National progressive left still
skeptical of Raimondo
Another national
journalist took another shot at Rhode Island’s most hotly-debated politician: Gina Raimondo. EDITOR’S NOTE: Sirota also took on Raimondo is
this Slate
article from last October.
Syndicated
progressive columnist David Sirota connects dots between Raimondo’s Wall Street
campaign supporters and Rhode Island’s inability to afford to make good on
pension promises while almost simultaneously cutting taxes for the rich and
increasing subsidies for corporations.
“So who is the
real Gina Raimondo?,” Sirota asks. “Is she the politician whose pension schemes
aim to protect corporate welfare subsidies while converting retiree money into
Wall Street fees? Or is she the defender of pensioners against the plutocrats?”
Many on the left
– and in particular the pro-labor left – feel her campaign is co-opting the
progressive label for a very different agenda. At the very least she’s using
the term more broadly than it has been used in the past and pro-union
progressives have good reason to both take umbrage and be skeptical of her
political positioning as a lefty.
Organized labor is the anchor of support for
the entire progressive left in Rhode Island, so it’s something of an offense to
trample all over the flagship then claim to be a member of the fleet.
I’d really like
for her to address the issues and allegations raised in Sirota’s latest
indictment of her. I think that’s how anyone campaigning as a progressive
should handle such a damning indictment of progressive credentials from a
well-respected progressive writer.