New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Pat Caddell, who is this week's guest on the podcast, has a plan to save the country. Instead of rubber-stamping an uncontested primary this January, he wants New Hampshire Democrats to write in Hillary Clinton.
It's an intriguing -- and plausible -- idea. And Pat made some news on our podcast, not only by sketching out how it might work, but also by announcing that he might spearhead the whole thing. Listen to the audio below:
(Here's a direct link to the clip).
While Republicans are trying to turn the 2012 election into a repeat of the 1980 election, which saw the election of a true conservative president with a solid conservative mandate, Caddell doesn't think much of this analogy. The country in 2011 is much, much worse, he says.
Pat's two key words to describe the electorate -- on both sides of the aisle -- are "alienated" and "volatile." I think he's right. And I think also right that the race, for both sides, is due for a shake up.
So let me add another word to alienated and volatile. I'll add interesting, which is what I hope the New Hampshire Democratic primary will be.
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Apr '11
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
"May you live in interesting times" . . . and may God have mercy on your soul.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
It would be too good to be true.
On top of everything that that fathead Obama has done to mess up his reelection, the Dems getting into a high-profile screaming match over replacing him would be the coup de grace. If for no other reason, they don't dare do this because it would alienate the black vote. It's out of the question.
Besides, the left are generally more politically savvy than that. There's already a group that does everything they can to louse up their own chances for electoral victory. They're called Republicans.
Edited on November 27, 2011 at 6:21pmMay '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Rob, you left out the most important word - the word that Yeti picked up on in naming the podcast this week - and that word is "pre-revolutionary."
There is a growing sense that the Federal Government has lost legitimacy, or as Jefferson put it, "the consent of the governed." The left has been incubating these feelings since the 1960's (maybe longer by the Red Babies of the Depression) and they would use the words of the Founding Fathers as a means to destroy the Liberty that they secured in the 18th Century.
Our word, therefore, should be "restoration." Despite it's monarchical sound, we need to hammer home the theme that we need to restore the Constitution, restore the concepts of individual liberty and responsibility, restore the concept that "equality" means equality before the law and not equality of economic result.
There may be a need for a Second American Revolution but it needs to echo the original, not the French, Russian or Chinese ones.
Edited on November 27, 2011 at 7:32pmDec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Perhaps Pat is actually a mole for our side. With as resoundingly uninspiring as our primary is going we need a good distraction on the other side. We're supposed to be having an in house wrestling match right now, the dems aren't. If Obama's party shows a loss of confidence in him then the squishy middle will surely not see him as the safe default choice.
And, EJ, yes!
Jun '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
EJHill: Rob, you left out the most important word - the word that Yeti picked up on in naming the podcast this week - and that word is "pre-revolutionary."
There is a growing sense that the Federal Government has lost legitimacy, or as Jefferson put it, "the consent of the governed." The left has been incubating these feelings since the 1960's (maybe longer by the Red Babies of the Depression) and they would the words of the Founding Fathers as a means to destroy the Liberty that they secured in the 18th Century.
Our word, therefore, should be "restoration." Despite it's monarchical sound, we need to hammer home the theme that we need to restore the Constitution, restore the concepts of individual liberty and responsibility, restore the concept that "equality" means equality before the law and not equality of economic result.
There may be a need for a Second American Revolution but it needs to echo the original, not the French, Russian or Chinese ones.
Exactly, EJ. In every word.
Instead of "fundamentally transform," which is really anti-American in sentiment, we Republicans should use a word like restoration -- and we mean it as in restoring traditional America.
Jun '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Rob, I really wonder if the traditional dems can get their party back.
It seems too late -- not only has the camel got its nose under the tent, the tent has been ripped up and they are left with the camel trampling the debris that was the Democratic Party.
Nov '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I was impressed with the Pat Caddell interview. Not to the extent that I would ever vote for a liberal but it was refreshing to hear a liberal actually willing to fight for traditional liberal values. It seems doubtful we would even know Obama's name if more democrats would stand up for their values like Caddell and I applaud his efforts.
