Republican and Democratic Party leaders agree: DeLorenzo is a Trump-like problem
Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Brandon Bell used Joseph DeLorenzo’s continued occupation of his position as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party to demonstrate the hypocrisy of leaders such as Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman (and State Representative) Joseph McNamara (Democrat, District 19, Warwick) who have attacked GOP gubernatorial
October 25, 2017, 3:10 pm
By Steve Ahlquist
Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Brandon Bell used Joseph DeLorenzo’s continued occupation of his position as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party to demonstrate the hypocrisy of leaders such as Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman (and State Representative) Joseph McNamara (Democrat, District 19, Warwick) who have attacked GOP gubernatorial candidates for being too close to President Donald Trump on policies.
(See coverage of this issue here)
“Originally,” said Bell, “Trump attacks by the Rhode Island Democratic Party can be dismissed as a lame attempt to distract voters from their failures at the State House. Now, they are simply laughable. The Rhode Island Democratic Party wants to complain about President Trump but their leaders have sounded a lot like Trump. Joe DeLorenzo, the Second Vice Chairman Rhode Island Democratic Party, has called fellow Rhode Island Democrats “left wing whack jobs” and supports Trump on the NFL national anthem controversy. Meanwhile Joe Paolino Jr, Rhode Island’s Democratic National Committeeman, once blazed the trail Trump later followed by campaigning on cracking down on illegal immigration by building a triple fence on the border with Mexico.
“The Rhode Island Democratic Party has no credibility when it comes [to] attacking Rhode Island Republicans about Trump when the members of their own leadership have sounded a lot like Trump. They should either come up with a new talking point or find some new leaders.”
The RIADCTC (Rhode Island Association of Democratic City and Town Chairs) seems to want new leaders. The group passed a motion Tuesday evening calling for the resignation of Joseph DeLorenzo from his position as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party.
After urging from Rhode Island Speaker Mattiello (Democrat, District 15, Cranston), DeLorenzo apologized for the crude remarks he made about Representative Teresa Tanzi (Democrat, District 34, Narragansett, South Kingstown). But the apology was deemed too little and too late by the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus, and now the RIADCTC.
