An op-Ed by: Uncle Felix, Host of the Political GOAT.
Photo: Gina Raimondo and President Elect Joe Biden sharing a selfie posted on Gina Raimondo’s Twitter account
RI Governor, Gina Raimondo is expected to be picked to serve in the incoming Joe Biden Administration as his Secretary of Commerce. Raimondo’s duties would include promoting American business and industries. The job and it’s duties are currently held by President Trump appointee Wilbur Ross and it’s a mystery to me why Raimondo was even considered. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat who is serving her 2nd-term as Rhode Island Governor and has held that position since 2015. Gina Raimondo doesn’t come without controversy, before she was elected to Governor, she was elected as RI’s General Treasurer. Immediately upon assuming office in 2011, Raimondo moved billions of dollars of pension money into higher-risk, higher-fee alternative investments, resulting in Rhode Island paying higher fees to Wall Street. At the time, The Providence Journal reported that the move generated roughly $70 million in fees for the financial industry, the very same industry that made major contributions to her political campaigns. She has been in the pocket of Wall Street for years and if that wasn’t enough reason to skip over her name as a consideration, you need to look no further than the job she has done as Governor. RI currently ranks 37th in “business friendly climate” and 39th in unemployment rate.; hardly eye-popping numbers. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that her value for the Biden Administration lies with her connection to Wall Street. Her connections grant her excellent fundraising capabilities, money is what drives this political connection folks. That being said, I do believe she will fit in just fine in the swamp known as Washington D.C.
~Uncle Felix