The Brookings Institution

Latest Articles

Not tough enough?

While governors nationwide slash their way out of crisis, Chafee plays Mr. Nice Guy
Amid massive deficits and escalating pension problems, a certain tough guy chic has taken hold in State Houses across the country.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 13, 2011

Joe Paolino weighs a different kind of mayoral run

The Independent
It had been rumored for some time.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 14, 2010

Tanked

A few guppies short
The term "think tank" looks as if it signifies something impressive.
By AL DIAMON | March 17, 2010

Does Scott Brown’s victory mean doom for RI Democrats?

Fallout
Republican Scott Brown's stunning victory this week in the race for the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts has created something approaching panic in the ranks of Congressional Democrats.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | January 20, 2010

Chafee and the hazards of a bold politics

Tax Dept.
By the time a candidate for major office steps up to the microphone to officially declare for the seat, everyone already knows his intentions.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | January 06, 2010

It will not be a dull year!

The governor’s race, gambling, drama on Smith Hill, and more is on tap in 2010
The New Year is shaping up as potent dope for the political junkie.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | January 06, 2010

An Obama confidant on the surge in Afghanistan

War Dept.
Twenty-four hours before President Barack Obama announced a 30,000-troop escalation of the Afghan War, one of his key foreign policy advisors provided a view of the president’s thinking at Brown University.
By STEVEN STYCOS | December 02, 2009

State House status

In a purportedly liberal state, the Rhode Island General Assembly has a stubbornly conservative bent. But can progressive politics make a dent in 2010?
Rhode Island voters, for all their supposed insularity, are an increasingly progressive bunch.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | August 12, 2009

Cicilline, the firefighters, and the politics of protest

Citywatch
It is, on some level, hard to pick any winners in the li'l Rhody's latest battle royale.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | June 17, 2009

Some kind of salvation

Politics and other mistakes
In 2008, Sean Faircloth, then a state representative from Bangor, lost his bid to become Maine's attorney general, mostly because lots of legislators questioned his credibility. When your credibility is so shaky that even politicians notice, you have a serious problem. It's sort of like if atheists complained about your ungodliness.
By AL DIAMON | June 17, 2009

Is the party over for the GOP in RI?

A disastrous election in '08. A depleted war chest. Dismal approval ratings for the outgoing governor. Yet the faithful see hope for a Republican revival
In a state known for its political obsessions, there is remarkably little in the way of rabid protest here.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 13, 2009

Eyes on the prize

Hold on, Linc Chafee! Dems Frank Caprio, Patrick Lynch, and Elizabeth Roberts would also like to be governor in 2010
We interrupt the Lincoln Chafee buzz fest to bring you this little nugget of news: there are a few Democrats who'd like to be governor, too.
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 22, 2009

Maine House candidates

Who wants to go to Augusta?
As with the candidates for Maine Senate, we compiled some biographical information on each candidate and then asked each person what they would take action on right up front, if they were elected.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | October 29, 2008

Ideas and optimism, plus more reports!

Grow smarter
Last Friday, at the annual GrowSmart summit held at the Augusta Civic Center, more than 500 people checked in on Maine’s progress.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | October 16, 2008

Too scared to win?

Barack Obama must fight for his principles, or he’ll give away the keys to the White House
What people want is someone who knows what he believes, says so, and stands up for it even in the face of criticism.
By JEFF INGLIS | August 13, 2008

Booked up

Several shelves’ worth of summer reads
Summertime, and the reading is easy.
By BARBARA HOFFERT | June 09, 2008

Can’t anybody here play this game?

Rhode Island remains trapped between economic distress and missed opportunities
The need to reinvent Rhode Island’s economic infrastructure — which remains anemic compared with most of its neighbors in New England — is more urgent than ever.
By IAN DONNIS | May 21, 2008

Our championship season

Brilliant us
This year’s New England Press Association annual awards dinner forsook the Park Plaza’s rubber chicken for the upper-scale poultry fare at the Marriott Copley Place. And the food’s not the only reason we’re glad we went.
By CLIF GARBODEN | February 13, 2008