The ProJo has tart advice for Carcieri

While the governor might be reluctant to criticize the Providence Journal, the editorial board at the daily has no such compunctions when it comes to Carcieri.

Although today's lead editorial -- headlined, "New launch for Carcieri?" -- doesn't appear to yet be online, it offers some very sharp advice to the second-term gov:

We realize that being a CEO of a state is grueling work, especially when you're a member of a minority party. We wish anyone well who is trying to make things better. But we care far more about what our political leaders do in developing and implementing policies than we care about their personalities, whether they're "charming" and so on.

If Mr. Carcieri wants to raise his poll numbers, we'd suggest:

-- Getting a tighter administrative grip on some agencies that have displaced some serious managerial woes during his time in office . . .

-- Bargaining with state employee unions rigorously but without venom . . .

. . . .

-- Engaging in less airy rhetoric about Rhode Island's allegedly "wonderful potential" and more in detailed policy prescriptions, explaining strongly and repeatedly why they're good, and getting out there to sell them around the state and to legislators.

-- Growing a thicker skin. Former Gov. Bruce Sundlun is an example of a leader who wasn't afraid of being disliked sometimes to get big things done. He and his successor, Lincoln Almond, also knew how to get people in a room to bargain.

In four years, what will people think of when they think of the Carcieri administration? What will be the two or three big accomplishments?

Using Democratic and Republican predecessors to indict the incumbent, and echoing Carcieri's Democratic challenger last year in calling the current gov, in essence, the leader of a do-nothing administration.

Ouch.