Posted on 02/17/2010 1:25:00 PM PST by Former Military Chick
Longtime Democratic strategist Pat Caddell on Wednesday blasted the Obama White House for creating “a world in which there is no dissent,” following his banishment from Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for Senate.
Caddell, in a phone interview with The Daily Caller, doubled down on the comments he made in November, when he said public sector employee unions in Colorado used as leverage to get him tossed from the Romanoff campaign.
“What I said about Andy Stern and the SEIU? Sure, they’re thugs,” said Caddell, a former adviser to President Jimmy Carter, who until Wednesday had an informal advising role with the primary challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.
Caddell said he does not fault Romanoff, a former state House speaker, for cutting ties with him after his remarks from November — in which he called the Service Employee Union International (SEIU) “thugs” and said the goal of the environmental movement is to “deconstruct capitalism” — were made public.
But Caddell said the comments were pushed into the public spotlight by the state chapters of the SEIU and the AFL-CIO, who called on the Romanoff campaign to get rid of him or risk losing any chance of getting labor’s endorsement.
“The unions have been considering endorsing Romanoff, and basically they told him that if I was involved with the campaign, ‘sayonara,’ which I think is the definition of thuggery isn’t it?” said Caddell, who has worked for a who’s who of Democratic politicians over the last few decades, including Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Mario Cuomo and Gary Hart.
The SEIU and AFL-CIO have not responded to requests for comment. Neither have the Bennet campaign or the Romanoff campaign.
Caddell’s larger point is that Obama has allowed the Democratic party to be run by special interests such as the SEIU, and that the White House itself has reinforced the idea that no disagreement with their policies or ideas can be expressed.
“What they have created is a world in which there is no dissent. Don’t look at me. Look at [Sen.] Evan Bayh. People, with some justification, may think that I’m crazy. But he is the center of the establishment if there was ever was someone,” Caddell said. “When there’s no room in the Democratic party for him and there’s no room in the Democratic party for me, and the unions do get to make those kinds of calls in defense of the indefensible, because, ‘We own you,’ well, the Democratic party will be finished.”
The White House has not responded to request for comment.
Caddell said he is being ostracized for sounding alarms about the problem that public sector unions are posing for the Democratic party. He said he supports industrial unions but that government employee unions such as the SEIU — which is one of the Democratic party’s biggest campaign contributors — violate the raison d’etre of the party, which is to “stand up for ordinary average Americans, not money and special interests.”
“I think the public unions are going to take the country and the Democratic party down the tubes,” Caddell said. “They’re in the business of taking care of — of asking taxpayers, asking ordinary people, to pay for people who make twice as much as they make, with benefit packages they will never see, and they’re told, you may not cut those.”
He pointed to health-care negotiations, where the SEIU has preserved health-care benefits from cuts, and to the $787 billion stimulus, which has benefited mostly state government employees so far. He said public sector employee unions in California have contributed to the state’s fiscal crisis by demanding that taxpayers subsidize their job status and guaranteed salaries and benefits.
Caddell said he was not attacking government employees but that the system “has grown into something far beyond what it should be.”
“How are you going to tell a person who makes $40,000 that they must pay money to make sure that people keep jobs who make $80,000, roughly, and who have defined pensions that they will never see?” Caddell said. “You cannot ask ordinary Americans who have no jobs, whose pensions have been ransacked, and whose pay has been stagnant, to keep rewarding people who don’t face the same kind of conditions and risk.”
“The people who pay for it are suffering,” he said. “The taxpayers are going to explode. This is the big coming issue of our time.”
Get rid of the special interest groups, throw out the bums and Obama listen to the American people.
Oh wait, you are tone death to anyone but the left of your party.
BTW, I am supportive of a 2 party system. I just hope it is my party, the republican party that takes charge of congress.
But, I do appreciate Caddell's honesty just like Doug Schoen, sometimes there are democrats who actually get it and even when I disagree on policy they can be respected for taking on their own party.
I recommend a 2 party and a place system.
That is, we can have the tea party for conservatives, the republican party for moderates and the asylum for the progressives.
True eloquence.
Boy oh boy, these libs catch on quick, don’t they? Nothing gets past ‘em.
That’s a shame. Pat Caddell is a DEMOCRAT, but he is also a stand-up guy!
(I’ve even forgiven him, but not Jimmah, for the “malaise” speech!)
I’d like to see a debate between Caddell and Beckel.
He's far more right than he knows.
Oh that would be groovy to be sure. Caddell would prevail and Beckel’s head would explode.
Obeisance, what makes the Democrat party go round. There are no moderate or blue-dog Democrats, as Bayh found out.
Pretty amazing given his past in politics.
Not sure if you mean Caddell or my comment but I am sure he would appreciate it and if it is about my comment, thank you. I just believe Caddell is a stand up guy.
BTW, if you go to the link there are a couple of video’s video of Caddell’s comments in November (in two parts), at a meeting of political conservatives.
I’ve always liked Pat Caddell even though he’s a Democrat. He has always been fair when presenting his agenda and shows class and common sense.
I hope he brings them down !
Caddell against Obama.
I’ll take Caddell!
“Power to the People - THE TEA PARTY PEOPLE!”
They're making these 'we have to be responsible' noises now so later on, when the mobs are after them, they can say "I tried to stop it!".
It won't matter, though.
They are few and far between, none who are elected will stand up against Obama-Mao, without a permission slip ... I suspect it is why Bayh resigned. His jobs slap at Obama was a clue.
Soooo,
Caddell an honest Democrat, (who knew they existed) gets kicked out of a Dem campaign for stating the truth.
Is there any doubt where this Dum candidate stands?
Bows to the SEIU THUGS.
>> Longtime Democratic strategist Pat Caddell
Pat Caddell is not a contemporary Socialist Democrat.
You should join us, Caddell.
You sound like one of the few democrats who has his head on straight.
“How are you going to tell a person who makes $40,000 that they must pay money to make sure that people keep jobs who make $80,000, roughly, and who have defined pensions that they will never see?” Caddell said. “You cannot ask ordinary Americans who have no jobs, whose pensions have been ransacked, and whose pay has been stagnant, to keep rewarding people who don’t face the same kind of conditions and risk.”
BINGO!
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