Seeding the Grass Roots

Voter Coalition: Burrillville

By Justin Katz | February 24, 2010 |

So the Crystal Lake Country Club in Burrillville (Burrillville? Maplewood? I found at least four different addresses for this building) is kinda hard to find. The PA system guy was late, and moderator was late, so even though it’s already 7:06 p.m., somebody just announced that they’ll begin the RI Voter Coalition program in 15…

Political Season in Full Swing Already?

By Justin Katz | February 23, 2010 |

Tomorrow’s RI Voter Coalition event has turned out to have quite a line-up. I’ll be there watching, and silently heckling on the Internet. (That’s a figure of speech, of course.) Also this week, on Saturday, is the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition’s Winter Meeting, which is always worth a couple of hours on a Saturday morning.

Jeffrey Deckman: A Clarification

By Engaged Citizen | January 29, 2010 |

I noticed some confusion surrounding my recent remarks pertaining to the distinctions between the RISC Business Network and the Tea Party. Unfortunately, communications in, and with, the media require a level of forced brevity at times. I appreciate the opportunity to provide some clarification on my statements. My point is this: The Tea Party has…

RI Tea Party Meeting Video

By Justin Katz | January 28, 2010 |

Because the inquiries started before I’d gotten to the door, here is as much video as I was able to get up before most of y’all are awake. I’ll add the presentations of Bill Felkner, Mark Zaccaria, and Sandra Thompson as soon as I’m able. Seven of ten segments are up (click on the extended…

Late Night “Huh?”

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2010 |

Staying up a little later than usual tonight to process some video, I noticed this quotation from Steve Peoples’s report about the Tea Party meeting: The Statewide Coalition’s Business Network, which is trying to raise $500,000 to support pro-business candidates this fall, has no relationship with the Tea Party either, according to the head of…

RI Tea Party Meeting

By Justin Katz | January 27, 2010 |

Rather than traverse the state all night, I came straight to the RI Tea Party meeting in Quonset. People other than me have finally begun to arrive, which is good, because I was fearful that the channel 6 reporter would interview me simply out of boredom. 6:25 p.m. The cocktail hour has officially begun, and…

Catching a Constituency Before They Flee

By Justin Katz | January 25, 2010 |

Among the more disconcerting inevitabilities of Rhode Island’s method of self-destruction is that the policies that are destroying the state drive away what I’ve called “the productive class,” so as the situation gets worse, the proportion of the electorate that would be inclined to change things for the better shrinks. By productive class, I mean…

Seeing Office as a Possibility

By Justin Katz | January 20, 2010 |

I found this email, posted in the Corner, last night, to be very encouraging: I am a 28 year old WASPy Conservative. I never went through a liberal period. This race made me actually ask myself the question, “Could I run for our House seat and make a go of it?” I know the answer,…

Re: A New Year Begins…

By Donald B. Hawthorne | January 4, 2010 |

Trying to effect change in Rhode Island at even the local level has been a monumental struggle with almost no success to show for it. Frankly, after years of trying, I have concluded it is not worth the effort. I crossed the state border again this Fall, this time leaving Rhode Island permanently. I recommend…

A New Year Begins…

By Justin Katz | January 4, 2010 |

… with the Providence Journal declaring itself part of the old, dead Rhode Island. Some of the paper’s journalists have been doing an admirable job of trying to cover Rhode Island as we all see it, but its list of “10 people to watch” in 2010 consists of: An arts entrepreneur A far left healthcare…

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