Obama can take endorsement and 'shove it," says Dem

[sabra]

Source: CNN

(CNN) – President Obama is making a campaign stop in Rhode Island Monday but he’s not getting a particularly warm welcome from the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Amid news Obama is refraining from endorsing Democrat Frank Caprio during his swing through the state, Caprio told a local radio station that the president can “take his endorsement and really shove it.”

"We had one of the worst floods in the history of the United States a few months back and President Obama didn't even do a flyover of Rhode Island like President Bush did when New Orleans had their problems. He ignored us and now he's coming into Rhode Island and treating us like an ATM machine,” Caprio, the state’s treasurer, also told WPRO’s John Depetro.

Caprio is neck-and-neck in the polls with former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, running as an independent. Chafee, the only Republican to vote against the authorization of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, lost his Senate reelection bid in 2006 and later left the GOP.

Chafee went on to endorse then-presidential candidate Obama in 2008, saying then, "“I believe Senator Obama is the best candidate to restore American credibility, to restore our confidence to be moral and to bring people together to solve the complex issues such as the economy, the environment and global stability."

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/25/dem-candidate-obama-can-take-endorsement-and-shove-it/

---

Update:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20020551-503544.html?tag=stack

Obama Won't Endorse R.I. Democrat Frank Caprio

On a visit to Rhode Island on behalf of Democratic Congressional candidates, President Obama won't lend his support Monday to the party's gubernatorial hopeful, Frank Caprio.

"He will not be making an endorsement in the race," says White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki. In a Sunday conference call with reporters, Psaki would not explain why the president is distancing himself from Caprio, who is locked in a tight four-way contest to become Rhode Island's chief executive.

The unspoken explanation lies in the fact that one of Caprio's rivals for the job is former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, running for Governor as an Independent. He served in the Senate with Mr. Obama as one of the chamber's most moderate Republicans.

After losing his bid for re-election in 2006, Chafee left the GOP and in early 2008, endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy for president before the Rhode Island Democratic Primary, in which Mr. Obama placed 2nd behind Hillary Clinton.

[still_one]

1. Chafee is a good guy, however, Obama should be endorsing the Democrat /nt

[stellanoir]

3. caprio is a thug

n/t

[jonnyblitz]

4. yes but we are told 24/7 we MUST support the DEMS no matter

how vile.

[still_one]

5. I don't know a thing about him, tell me why? /nt

[stellanoir]

Welp

in order to explain I'd have to go into a long winded diatribe regarding the sometimes jaded history of the dinkiest state with the longest name.

It's a quirky place for sure.

I love it though.

Suffice it to say for now that people of his ilk (not an ethnic reference at all) are precisely why when I travel or meet people from elsewhere and they inquire about my state of origin I consistantly say, "We were corrupt long before it became nationally trendy."

My great grandfather retired from his position as State Senator in the early 1900's because even then the corruption was astounding.

Kindly pardon my gene pool for burbling.

[still_one]

18. I will google background on him, thanks /nt

[stellanoir]

24. You more than likely won't find much.

Since the big Mob busts in the 70's most have kept their records clean.

It's more his cronies and though guilt by association isn't fair in most cases, this state is riddled with nepotism and "scratch my back fever."

[No Elephants]

31. Still not one single thing to back your claims that he is a thug and that your

comment about "his ilk" has nothing to do with his (or their) ethnicity. I guess you'd say your referencoe to the Mob has nothing to do with his ethnicity, either.

"It's more his cronies and though guilt by association isn't fair in most cases, this state is riddled with nepotism and "scratch my back fever."

NONE of which makes Caprio a thug.

It's a very strong claim. If you had any valid basis for it, you would be able to cite something specifiic about this man. Instead, the only basis for your slurs seem to be that he's Italian while running for office in Rhode Island.

I call bs (among other things), stellanoir.

