VIDEO: Politifacts calls Almonte attacks FALSE

VIDEOS: Why would anyone vote for Ernie Almonte for General Treasurer?

If you like Social Security, Medicare or have a pension, you should check out new video on Almonte's extremist positions

Ernie Almonte admits on video that he wants to privatize Social Security -
actually all government pensions because he doesn't trust the government.
Yet he wants you to elect him to join the government. 

By Will Collette

Ernie Almonte, now an “independent” running for General Treasurer, started out the 2014 campaign season as a Democrat running for Governor. He was the first to announce, way back in November 2012 right after the last election. 

He realized that there was no way he would win the nomination for Governor against Gina Raimondo and Angel Taveras (and later Clay Pell), so he switched to running for the Democratic nomination for General Treasurer. 

He pulled the plug on that, too, when he realized he couldn’t beat Seth Magaziner and Frank Caprio, deciding instead to go the independent route, though with the informal endorsement from the RI Republican Party.

Almonte’s biggest problem and the cause of his vacillations is that he can’t keep his own story straight.

He claimed to be a Democrat, but he has repeatedly mouthed Republican positions such as mimicking Mitt Romney’s attack on the “47% of the public” whom Romney – and Almonte – consider to be deadbeats. He attacked Social Security and Medicare and even giving any consideration at all to raising taxes on the rich. It’s all on videotape that is linked here and here.

Almonte’s TV ads tout his credentials as an auditor, which I found to be pretty bold, given that Almonte – as Rhode Island’s Auditor General – failed to sound the alarm about our impending public pension crisis. The first warning from the Auditor General’s office about our pension problems came in the first audit report issued after Almonte resigned. We count on auditors to find problems like the one our pension funds faced, but Almonte blew it but now wants to claim credit for his experience as auditor.

At a recorded forum about a month ago, Almonte appeared on stage with his opponent Democrat Seth Magaziner. Seth very kindly gave Almonte an opportunity to recant, or at least revise, the remarks Almonte had made against the American middle-class, Medicare, Social Security and public pensions. [Continue the narrative after this video:]

Looks like voters are again ready to tell Caprio to "shove it"

Seth Magaziner surge in the polls against Frank Caprio hardly a surprise

President Bill Clinton's August 27 visit to Providence to endorse and
support Seth Magaziner gives Frank Caprio the chance to tell a second
US President to take his endorsement and "shove it!"

By Will Collette

The clock is ticking down rapidly to the September 9 primary where Democrats will have to choose between Seth Magaziner and Frank Caprio as the Democratic candidate for General Treasurer. 

Polling shows Seth’s public support has jetted ahead to take a 12 point lead over Frank Caprio in the final days. This is a huge shift from the 18 point lead Caprio held over Magaziner in June – a 30-point swing!

It’s pretty easy to understand why this surge happened. One factor was the decision by the third contender, Ernie Almonte, to run not as a Democrat, but rather as an independent with the Republican Party’s tacit endorsement. That was probably a wise move for Almonte, after video emerged showing him promoting right-wing views on issues like Social Security, Medicare and tax cuts for the rich.

It looks like Magaziner picked up all of Almonte’s supporters and then some. Frank Caprio is stuck with his core constituency of very conservative Democrats and party regulars loyal to his father, Judge Frank Caprio.

It also didn’t help Caprio for his brother David, a former South Kingstown state Representative, to be revealed as a player and partner with Rep. Peter Palumbo in a sleazy deal to get the state’s big beach concession contract. In what looks like blatant bid-rigging, David Caprio filed the second best bid behind Rep. Palumbo to run the concessions at state beaches.

Frank Caprio’s race for redemption – of DINOs and Democrats

Turns out I was right when I said there’s only one true Democrat running for General Treasurer

Caprio rooted for Mitt Romney to beat President Obama in 2012

By Will Collette

A couple of weeks ago, I pissed some people off by declaring in Rhode Island’s Future and Progressive Charlestown that, among the three contenders for the Democratic Party’s endorsement for General Treasurer, only one – Seth Magaziner – was really and truly a Democrat.

I declared the other two – Frank T. Caprio and Ernie Almonte – to be impostors who, at best, deserved to be called DINOs (“Democrats in Name Only).

I noted that both men failed the state by taking no effective action to stop the state public pension crisis before it reached the critical point. Both men - Caprio as General Treasurer and Almonte as Auditor General - not only could have acted, but had the duty to do so.

I also catalogued the words and deeds of Caprio and Almonte that betrayed core Democratic principles and, in some instances, were dishonorable.

Some surprises in election declarations

More candidates announce for Charlestown offices

By Will Collette

The final declarations were filed at Town Hall at close of business on Wednesday, producing some surprises. Click here for yesterday’s article on the Democratic slate.

Town Council incumbent Lisa DiBello declared her bid for re-election….as a Democrat. That makes her the fifth Democrat running for Council in November.

Charlestown Citizens Alliance stalwart Councilor Dan Slattery is not running for re-election. Neither are CCA Party Planning Commissioners Peter Herstein and Kathryn O’Connor.

