Sunday, September 03, 2006

The Weird Politics Of Rhode Island

Lincoln Chafee and his primary opponent Stephen Laffey both appeared on ABC's This Week this morning.

What many may not know is the office Chafee held before Senator. He was the mayor of Warwick.

Laffey's political background? Mayor of Cranston.

Yes, children when you live in a state as small as Rhode Island, you shoot straight from Mayor to U.S. Senator.

This weird political track leads to some bizarre campaign discussions. Chafee and Laffey (sounds like a failed Warner Bros cartoon tandem) took shots at each other on tax issues. Not uncommon for politicians, but since these guys were mayors, it took a twist. A discussion of bond ratings. BOND RATINGS! Bond ratings and property taxes are very important issues on a local level, but I challenge anyone to find a previous instance of discussions of municipal bonds in a U.S. Senate campaign.

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