[stellanoir]

35. Thank you for that

At least someone else concurs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x488024

If you look at a reference of elected officials in RI over the past several decades you'll find that most are of Italian ethnicity. That has nothing to do with why he responded to the President's omission with such extreme indelicacy and disrespect.

I'm not inclined to smear someone on their social behavior but sometimes it *does* speak volumes.

Spend a few days here and maybe you'll get the idea.

[No Elephants]

42. Wow. Did you move THAT goal post fast and far. And don't thank me for calling bs on your claims.

Linking to another thread with an unsupported claim doesn't prove a basis for your claims, either. And, if you had meant his reply to Obama = he's a thug, you would have said that to begin with, instead of giving us vague allusions to the Mob keeping his deeds safe from prying eyes of Google and back scratching.

When you try to backpedal, people notice.

[iverglas]

45. did you read the link??

It's to post 30 in *this* thread. I'd read it, and I found it very interesting, looking in from the outside at the strange version of party politics practised in the U.S. ;)

[No Elephants]

51. Did you read all of stellanoir's posts? I stand by all my responses to her or him

Her posts had nothing to do with who was "lefter," the issue in Reply 30. And the link in her post on which I clicked was not to Reply 30 in this thread, but to a thread in GDP in which another poster called Caprio a "thug," the same word as stellanoir had used in her first post on this thread, only that other poster based his or her remark on Caprio's remarks re: Obama, not the vowel at the end of Caprio's surname. And then, for the first time, stellanoir referred to her "smearing" someone on the basis of social behavior. Until then, her position seemed to be that Rhode Island has had a lot of corruption and a lot of Italian politicians, therefore Caprio was a thug.

[iverglas]

57. forgive me; it's to *the same article* as in post 30

I thought that was what attention was being directed to, either way ...

Is making the kind of public remarks Caprio made about Obama actually "social behaviour"?

I know those were stellanoir's words, but what she was really talking about was: "he responded to the President's omission with such extreme indelicacy and disrespect".

I appreciate that state and federal politics/government are different things. The same is true of provincial and federal politics in Canada. Parties and their representatives can be very different at the two levels. (We have the British Columbia "Liberal Party", a sort of northern version of Dixiecrats. ;) Not that the Liberal Party itself is any more left than the US Democratic Party ...)

Outright attacking the head of state / head of federal government who represents one's own party, though, not to mention dissociating one's self from that party's federal policies at such a crucial point, in the context of simultaneous federal elections -- it's a weird way to do things.

It's likely not of much interest south of the border, but we do have a lot of experience with three-way races here in Canada; they're the standard, in fact. And the supposely middle party, the Liberals, who could be seen as the equivalent of Democratic candidates facing a Republican on their right and an independent on their left, seek to sway voters by portraying themselves as the real face of the left, not of the right as US Democrats do in that situation. It's the difference between the electorates; Canadian voters are more heavily concentrated on the slighly left/"socially liberal" side of the spectrum, while US voters are more heavily concentrated on the right/authoritarian side.

Still, I wonder what would happen if more Democrats decided to try to occupy the space on the left a little more often and a little more forcefully, particularly in situations like this where the opportunity seems to be there.

[stellanoir]

53. Call it what you will.

Not that it'll matter to you but I generally have at least 5 reasons for forming an opinion and caprio's perceived thuggery is just my humble opinion based on factors that you probably won't find on the internet. Some are perceived, some are anecdotal, and some are confidential.

Making that sort of lude reference to a duly elected sitting President for not propping up his show doesn't exactly exemplify graciousness.

As for your sports analogy, not only am I allergic to competitive sports (perhaps with the exceptions of synchronized swimming and the luge) but I much prefer non linear paths to ascension.

You may call it backpedaling but I call it a dance.

tra la la

Have a nice day.

[No Elephants]

55. LOL.

[gaspee]

58. As a fellow Rhode Islander

I agree with you completely. Not only is he a right winger, but he's a dickhead, personally, just like our current governor.

