Rhode Island Press Corps Not Buying Dem Gov Gina Raimondo’s Spin On Her Gutted “Free” Tuition Plan

In Rhode Island, Democrat Governor Gina Raimondo’s failure to get her signature proposal across the finish line continues to draw bad headlines. After Raimondo’s “free college” tuition plan, which she eventually admitted “isn’t really free,” was gutted by the state’s Democrat-dominated General Assembly, Raimondo desperately tried to spin the pilot program that she was able to squeeze out of the process as a win. Unfortunately for Governor Raimondo, Rhode Island’s press corps isn’t buying it. Rhode Island Public Radio’s Scott MacKay called her gutted proposal “a face-saving slice,” mentioning that she even had roughly half a million dollars in television ad support from the Democratic Governors Association and still couldn’t get her plan through. Raimondo’s failure to get her full signature proposal passed through a legislature dominated by her own party shows that she simply can’t get the job done for the people of Rhode Island:

Then along came Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat who lives in one of the state’s more liberal districts on Providence’s East Side. Her marque initiative was a plan to grant free tuition to students attending the state’s three public colleges – The Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island.

Raimondo did her best to marshal support  for this, touting it to business and labor groups. The Democratic Governors Association spent nearly $500,000 on television spots urging support for the plan.

Then the House wrapped up the taxing and spending plan for the budget year that begins in July. Mattiello’s car tax initiative was included precisely as proposed. Raimondo’s education plan was gutted, with only a face-saving slice left – free tuition at CCRI.”