"When one reads the news or listens to pundits, the story about the Democratic Party Primary to run for Rhode Island’s Congressional District 1 seat seems to revolve around endorsements and money..."
also.. disappointing that Michael didn't highlight the numerous local (Leonela Felix, Cherie Cruz, Tiara Mack, Linda Ujifusa, Michelle McGaw, Terri Cortvriend, Megan Cotter, Susan Donovan, Lauren Carson) and national (Jan Schakowsky, Delia Ramirez) progressive women who have endorsed Aaron Regunberg. i guess that doesn't fit into his narrative!
Thanks Tom! I did reference Tiara, and in my previous article I mentioned Leonela and Cherie in discussing the Working Families endorsement. Were I advising him, I would certainly encourage him to reach out to the Squad to mute the points I made in the article. Their name recognition could be meaningful for the constituencies he is seeking to reach.
While these issues of race, class and gender are interesting, identity politics is a lousy choice for the primary consideration when choosing someone to represent us in Congress. I care about policy, and whether or not I can trust the candidate I vote for to faithfully and competently work towards our needs: confronting the climate crisis, the housing crisis, and the other big concerns that we face.
Additionally, in this race, we have to contend with the reach of the Ruggerio political machine. I could care less about the color of Aaron Regunberg's skin or how much money his father-in-law has, when compared to the endorsement of Dominick Ruggerio for Sandra Cano. We need someone who will be an independent voice for this whole state, and not the clique (of old white men) that run the State House like their own personal dictatorship.
This is why I support Regunberg. From my conversations with him I have seen how deeply he cares about and understands the climate crisis and how committed he is to meaningful action to address it. It's no accident that he has the endorsement of Climate Action Rhode Island, among other organizations. And unlike Cano, he isn't a tool of the Ruggerio machine.
thanks Christian. I think Ana Quezada has had a similar critique of that endorsement, but she is concerned about how class matters. But I respect and appreciate how policy and practice lead in your decision. That is a longstanding tradition in US politics. Trust matters too. I didn't get into that, but I think that currency is hotly contested in that race. I'd love to see someone explain how trust is working in the contest! I learned from you. Thank you.
Thank you. Look - while I am not crazy about her messaging (I prefer candidates who lead with what they are going to do, not their identity), I have nothing bad to say about Quezada. However, like 9/10 of the candidates in this race I don't think she has any chance of winning, given a lack of statewide name recognition. Compare this to Cano, who has the backing of the Ruggerio machine, and Regunberg, who came within a few thousand votes of beating McKee for Lt. Governor - and won much of 1st Congressional district when doing so. Unfortunately, I see this as a race between two strong candidates and a bunch of spoilers who would be better suited to build their presence by running for other seats first.
thanks Chris. I continue to learn. When you say there are two strong candidates, do. you mean Aaron and Sandra, or Aaron and Sabina. Last night Aaron said this is not a two person race, while of course Sabina is trying to emphasize that it's between her and him.
2 1/2 strong candidates? I keep forgetting that Sabina Matos is in the race. While she has statewide name recognition, I haven't been as impressed with her accomplishments while in office.
Sandra Cano also supports, as part of her current job with the City of Pawtucket, the illegal destruction of the only athletic field in a lo incomer community of color. As the song says, paved paradise, put up a parking lot. The park is not paradise, but Pawtucket ignored federal law in its attempt to sell the park for a parking lot. Pawtucket has never openly discussed why they were so willing to blatantly ignore federal law and any sense of environmental justice.
This reminds me of my experiences in New Orleans. There were so many politicians of color who sold out their communities at a moment's notice, but still ran on race. This is one of the reasons why I so deeply distrust identity politics. If we want results we have to care about what elected officials *do* more than the color of the skin or their gender identity.
If I may, Christian, I would be careful being so dismissive using the term identity politics. It could sound like you think race doesn't matter, which i presume you don't assume.
Having read transcripts of many of Steve’s interviews with these candidates and of the debate forums he published, I found this article a fair analysis of the candidates, without snark or apparent favor. I liked that I couldn’t tell who Mr Kennedy favored. I appreciated the breakdown of race, gender and class. I could hear a tentativeness in his analysis rather than definitive declarations, which can come off as arrogant at times. My impression is that he respects each candidate - other than Steve Ahlquist, a rare find. Thank you Mr Kennedy for writing this and Steve for publishing it.
Of course race matters, class matters, and gender matters. But if you think that concerns of people of color, women, LGBTQ people, or poor people will be prioritized or even addressed just because you elect someone based on the color of their skin or their sexual or gender identity, then you are a fool.
thanks. I don't call anyone fools myself, but i do like to understand why people think and talk in the ways that we do. I better focus on other matters now, but thanks for sharing.
To be clear, I do not mean to imply that *you* are a fool, because I doubt you take that position. I mean the hypothetical *you*. I think it is a foolish but common mistake to assume that a politician will address the issues that matter to a community based solely on the fact that they are from that community. Those of us who lived in New Orleans and saw black politicians violate the human rights of displaced black people know better than that.
steve i hope you don't pay your guest columnists per word!