[stellanoir]

66. thanks neighbor for both the back up and your post down thread

I'm a native but have lived in many other regions of the country and maybe someone has to live here to understand how we sort of have our own unique brands of both corruption and quirk.

:hi:

[Chemical Bill]

74. This may not Prove that he's a thug...

but here's the latest from the Providence Journal:
http://www.projo.com/news/content/governor_campaign_monday_10-19-10_VTKEH8O_v31.230e1d7.html

[No Elephants]

21. His ilk? Again, ANYthing specific about this particular man?

[Chemical Bill]

73. Caprio wants to demolish the pensions of public workers.

As a city worker, that's enough for me to hate him.

Bill

[Iowa]

76. As a retiree from a far-away state, it's enough from me to hate him too.

[bdamomma]

13. I bet, this visit of the President isn't an endorsement visit is it?

I would love to be there to see him.

[stellanoir]

26. I'm fairly sure that Obama is endorsing

David Cicillini (the current Mayor of Providence) for Patrick Kennedy's Congressional seat.

[No Elephants]

19. His wiki gives zero indication of anything like that. Anything specific in mind?

[stellanoir]

27. See post #24

[No Elephants]

32. I did. It's a lot of nothing--or worse. See Replies 21 and 31.

[MisterP]

82. funny, that usually earns an admin ENDORSEMENT nowadays nt

[MinneapolisMatt]

2. Is every president required

to do a fly-over over every natural disaster?

We had awful flooding here in Minnesota, but I didn't expect him to fly over or anything.

It's a bit, umm, dramatic to be comparing RI flooding to Katrina...

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

6. So. Let me get this right...

... we have a "progressive" President who:

1. is cajoling - nay chastising and subsequently demanding - for the "good" of the nation, that we support him and his "progressive" Presidency by first, voting in this election, and second, voting for Democrats;

2. BUT who is now, himself, actively declining to voice his OWN support for the Democratic candidate in a GUBERNATORIAL race where that candidate is well within the margins of all polls and statistical analyses to prevail in that race;

3. and to add salt to the wound of this sorry, hypocritical misery: who's OWN administration and political teams did not even provide the courtesy to that Democratic candidate of allowing customary and personal advance notice - forcing that candidate to learn about this overwhelming and myopic Presidential diss from the god damn media AFTER the White House confirms the diss?

Oh Yeah. I am so glad that I spent two years before the morning of January 20, 2009 supporting, working for, and funding this "progressive" President and his professional, competent, and truly righteous political operation.

[South End Liberal]

37. Well said.

:fistbump:

[Skinner]

44. That's an odd way to spin this.

The Democratic Candidate for Governor in RI said that Obama can take his endorsement and "shove it."

It's clear that he's running AGAINST Obama.

President Obama is doing exactly what this guy wants him to do. The guy has made it abundantly clear that he does not want the President's support.

[No Elephants]

47. Did Caprio say that before or after he learned Obama was not going to endorse him

(Caprio), though? Why would any Dem candidate who assumed a popular Dem President would endorse him say something like that? What would he gain?

[Skinner]

49. My understanding is that the guy has been attacking Obama for a while.

I think it's stupid. But if I were to venture a guess to explain his behavior, I think he is expecting progressives to vote for Independent liberal former-Republican Chafee, so he's doing this to attract conservative Obama haters.

[No Elephants]

52. "A while," as in before Caprio learned Obama would not endorse him?

If that's indeed the case, Obama is showing great restraint--more than I would.

[Skinner]

63. I think a Rhode Islander is going to have to inform us both about the facts.

"My understanding" appears to have not been correct. This is what I get for shooting off my mouth based on what I read on Democratic Underground. :blush:

I couldn't find any independent evidence to support the assertion that he has been running against Obama.

So, unless someone can provide some facts here, It appears that I was wrong. Which would suggest that President Obama's lack of endorsement may have been payback for Chafee.