May '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Pat Caddell's guest spot on the podcast was startling. I knew he had a lot of cranky complaints about the administration but his diagnosis of the polarized state of our politics was foreboding and prescient. I felt it was a view along the lines of Angelo Codevilla's "America's Ruling Class - And the Perils of Revolution" essay of last year.
Will mainstream democrats be receptive to Cadell's warnings? I hope so but kind of doubt it.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
The most telling line in the clip: Caddell says he knew Tom Donilon "since the Carter days."
The fundamental truth is, there's not a hair's breadth between President Obama's policies and a putative President H. Clinton's. That's because the Obama Administration is peopled by President W. Clinton Administration retreads, not least Hillary Clinton herself.
Hillary would not pursue policies different in any significant metric from Obama's, so the only argument to favor her over a second Obama term is that she somehow would be more effective at pushing those policies through. It's hard to determine which would be worse: that she would be no more effective at Obama in implementing orthodox Democrat-Left policies, or that she'd be just as ineffective as he has been at leading the country.
Hillary is not the challenger who would shake up Obama. Neither is someone from the Progressive radical left. What Obama needs is an actual moderate Democrat challenger, someone who takes the temperature of the Democrat electorate regarding their real desire to reach compromise with Republicans. If the voters want that compromise, such a challenger would influence Obama in that direction.
Jan '11
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I mentally reserve the term "revolution" for a change in the form of government. But as has been said above, no one (except the OWS anti-capitalist crowd) wants to change the form of our government.
We want to change the players.
May '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I found it interesting that Caddell implied that all that was needed was a well-heeled donor to underpin the "Write-In Hillary" campaign. The first think that popped into my head was "Rush Limbaugh".
Call it Operation Chaos II.... Rush could use a few of his gazillions to fund an anonymous PAC and print up yard signs and build an online effort. Have nothing that ties it to him...true astroturf. It might work better than an overt campaign during his show....
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I enjoyed the podcast with Caddell, really I did. But I came away thinking you're all delusional. We're all delusional really, because I'm still hoping Paul Ryan will end up our nominee by some Divine Intervention.
There is no way Democrats can publicly pressure Obama to drop out. No way. I'm sorry Pat Caddell doesn't recognize it, but he is simply a small remnant of the "liberal" Democrats. His party is wholly controlled by the Left now and can only be sustained by the continued support of the grievance groups they've been nurturing for decades. Offending blacks is an existential blunder the Left won't make. As others have rightly pointed out, Democrats do not comprise the stupid party.
If Obama withdraws from the race, it will only be because he's decided he's had enough. All indications from reports from within the White House are that he doesn't have advisers so much as admirers. He won't be pressured privately either.
OTOH, if Caddell or others inside the party make enough noise, I believe the end result will be Hillary replacing Biden as VP. It would be a devastatingly smart move.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
KC Mulville: I mentally reserve the term "revolution" for a change in the form of government. But as has been said above, no one (except the OWS anti-capitalist crowd) wants to change the form of our government.
We want to change the players. · Nov 27 at 12:12pm
I have to slightly disagree. I think the sentiment seen in 2010 and recently in Ohio is a pre-revolutionary sentiment in that the people feel abused by their government. And they're right. Too much crony-capitalism, too many pages of legislation, too much power taken from the people and placed in the hands of too few. It wouldn't matter at all which party held power, except the Republicans pay lip-service to wanting limited government. Their actual governance, especially at the federal level, has been a bitter disappointment in that respect.
I'd also like someone to explain why Peter believes Hillary would govern as a centrist? Based on what evidence? Until proven otherwise, she tried to institute nationalized health care before BHO, she was a huge admirer of Alinsky in college, and she's stayed loyal to the most left-wing president in history. Wishful thinking, anyone?
