Randy Brock and the GOP are fending off criticism from the Vermont Democratic Party over a July 11 campaign event in which Brock is hosting Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who has faced criticism for his aggressive cuts to social programs there.
A release from the Vermont Democratic Party yesterday said the event sheds light on Brock’s ideals.
“By inviting LePage to Vermont, Randy Brock confirms his allegiance to a radically conservative Republican agenda,” it reads. “This move began with his remarkably regressive healthcare proposal, designed by Tarren Bragdon, the same architect of LePage’s LD 1333, a law that rolled back coverage and accessibility for Maine’s elderly and rural populations, as well as people with pre-existing conditions and small businesses.”
But Brock and the GOP defended LePage’s appearance. In an interview last night, Brock condemned the release.
“The releases that the Democratic Party [sent out] were filled with misinformation, innuendo, and it’s not the kind of thing that we want to see here in Vermont. We want to see issues that are based on civility and fact,” he said.
A separate release from the GOP yesterday pointedly titled “Correction: Randy Brock invites a Reform Minded Governor to Vermont who has put his state back on a path to prosperity” called the Democrats’ release “vitriolic and venomous.”
In the release, Vermont GOP chairman Jack Lindley gave a strongly worded response.
“The name callers who dwell in the bowels at the Vermont Democratic Party might actually learn something from listening to the words of Governor LePage. And even if they don’t like his ideas, the least they could do is treat this man with the same civility that our side demonstrated during President Obama’s recent visit to Vermont,” said Lindley.