Thank you for keeping me honest. :thumbsup:

[iverglas]

69. obviously I'm not, but I read post 30

Bits like:

... most recently, and remarkably, a call for the continuation of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy.

Those maneuvers, combined with a still mysterious meeting with Republican National Committee officials in February, have damaged his Democratic bona fides. ...

[Chemical Bill]

78. Caprio has certainly been attacking the policies that President Obama has.

But he did say nice things about the man while he was under the impression that POTUS might endorse him. The State house here has some very ugly policies passed by Democrats. They gave our repug governor 5 years of tax cuts for the rich, capping it off with more tax cuts for the rich from stimulus money. Caprio, as state treasurer, has been watching from the bench lately, but his professed desire to keep *'s tax cuts for the rich is telling.

Bill

[Ian David]

48. I think he got the idea from the Harry Reid skit on SNL the other night. n/t

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

83. Not Really...

...when my focus is competent, cutting-edge, and successful political strategy - presumed on the part of my President and his team. Such a presumption - for those of us frequently referenced as "purist pricks" relative to our progressive ideals - has become a presumption regretfully abandoned awhile ago.

Some stipulations: 1. Chafee is a very good man with a political genome that is beyond repute; he would make an eminent Governor; 2. I know little of the Democrat that my President and his team elected to disrespect in this manner.

But I do know that you would never find the Republicans - or their new found BFF, the Teabaggers - ever doing such a thing. For the most part, that bastard, Reagan's, "eleventh" commandment prevails to this day.

When you consider that we sit on the eve of a truly spectacular disaster for a party, that this country handed to its "progressive" President, complete control, I rest my case as to who knows how to play the game with ultimate skill and success. My President knows little of the rules of this vicious game in the current environment - nor does he have the stomach to grab their friggin' balls and yank until he hears a chorus of "uncle" each and every time he goes into the ring.

That vile crime organization, the GOP, already has effective control of the judicial. And thanks to the Obama collective, they are quite possibly two weeks short of absolute control of the legislative and the destruction of this Presidency and the Democratic party.

Moreover, they have done this with but ten basis points of the overall and aggregate intellectual power of the Democrats and less than two years after my President enjoyed one of the most penultimate victories in the history of politics.

What did he do with that victory? He caved, he compromised, he sought mediation - and did so usually before the ref even rang the bell to start each round. He has shown the most abysmal political sensitivities, hence my criticism of him in this regard as yet another in a list that is so long I can not even begin to enumerate all the tragic political fuck-ups of the last eighteen months.

In this matter, all Obama had to do was have his COS pick up the phone and give the Democrat a call and explain that secondary to Chafee's prior support of the President, the COS is "sure" that the Democrat would "understand and agree" that the President would prefer to remain neutral. This would allow the Democrat to disclose in his own manner and concurrently at least preserve some semblance of political unity and spirit - especially if the Democrat DOES win.

And, no. The Democrat did not decline nor offer today's retort prior to Team Obama yet again tripping over their dicks in the way in which this was executed:

"The Democratic candidate for Rhode Island governor is telling President Barack Obama to 'shove it' after learning Obama would not endorse him.

Frank Caprio's campaign last week said he would welcome Obama's endorsement.

Caprio called Obama's decision 'Washington insider politics at its worst.' Caprio had been scheduled to appear with Obama at two events Monday. The White House wouldn't comment on Caprio's remarks. "

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/rhode-island-dem-obama-shove-it/

... that last sentence, in its silence, speaks volumes.

[emulatorloo]

59. I think you missed the part where the Dem Candidate told Obama to Fuck Himself.

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

84. A citation and link...

... would be appreciated and especially respected if it: 1. contains the precise term "fuck" in reference to the President and 2. is placed prior to Team Obama's tragic mismanagement and sad execution of this entire affair in the last 48 hours.

