284 replies to this topic

[jencoleslaw]

MikeR, on Oct 6 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

The Republican candidate for Mayor is Dave Talan.

the ENDORSED republican candidate for mayor is Dr. Harrop.

[Cotuit]

Was the deadline to register for the General today? I meant to post something sooner. If you're not registered, run down to your city hall and do so now!

jencoleslaw, on Oct 6 2006, 04:41 PM, said:

the ENDORSED republican candidate for mayor is Dr. Harrop.

Then he's the only candidate, because they had a primary and the loser can't dissaffiliate the way Leiberman did in CT after losing his primary.

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Oct 6 2006, 04:43 PM, said:

Was the deadline to register for the General today? I meant to post something sooner. If you're not registered, run down to your city hall and do so now!
Then he's the only candidate, because they had a primary and the loser can't dissaffiliate the way Leiberman did in CT after losing his primary.

you posted that after most city halls close.  

[Cotuit]

runawayjim, on Oct 6 2006, 05:14 PM, said:

you posted that after most city halls close.  

There's someone in there, bang on the door.

[MikeR]

jencoleslaw, on Oct 6 2006, 04:41 PM, said:

the ENDORSED republican candidate for mayor is Dr. Harrop.

Thanks...I did not know that.  

[Garris]

A question for the political junkees here who've been in the state for a while...

Exactly why is Lincoln Chafee a Republican at all rather than a moderate Democrat?  His family is worshiped, he is personally liked, and many of his viewpoints line up with the Democratic Party.  He doesn't seem far from, say, a Joseph Lieberman.  

Rather than possibly winning or losing this campaign by, say, 4 percentage points, if he were to switch parties, I'm sure he'd win in a landslide.

What are the historical issues binding him to the GOP?

- Garris

Edited by Garris, 16 October 2006 - 11:49 AM.

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Oct 16 2006, 01:48 PM, said:

What are the historical issues binding him to the GOP?

His name is Lincoln, as in Abe. I don't think he got the memo about Abe not running the party any longer. I don't even think he needs to be a Dem, just be an indepedent like Jim Jeffords. I'm surprised actually that Rhode Island doesn't have more independent politicians like Maine and Vermont do.

[runawayjim]

Garris, on Oct 16 2006, 01:48 PM, said:

A question for the political junkees here who've been in the state for a while...

Exactly why is Lincoln Chafee a Republican at all rather than a moderate Democrat?  His family is worshiped, he is personally liked, and many of his viewpoints line up with the Democratic Party.  He doesn't seem far from, say, a Joseph Lieberman.  

Rather than possibly winning or losing this campaign by, say, 4 percentage points, if he were to switch parties, I'm sure he'd win in a landslide.

What are the historical issues binding him to the GOP?

- Garris

do you really think the race for that senate seat is gonna be that close?  i think he'll still win by a landslide.  there's something i just don't like about whitehouse... and his ads are almost entirely attack ads.  that rubs me the wrong way.  i'm still on the fence on this one, but i'm leaning toward chafee simply because of the strong pull he has in washington that whitehouse won't have for quite some time.  he's voted along with the democrats on almost everything and, contrary to whitehouse's attack ads, he is not in bush's pocket.  we also have to remember that many democrats voted in favor of the alito/roberts/bolton appointments.

i'd also be willing to say that chafee is more left leaning than lieberman.

[Garris]

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

do you really think the race for that senate seat is gonna be that close?

No, I actually don't...

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

there's something i just don't like about whitehouse... and his ads are almost entirely attack ads.

At his fundraiser, Whitehouse's speech before Barak Obama was shockingly short.  We were all like, "That's it?"  Very strange...

And these days, attack ads are the common currency of politics.  Nothing new or different there...

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

we also have to remember that many democrats voted in favor of the alito/roberts/bolton appointments.

True, and I want them out too .

But again, why exactly is Chafee a Republican?  Has he ever explained it?

- Garris

Edited by Garris, 16 October 2006 - 12:17 PM.

[Lone Ranger]

Garris, on Oct 16 2006, 02:16 PM, said:

But again, why exactly is Chafee a Republican?  Has he ever explained it?

Yeah.  It's exactly like Cotuit said.  Linc says he was born & raised to be a Republican and proud of it.  No matter that the rest of his party hates him, he still sees himself as a Republican.

[runawayjim]

Lone Ranger, on Oct 16 2006, 02:23 PM, said:

Yeah.  It's exactly like Cotuit said.  Linc says he was born & raised to be a Republican and proud of it.  No matter that the rest of his party hates him, he still sees himself as a Republican.

so he's a classic small government republican from when they stood for what our current democrats stand for?

