This is absolutely dead on, and what we’ve been saying to those people trying to either dismiss or defend Mr. Delgaudio for years now. Rob Tisinai does more than just point it out, though; he walks us through it, in detail both hilarious and sad. Sad, because Mr. Delgaudio is a fraud, which means that someone is being duped. This brief analysis of his financial records demonstrates it. Thanks to Rob for posting the link in comments.
Put it together with Mr. Delgaudio’s open admission to a colleague that he really doesn’t care, personally, about the so-called “homosexual agenda,” and what do you have? Some folks I have to feel a great deal of pity for, among other things.
Delgaudio has the public’s eye right now, and he’s working it. This might be a good time for him to step back from his cries of persecution and tell his donors exactly what it is he does with their money — besides using it to ask them for more money.
But why? They’ve shown no interest in that information thus far. I think that he just may have compiled a list of the stupidest people in America. And anyone defending him here in Loudoun, whether for their own personal gain or for any other reason, is helping this sociopathic little man to prey on them.
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Remember Watergate. It was when the Republican Party finally was willing to repudiate Nixon’s acts that he was forced to resign. His own party came to him and told him it was over. But that was then, back before the entire party took a page from Nixon’s dirty tricks play book.
D’Onofrio is involved in all sorts of deals in Loudoun County. His partner is Ben Kelehan, who was Mike Turner’s communications guy, and who was the one who pushed through that redistricting plan that cost us every single seat. Great job, Ben, how did that work out for your business partner and your clients? Pretty good it looks like.
I don’t write people off based on party affiliation. In fact, several fellow Republican office-holders have shared off the record with me how they really feel about Mr. Delgaudio’s behavior.
That doesn’t get them off the hook either, though. If they know it’s morally wrong, but fail to take a meaningful stand because of fear of what he’ll try to do to them, they’re all culpable.
Thanks, mosborn. The statement implies, without saying outright, that Mr. D’Onofrio and his clients don’t “agree” with Mr. Delgaudio’s morally repugnant behavior – great. But no one does, other than a tiny lunatic fringe with no ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Failing to agree with them is not exactly a profile in courage. No one who wants to be taken seriously would try to make a case that it’s ok to call people “it” or make horrific false accusations against them for profit. I can appreciate the uncomfortable position this puts them in. But again, this situation is not comparable to one in which an official is just taking a policy position on an unrelated matter. This is a fundamental moral issue that demands an act of conscience. There’s no ignoring or dismissing it.
Did not know that. So much for my hope that they just didn’t do their research before they started contributing.
What do you expect? D’Onofrio was Communications Director for the LCRC for years and worked on a number of Republican campaigns.
The Hounds were also partners with Steve Simpson’s Nine Iron sports drink, right up until Simpson lost the election. Then Nine Iron vanished from the partners page.
David D’Onofrio – Director of Communications for the Loudoun Hounds, has asked that I include his entire response, and not just the portion I included above.
“As you can imagine there are many moving parts to building a great family entertainment facility and bringing professional sports to Loudoun County and the Hounds are intently focused upon meeting our goals of providing this opportunity for all the people of Loudoun County and Northern Virginia.
I have seen these articles in multiple locations as you have pointed out and I’ll say to you something very obvious: no one can agree 100% with every politician and person. Sup. Delgaudio has been one of the key people that have made the Loudoun Hounds a reality, but certainly he and others have numerous positions that have nothing to do with their support for the Loudoun Hounds and ours for them. I suspect there are candidates and/or elected officials that you support that you don’t always agree with 100% just the same.”
That is unfortunate, but not entirely surprising. Such people need to be shamed into doing the right thing. It’s a moral issue. It’s not as if he has taken a position about which reasonable people can reasonably disagree; he has taken the position that it’s morally permissible to lie about other people and to declare that they are less than human. The Loudoun Hounds don’t get to pretend that this is irrelevant, and neither do any of Mr. Delgaudio’s other supporters. A fact that will, no doubt, continue to infuriate them.
The Loudoun Hounds organization, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be part of that ever expanding circle:
“Sup. Delgaudio has been one of the key people that have made the Loudoun Hounds a reality, but certainly he and others have numerous positions that have nothing to do with their support for the Loudoun Hounds and ours for them”
Which I take to mean “while it’s unfortunate that Delgaudio is a bigot, he’s been helpful to our business”.
Thanks for that, mosborn. That’s a thought worth pursuing. I think we could put together a pretty robust coalition to share the cost, too. The circle of those who recognize that this is just not a person who should be in elected office is expanding.
In case you haven’t seen it yet:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/loudoun-supervisors-anti-gay-campaign-crashes-the-mainstream/2012/01/12/gIQAgRjFvP_blog.html
Just sent the link to the Loudoun Hounds and Salamander Hotels to remind them exactly who they endorsed by means of their campaign contributions.
The more I think about it, the more I wonder how much an ad shedding some light on Euguene’s donors in the Loudoun Times and Leesburg Today would cost.
Unsurprisingly, another conservative media outlet has distanced itself from the vomitus: Packard Media Group, the owner of Pruden & Politics (which imprudently accepted the same email for distribution):
Pruden & Politics is associated with the Washington Times. Now, when are Loudoun Republicans going to realize how pathetic they look?
Follow the money on Delgaudio’s operations and something interesting may well come up. Is MIke Laris still writing for the Post? Probably too small for Matt Taibbi, but he’d have a field day with Eugene.
Distract me from what, Eric? He’s a corrupt politician with zero regard for the future of this county and its residents, and in addition he makes his living via a fraudulent non-profit that does literally nothing but recycle donations into solicitations for more donations, and in doing so intentionally incites hatred toward an innocent group of citizens among a demographic that is demonstrably prone to emotional manipulation.
These facts are beyond dispute, and therefore anyone who fails to condemn his behavior and distance themselves from him is tainted. This very much includes his new and old colleagues on the board and all other Republican elected officials. They are all morally culpable if they continue pretending that he is fit to serve alongside them just because he nominally shares their party affiliation.
His “move along now, nothing to see” comments demonstrate that exposure of his activities (as opposed to mere dismissal of him as a clown) worries him. So who’s distracting who?
Sorry for the “too” use – should be “to” – usually don’t care so much about little english crap – typing fast – but this was too (there we go) blatant.
You do realize that Eugene’s job is too distract you don’t you? He plays it well.
And it’s pretty much the same formula he’s been using his entire “career.” Back when he was the director of Young Americans for Freedom there was a scandal involving the solicitation of funds from the residents of a facility for dementia patients. Hey, it works!
Bear in mind that about 20% of the population will vote for the dog for dogcatcher. Eugene Delgaudio just has developed a good formula for exploiting some of those people to his own advantage.