[Chemical Bill]

77. Caprio is to the right of most of our state.

If you like DINOs that's your business, but don't force them on me thanks.

Bill

[TeaBagsAreForCups]

85. I would appreciate and respect...

... if you might excerpt the precise statement in any of my posts where I even suggested any taste fo DINOs.

As a proud member of the group, sometimes referenced here on DU as "purist pricks" relative to the sincerity of our progressive focus, ideals, and goals, that would make me precisely the opposite.

Actually one might suggest that specific to political and administrative skill and strategy on behalf of the Democratic party for which he is the chief steward - especially vis-a-vis the potential disaster we face less than two weeks out - one could reasonably posit for discussion that President Obama is the DINO, not me.

[Chemical Bill]

88. .

... we have a "progressive" President who:

1. is cajoling - nay chastising and subsequently demanding - for the "good" of the nation, that we support him and his "progressive" Presidency by first, voting in this election, and second, voting for Democrats;

2. BUT who is now, himself, actively declining to voice his OWN support for the Democratic candidate in a GUBERNATORIAL race where that candidate is well within the margins of all polls and statistical analyses to prevail in that race;

3. and to add salt to the wound of this sorry, hypocritical misery: who's OWN administration and political teams did not even provide the courtesy to that Democratic candidate of allowing customary and personal advance notice - forcing that candidate to learn about this overwhelming and myopic Presidential diss from the god damn media AFTER the White House confirms the diss?

Oh Yeah. I am so glad that I spent two years before the morning of January 20, 2009 supporting, working for, and funding this "progressive" President and his professional, competent, and truly righteous political operation.

You suggest that Caprio might deserve the respect of the President, let alone the endorsement. That you put the word progressive in quotation marks when speaking about President Obama and yet have no reservations about Caprio tells me that you have studying to do about Caprio.

You might start here:
http://www.frankcaprio.com/

Bill

[davidinalameda]

7. Obama kicking someone to the curb?

say it ain't so!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. I would support Lincoln Chafee over this FOOL in a split second! n/t

[PassingFair]

9. Why?

What has this "fool" done?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

41. He's a hothead and a jerk! At the very least, I can count on Chafee to vote

against wars. He's more liberal than many Democrats are. I support Chafee on this one.

[kelly1mm]

68. What wars would he be voting against as the Governor of R.I.? nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

70. You didn't understand what I meant. He voted against the invasion of Iraq.

I suppose that we should stop referring to it as a "war." It was an illegal invasion.

As senator, he was one of few who voted against the invasion.

That's what I meant.

On other matters, he is a liberal, which I support. And he is ethical and reasonable. A true statesman.

If I lived in RI, I would definitely vote for him.

[kelly1mm]

75. I didn't know Chaffee's record and so I looked it up. Hard to believe

that he ws a R with those positions. Shows how far the R's have moved.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

79. Yep. You should definitely be for Chafee. He's probably more liberal than many Dems

currently serving. Again, one of only two Republican senators voting against the invasion.

[Chemical Bill]

89. The class war.

Caprio wants to demolish public pensions, putting the money into 401Ks. He wants to privatize education. He loves *'s tax cuts for the rich.

Look here:
http://www.frankcaprio.com/

Bill

[No Elephants]

23. Very different. You are not head of the Democratic Party.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

40. Ahhh... but the head of the Democratic Party made himself very visible in the primaries, now didn't

he? Telling us who to support and whatnot. I'm still pissed off by that.

[TuxedoKat]

64. I would too!

I don't know anything about him but after making such a disgusting and disrespectful comment like that about our President, it makes me think there are other reasons Pres. Obama declines to endorse him than just being friends with Lincoln Chaffee. I wouldn't want someone in office with such poor self-control and bad manners.

[Arkana]

67. Me too. Linc should have joined us a long time ago.

He's more liberal than a lot of Democrats.

