The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 

Carcieri and the bully pulpit

 

As Governor Carcieri prepares to tonight deliver his penultimate State of the State address, it's worth considering the governor's once-lauded communication skills -- and how they might have been deployed to greater effect.

As I wrote in 2006:

[A]lthough it seemed clear at the outset that Carcieri was going to project a more robust presence than the quietly effective Lincoln Almond, he has emerged, to the begrudging admiration of his partisan detractors, as Rhode Island’s version of the great communicator. Carcieri’s message mastery and comfort in speaking is so natural, says one Democratic observer, "[That] you can’t teach it. There’s no speaking coach that’s going to create Don Carcieri, or the image of him. He comes across as very genuine, and if anyone is responsible for that, it’s Don Carcieri."

Brown University political science professor Darrell West calls the 63-year-old former corporate CEO the most effective gubernatorial communicator he has seen at the State House. "He knows how to frame a message and to talk to people in a way that they understand," West says. "He understands that you need to boil down your message to a few simple points, and repeat those points over and over so they sink in with the voters."

  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article

Leave a Comment

Login | Not a member yet? Click here to Join
Follow the Providence Phoenix
twitter facebook youtube rss
All Blogs
Filed Under: ,
Related Articles

Boston Phoenix
For Carcieri, A Rare Victory
Published 10/6/2009 by David Scharfenberg
Perpetually at odds with the Democratic legislature and pushing further and further into his lame-duck period, Governor Carcieri rarely has an opportunity to claim a high-profile...

Boston Phoenix
Carcieri to Discuss Shutdown on National, Local TV
Published 8/25/2009 by David Scharfenberg
This just in from the governor's office: Governor Donald L. Carcieri will appear on several national television news programs today, including Fox Business News, Fox...

more by Ian Donnis
Rhody's local food movement finds its groove | February 18, 2009
My last post (as Not for Nothing) | February 12, 2009
Tomorrow: Pulitzer finalist Dray at the Athenaeum | February 12, 2009
Ticket to ride | February 11, 2009
Health-care's big moneyman in New England . . . | February 11, 2009

 See all articles by: Ian Donnis

ADVERTISEMENT
Latest Comments
Confirmation Of Contradiction - Celinda Lake's poll for the Coakley campaign is almost identical to the Boston Globe's (presumably independent...

By Ken on 12-05-2009 in Talking Politics

Totten prosecutor: no vendetta - You're right, anon. I should not have categorized it like that. I just never heard of anything like this...

By Farnkoff on 12-04-2009 in Dont Quote Me

City Council Forums - Куплю у вас ЛИЦЕНЗИОННОЕ программное обеспечение Windows XP, Office 2007, Server 2008 и другие лицензионные...

By Treardirl on 12-04-2009 in Talking Politics

City Council Forums - Наш сайт - самый легкий и быстрый способ найти партнера, имеющего схожие с вашими сексуальные предпочтения...

By SkanokeenInus on 12-04-2009 in Talking Politics

Totten prosecutor: no vendetta - Don't know what you find "creepy" or "kangaroo" about a union or any other organization...

By Anon on 12-04-2009 in Dont Quote Me

Latest Comments from Not For Nothing
Most Viewed
Ticket On-Sale Alert: Harry and the Potters, Mario, Passion Pit, The Lion King, more
VIDEO: Halloween Mash UP
Mp3 of the Week: American Hi-Fi (with bonus Stacy Jones Q&A)
CLICK TRACKS: Music News Roundup (Walken' on Gaga, Weezer in Snuggies, Bono straddles the Berlin Wall, and more)
Ugh, ugh, ugh: Drummer Gerhardt "Jerry" Fuchs (!!!/Turing Machine/Maserati/Juan Maclean) dead at 34
VIDEO: Girls play Great Scott
Come Support Boston MC, Victim of Gun Violence, Tomorrow (Wednesday) Night at Red Sky
Most Viewed from Not For Nothing
Search Blogs
 
Not For Nothing Archives
Saturday, December 05, 2009  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
thePhoenix.com
Phoenix Media/Communications Group
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group