EXCLUSIVE: Political Experts Breakdown Caprio's Blast at the President
Michael Souza, GoLocalProv News Contributor
EXCLUSIVE: Political Experts Breakdown Caprio's Blast at the President
According to Rhode Island political experts, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio’s comments this morning are a calculated political maneuver. They also agree it is a calculated risk.
Earlier today, Caprio, in a radio interview on 630 WPRO this morning, told host John DePetro that President Obama “can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I’m concerned.”
“He had to know that this was coming,” she said, referring to the fact that President Barack Obama appears to be avoiding endorsing any candidates for the state’s highest office.
Tony Affigne, a political science professor at Providence College, agreed. “It is unlikely that the lack of an endorsement came as much of a surprise. The Caprio family is known for their sense of dignity so it is unlikely that it was some sort of impetuous remark,” he said. “It looks very ‘un-Caprioesque’ and even a bit bitter. He would have liked having [the endorsement] so obviously it was intentional, but it certainly is out of character.”
“This is what happens when you endorse the wrong candidate and they lose,” he added.
In 2008, Caprio was a big supporter of Hilary Clinton’s efforts to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Lincoln Chafee, then a Republican Senator but now running as an Independent gubernatorial candidate, made national headlines when he crossed party lines and endorsed Obama.
According to Endress, the strategy is a gamble. “In one way it is an interesting move because it gets Caprio into the news cycle,” she said. Today, Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown is visiting the state to fundraise and campaign for First District Congressional candidate John Loughlin. Meanwhile, President Obama comes to the Ocean State for a fundraiser with Loughlin’s opponent, Democratic Congressional candidate David Cicilline.
“Despite those two stories he’s grabbed the headlines,” Endress said.
Kay Israel, an associate professor of communications at Rhode Island College, believes Caprio is becoming concerned about the projected voter trend. “The verbage is stronger than what Rhode Islanders normally hear. It might allow Caprio to gain some independents but his popularity could go down with Democrats,” he said.
The risk is that some people will be turned off by the statement. “There will be people that will say you don’t disrespect the President of the United States. We haven’t heard that kind of biting remark by [local candidates] of the Republican Party,” Endress said.
Experts find the comments ironic. “The Caprio campaign is very much the Democratic establishment, Affigne said. By his comments, Affigne believes Caprio is attempting to capture the undecided voters that are dissatisfied with the Obama administration.
Affigne speculates that if Caprio is unsuccessful in his bid for the governor’s seat, the comments might be part of a new strategy for him to become one of the leading Republican candidates in the state of Rhode Island.