[bdamomma]

90. I would like to see Chaffee win.

[bos1]

10. Sounds like a Tea Party Democrat. Screw him.

The Independent candidate is more progressive, anyway

[No Elephants]

25. Like LIeberman?

[marias23]

11. Inappropriate Language that Gains NOTHING

I am not a formal guy but sometimes a little respect is called for. Why would you vote for someone who, if they win will have a terrible relationship with the administration? I detest the Repubs but would under these circumstances vote for Chaffee.

[progressoid]

12. Didn't Chafee endorse Obama in the primaries?

:shrug:

[Pirate Smile]

22. Yes, in February of 2008.

[No Elephants]

28. And that makes it ok for the head of the Democratic Party to abandon the nominee of Rhode Island's

Democrats?

[emulatorloo]

60. Sorry, he sounds like an angry asshole.

[Life Long Dem]

14. Oh come on now.

Where is that enthusiasm we see from the people at the rallies?

Obama still may give him that endorsement. We'll stay tuned for any updates.

[No Elephants]

34. LOL. See Reply 16 and the updated OP.

[iverglas]

15. should one be reminded of Maryland 1966?

A racist right-wing Democrat lost to a moderate Republican when liberal Democratic voters defected from their party.

And thus was born Spiro Agnew ...

Okay, a bit over the top, maybe.

But damn it, when will you people south of the border get a grip on party politics?? And Democrats get a grip on their candidates, in particular. In the rest of the world, parties stand for things, and the people who join them and run under their banner adhere to the principles and policies the party represents.

Big tents don't actually have to be circuses, and when you let the lions and tigers in, they don't generally just lie down with the liberals.

How is it that a non-Democratic candidate is more Democratic than the Democrat?

:shrug:

[sabra]

16. update: Obama Won't Endorse R.I. Democrat Frank Caprio

... added to OP

[Life Long Dem]

20. Fox News will be giving an update too!

Fox News makes the news.

[No Elephants]

36. LOL, what does Fox News have to do with CBS's reporting what Psaki said?

"He will not be making an endorsement in the race," says White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki."

Gee, I guess if Fox gives us the same quote, it will mean CBS or Psaki or both lied, right?

[Life Long Dem]

54. Okay, I see the update now.

Fox News has the news on this.

[Blue_Tires]

17. Chafee is almost certainly the more liberal candidate anyway...

He was the last of the old-style New England republicans (fiscally conservative, socially liberal)before they were hunted down and killed off by the RW...

[No Elephants]

38. Like Lieberman and Crist? Obama is not head of the unaffiliated Party, nor are we at DU supposed

to advocate for the more liberal candidate, only the Democratic candidate.

We get held to a higher standard of loyalty to Dems than does the head of the Democratic Party.

[impik]

29. Oh wow, this dude has so much "class", i can't see what someone like Obama won't like him...

The only thing he left out was the "black ass" ending to this beautiful wording.

[Pirate Smile]

30. So Chafee is the liberal in the race and Caprio is running as the centrist.

Caprio's Clinton fixation
The gubernatorial hopeful is running an ‘It’s The Economy, Stupid’ campaign. But will the centrist approach work in a liberal-leaning state?
-snip-
Moreover, if Caprio's right-of-center politics put him at risk in a left-of-center state, he's already made it through what should have been his most vulnerable period: the Democratic gubernatorial primary, which features a far more liberal electorate than the general election.
But left-leaning Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, who might have posed the biggest primary threat to Caprio, decided to pass on the race. And his remaining Democratic foe, Attorney General Patrick Lynch, never caught fire with progressives.
Lynch, who quit the race before primary day, came from a family of old-line, middle-of-the-road politicians. And his lurch to the left was unconvincing for progressives already eyeing a more appealing, general election alternative: Chafee.

