Moore: The Two Faces of Aaron Regunberg

Russell J. Moore MINDSETTER™

Moore: The Two Faces of Aaron Regunberg

Why is Aaron Regunberg so concerned with appeasing Nicholas Mattiello?
Will the real Aaron Regunberg please stand up?

You might think of him as a progressive hero. But there are really two Aaron Regunbergs.

Sure, there’s the East Side of Providence’s pro-choice, pro-gun control, Bernie Sanders supporting Aaron Regunberg that he purports himself to be on social media as well as in his district.

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But that’s the not the mask Aaron Regunberg was wearing on election night this year.

Regunberg was watching the election results at the Oaklawn Grange in Western Cranston. There, he was surrounded by guys wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.

Partying With The Establishment

It was important for Regunberg to show the flag. Put another way, he needed to make his presence known to Mattiello and his lieutenants. After all, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello was in deep trouble having lost the vote at the polls, but buoyed by the mail ballots..

Regunberg wanted to make sure the pro-life, National Rifle Association-backed Speaker of the House thought that he had a friend and supporter in Regunberg. Maybe he does.

I wonder if Regunberg had to actually kiss Mattiello’s ring when he was at the Grange that evening. I doubt it, but nothing surprises me anymore.

It’s not just election night either--though that was certainly a nice touch. My Smith Hill sources tell me that Regunberg grovels in Mattiello’s presence on a regular basis. “Oh, yes Mr. Speaker..”

What About The Issues?

Is there anything more aggravating than these holier than thou politicians that think they can have everything both ways? They can tell us how progressive they are, and then support a politician who bragged about his willingness to stand up to progressives, as Mattiello did throughout the course of his campaign.

Drivers licenses for illegal immigrants? Forget about it, Mattiello said. His western Cranston constituents loved hearing that.

But what about Regunberg? What if I told you that in late September he was leading a march throughout the city of Providence, mostly on the east side, of course, to rally for...driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants? That couldn’t be the same guy, right?  

Regunberg fashions himself as a champion of the little guy, but in 2015, he voted for a the state budget, which allowed The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to charge seniors and disabled folks up to half the cost of the regular fare to ride the bus, when they had been able to ride for free previously. It wasn’t a great thing for the seniors and disabled folks, but I’m sure voting for the budget pleased Mattiello.

Incongruent

His followers on social media like to brag about Regunberg’s integrity. Integrity is defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary as “: the quality or state of being complete or undivided: completeness.

Where, exactly, is the wholeness, or completeness in the character of an individual who visibly supports a House Speaker who stands in opposition to the issues--driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, abortion, gun-control, payday lending reform--that said individual supposedly cares so much about?

Confused yet? Don’t feel bad.

Look, let’s not naive. Politicians often have to go along to get along. American politics is built upon compromise. And that’s a good thing. I’m not suggesting that folks, especially politicians, shouldn’t talk to people they disagree with generally in an attempt to find common ground.

Yet there’s a difference between negotiating with and outright supporting those you disagree with.. One is an earnest attempt to get things done. The other, an attempt to become part of the cool clique.

Will He Stand Up To Mattiello?

Regunberg, a Brown graduate, rose to prominence in Rhode Island by organizing the “Providence Student Union”, which advocated against the usage of standardized testing in our schools. (I guess he thinks it’s a good thing for students to graduate from our high schools who cannot display basic proficiency in math or English. Is it any wonder why such a large percentage of our students who enter the Community College of Rhode Island need remedial courses. Further, is it any surprise that high school students didn’t want to take a test? What did he expect them to say?)

He’s created rallies to protest the election of Donald Trump. There are rumors floating that Regunberg has aspirations to one day become Providence’s next mayor.

And who knows, maybe he will be. Regunberg is certainly an intelligent, talented, and persuasive individual.

However, it would be nice if he realized that there are people who listen to what he says, and watch what he does. And when that behavior is incongruent, there are folks like me who are willing to call it out. It would behoove him to learn that as he moves forward.

Russell J. Moore has worked on both sides of the desk in Rhode Island media. Send him email at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @russmoore713.

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