Amo mixes upbeat approach with pro-business outlook

STORY OF THE WEEK: U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, who turned a ripe old 37 last Wednesday, has accomplished a lot as a young man: he worked for President Obama, Gov. Raimondo, and President Biden before decisively beating 10 primary rivals to vault into Congress in 2022. Amo mixes an upbeat approach with a moderate pro-business outlook, and he appears to have a secure hold on the House seat in CD1, which is considerably more Democratic than CD2. Now, though, Amo is among the Dems who face the wilderness experience of dwelling in the shadow of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. There are fewer guardrails than during Trump I and the president-elect is following through on pledges to elevate unconventional people, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk, into influential roles. Asked onPolitical Roundtable if Trump -- who has also talked about replacing career employees with loyalists -- will fundamentally alter the federal government, Amo said in part, “Well, this is one of my big fears. I don’t want a government run by oligarchs, by the richest man in the world who gets a front row seat at decision making, where we didn’t elect him …. It’s a cause of great concern to have a vaccine skeptic in Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a position of authority that would affect so many lives.” The GOP will have a thin majority in the new U.S. House, and whether Trump will overreach remains an open question. Another question is whether Democrats, after struggling with their messaging in the presidential race, can use their communications to hold Republicans accountable. Amo believes that’s the way forward to the midterms in 2026: “We’ve got to go directly to people. We have to use the bully pulpit. We have to use every venue … And we have to shout from the mountaintops where they are coming up short.”

BONUS BATTER: Here are some other key excerpts from my conversation with Rep. Amo:

***After working for President Biden, Rep. Amo is reluctant to criticize the outgoing president. Asked if Biden undermined Democratic hopes of retaining the White House by waiting too long to get out of the race, Amo said in part, “Well, look, ultimately that was a decision that he had to make …. We weren’t successful for a whole host of reasons.”

***Amo rejects the view that Kamala Harris’ campaign didn’t focus enough on economic concerns, particularly for working class voters: “she talked about an opportunity agenda that focused on access to housing and home ownership, that focused on lowering prices and costs, that focused on a lot of the kitchen table issues, but ultimately, those did not resonate because, you know, people can’t necessarily feel a policy plan, but they can feel the impact on their bank accounts when they are at the grocery store. And we have to do a better job of being connected to those feelings of economic insecurity that so many have experienced throughout the country, including in those states,” hit by deindustrialization.

***Asked if Biden’s pardon for his son Hunter reflects poorly on the president’s ability to keep his word, Amo said in part, “Well, look, I certainly know that this was a tough decision. And I also know that these are unprecedented times where you have people entering positions like that, potentially of the FBI director at the DOJ who are pledging to wage campaigns of retribution. And I also think Joe Biden’s a dad. I think about the other side of this. If Joe Biden had not pardoned his son, how would we be viewing him then? And so I do think it’s complicated.”   

BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE: Gov. Dan McKee offered an update on the Washington Bridge situation last Tuesday, a day ahead of the anniversary of the emergency shutdown of the westbound bridge. A subtle but significant shift in the governor’s messaging was evident since the next steps on the bridge will increasingly converge with the statewide election in 2026. McKee acknowledged some early missteps in responding to the situation -- and he offered a mea culpa for the time when he got snippy after a legit question from WJAR-TV’s Brian Crandall -- while also asserting that the state is now firmly marching in the right direction. In particular, two finalists for the job of replacing the westbound bridge have been selected, with the final choice slated for June. Unknown for now: when the bridge will be completed, at what cost, and how much the state will be able to recover from its related lawsuit.

REALITY CHECK: northbound traffic on I-95 was backed up to Cranston by 3:30 pm on Thursday, in one sign of the ongoing effect of the bridge situation. It took an additional 15 or 20 minutes longer to get where I was headed -- not an exactly onerous toll -- but that’s added aggravation for motorists who experience that on a regular basis.

STATE HOUSE: With Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio set to celebrate his 76th birthday this coming Thursday, the dean of the General Assembly was back at the State House -- looking happy and chipper -- for the chamber’s new-member orientation on Thursday. The new legislative session is set to begin Jan. 7, with fallout from a recent Senate caucus still in play.

