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Pat Caddell is a Democratic strategist:
Caddell is also discouraged with both President Obama and Republicans for their lack of leadership on health care. “The president? I don’t know where the president is on health care,” he says. “The great problem here is that the president has never had his own bill. We keep saying ‘Obamacare,’ but we don’t know what it is. He’s not exerting leadership, just giving speeches. His people make deals with drug companies, then attack drug companies. Does anyone know what the president is for? It’s very frustrating. His chief of staff wants a bill regardless of what you have to sell out to do it. The Democrats don’t seem to understand that buying off interest groups — which killed Hillarycare in 1993 — gets you nowhere.”
With health-care legislation now on “life support,” says Caddell, Democrats face the added problem of staggering deficit numbers. “The numbers on the deficit are devastating,” he says. “The American people want the spending to stop. The argument I’ve heard from the White House is Orwellian — that the way to solve the deficit is to spend another trillion on health care and saying ‘we know how to do it.’ President Obama said he would veto anything that wasn’t deficit-neutral. Does anyone believe that? He’s in great danger on that question. It’s something he should worry about.”
Though critical of Obama and Democrats, Caddell sees the GOP as a party just as bereft of leadership. “Tom DeLay led Republicans to the slaughterhouse, him and George Bush. Now the Democrats are driving their own base away, deserting their principles.”
Caddell does see a glimmer of hope in the town-hall response to Obamacare. “The American people rose up,” he says, admiringly. “The fact of the matter is that the American people see the political class as in business for themselves. That’s what’s going on here. A tide is coming. The political process has tried to squeeze out any new, fresh blood, so it’s a revolt. People being called mobs by the DNC, Republicans pretending to be conservative — everyone’s saying, ‘Enough with this.’ The best thing the president could do is call a halt to this and have a Ronald Reagan moment.”
Caddell is also discouraged with both President Obama and Republicans for their lack of leadership on health care. “The president? I don’t know where the president is on health care,” he says. “The great problem here is that the president has never had his own bill. We keep saying ‘Obamacare,’ but we don’t know what it is. He’s not exerting leadership, just giving speeches. His people make deals with drug companies, then attack drug companies. Does anyone know what the president is for? It’s very frustrating. His chief of staff wants a bill regardless of what you have to sell out to do it. The Democrats don’t seem to understand that buying off interest groups — which killed Hillarycare in 1993 — gets you nowhere.”
With health-care legislation now on “life support,” says Caddell, Democrats face the added problem of staggering deficit numbers. “The numbers on the deficit are devastating,” he says. “The American people want the spending to stop. The argument I’ve heard from the White House is Orwellian — that the way to solve the deficit is to spend another trillion on health care and saying ‘we know how to do it.’ President Obama said he would veto anything that wasn’t deficit-neutral. Does anyone believe that? He’s in great danger on that question. It’s something he should worry about.”
Though critical of Obama and Democrats, Caddell sees the GOP as a party just as bereft of leadership. “Tom DeLay led Republicans to the slaughterhouse, him and George Bush. Now the Democrats are driving their own base away, deserting their principles.”
Caddell does see a glimmer of hope in the town-hall response to Obamacare. “The American people rose up,” he says, admiringly. “The fact of the matter is that the American people see the political class as in business for themselves. That’s what’s going on here. A tide is coming. The political process has tried to squeeze out any new, fresh blood, so it’s a revolt. People being called mobs by the DNC, Republicans pretending to be conservative — everyone’s saying, ‘Enough with this.’ The best thing the president could do is call a halt to this and have a Ronald Reagan moment.”
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