In fact, the dark atmosphere surrounding the State House on this overcast afternoon seemed a better encapsulation of the landscape facing Carcieri during his second term.
The challenges include the discovery this week of a budget shortfall seen as topping $100 million, a raft of other pressing fiscal issues, and the reemergence of a stronger speaker. Carcieri characteristically touted himself as feeling “very positive” after warding off a tough challenge and he cited plans to roll out “a very ambitious agenda,” including a heightened focus on improved performance in the state’s urban school systems. It’s fair to wonder, though, how much enthusiasm he’ll have for fighting the General Assembly and the attendant task of building statewide Republican representation.
While change in the RI GOP’s leadership seems very likely by next March — if not sooner — Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal remained oblique in the aftermath of the election. Asked if the governor will continue to support Morgan, Neal says, “It’s far too early to speculate about what, if any, change will occur at the Republican Party over the course of the next two years.”
Even with their considerable frustration, some Republican Rhode Islanders remain hopeful about the party’s future.
“We have nowhere to go but up, right?” jokes Mia Caetano, the head of the Rhode Island Young Republicans. Turning more serious, Caetano adds, “I think we’re going to get there. We have a lot of young energy. If we’re just given the opportunity to utilize that potential, I think the party will grow tremendously.”
Still, with each passing election season, as the RI GOP holds the governor’s office, but not much else, it moves farther and farther from the Holmes-engineered strategic apex of 1983 — when anger over a botched redistricting plan tripled, from seven to 21, the number of Republican state senators.
Considering this, it’s no wonder that Bill Lynch, chairman of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, says, “If I had any good advice for the Republican Party, which I do, I will never tell them. They ought to just keep doing what they’re doing.”
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Ian Donnis:idonnis@phx.com