PREVENTION: Three years after Rhode Island became the first state to approve supervised overdose prevention centers, nonprofit Weber/RENEW held a groundbreaking Tuesday to celebrate the effort to bring the first such center to Providence. More than 400 people died from overdoses in Rhode Island last year, and advocates hope the new center will reduce that number. My colleague Nina Sparlinghas a detailed report on the latest developments. Here’s an excerpt: “While research shows that overdose prevention centers present a powerful tool to curb fatal drug overdoses, sites like the one opening in Providence have been met with skepticism — and sometimes, legal challenges. The incoming Trump Administration, experts say, presents new uncertainty for facilities like the one opening in Rhode Island.” 

HEALTHCARE: The targeted killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has revealed widespread frustration and anger over U.S. healthcare -- the costliest in the world. For some, the outpouring is reminiscent of the Occupy Wall Street movement that emerged in 2011. Here in Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha has been an outspoken advocate for coming to terms with the state’s healthcare challenges. Asked during an interview this week how to get a better handle on this, Neronha cites the need to get reimbursement for Medicaid and Medicare on a par with nearby states. “Overall, if we don’t bring more revenue into our healthcare system, we’re not going to have the number of doctors we need, which leads to frustration, and we’re not going to have the kind of healthcare delivery system that we need, and that leads to frustration. Obviously, that frustration should never lead to violence, but as you have, when you talk to everyday Rhode Islanders about healthcare, nobody sings, or very few people, would sing a song of success.” 

THE MOB: It tells you a lot that a 2003 story written by Jim Taricani for the Providence Phoenix was titled “Twilight of the Wiseguys.” As Taricani reported, “The New England [Patriarca] family of lore has lost the tentacles that once reached into the pockets of judges, politicians, and cops.” The boss, Luigi “Baby Shacks” Manocchio, “presides over a scaled-down version” and was “paranoid about being ratted out by some of his fellow mobsters and keeps in his inner circle only a select few Rhode Island Mafios.” My girlfriend at the time would encounter Manocchio on Federal Hill; she said he was a gentleman. That kind of view was typical for casual observers of the longtime mobster. But Manocchio’s time as boss came to an end and he wound up in prison after a 2011 indictment. Tim White has a detailed look back on the life of the last boss from Rhode Island, who died this week at age 97. As Steven O’Donnell, a former State Police colonel, told White, even with his genteel image,  “Nobody should be misguided by the allure of Manocchio.” 

MEDIA: Let’s give a big Rhode Island welcome to Nish Kohli, the newest reporter at The Providence Journal. According to a recent edition of the ProJo’s am newsletter, Kohli will cover the Providence metro area, including Cranston, Warwick and East Providence. Kohli’s background includes reporting on the culture wars at Time magazine and interning on the Pandora Papers at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. She offered this response on why she wanted to report for the ProJo: “While much of the journalism world is currently in crisis, local news continues to facilitate community discourse and serve as a check on government and corporate power. I wanted to work in a newsroom that embodied these ideas, while also proving it values its journalists as real people who deserve livable wages. The Providence Journal seemed like a fantastic fit."

FAIR VOTE: Coming off her loss last month to Democratic U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Republican Patricia Morgan announced she was launching a new election integrity project. Via email, she wrote: “This is an opportunity to make a real difference from the comfort of your own home. The project involves identifying potential issues with mail-in balloting and ensuring every ineligible voter is identified. This work is vital to protecting the sanctity of our electoral process and paving the way for the success of future Republican candidates.” Meanwhile, reports NPR’s Miles Parks, “New data shows that the vast majority of Americans felt this year's general election was administered well, a stark contrast to perceptions in 2020 and a reflection of how Republican voters specifically have come around on election security in a year when their preferred presidential candidate won.”

Hasbro’s looming move from its longtime HQ in Pawtucket comes as many big corporations are switching things up. U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo, a Pawtucket native, is among those who have bent the ear of Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks, and Amo said Rhode Island still has a good case to make, even with the possible loss of the iconic company to Massachusetts. “We have to focus on our virtues, our assets,” he said on Roundtable. “People want to live in Rhode Island. If you’ve been to an open house anywhere in Rhode Island lately, you see a lot of those plates coming from other states. We are an appealing place to live. We need to reinforce that time and time again. And I’m hopeful that as leaders across the state, we will be able to work together to do that.”