Indeed, Chafee — a former Republican senator who quit the party after his defeat in 2006 and later endorsed Barack Obama for president — has managed to garner the support of several large unions and environmental groups that have almost reflexively backed Democrats for decades.
And while labor's talents in getting voters to the polls are often overstated, there is reason to believe the unions could be a real asset this time out. In September, labor officials knocked on hundreds of doors around the state and were able to knock off several conservative state legislators in the Democratic primaries — Caprio's brother David among them.

-snip-
That's a problem for Caprio. While Clinton, doing battle with Ross Perot and George H.W. Bush, was able to challenge Democratic orthodoxy on welfare and the like without fear of losing progressives, Caprio has no such luxury.
In fact, with Chafee firmly entrenched on the left, Caprio has been forced to compete with Republican John Robitaille for right-of-center votes — hence, an attempt to ease Robitaille out of the race that blew up on the campaign a few months back and an embrace of several GOP ideas: most recently, and remarkably, a call for the continuation of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy.
Those maneuvers, combined with a still mysterious meeting with Republican National Committee officials in February, have damaged his Democratic bona fides. A recent poll out of Brown University had him clinging to a narrow lead over Chafee among Democrats, 43 to 40 percent. And Chafee's internal polling gives Caprio just a one-point advantage.

Those numbers have some Democrats further down the ballot nervous. "There's real concern, within multiple sections of the party, about Frank's electability," says one Democratic operative.
But if Caprio's ideological play is fueling that concern, so are questions of character. Chafee has built his gubernatorial bid around a "trust me" message that leans heavily on the family name. His father John was a well-regarded governor and senator who ran as "the man you can trust." Chafee's own tenure as a Senate Republican was marked by opposition to the Bush Administration on the Iraq War and tax cuts.
And the "Trust Chafee" lawn signs and bumper stickers come with a less-than-subtle corollary: you can't trust the other guy. The Chafee camp has played up a Wall Street Journal article suggesting that Caprio, the state treasurer, traded campaign contributions from law firms for legal work in his office.

-snip-
But insiders say the get-out-the-vote effort will be hamstrung, a bit, by several Democratic candidates' decisions to contribute less than requested to the party's coordinated campaign effort.
There are some turf issues involved: the Cicilline camp, for instance, does not want to fold the extensive field operation it built during a competitive primary into the party-wide, general election effort. But there is also a disconnect between the universe of voters targeted by the gubernatorial standard bearer at the top of the ticket and the candidates listed below.

-snip-
Downballot Democrats like Cicilline, Roberts, and treasurer candidate Gina Raimondo need to plumb Chafee strongholds like his native Warwick and the tony East Side of Providence. And they must rally the progressives and union voters who made such a strong showing in the primary.
If they succeed — if they get voters who might lean toward Chafee in the governor's race to the polls — they could actually damage the prospects of their own gubernatorial nominee. And the greater the pressure on his left flank, the more important it becomes for Caprio to reach into Robitaille's voter pool.

http://providence.thephoenix.com/news/110308-caprios-clinton-fixation/

[Jefferson23]

33. Very interesting is all I can say for now on Obama's decision.

Chafee wrote a book recently of which I only read a few excerpts. One thing he expressed was that
he made a point to explain Cheney from his experiences. He talks about how before the election
he was led to believe the Republicans would address issue such as health care, climate change etc.

As soon as Bush won, Cheney came to speak with the Republicans and changed all of that. Also adding
he was not ever part of the insiders Republican group and was very disappointed with how Cheney/Bush
led..but who knows.

I thought it was interesting how he focused so much on to what Cheney told them how things would be run,
as opposed to Bush. He confirms what we all believed, it was a Cheney/Bush White House for the most part.

[KoKo]

81. Reviews of that book painted Chafee as very angry at his own party

but not being comfortable with Dems enough to switch. He did do some "swing votes" while he was there for us Dems...so he was the equivalent of our "Blue Dogs" voting with Repugs ...in that he sometimes voted for Dem initiatives.