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Western Chauvinist:
OTOH, if Caddell or others inside the party make enough noise, I believe the end result will be Hillary replacing Biden as VP. It would be a devastatingly smart move. · Nov 27 at 12:46pm
What is really scary is that I would endorse this move even if it was detrimental to us. Biden scares me worse than Obama. Being ideologically driven is less dangerous to our country that being a moron with power (although Obama comes perilously close to spanning the gap between the two categories.) Every time I see Biden I'm reminded of the Burt Reynolds character from the movie Striptease.
Jan '11
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
Western Chauvinist
I have to slightly disagree.
I'm not sure we disagree at all. My roster of players includes the whole mess ... the parties, the lobbies, and every other barnacle on the ship of state.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
The King Prawn
Western Chauvinist:
OTOH, if Caddell or others inside the party make enough noise, I believe the end result will be Hillary replacing Biden as VP. It would be a devastatingly smart move. · Nov 27 at 12:46pm
What is really scary is that I would endorse this move even if it was detrimental to us. Biden scares me worse than Obama. Being ideologically driven is less dangerous to our country that being a moron with power (although Obama comes perilously close to spanning the gap between the two categories.) Every time I see Biden I'm reminded of the Burt Reynolds character from the movie Striptease. · Nov 27 at 1:08pm
Ha! I wouldn't worry too much about Biden. If, God forbid, Biden became president, I'm pretty sure his own party would move to have him declared incompetent. We would see a groundswell of bipartisanship not witnessed in generations! (Boehner for president?)
I also disagree that Biden's stupidity is more dangerous. The Right has to stop dithering and learn to focus our energies on building a cogent and convincing narrative that the danger is always on the Left. Not necessarily the people -- the ideas.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
The problem, however, is that we have always won the war of ideas when the battle has actually been joined. The left wins with their people. Reagan was an aberration on our side.
What is truly frightening about this thought is that Biden was put on the ticket to bolster Obama's credibility. And, I don't worry so much about Biden becoming president. He scares me just as VP.
Edited on November 27, 2011 at 10:42pmNov '11
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I find it difficult to believe after reading Heilemann and Halperin's Game Change, that the Democrats would ever take the risk of putting the Clintons back in the WH, particularly as Bill has failed to curb his adulterous behavior. (And Bill's unsavory predilections were definitely instrumental in the decision made by the lions of the party to support Obama- ironically, by Ted Kennedy, in particular).
I'm already hearing a buzz about the popular, charismatic Newark mayor, Cory Booker. He could be trouble: very personable, but his politics are Obama lite.
Edited on November 28, 2011 at 12:48amMay '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
I kept waiting for someone in the podcast to explain to me why Republicans would find Hillary so attractive. She didn't have special qualifications to be a New York Senator (including residency); she was a divisive First Lady (and that's a tough act to pull off, although Michelle is giving her a run for her money); she is a secretary of state for an administration which has an appalling foreign policy. (That re-set button act with the Russian prime minister was embarrassing.) That's just the fairly new stuff -- it's not including her radical background, which includes Alinsky-ite practices dating back to college. Yes, Bill was pragmatic, but that was political ages ago when we were all living in Disneyland. I understand why Democrats might find her attractive, but why any Republicans would vote for her just mystifies me.
Dec '10
Re: New Hampshire Democrats Should Dump Obama. And Draft Hillary.
The King Prawn
The problem, however, is that we have always won the war of ideas when the battle has actually been joined. The left wins with their people. Reagan was an aberration on our side.
What is truly frightening about this thought is that Biden was put on the ticket to bolster Obama's credibility. And, I don't worry so much about Biden becoming president. He scares me just as VP.
On point 1, they win with their people by obscuring what their people believe. Obama is a prime example.
On point 2, pshaw. You believe that? I've always thought of Biden as assassination insurance. Obama had to have a VP who wouldn't detract from the illusion of his own competence.