Politicians and strategists praise Patrick Gaspard highly, although he stays away from the limelight.
"Patrick is the best political mind of his generation in New York and maybe the nation," says Kevin Sheekey, who as Michael Bloomberg's right-hand-man has frequently worked and battled with Gaspard.
"I wouldn't dispute that," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist and Gaspard's cohort on the campaign trail. When reminded that such a title could be bestowed on Axelrod himself, the strategist said he was "happy to cede that" to Gaspard.
The Washington Post, among others, has announced that a longtime labor operative of Barack Obama's, Patrick Gaspard, will be named Obama's White House political director.
Gaspard served as national political director for much of Obama's general election campaign and was named deputy director of personnel for the transition effort. Prior to his work with Obama, Gaspard was the lead political operative for the 1199 branch of the Service Employees International Union, a huge and hugely influential union representing health care workers in New York. He spent the 2004 general election as the national field director for America Coming Together.
Gaspard was featured prominently in Ryan Lizza's recent New Yorker piece detailing how Obama won. Of his job interview with the Illinois Senator, Gaspard recalled Obama saying: "I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director."
SEIU = illegal aliens union about to steal granny and grandpa’s medicare, social secuity and life savings.
Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede!
Yes We Can! (steal granny’s medicare and social security).
Once I am up there I will let it be known that I along with others are fed up of him and congress not listening to us, that we do not want this and that we are very afraid of where he (exact words) his Marxist pals and his union thugs are moving this country.
This has got to stop because I am seeing how the left is organised and how this country is going down the pan very quickly.
I came here for the American dream and I have that and like hell will I let that go and be like the UK.
I've lived that health care and I have seen what a mess these kind of policies do.
Id some left wing wacky job wants to debate me then I would love to tell them that they should go and live it as I have before they think their messiah is the true word