as much as we love the memory of JFK, and even Teddy, who wants to go back to the Sixties? Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Little Patrick, Maria Shriver, Ethel Kennedy, all joined Oprah in campaigning against Hillary Clinton and for Barack.  The result?  She won bigger in Massachusetts than she was expected to and won in California and Arizona where the Kennedys were expected to influence the election in, as we had been hearing since Ted broke his neutrality, a "huge" way.  Just the opposite seemed to have happened.  Even in California where pundits were saying Hillary would lose to Barack by 5-10 points she won in a HUGE way.  Even if we factor out the fact that some voters voted early when Hillary had a big lead in California, she would have beat Barack without breaking a sweat.

    The key to Hillary's success:  women, union membership, and all minority groups except African Americans.

 

2.  The so-called move to Obama that was to kill off Hillary just didn't materialize again.  We where told that after Iowa, Obama's "Big Mo" would kill off Hillary in New Hampshire.  Didn't happen.  We were told the same thing in the hours and days before Super Tuesday .... "Barack's momentum will drown Hillary on Super Tuesday."  That didn't happen last night.  Hillary whooped Barack and those pundits--most of them--who got it wrong again.

3.  With a few exceptions, Barack won in the states (caucuses) where people had to vote in public.  Why is that?  There is something VERY DARK going on here that speaks volumes about how race is a huge negative factor in American politics.  How else do we explain which states Barack won and which he lost but the polls said he would win, but didn't?  It's really sad that such racism still exists...but we all sorta knew that it did, and African Americans surely know that it does.

4.  Hispanics, women and union membership were the keys for Hillary, and it is that support in incredibly high numbers that will carry her to a win over either McCain, or Mitty, or the Huckster.......

What happened in Massachusetts on a smaller scale number-wise will happen in Rhode Island, too, come March....thanks to women, Hispanics, Asians and union membership.

HOW TO BALANCE RI'S BUDGET MESS

Gov. Donald L. Carcieri proposed deep budget cuts to close a $151 million deficit, including forcing state workers to take unpaid days off, removing children of illegal immigrants from state health care rolls and cutting back on welfare spending. The plan by Mr. Carcieri, a Republican, seeks to close a budget gap in the current fiscal year. It now goes to the General Assembly, which Democrats control.  That's what this a.m. newspapers are reporting.

Notice that all the correctives are aimed at those least able to survive such budget cuts.  He's also called on retirees to pay for their healthcare benefits...you know, those people on a fixed income!  He's balancing the state budget, the disaster he created in the first place with his tax credits and tax cuts for the wealthiest Rhode Islanders, on the backs of Rhode Islanders least able to tolerate cuts to their salaries and incomes.

How about instead of screwing the middle class and the poorest among us how about we ask churches, privates universities and colleges, and all those others not paying any taxes to get together and come up among them the needed $$$ to balance this year's budget deficit and next year's as well.  That will give the state legislature and the governor time to develop a plan that doesn't screw the middle classes and the poorest of Rhode Islanders.  The Casino owners might want to kick in too!

Come on Bishop Tobin, Brown University, Roger Williams, Johnson and Wales, Providence College, CVS and other corporate people....come up with the money to bail out the state....to help the middle class and poorest among us.  Rhode Island has been giving you huge $$$ perks for years...time to help out! 

Thank God for Labor Unions

Rhode Island's Twelfth has a posting by Eileen Spillane that lays the Chair of the Republican Party in RI out for his continuing anti-worker, anti-union rhetoric.  Well worth the read. 

One only needs to read the paper every morning to see the brutal, inhumane, and unconscionable attacks by Gov. Carcieri, who leads the republicans in this state, on our working-class, the poor, and RI's labor unions. 

Carcieri doesn't remember that without labor unions, and how they integrated Irish, Italian, and other immigrants into the economy of this state, and this country, immigrants from the early 20th and late 19th century, our grandparents, would still be living in inner city walkups without heat, plumbing or security.  Thank god for labor unions.

STEALING FROM THE POOR in RI REDUX

Economist Richard McIntyre of URI states of the tax breaks for the richest of RIslanders at the expense of working class RIslanders:

Steal from the poor and give to the rich has been the operative policy in the US for the last quarter century except for a few years at the beginning of the Clinton period. See the recent NYT article for recent trends:

For those who want a good summary of the successful class warfare waged by the overpaid and overprivledged against the rest of us I recommend the first few chapters of David Harvey's "A Brief History of Neoliberalism." When candidates whip up concern on an issue that voters have not previously paid much attention to we call these people political entrepreneurs. When evidence shows that these candidates are demonstrably wrong on the evidence we call them demagogues. We have seen over and over that tax cuts for the rich do not benefit the rest of society but that they do put pressure on critical public services. Yet all the Republican candidates for President support further regressive tax cuts and the "Democrats" in the Rhode Island General Assembly have passed such cuts here in the name of "growth."

Public institutions like this university are now put in the position of begging for money from people who used to pay taxes. We rationalize this in all kinds of ways to feel better about what we have to do but this is the sad truth.

Rhode Island's Gay Divorce

The RI state Supreme Court will hear arguments this morning in Rhode Island’s first same-sex divorce case.

Lawyers for Margaret R. Chambers and Cassandra B. Ormiston are scheduled to appear before the high court at 9:30 a.m. The Supreme Court has denied motions from the attorney general and others to participate in today’s arguments, courts spokesman Craig N. Berke said Friday.

The court will hear only from Chambers’ lawyer, Louis M. Pulner, and Ormiston’s lawyer, Nancy Palmisciano, who agree on the basic issue before the court. Berke has said it’s unusual — but not unheard of — for the court to allow friends of the court to participate in oral arguments. Providence Journal

We are all hoping the court does the right thing and recognizes gay marriage, too. We know the legislature under William Murphy and Joe Montalbano will not do the right thing by our gay citizens, so we depend on the court and hope it continues to expand civil rights for gay people.