In the Aug. 23, 2024, episode of “A Lively Experiment,” moderator Jim Hummel and his panelists discussed how the state of Rhode Island is finally seeking some accountability for the Washington Bridge. Also, reaction as Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic nomination for president 10 weeks left before Election Day.
Hummel was joined by Weayonnoh Nelson Davies, executive director of the Economic Progress Institute of Rhode Island; Adam Myers, political science professor at Providence College; and Bill Bartholomew, political contributor and founder of the “Bartholomewtown” podcast.
This discussion has been condensed and edited for clarity. Watch the full episode of “A Lively Experiment” here.
Gov. Daniel McKee said the “day of reckoning” has begun after Attorney General Peter Neronha filed a lawsuit on Aug. 19 against 13 companies the state believes contributed to the failure of the Washington Bridge.
A movement toward accountability
While Bartholomew is unsure about the governor’s characterization, he acknowledged that it was the path the state was following. Bartholomew added that when he interviewed Neronha when the lawsuit was announced, the Attorney General also spoke about a day of reckoning.
“It’s kind of the beginning of the day of reckoning. It’s sort of a movement towards accountability,” Bartholomew said. “Of course, the big piece here is that nobody within state government is susceptible to any sort of scrutiny.
“This is about private contractors outside of government. Sure, it could get into a grand jury scenario where if there’s anything criminal that happened and anyone ought to be held accountable within the state, that could happen. But basically you’re looking at an outside-of-state government, not that surgical effort to hold people accountable.”
Nelson Davies agreed that it was important to hold government officials accountable, adding that the oversight process and the enforcement of a contract “needs to have some direction.”
“I can imagine, with my lawyer hat on, that those 13 companies will start pointing fingers against each other and the department, if this goes to trial,” Nelson Davies said. " I want the accountability to happen. But with 13 companies being sued, we have a bid out that no one’s going for. So there’s probably like 13 companies who (are) not gonna try to go for that bid. And then other people might be deterred. So I think we need to think of a holistic solution to the problem (of) accountability.”
Myers said there were nearly five decades of history surrounding the bridge but cautioned not to get “too bogged down in the history.”
“We’re talking about decisions that were made going back to 1968, right? I mean, so we could dig into this history very intensely and look, we should find out what happened and this lawsuit is an appropriate vehicle for doing that,” Myers said. “We should think about how to not make the same mistakes that were made. Again, that should be the priority. I mean, if the state can recoup some of the money that it’s some of the $500 million that it has to spend on this new bridge, then that would be a good thing. But looking to the future should really be of the utmost importance.
Bartholomew called it “an unbelievable failure of government.”
“I’ve been saying it could go back all the way to Roger Williams since it started,” he said. “There’s no way you’re gonna tell me that randomly a young engineer happened to inspect a cantilever in December and discover, oh my goodness, maybe a heavy truck went over it or something like that. This is a complete breakdown of the oversight and management of our key infrastructure. The fact that heads haven’t rolled is shocking.
“And they should have already rolled.”
Reacting to Kamala Harris accepting nomination
Nelson Davies said that watching Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in the 2024 election was historic. Its significance was not lost on her.
“I think just looking at that in the United States in 2024, that was special and they, like with Biden dropping off and endorsing Harris, the energy have been electrifying and you could see that at the convention,” she said. “So ... people are engaged again, which is great for the democracy. So I love the fact that voters are re-engaged in this presidential election. So it was great to watch; now it’s time to get to work.
“There’s 75 days between now and the elections. And I think the Democratic party (has) to think a little bit more about, beyond the anecdote of we are not going back to a Trump election. They have to address certain issues. What type of America do we want to live in? Do we want an America fighting for tax fairness, for healthcare, for people, reducing child poverty? Is that the type of America? Is this a party to deliver it?”
Bartholomew said the election “was very simple.” People are either voting for former President Donald Trump or against him.
“Any choice that is not voting for Donald Trump is in one bucket and voting for Donald Trump is another bucket,” he said. “And it’s a major election.
“In that sense, it can’t be overstated just how dangerous Donald Trump is and would be. Now the Democrats have significant problems as well,” he added. “But anybody who’s a leftist or an independent or a libertarian or an anarchist or a constitutional conservative or anybody other than a MAGA person should be looking at this election and saying, this is about one thing and it’s defeating Donald Trump.
“And the Democrats have done a good job of teeing up enthusiasm for that.”
Myers agreed that the Democrats are very enthusiastic after the convention, but predicted that the honeymoon for Harris and running mate Tim Walz will not last much longer.
“The tide will turn, there will be some new story or set of new stories that are going to change the political dynamic. There’s going to be a September, October surprise, we don’t know what it is yet, but it’s gonna happen,” he said., “And so the race, I mean I will predict one thing. The race in October is not gonna look like what it looks like now.”
