Elections

Third Generation Somervillian And 'Pit Bull Liberal,' Keri Lorenzo, at DNC

The 33-year-old Somerville resident is in Charlotte, N.C. for the Democratic National Convention.

By Chris Orchard
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September 5, 2012

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Third Generation Somervillian And 'Pit Bull Liberal,' Keri Lorenzo, at DNC

Courtesy: Keri Lorenzo

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Last week we profiled Samantha Shusterman, a 29-year-old Somerville resident who was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

A number of readers pointed out that Keri Lorenzo, a third generation Somervillian, is also a delegate.

Lorenzo is an at-large delegate, which means she was selected by the Massachusetts Democratic Party State Committee.

Pit bull Democrat

Lorenzo described herself as a "pit bull liberal Democrat" and said she inherited her love of politics and the Democratic Party from her Somerville family, including her grandmother who was deeply involved in Somerville politics.

A graduate of Somerville High School, where she met her husband, Jerry, Lorenzo has two sons and a third on the way.

This year's is Lorenzo's first convention as an elected delegate, but the 33-year-old has been to conventions before—as a broadcaster.

For four years she hosted the Keri Rodrigues Show in the Providence radio market, where she was known as the "pint-sized Portuguese Pundit," she said (Rodrigues is her maiden name). She also worked as a reporter and news anchor for ClearChannel and CBS, she said.

As a journalist she covered previous conventions, including the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, where she interviewed Barack Obama.

Currently she's a communications director with the Service Employees International Union.

Lorenzo is head of Somerville for Obama and a chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party's women's caucus, she said.

In that capacity she recently met Michelle Obama at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield for a forum on women's issues.

Lorenzo sees health care and women's issues as important ones in this year's election, she said.

She thinks these are areas, among others, where Massachusetts leads the nation. And in Somerville "we lead the state," she said.

Lorenzo spoke to Patch at the convention in Charlotte, N.C., and you can see the video here.

Related Topics: Democratic National Convention, Election, and election 2012

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Jonah Petri

9:22 am on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Keri:
Where's addressing global warming in the Democrat's priority list? I had to scroll through 54 pages of solid text before I found a tiny mention of it on the bottom of page 55 of the Democratic Party Platform.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/09/04/us/politics/20120904-DNC-platform.html

Just after the hottest month in US history, in the midst of the hottest decade in human history... shouldn't this be more than a footnote?

Cornelius Cob

10:44 am on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The Democrats want to win this election. To that end, they have to focus on jobs and the economy. Putting Global Warming in the top 5 would be political suicide.

Jonah Petri

10:54 am on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Not putting it at the top is actual suicide, in my opinion.

Oh, and that's also the opinion of every major scientific organization in the world. But what the hell do they know?

If the democrats want me to show up to vote for their candidates, they're going to have to start practicing some evidence-based politics.

Courtney O'Keefe

9:35 am on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

If I was going to pick anyone to be there-it would be Keri!

Jason

8:07 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012

Awesome, more partisans, just what we need.

Jonah, the immediate need for a real and honest discussion leading to a real and permanant fix for our nation's economy is far more important than reestablishing a muddy global warming argument for a convention of money and egos.

Sorry you burned up so much time digging for your platform. But even the politicians know its a lost cause without settling the economy issue. If Barry had brought it up, the right would have slaughter him even further the next day with the real job numbers...oh wait they did.

Here:
Saw this tonight -

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/08/Real-Unemployment-Now-19?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BigGovernment+%28Big+Government%29

1. When you include the underutilized labor figure with the eight million Americans who have lost hope altogether and stopped looking for a job, real unemployment now stands at just under 19 percent.

2. If the labor force were the same as when President Obama took office in January 2009, the unemployment rate reported on Friday would be 11.2 percent.
3. A record 88,921,000 Americans are no longer in the labor force. To be included in that figure, an individual must be over 16 years of age, a civilian, not in a mental hospital or nursing home, and have stopped hunting for a job for at least four weeks.

4. The average American lost 40 percent of their wealth from 2007.

Jason

8:08 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012

And here is the rest of it. Go ahead pick it apart.

4. The average American lost 40 percent of their wealth from 2007 to 2010.

5. Every fifth man in America is out of work.

6. One out of two Americans are now low-income or below the poverty line.

7. Over the past four years, 400,000 food stamp recipients a month have been added to the welfare dole.

8. In 2006-2007, 90 percent of college graduates landed jobs. Under Obama, just 56 percent find work after college.

9. A gallon of gasoline cost $1.84 when Obama entered office. Today, a gallon of gas costs $3.77.

10. Every fourth home mortgage in America is underwater.

11. Under Obama, healthcare costs have skyrocketed 18.9 percent.

The latest Gallup tracking poll shows Mr. Obama leading Republican challenger Mitt Romney 49 to 45 percent.

Then there's this - Justice Dept. Gallup lawsuit came after Axelrod criticized pollsters

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/08/Real-Unemployment-Now-19?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BigGovernment+%28Big+Government%29

Jonah Petri

8:26 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012

"Awesome, more partisans, just what we need."

Look at yourself, man.

As for me, I am not, and have never been, a member of a political party. So it's not "my" platform, as you say. But it is "my" planet. I would GLADLY let the politicians fight it out over some experimental world which we could throw away once they were done with it. But damage done (and carbon emitted) is PERMANENT (on a human timescale). Nothing can undo it. That's why I care.

And yes, today's jobs are at stake due to global warming. Have you not heard that the worst drought in decades just destroyed basically the entire nation's corn crop? And that it will probably get worse in the next months? These are today's jobs, lost due to lackluster partisans making stupid rhetorical arguments.

And really, entering into an honest discussion and only providing links to breitbart.com tells me pretty much all I need to know about your tired, childish tropes.

Jason

8:56 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012

And we keep an ethanol policy that the entire world and the farmers whom benefit from it, at the center of it call, ineffective at best and a monstrous waste of Tax payer money.

If you are reporter, it's is best to not affiliate with any political party to maintain you objectivity...man.

Jonah Petri

9:02 am on Sunday, September 9, 2012

Um, I'm not a reporter. And I don't think ethanol is a good use of corn either. You're moving the goalposts on your own argument.

http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/special-pleading

Jason

1:10 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012

Smirk, that's a funny link. There must be a hitler accusation on the site... **trys to think of term for it......**

Any who, I'm dull at best, where was the goal post moved and when did we put them up..

Sorry about the two part post that lacked the links for reference.. I will get the other links on this thread for you...don't worry they aren't ALL Brietbart....and what's the matter with that source anyway? Did you "glance" at them, or just turn your nose up and make a judgement call...

I prefer to look at a few angles of a story. I find that those not favored by the main stream can be helpful to find the elusive other side of the aisle view.

If you think I'm a republicant' your wrong. In my youth, I chose the liberal left ideal position cuz it was the most convenient and common position, but as I'm "mature" now, I vote, unenrolled. I love that title...heh.

Links to come when I get one more minute.