Sadly, the guest posts come to me for free. I wish I could pay.
also.. disappointing that Michael didn't highlight the numerous local (Leonela Felix, Cherie Cruz, Tiara Mack, Linda Ujifusa, Michelle McGaw, Terri Cortvriend, Megan Cotter, Susan Donovan, Lauren Carson) and national (Jan Schakowsky, Delia Ramirez) progressive women who have endorsed Aaron Regunberg. i guess that doesn't fit into his narrative!
Good point. I'm glad we have a comments section, and this would be a good thing to note on Twitter.
Thanks Tom! I did reference Tiara, and in my previous article I mentioned Leonela and Cherie in discussing the Working Families endorsement. Were I advising him, I would certainly encourage him to reach out to the Squad to mute the points I made in the article. Their name recognition could be meaningful for the constituencies he is seeking to reach.
I'm glad you don't, Steve!
While these issues of race, class and gender are interesting, identity politics is a lousy choice for the primary consideration when choosing someone to represent us in Congress. I care about policy, and whether or not I can trust the candidate I vote for to faithfully and competently work towards our needs: confronting the climate crisis, the housing crisis, and the other big concerns that we face.
Additionally, in this race, we have to contend with the reach of the Ruggerio political machine. I could care less about the color of Aaron Regunberg's skin or how much money his father-in-law has, when compared to the endorsement of Dominick Ruggerio for Sandra Cano. We need someone who will be an independent voice for this whole state, and not the clique (of old white men) that run the State House like their own personal dictatorship.
This is why I support Regunberg. From my conversations with him I have seen how deeply he cares about and understands the climate crisis and how committed he is to meaningful action to address it. It's no accident that he has the endorsement of Climate Action Rhode Island, among other organizations. And unlike Cano, he isn't a tool of the Ruggerio machine.
thanks Christian. I think Ana Quezada has had a similar critique of that endorsement, but she is concerned about how class matters. But I respect and appreciate how policy and practice lead in your decision. That is a longstanding tradition in US politics. Trust matters too. I didn't get into that, but I think that currency is hotly contested in that race. I'd love to see someone explain how trust is working in the contest! I learned from you. Thank you.
Thank you. Look - while I am not crazy about her messaging (I prefer candidates who lead with what they are going to do, not their identity), I have nothing bad to say about Quezada. However, like 9/10 of the candidates in this race I don't think she has any chance of winning, given a lack of statewide name recognition. Compare this to Cano, who has the backing of the Ruggerio machine, and Regunberg, who came within a few thousand votes of beating McKee for Lt. Governor - and won much of 1st Congressional district when doing so. Unfortunately, I see this as a race between two strong candidates and a bunch of spoilers who would be better suited to build their presence by running for other seats first.
thanks Chris. I continue to learn. When you say there are two strong candidates, do. you mean Aaron and Sandra, or Aaron and Sabina. Last night Aaron said this is not a two person race, while of course Sabina is trying to emphasize that it's between her and him.
2 1/2 strong candidates? I keep forgetting that Sabina Matos is in the race. While she has statewide name recognition, I haven't been as impressed with her accomplishments while in office.
Sandra Cano also supports, as part of her current job with the City of Pawtucket, the illegal destruction of the only athletic field in a lo incomer community of color. As the song says, paved paradise, put up a parking lot. The park is not paradise, but Pawtucket ignored federal law in its attempt to sell the park for a parking lot. Pawtucket has never openly discussed why they were so willing to blatantly ignore federal law and any sense of environmental justice.
thanks for telling me about this Greg!
This reminds me of my experiences in New Orleans. There were so many politicians of color who sold out their communities at a moment's notice, but still ran on race. This is one of the reasons why I so deeply distrust identity politics. If we want results we have to care about what elected officials *do* more than the color of the skin or their gender identity.
If I may, Christian, I would be careful being so dismissive using the term identity politics. It could sound like you think race doesn't matter, which i presume you don't assume.
Having read transcripts of many of Steve’s interviews with these candidates and of the debate forums he published, I found this article a fair analysis of the candidates, without snark or apparent favor. I liked that I couldn’t tell who Mr Kennedy favored. I appreciated the breakdown of race, gender and class. I could hear a tentativeness in his analysis rather than definitive declarations, which can come off as arrogant at times. My impression is that he respects each candidate - other than Steve Ahlquist, a rare find. Thank you Mr Kennedy for writing this and Steve for publishing it.
I so appreciate this Susan Wright. You read my intentions clearly; I am glad that it came through, at least for you!
Of course race matters, class matters, and gender matters. But if you think that concerns of people of color, women, LGBTQ people, or poor people will be prioritized or even addressed just because you elect someone based on the color of their skin or their sexual or gender identity, then you are a fool.
And that's a lesson straight from New Orleans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybPjo2PG0kA
thanks. I don't call anyone fools myself, but i do like to understand why people think and talk in the ways that we do. I better focus on other matters now, but thanks for sharing.
To be clear, I do not mean to imply that *you* are a fool, because I doubt you take that position. I mean the hypothetical *you*. I think it is a foolish but common mistake to assume that a politician will address the issues that matter to a community based solely on the fact that they are from that community. Those of us who lived in New Orleans and saw black politicians violate the human rights of displaced black people know better than that.