Cicilline says Democrats have a shot at taking the House

Congressman David Cicilline disputes analysts who call it very unlikely that Democrats will regain a majority this November in the House of Representatives.

Cicilline commented during a taping of RIPR’s Political Roundtable (set to air Friday at 5:40 and 7:40 am).

“The reality is we need 24 seats to take control away from the Republican Tea Party caucus that is now leading the House . . . . with Paul Ryan on the [GOP] ticket and a very clear difference of what’s at stake here, I think it’s absolutely possible for Democrats to take back the House.”

Cicilline also joined us for Bonus Q+A, which will air Friday at 6:40 and 8:40 am. (We had Republican Brendan Doherty last week on Roundtable and the Bonus Q+A)

Other highlights:

– About voters who view him with a lingering sense of mistrust because of his October 2010 description of Providence’s “excellent” fiscal condition: “I’ve talked about that for the last year and a half,” he says, while offering his regrets. (His apology tour came in April.)

– Cicilline says he’s talked “over the years” with Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed to express his support for same-sex marriage. He declined to specify when he most recently spoke with her on the issue.

– Asked if he supports any restrictions on abortion, the freshman Democrat says such decisions should be made between a woman, her physician and her own religious tradition. “And I don’t think the government has a right to interfere in that decision at all,” Cicilline adds.

– Cicilline declined to specify anything he’d do differently if he could have a do-over in overseeing the Providence Economic Development Partnership. He defended the partnership as an attempt to aid higher-risk borrowers; HUD and news reports have described a lack of oversight.