20 debates for Langevin? No way

US Representative Jim Langevin joined Steve Aveson, Jen Lawless, and myself for a taping this morning of WPRI/WNAC-TV's Newsmakers. I noted how the four-term congressman has about $230,000 in his war chest -- more than 10 times the amount of Mark Zaccaria, his Republican opponent -- and that he benefits from being a well-known incumbent. So I asked: isn't agreeing to Zaccaria's call for 20 debates the least that Langevin can do to make this a fair contest?

Langevin dutifully responded, saying there will be some quantity of debating with his GOP opponent, although he declined, of course, to specify a number -- and you can bet it won't be anywhere near 20.

Some might say that this situation shows the power of incumbency and the problems with our campaign-finance system. Both are valid criticisms.

The more fundamental problem, though, is how people like Zaccaria and Jon Scott run quixotic races for Congress, instead of pursuing General Assembly contests in which they would have a more realistic chance of success.

In 2006, after Lawless challenged Langevin in the Democratic primary, it marked the first time in more than 100 years when there wasn't a Republican opponent in that congressional district. For all intents and purposes, it's not much different this time. I wasn't there when Zaccaria appeared on Newsmakers a month or so ago, but Lawless says he touted plans to raise $200,000. He's not even close so far.

Yet as one local political observer tells me, "The problem with the Republican Party in this state is that everyone wants to start in Congress."

It's instructive that Jack Reed -- who already had a West Point-Army Ranger-Kennedy School-Harvard Law background -- began his political career by winning a General Assembly seat.

This is a lesson that remains lost on too many Rhode Island Republicans.