But, Rhode Islander DU'ers would probably understand the mix better than an outsider like me. His father, I believe was a "fair man" ....but that was a different time when votes weren't so partisan, doctrinaire.

[Ticonderoga]

39. As a lifelong democrat,

I would vote for Mr. Chafee.

[rainlillie]

43. Spoken like a mature man who is ready for elected office.. SMH!

[and-justice-for-all]

46. That is what people do when they do not get what they want..

or believe they deserve...temper tantrums.

[Bigmack]

50. This is exactly why I'm pissed at O'bama...

and the Dems generally. Total wimpitude! Any Party discipline out there? <....crickets....>

You old farts.... Could you imagine what would happen to anybody like this bozo if he did that shit with Lyndon Johnson?... Harry Truman?...hell, Bill Clinton?

No fear of retribution.....and believe me, no retribution will be forthcoming.

[No Elephants]

61. What would you have the head of the U.S. Democratic Party do to

the nominee of the Rhode Island Democratic Party? who is pissed about no endorsement from the head of his Party?

Besides, silence speaks volumes. And, I never want the POTUS in a pissing contest. IMO, it diminishes the POTUS more than the target. In fact, it may elevate the target. JMO

[Bigmack]

65. The Pres has all the power...

in the situation... as does the Party. Money is apparently the only thing that counts in elections now, and the Party has it. If... if... the guy gets elected he can be frozen out and out of there fast.

Pissing contest? This is not some kind of game. If the Party wants discipline, they enforce discipline. This guy needs to be sat on... hard.

Are you saying the Party can't do anything to him?

Naive.

[emulatorloo]

62. Because Obama won't endorse a guy who basically told him to fuck himself?

This guy is not a "liberal" or a "progressive." He is running AGAINST Obama, basically.

[gaspee]

56. I'm a Rhode Islander

And I'm voting for Chafee. He was the mayor of my city and he was an awesome mayor.

He's pro-marriage equality.

Caprio has the stench of corruption all around him for a couple of reasons. The RI state house is corrupt. He ran the damn place.

He's a freaking right-winger!

He led the charge to do away with the capitol gains tax.

Want a corruption story? This is the kind of crap Caprio does.

Caprio seeks state grant for son's school.

Rhode Island is basically a one party state. Caprio belongs in the republican party but he knows he can't be elected dog catcher as a republican.

[KoKo]

80. Interesting...thanks for the post for us non-RIslanders..but with a relative

or two there...

[Jefferson23]

86. Great to hear info from a Rhode Islander, thanks gaspee. n/t

[MrsMatt]

87. Reminds me a bit of Norm Coleman when he was a Dem

I really had to hold my nose to vote for him when he was running for mayor of St Paul.

He sucked as a mayor, he was a womanizing SOB, and two faced to boot.

He always carried the whiff of republicanism - I'd refer him as a Republican in Democrat's clothing. No surprise when he jumped parties.

[bdamomma]

91. how are Chaffee numbers in the polls, as a ex pat RI'er

I hope I get my absentee ballot soon then I can vote.

[BolivarianHero]

92. What are you talking about?

I'm from Canada, and even I know who Lincoln Almond and Don Carcieri are.

[struggle4progress]

71. RNC chair Steele says he met Caprio in February

12:13 PM Mon, Oct 25, 2010
By Edward Fitzpatrick
Journal Political Columnist

... The meeting happened at a time when Caprio was facing questions about whether he'd run as a Democrat, Republican or independent. Caprio is a lifelong Democrat, but he was viewed as more conservative than the other Democrat running for governor at the time, Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch (who dropped out in July) ...

http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/10/rnc-chair-steele-says-he-met-c.html

[tkmorris]

72. Exactly. Caprio is running as a mercenary

He's wearing our uniform right now, but he certainly isn't one of us. He just wants the office and will do whatever seems expedient to get it.

People like him are why it is important to know who the candidates are and what they stand for rather than just kneejerking a vote for anyone with a 'D' next to their name.