Patrick Caddell

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Patrick Hayward Caddell (also Pat or Patrick H.) (born May 19, 1950, in Rock Hill, South Carolina) is an American public opinion pollster and a political film consultant.

He has worked for Democratic presidential candidates George McGovern in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980, Gary Hart in 1984, Joe Biden in 1988, and Jerry Brown in 1992.

He has served as a consultant to various movies and television shows, most notably the movies Running Mates, Air Force One, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, and the serial drama The West Wing.

In 1988, Pat Caddell left the Democratic Party after an acrimonious lawsuit with a Democratic consulting firm. Republicans would often cite Caddell's tirades against the Democratic Party on the floor of the House and the Senate.[1][2][3]

According to researchers, Caddell had wide influence in the Carter White House, and was the chief advocate of what later became known as Carter's "malaise speech." [4]

His analysis on polls and campaign issues often puts him at odds with the current leadership of the Democratic Party. He has been criticized as often attacking Democratic politicians and predicting the downfall of the Democratic party.[5] Critics point out that he has defended the Bush administration by claiming that Republicans did not exploit the issue of gay marriage in the presidential election of 2004. He also referred to Democrats in the House who voted against the Palm Sunday Compromise, which sought to reinstate Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, as "cold blooded" and denounced them.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ FOXNews.com - Was Time Magazine Playing Politics with Its 2006 Person of the Year Cover? - Sean Hannity | Alan Colmes | Hannity & Colmes
  2. ^ FOXNews.com - Bad News for the Kids... - Bill O’Reilly | The O’Reilly Factor
  3. ^ 'This Poll Is Designed to Produce Certain Results'
  4. ^ Heath, Diane J.: "Staffing the White House public opinion apparatus", "Public Opinion Quarterly, Smith, R: "Size of the Moon", 62:2 (1998)
  5. ^ Media Matters - Who is Pat Caddell?