“I’m not inspired by the state of our politics here [Rhode Island].” Rhode Island’s Attorney General Peter Neronha said at the Panel last Wednesday, Oct.1.
Students who served on the panel, asking the AG questions, included Henry Siravo and Kali Blackerby from Campus Dems as well as Rheya Lesonde and Rileigh Costa from Mock Trial.
Neronha was very passionate about the state of the democratic party here in Rhode Island, along with the national level: “I think Rhode Island lacks a party with vision, with a cohesion that is principled at its core and thinks more about what we can deliver to Rhode Islanders, as opposed to political self-interest and compromise.”
The AG, clearly frustrated, continued to speak about how uninspiring politics in RI are: “I’m not inspired by our ability to solve problems. Part of that is because the governor is not a good leader, he lacks fusion and ability in my judgement.”
According to Neronha, he believes Rhode Islanders are, “crying for leadership,” and there isn’t someone out there at the moment who can, “lead us through the hardest of problems” and “speak plainly to voters.”
“I don’t think that exists in the current state party,” Neronha said.
He also spoke about democratic leadership on a national level, offering his opinion of preferring Attorney Generals and governors as presidential candidates than Members of Congress. He praised Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts and Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania.
“Joe Biden was not inspiring. Kamala Harris was not obviously inspiring enough, to the extent she was inspiring at all,” he said when trying to name a national Democratic leader. The AG thought Harris should have chosen Shapiro as her vice presidential running mate and believes she did not choose him because, “she felt threatened by him” which he thought, “that was a dumb decision to make.”
“If what’s standing between what we have today is your lack of confidence or your ego, that’s a problem,” Neronha said.
Neronha also spoke about the current healthcare crisis in Rhode Island. He explained the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, Medicaid being for Rhode Islanders under a certain income limit and Medicare for Rhode Islanders 65 and over. “Well over 30 percent, closer to 40 percent, 40 percent of our children are covered by Medicaid.” Which is causing Rhode Island doctors to not be reimbursed as much money as those under private insurance.
“We don’t have enough revenue coming into our healthcare system.” He claimed, diving into explaining how two hospitals, Roger Williams and Our Lady of Fatima, are in bankruptcy. “The company that owns them is called Prospect Medical Holdings. They were once owned or controlled by a private equity firm that mortgaged all of their hospitals, including ours, and took back loans, and put those loans in their pocket.”
Neronha called private equity firms a “killer whale” when it comes to hospitals. He continued on to explain how these hospitals are on the verge of closing down, and he is frustrated with the lack of urgency the government has in keeping them open.
“It is such a stunning lack of understanding and leadership that I really worry for our state. It’s like they walk out of the room and they’re like, ‘well, that would be really bad, if that happens, but I’m not gonna worry about it.’ You know, it’s really frustrating,” he said.
Neronha was getting increasingly fired up as he continued to talk about the lack of state funding for healthcare. He said if they cannot find 9 million dollars to keep the hospitals open, “state leaders are going to face down a catastrophe.”
Expressing further concern for the state’s healthcare, he explained that when the state is budgeting, it leaves healthcare at the end, and there isn’t any money left to give. “Health care should be at the beginning.”
The AG claimed, “People are worried more about getting reelected, than they care about speaking the truth, and I find that very frustrating.”
Those in attendance could see how passionate Neronha was about the people of Rhode Island and just how bothersome it is when politicians seem to care more about personal gain than helping their own people.
Neronha was not just eager to talk about the Democratic party or the healthcare crisis, he also stressed the importance of learning to write for students looking to go to law school: “If you can’t write well, you’re gonna have a hard time being a lawyer, a good one.”
He mentioned his undergraduate programs at Boston College, where he studied political science as well as English and Philosophy, which taught him how to write. In order to be a good writer, he mentioned going back over your work and really polishing it, thinking about each individual aspect, and honing your skills.
“Don’t be self limiting by not taking writing seriously, write as much as you can. Make your written product as good as you can make it.” He said.
One thing Neronha could not stress enough was to “never, ever, ever write in the passive voice.” He mentioned how it doesn’t just personally bother him, but it also “prevents you from making your case as an advocate.”
While he addressed that writing is hard and most people don’t want to do it, he left students with this last piece of advice. “If you want to be a lawyer, challenge yourself now. You’ll be much more ready when you get there.”
