RI Republican Senate Primary - NRSC Goes Insane!
My political affiliation in Rhode Island is Independent. In any other state I would be a registered Republican. I'm not a member of the Republican Party in Rhode Island because the Party, in it's current state and under it's current leadership, largely an embarrassment. There are some fine people in the RI Republican Party, but they are not the types of people you would want near important national issues like defense and taxes. Senator Lincoln Chafee is an excellent example. I have met him and like him immensely as a person. He was a great mayor of my home city, Warwick. He is ethical and honest. He would make a great Governor, for which I would support him in a second. But being a Senator takes different qualities than being a municipal or state leader. And Lincoln Chafee doesn't have those Senatorial qualities. If I had to come out with a description of his 'world view' it would be that of an eccentric 60s Democrat. He is incapable of recognizing the world as it is today and making intelligent decisions in our national interest. Even Patrick Kennedy has a better grasp on what's going on internationally (most days)!
However, there is a Republican alternative in Rhode Island, and one that I could support. His name is Steve Laffey, and he is the Mayor of Cranston. I'll address his qualifications in a later post. What I'd like to point out now is the position that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has taken on a Republican challenger to Chafee and the ads that are now airing (or about to be aired) in the Rhode Island market.
If you did not know that the ads airing against Laffey, a year before the Senate primary, were done by Republicans you would swear that they were being done by a group from the farthest left of the Democrat Party, like Moveon.org. They are the slimiest of attack ads, and I am disgusted by them. Actually only one has aired (the other being announced in the Washington Post today) but it is getting alot of air time - it must have been a big buy. Here's the script of the first ad, with a link to the ad itself:
"ANNCR: “Have you seen this guy Steve Laffey?”
AD: “I’m Steve Laffey…”
ANNCR: “In his TV ads, he complains about oil companies… But he’s the same Steve Laffey who ran a company selling oil industry stocks on Wall Street. Profiting from offshore drilling. The oil companies made a fortune. Steve Laffey made a fortune. Now Laffey says he will . . .”
AD: “. . . stand up to the special interests.”
ANNCR: “Slick. Steve Laffey. Laughing all the way to the bank. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is responsible for the content of this ad.”"
And here's the link to the actual ad on the NRSC site.
It's embarrassing, not in the least because it uses the same exact tactics that the Democrats use against Republicans, particularly against George Bush and Dick Cheney (oil people). Note to the NRSC: these tactics have failed, repeatedly!
When he was in business, Laffey's primary fiduciary duty to his company and his investors was to make a profit. By investing in oil-related investments, he succeeded in making good returns for his clients (and presumably himself). What would the NRSC rather have him do - lose money? Stay away from certain types of investments? This represents the same type of thinking that goes on in the most extreme wings of the Democrat Party.
And now, according to the Washington Post, the NRSC is going to air an ad criticizing the property tax hikes that Laffey was forced to make in Cranston after he was elected. Does the NRSC even know what the financial condition of Cranston was in before Laffey was elected? I doubt it. The Democrat and union-run city was bankrupt, Cranston's bond rating was in the tank, corruption was rampant, pensions weren't being funded, and there was a $17,000,000 deficit. The Dems were buying votes to stay in power by giving unions ridiculous contracts, draining the treasury, promising to refuse to raise property taxes to appease residents, and hiding the true financial condition of the city.
This created a situation where the city was in risk of going bankrupt and being taken over by the State of Rhode Island because it couldn't pay it's everyday bills, let alone pension and other long term obligations. In fact, some people were begging for Rhode Island to take over. In July 2002 the (Democrat) General Assembly's Auditor General Ernie Almonte released a report describing how the city got into financial trouble, and what the city should do to get out of it. As part of his program to turn around Cranston's finances after he took over as Mayor, Laffey raised property taxes (which hadn't been raised in five years as city expenditures skyrocketed), as uncomfortable as it was for him to do so, to bring in needed revenue. But he had no choice! Cities can't run deficits! He brought immediate financial accountability to Cranston and the city is now financially solvent.
For the full story of Cranston's financial state before Steve Laffey became mayor here's the 2002 Rhode Island Auditor General's Report.
Does the NRSC not know this? Or are they just tone deaf? They are operating like Democrats, playing fast and loose with the facts. And using the same tactics that have led to the Democrats losing the Presidency, the House, and the Senate! Using these tactics the Democrats are in danger of becoming a permanent minority party. We don't need the NRSC to singlehandedly prevent that.
On the bright side, if Laffey does defeat Chafee in the primary, the Democrats don't have to waste any money developing new ads. They can just go on the NRSC's site and use theirs...
And we wonder why Rhode Island doesn't have a viable Republican Party...
Electing a conservative in Rhode Island is completely impossible. As a state, Rhode Island overwhelmingly supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. One of Senator Chafee's chief attributes as a Senator from Rhode Island is that he thinks independently and wants to do good by Rhode Island. While Chafee may not be close to being a true conservative, he does vote with the President nearly 80% of the time. His counterpart, Senator Reed, only supports the President 65% of the time.
That being said, Laffey is far from a conservative (his words, not mine). When he raised property taxes in Cranston, he gave the city the highest property tax rate in the state!
This is really a contest of the lesser of two evils, and let's be honest, we all want to keep the Senate. I'm not happy with a lot of what's going on, but we need to be pragmatic and realize that the NRSC is just doing it's job by protecting incumbents. Remember, they are also working to keep Santorum, Kyl, etc., in office. At the end of the day, Chafee is our best chance for keeping the seat in Republican hands and that is what's important.
Posted by: Rex Manning | October 19, 2005 at 01:08 PM
Furthermore !
The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee floods the GOP realm weekly with mailings in which, since at least 2002, they plead with members to donate money - stressing that strengthening the Republican majority is key to keeping tax cuts permanent, eliminating the estate tax, lowering capital gains, cutting wasteful government spending, keeping social security solvent, cleaning up the United Nations and winning the war on terrorism.
Yet the RNC and NRSC and (get this), White House Senior Advisor Karl Rove, support U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, whose record shows he is clearly against these things.
I’ve concluded that donating to the National Republican Party is a bad investment at this point in time. Until the RNC and the White House start acting like Republicans again, I urge reform-minded conservatives to seek other ways to support the lofty cause of liberty.
Posted by: truck4growth | October 19, 2005 at 12:52 PM
The Republican National Committee is in a crisis of contradiction and it is stooping to new lows. Its leadership is running attack ads, in fact a smear campaign; paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, against a Republican Mayor (Stephen P. Laffey of Cranston) who has done more to promote the core Republican ideals of honest, fiscally responsible government than many of the incumbents the party elite in Washington have chosen to protect. They attack Laffey for having made some of his own money in oil stocks because he criticizes Congress for granting exorbitant tax breaks to big oil companies.
Since when are the RNC, the NRSC and Karl Rove against making money in oil?
The irony plays nicely to Laffey’s point, that the powerful special interests in Washington have too strong an influence over elected officials there. In Rhode Island, only Laffey has a record of standing up to special interests and winning.
Posted by: truck4growth | October 19, 2005 at 12:49 PM
Yep, I know that feeling. Here in Ohio we have Taft (affectionately known by state residents as Governor Tax), and Senators Voinovich and DeWine with which I'm sure you are familiar. It'll be interesting to see how the NRSC attempts to defend DeWine from some strong primary contenders, of whom I will likely be backing one.
Posted by: Chucko | October 18, 2005 at 02:38 PM