WBOB Original Reads

4 Things: RI Gubernatorial Goobers

1/3/2018

Kevin Aherne

Welcome to 4 Things -- WBOB's Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Aherne's daily megaphone to offer his brief two-cents on topics ranging from sports to politics, from pop culture to nonsense.

Despite nobody asking, here it is anyway...

The Incumbent: Gina Raimondo

Gina has gotten a bad rap in Rhode Island since her inauguration. Maybe it's because, as the Ocean State's first female governor, she faces tougher scrutiny than her predecessors, or maybe, her administration has done a horrendous job with public relations.

In July 2017, polling (Morning Consult survey) indicated that Raimondo's approval rating had dropped to 41-percent, the lowest approval rating of any sitting U.S. governors. For an incumbent, representing the majority party, in a blue state, this is not a good look. However, we all know that Rhode Island is a DINO (Democrat in Name-Only) state,

If Gina wants to separate herself from the pack, she needs to take a page (just one) from U.S. "President" Don John Trump's book, and start patting herself on the back, publicly. Raimondo has made some major progress toward repairing the state's infrastructure, bringing new industry (jobs) to the state, and in 2018, seems intent to tackle the state's crumbling schools. All this, and people still remember her as the Governor who royally screwed up the state's tourism campaign.

Unless she learns to boast of her administration's accomplishments, it's going to be a struggle for Raimondo to earn a second term.

The Mayor: Allan Fung

Despite losing to Raimondo in the 2014 Gubernatorial Election, Allan Fung has served as Mayor to the City of Cranston since 2009, and he's quite popular there. While a Republican, Fung is considered to be left of center by many. He is charismatic and photogenic, but there is one issue facing Fung: What does he stand for? Yes, of course Allan Fung has political opinions and ideology, but unless he starts to better articulate his platform, his vision, and his messaging. Running simply as "Not Gina" is not going to cut it.

In 2014, Fung's campaign was harmed by the unprecedented election day success of the Cool Moose, the late Robert Healey, who despite spending less than $50 on his campaign, won 21.4% of the vote (69,278). This year, Fung faces a similar mathematical challenge, as the Independent idiot below will likely draw from Fung's voter base.

The Independent Idiot: Joe Trillo

Oh boy!

Joe Trillo was the State Representative for District 24 (Warwick) from 2001 until 2017. He also served as the RI's Campaign Chairman for Don John Trump's "Presidential" campaign in 2016. After serving his District for 16 years as a Republican, Trillo announced in 2017 that he would be tossing his hat into the RI Gubernatorial Race -- running as an Independent.

This is significant. Gina Raimondo likely jumped for joy once Trillo, defected from the GOP. While the Independent Idiot will not get many votes in November, every ballot cast in his favor will be a direct draw against Allan Fung.

Like Trump, Trillo likes to denigrate his political opponents, recently referring to the rest of the Gubernatorial candidates as "pansies." Also like Trump, Trillo has ZERO chance to win the popular vote.

The CEO: Giovanni Feroce

If Don John Trump's business acumen (or lack thereof) serves as a basis for his electability, former CEO Giovanni Feroce stands a chance.

Except he doesn't.

While he may have played a role in the successes of Alex + Ani, Feroce ruined his legacy with the triumphant failure of his next venture, BENRUS, a watch company that focused on the branding of iconic watches without producing any iconic watches. That company's story ended with Feroce's ousting, followed by lawsuits, liens, and a restraining order.

While it's hard to knock Feroce's hustle. Hustle doesn't win games, points do -- and Gio just got shut out.