The Power of Words. Eyeing Congress, liberal Cicilline talks up diversity

4.1.99
Eyeing Congress, liberal Cicilline talks up diversity
By M. CHARLES BAKST
Journal Political Columnist

      Sizing up prospects for the 2nd District U.S. House seat Bob Weygand vacates next year? If you want someone whose story, outlook, and passion are not the ho hum, same old stuff, state Rep. David Cicilline may be your guy.
       Most candidates shrink from labels. But Democrat Cicilline, 37, of Providence's East Side, declares:
       "I am enormously proud of being described as liberal. To me, it means that you recognize first of all the incredible, rich diversity of our community, whether it be the state of Rhode Island or this country, and that everyone from every walk of life has the ability to make a contribution; that the government's responsibility, obviously, is to ensure that everybody has an opportunity, an equal opportunity, to make that contribution."
       Calls for "tolerance" annoy him:
       "I don't want people to 'tolerate' people who are African-American or 'tolerate' Jews or 'tolerate' gay people. I want people to understand and value the contribution that we all can make."
       Cicilline offers several perspectives himself.
       He is a criminal defense lawyer. He is a civil libertarian. He is an outspoken lawmaker whose early legislative years were marked by a war with the House leadership, a battle that recently has mellowed.
       He opposes the death penalty and embraces abortion rights, assisted suicide, and gay rights.
       He is the son of an Italian-Catholic father and a Jewish mother. He was baptized and raised Catholic but now considers himself Jewish and belongs to Temple Beth-El.
       And, he tells me, he is gay.
       He never broadcast it in, say, a House speech. "It's just one part of who I am," he says.
       He doubts voters will care about his private life. He asserts, "I think people care about the quality of your commitment, the content of your ideas."
       Cicilline lives in the 1st Congressional District. We've seen several instances in Rhode Island of candidates moving from one district to another; it's hardly an issue. Cicilline grew up in Narragansett. He indicates that if he decides to run - something he wants to do if can satisfy himself he can build a team and raise money - he'll move back there and resign his State House seat well before the election.
       Cicilline's father, Jack, has been a lawyer for top Mob figures. David says he too has represented some folks described as organized-crime figures, but not the huge names. He says 20 percent of his practice involves people suing police in brutality cases.
       The other 80 percent is criminal, much of it narcotics-related, and he knows you may think he represents scum. He says justice requires the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and a vigorous defense effort is needed to ensure the government does not exploit the accused.
       Defense lawyers pay a price, he contends. "There are many other areas of law that are much more lucrative. There are many other areas of law that bring much greater prestige."
       But he says, "The thing that drew me to being a criminal lawyer is the same thing that draws me to a lot of the issues I'm concerned about politically. It's the powerlessness of an individual against an entire government."
       Democratic Secretary of State Jim Langevin is expected to announce for Congress; there may be a large field. One person eyeing the party nod, Kate Coyne-McCoy of the National Association of Social Workers, is also an outspoken liberal. Cicilline is a big fan of hers, and he hopes they can agree that only one of them will actually run.
       As for Cicilline's willingness to have it known he is gay, some people likely will say he should forget running for Congress, that there's no way he can win.
       But others may say he has more of an obligation to run, or that it would be good if he ran, to help society accept such candidacies and move forward. In that regard, I wish him well.

       M. Charles Bakst, The Journal's political columnist, can be reached by E-mail at mbakst@projo.com

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