Who’s Your Daddy: Former Dem Chair Lynch’s “Daddy Bell, Baby Bell” Comments Draw Rebuke
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
"Baby Bell and Daddy Bell" are firing back.
Comments made by former Rhode Island Democratic Party Chair Bill Lynch, that Rhode Island Republican Party Chair Brandon Bell and Progressive Democrat State Coordinator Sam Bell were working together, drew veiled bemusement by one, and a call for an apology from the other.
Following Tuesday's primary results in Rhode Island, Lynch said, “I always got a kick when Republicans get happy with one Democrat beating another Democrat. And Baby Bell and Daddy Bell working together, of course,” said Lynch, of the Progressive Democrats’ Bell - and the Republicans’ Bell.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGOP Bell tweeted the following, following Republican Steve Frias' primary victory to square off against Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello in his Cranston district in November.
"Daddy Bell" is amused! Notice to Special Advisor/Comedian Lynch: Spkr has 55 days until his forced retirement," Tweeted Bell.
"Look, I've got a lot of respect for Bill, I don't think Calamari McNamara has done that much," Bell told GoLocalProv.com of the former party chair, versus the current interim chair, Rep. Joe McNamara. "I've told Bill he did a great job as chair. He's a spin master."
"But going backwards is not the way for Democrats. They need to move forward," quipped Bell, of working to unseat Mattiello in November.
Progressives' Bell Not Amused
Sam Bell told GoLocal that he thinks Lynch "should withdraw the comments...and apologize."
"I think it's instructive to compare how the Rhode Island Democratic party operates and I think it's worth noting - the current Democratic State Committee has yet to elect a chair, as [Current Chair] McNamara is acting in an interim role," said Bell.
"Compare the Rhode Island Democratic party officials to the national ones -- compare Lynch and McNamara to Wasserman Schultz," said Bell. "She was panned for showing favoritism in the primary, even from the Hillary camp -- who thought it wasn't fair."
"I don't think the state's top party officials should insulting the progressive side of the party. That [Lynch] thinks its appropriate to see the progressives as hostile and indifferent to the party is shocking," said Bell. "I call on Lynch to withdraw those comments."
"The Rhode Island machine suffered its biggest rebuke in a long time on Tuesday. The goal should be to advocate for Democrats against Republicans. Joe [McNamara] has not been as bad about this as he could be. He's been on the record saying he supports the progressives, and he said he does view the Democratic party as compatible with progressivism," said Bell.
"Bill Lynch's comments stepped over the line and seemed deeply inappropriate and I call on him to withdraw his comments," reiterated Bell. "The progressive movement is an important part of the party, and implying that progressives are somehow a secret ally with Republicans in preposterous. Saying somehow I'm related to Brandon Bell (which I'm not) is one thing, but Lynch's comments show a move away from the measured tone Joe [McNamara] had been taking, and taking it to a level of insult politics. I hope that Lynch reaches out and apologizes."
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