[Cotuit]

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

we also have to remember that many democrats voted in favor of the alito/roberts/bolton appointments.

All the New England Democrats opposed Alito and Bolton, the CT and VT dems voted for Roberts (the VT independent voted no). Chaffee voted for Bolton and Roberts, no on Alito.

[runawayjim]

Garris, on Oct 16 2006, 02:16 PM, said:

At his fundraiser, Whitehouse's speech before Barak Obama was shockingly short.  We were all like, "That's it?"  Very strange...

And these days, attack ads are the common currency of politics.  Nothing new or different there...

they're not all attack ads though, and chafee's ads certain are more reaction to the attack ads.  he also seems to vote in the way his constituents want, which is probably the biggest reason i'm leaning towards him over whitehouse.  most people running at least have 1 ad that's not an attack ad.  i have yet to see that with whitehouse.

that is weird that his speech was short.  he's the one running, it should've been longer and probably close to the length (although not as long) of obama's speech.  i had gone to a campaign thing for someone running for CT governor (his name was curry, don't remember his first name, not very memorable, he ran against rowland the first time rowland ran).  it was a gathering at an airport in stratford i think (sikorsky airport?).  anyways, the clintons were there.  but both curry's and clinton's speeches were about the same length.  i got to shake hillary's hand there.  

[provid]

This is the biggest reason he is a republican:

http://bioguide.cong...l?index=c000269

I think Chaffee  would do a better job but at the same time I dont know many people that can say the republican party is doing a good job. In my mind I dont care if Sheldon Whitehouse is borderline braindead becasue not voting republican in Nov will make changes for this entire country and not just RI. Will they be good changes? who the hell knows but I can tell you I dont like our current direction as a country.

Edited by mikepl, 16 October 2006 - 01:21 PM.

[runawayjim]

i think he'll win despite being a republican.

[Lone Ranger]

mikepl, on Oct 16 2006, 03:14 PM, said:

This is the biggest reason he is a republican:

http://bioguide.cong...l?index=c000269

I think Chaffee  would do a better job but at the same time I dont know many people that can say the republican party is doing a good job. In my mind I dont care if Sheldon Whitehouse is borderline braindead becasue not voting republican in Nov will make changes for this entire country and not just RI. Will they be good changes? who the hell knows but I can tell you I dont like our current direction as a country.

It'll take a lot of people NOT voting Republican for those changes to amount to anything.

It's still a Republican Presidency, and even after these elections, chances are very good that it will still be a Republican Congress.  With that in mind, it might be a wise thing for Rhode Island to continue to have at least one Republican representing us in the Senate.  Especially a Republican as palatable as Mr. Chafee.  

[runawayjim]

Lone Ranger, on Oct 16 2006, 05:49 PM, said:

It'll take a lot of people NOT voting Republican for those changes to amount to anything.

It's still a Republican Presidency, and even after these elections, chances are very good that it will still be a Republican Congress.  With that in mind, it might be a wise thing for Rhode Island to continue to have at least one Republican representing us in the Senate.  Especially a Republican as palatable as Mr. Chafee.  

it will take a lot of states, especially those that are traditionally republican, to vote out their republican senators for anything to change.  i do, however, have faith that this will happen.

i'm still on the chafee bandwagon because he does have power and i'm not one to vote against someone simply because of the party that supports him.  he might be a republican in name, but he's still a democrat in values.  i don't care if the republicans have 1 more seat in the senate if that 1 extra seat is chafee.

and ironically enough, i just heard the first chafee attack ad and the first whitehouse non-attack ad.

to be honest, i'm not really worried about this race so much as i am about the governor's race.

[urbie]

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 05:23 PM, said:

to be honest, i'm not really worried about this race so much as i am about the governor's race.

I'll bite -- who do you guys like for guv, and why?

Urb

[runawayjim]

urbie, on Oct 16 2006, 07:56 PM, said:

I'll bite -- who do you guys like for guv, and why?

Urb

i'm not a huge carcieri fan... so i'm voting fogarty.  carcieri isn't very good on the public transit stuff for one thing... he likes to use fare increases to help it out rather than allocate state money.

[Frankie811]

runawayjim, on Oct 16 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

do you really think the race for that senate seat is gonna be that close?

All the polls show this one too close to call. But I believe Sheldon Whitebread is actually 1 or 2 points ahead.