When did Democracy take a back seat?

In a continuation of "how low can we go?" some members speaking on behalf of the Rhode Island Democratic Town and Cities Chair Committee have endorsed Sheldon Whitehouse and Ralph Mollis. What is interesting is only about 11 Chairs have held committee meetings with the candidates. This leaves 28 towns and cities unrepresented. I've heard Matt Brown and Guillaume de Ramel are miffed. Why wouldn't they be? de Ramel had received the endorsement of eight of the 11, but that doesn't seem to matter for the insiders who have decided for the other committees and for their committee members and for the registered democrats in the locales they purport to represent.

Now we understand why there's a disconnect between the party rank and file and leadership. It gets worse. There's been a back door effort to oust certain state democratic party leadership in an effort to have current incumbents more securely hold onto their seats regardless of the quality of leadership they have exhibited. Losing seats to the GOP will be a product of this continued behind closed door cronyism. The public knows to what degree some will stoop. I can only hope Sheldon is not part of this and calls on fair play within the party given his furthest insider role.

But there's more. Not one DEMOCRAT in the Rhode Island General Assembly has so much as responded to my request for them to discuss and sponsor an impeachment resolution to be sent to the US House of Representatives. Last I checked, the majority of Rhode Islanders feel this amoral president and many within his executive branch ought to be impeached or they at least want to see that the effort is made. It'd certainly show the party has backbone. Is there disconnect? I think so.

But yes folks, there's more. Matt Brown having been tirelessly pursuing the need for better campaign finance practices is himself embroiled in a controversy of questionable ethics and has launched an aggressive counter-attack that Sheldon Whitehouse has also been doing some ethically questionable fundraising. All I know is both have received contributions from individuals who the ProJo has identified as having questionable backgrounds. Matt Brown has returned his funds from these undesirables.

Sometimes it's simply nice to be the dark horse, political outsider who spends his time with everyday Rhode Islanders. Maybe that's why Jack Reed is one of only a few US Senators who is not a millionaire and has one of the highest approval ratings in the US Senate and here in Rhode Island. It's something I wish to live up to and I hope you feel the same way.