Expect to hear a lot more from Raimondo soon

PROVIDENCE — Gov. Gina Raimondo soaked up more national limelight in 2019 than ever before.

Fresh off re-election, she assumed the helm of the Democratic Governor's Association last winter and, despite persistently low online poll numbers, became a regular voice of the party hierarchy and surprise guest on some presidential watch lists.

Raimondo's time as DGA chair came to an end with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's election last Tuesday, but with the loss of that title, Raimondo has promised to be more outspoken in the coming presidential campaign and other national contests.

Perhaps as a prelude, last month Raimondo took the lead in criticizing the Medicare For All plans from presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, even though she's said in the past she supports moving the country toward single-payer health insurance.

With lingering questions about where the term-limited Raimondo's political future lies and whether it hinges on the results of the 2020 election, Political Scene grabbed her at the opening of Providence's new lettuce plant last week to clarify her stance on health care, impeachment and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg dropping by her house before his recent Providence fundraiser.

Q. Do you not support Medicare For All on a political level, but still think single payer is best for the country, or have you changed your view on what the best system is?

A. I think the current proposals I have seen that are being called Medicare For All are not a good approach policy-wise, substantively or politically. There are many Americans who are very happy with the health care they have, and disrupting the entire system brings great anxiety to people, justifiably. So as a matter of policy and politics, it is not a good way to go. Also the Affordable Care Act is working. It is working in Rhode Island, so it would be hard to get behind something that fundamentally disrupts the Democratic Party's crowning achievement of the past 10 years.

Having said that, everybody deserves health care. Everybody deserves affordable health care and not everyone has that now, so we have to do a better job. Theoretically, I think there is a lot of value to a single-payer system, I still do. The economist in me, when you think of controlling cost, getting rid of the administrative cost burden, efficiency, there is a lot of value. In practice, I am not sure that is feasible.

Q. A public option [is better]?

A. Exactly.

Q.Is that a change based on the politics?

A.I don't think that is a change in my views. There are issues in what is being proposed by Medicare For All. Not everyone likes Medicare For All. Medicare could use some improvement. So there are shades of gray from Medicare For All to coverage for all.

Q.Should the House impeach the president based on what you have seen?

A.Yes. I think so. For a long time, I thought not. But in light of what we have learned in the past few months .... It seems to me from what I know, and I trust Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and the process, but from what I know, they are impeachable offenses. Our democracy depends on these institutions and processes.

Q. Does the politics play well [for Democrats]?

A. Here's what I think: For a long time, I opposed impeachment because I don't think it should be used casually as a political tool. Further, I am not sure it helps Democrats win in 2020. I saw it in Kentucky, the race we just ran. It helped the Republican in Kentucky. It hurt us. It made it harder for us. We still win, but it made it harder.

But I decided for myself this is much bigger than politics. I was just in Israel at the time [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu was indicted. We have a democracy. These institutions matter. The legal processes matter. We just have to do the right thing. It is the right thing to do. Whether the Senate acquits him or whether it is good for politics, we will have to see next year.

Q. When you met with [South Bend, Indiana, Mayor] Pete Buttigieg recently, did free college come up, or his opposition to it?

A.No. It didn't come up. Tell me his position.

Q.He thinks that wealthy families shouldn't benefit from it.

A. I don't know if he is talking about four-year college, and I would agree with that. But my position is, to get a good job in this economy, you need a degree or credential past high school. I just heard it from this company. Once upon a time, we provided public education through high school because that's what you needed to work in a factory. That's not enough anymore. So I think we need to provide a public education that is sufficient so everyone can get a decent job, and that's something beyond high school.

Q. What did you talk to him about?

A. It was my first time meeting him, so, how's it going? What is he seeing out there and hearing out there? I am impressed with his unifying message. I think he is trying to build a winning coalition. I like that. I am less sold by the fighting. I think the fighting gets old and turns off a lot of people.

Q. You've been very supportive over the years of Michael Bloomberg, but is there merit to concerns about having another billionaire in the White House and whether billionaires have too much influence?

A. Of course that is a concern. [Bloomberg's campaign] is a long shot. I think if he were here he would admit it is a long shot. He got in late. Especially being a billionaire, and he is not young. Having said that, the race is in flux. His approach is one we have never seen before.

Q.Are billionaires getting a bad rap right now?

A. I think probably it is deserved, so I don't know if it is a bad rap. But it is a tough time to run as a billionaire. To be fair, he is more than a billionaire. He is a public servant. He left his company to serve full time as mayor for more than 10 years, and has an exceptional record as a public servant running the biggest city in America. The guy came from nothing in Medford, Massachusetts. He is the American dream .... However, it is a hard time in this age of income inequality for a Democrat to be a billionaire.

Q. Are you leaning toward [endorsing] any candidate?

A. I am going to get involved next year, but right now, not at the moment. The race is in flux. I am going to let it settle just a bit before I wade in.

'Caught in Pawtucket'?

Another dose of Rhode Island municipal courtroom drama could be hitting the airwaves soon as state senator and Pawtucket Municipal Court Judge Donna Nesselbush is working on televising proceedings.

Nesselbush, a Pawtucket Democrat, has asked the state Board of Elections for an advisory opinion on whether televising cases on Pawtucket's public-access channel would violate the state law against public expenditures resulting in a candidate appearing on television within 120 days of an election. The law already has exemptions for Rhode Island PBS and permanent government websites.

Nesselbush said she has been working on resolving some technical challenges around broadcasting traffic court and housing court cases for a while, but those have been ironed out.

"Pawtucket has just started cameras in speed zones and red light cameras. I think people have differences of opinion on them, but should see how the program works," Nesselbush said about the benefits of showing court proceedings. "And with the housing issues, many people don't know what they need to do in terms of shoveling sidewalks and cutting high grass and painting, so I think it is educational."

Can Pawtucket produce the same legal drama featured in Judge Frank Caprio's "Caught in Providence"?

"I am not going after Judge Caprio's crown," Nesselbush said.

The Board of Elections is slated to take up the advisory opinion Monday as part of a long agenda that also includes creating a committee to research a social media policy and changing the agency logo.

Primary challenge in Providence

Candidate watch: Democrat David Morales is launching a primary challenge to state Rep. Daniel McKiernan in Providence's District 7.

Morales describes himself as a community advocate with a masters in public policy from Brown.

"I know how hard you have to work to get ahead because I saw first-hand how much the deck is stacked against regular people," Morales said in a news release announcing his candidacy.

In 2018, McKiernan, first elected in 2014, held off a primary challenge from Belen Florez by 130 votes.