CCA Party Treasurer Leo Mainelli has filed a declaration showing his intention to challenge Democrat Henry Walsh for the position of Town Moderator.

An evening in Charlestown with Seth Magaziner

Good show of support for Democratic candidate for General Treasurer

By Will Collette

Seth at the Charlestown Gallery, June 21

A roomful of friends and supporters crowded into the Charlestown Gallery on June 21 to hear Seth Magaziner and to kick in their contributions to aid in his tough primary fight to become Rhode Island’s next General Treasurer.

Seth has been enthusiastically endorsed by the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee. He is running in a three-way primary fight with two DINOs (“Democrats in Name Only”) as his opponents.

The current favorite in that race is the former General Treasurer in the years leading up to RI’s pension crisis, Frank Caprio. Caprio ran one of the state’s worst campaigns ever for Governor in 2010, finally killing his chances by disrespecting the President of the United States, telling President Obama to take his endorsement and “shove it.” Caprio later disaffiliated from the Democratic Party, but returned so he could run what is turning into his Redemption Tour.

VIDEOS: Hot primary race for General Treasurer

But the choice is pretty simple

By Will Collette

The Rhode Island Democratic State Convention will take place on Sunday, June 22. My wife Cathy and I are both State Committee members so both of us will be there and voting for the candidates our town committee, the Charlestown Democrats, have endorsed.

For General Treasurer, we like Seth Magaziner because he has a record of success as an investor and fresh ideas for how to get Rhode Island’s economy growing again. Plus, we think he’s a helluva guy. 

South County residents can find that out for themselves this Saturday when he comes to the Charlestown Gallery for a fund-raiser party being hosted by friends and supporters. Please bring your checkbook.

As if all of Seth’s positive qualities weren’t enough, Cathy and I would still be voting for him at the State Convention because he is, in our opinion, the only actual Democrat among the three candidates running for the state party endorsement.

His two opponents are former General Treasurer and failed candidate for Governor Frank Caprio and former RI Auditor General Ernie Almonte. Neither Caprio nor Almonte are real Democrats, and I don’t simply mean they aren’t our particular brand of Democrat, which is the progressive variety. Nor are they qualified to be General Treasurer.

VIDEO: Mitt Romney with a Rhode Island accent?

Ernie Almonte embraces Colleen Conley, and other signs he’s a DINO

By Bob Plain in Rhode Island’s Future

No Democrat would ever dream of saying the things Ernie Almonte says on this video about Social Security, Medicare, taxes, the 1%, the 47%, taxing employer-provided health insurance, etc. The amazing thing is that he made these remarks in September 2012 at the same time Mitt Romney was using the same pitch to LOSE the 2012 Presidential election. Stick a fork in this guy's primary chances. He's done! If you have any trouble viewing this video, try this link.  

There are plenty of reasons to assume Ernie Almonte is the conservative in the campaign for general treasurer that features three Democrat and no Republicans. One is that I saw him meeting with Colleen Conley, a tea party activist, in Wickford recently.

They hugged, Almonte gave her a campaign bumper sticker and she put it on her Ford Mustang, which already had a “Don’t Tread On Me” tea party bumper sticker on it.

In Almonte’s defense, he meets with everyone. He also attended the governor’s forum sponsored by the left-leaning Economic Progress Institute and was endorsed last week by the North Kingstown Democratic Party.

But there’s more…

Charlestown Dems complete their endorsements for state candidates

CDTC calls on town Democrats to support endorsed slate in the September primary

By Will Collette

I wear two hats in Charlestown, and not just because I’m bald. One hat is as co-editor of Progressive Charlestown. The other is as a member of the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee (CDTC). 

This is one of those occasions where I am reporting on decisions that I was part of making. It may not make for the best journalism, but so it goes.

After interviewing nearly every candidate running as a Democrat for state office, the CDTC finalized its list of candidates it recommends to Charlestown voters who go to the polls in September’s primary:

• For Governor: Clay Pell
• For Lieutenant Governor: Ralph Mollis
• For General Treasurer: Seth Magaziner
• For Secretary of State: Guillaume deRamel
• For Attorney General: re-elect Peter Kilmartin

The campaign so far, Part 2

A scorecard on the state races

By Will Collette

Click here for Part 1.

Every statewide office in Rhode Island, except perhaps Attorney General, will get a new occupant after the November 2014 election which is now just one year away.

This is a rare occurrence brought about by two officials who are term-limited from running for re-election (Lieutenant Governor Liz Roberts and Secretary of State Ralph Mollis). 

In addition, Governor Lincoln Chafee (D) read the tea leaves and the poll numbers and declared he will not run again. 

And our Wall Street land shark, General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, hopes to parlay her millions in donations from her hedge fund and Wall Street cronies into becoming Rhode Island’s first woman governor.

Each state office, except the Attorney General, has more than one Democrat who hopes to win the primary to run as the Democratic candidate in 2014.

Here is a run-down of who’s in so far, along with their latest fund-raising numbers and, SPOILER ALERT, some of my snarky, far-from-unbiased commentary.