By Bob Plain –
In Rhode Island’s Future. See more at: http://www.rifuture.org/divide-between-taveras-raimondo-how-they-play-the-game.html#sthash.TlOBmGVC.dpuf
I
agree with Sam Howard who suggests there isn't a giant gap in the policy priorities
of Angel Taveras and Gina Raimondo, but I don’t think that means there would be
many other similarities in how each would governor Rhode Island.
On WPRI Newsmakers Sunday,
Ted Nesi asked Taveras about a post Howard wrote on this blog, specifically: “I don’t see
much, policy-wise, that differentiates the two candidates. I think Gov.
Raimondo will make policy choices that a Gov. Taveras would also make, and vice
versa.”
Taveras
dove into his well-versed “Head Start to Harvard” campaign narrative and Nesi
responded: “But I think that’s Howard’s point, you will have different
biographies but then once you take office you both will govern in pretty
similar center-left Democratic fashion.”
I
don’t think they would govern in similar styles and I haven’t seen tons of
evidence that Raimondo will govern in a center-left Democratic fashion. Or, at
least, that’s certainly not how she accomplished her signature political
victory.
Here’s how Bob Walsh, executive director of NEARI, parsed the difference in their approaches to cutting public sector pensions to WPRI in December of 2012 (watch the whole episode to see what the political landscape looked like just 11 short months ago!).
For me, and probably for many voters, policy differences aren’t the biggest factor in deciding for whom we pull the lever. It’s how you play the game.
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's
Future. Previously, he's worked as a reporter for several different news
organizations both in Rhode Island and across the country.