Rahm Emanuel et al. are causing Obama to lose the trust & confidence of the American people: Democrats Seem Set to Go It Alone on a Health Bill
And yes, it is not just Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod. Obama himself has participated from day one in the health care debacle, risking his majority in the House of Representatives during midterms elections next year on a plan his administration never formulated after running on a platform of change, in this case, any change, even if it is not thought out and financially sound, just pass something.
Obama's administration is headed for doing the same thing it did it did only eight days after Obama's inauguration, when Mr. Obama won House passage of the terrible and special-projects laden stimulus bill that did little to timely stimulate the economy. He won a rousing victory for a new president, but won without a single Republican vote.
As with such and other legislation he has passed, he has done so with the feeling that there is need to negotiate with Republicans. This is politics as usual. But Obama ran on change, and much of the 2008 vote was against politics as usual.
From The New York Times:
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.
“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”
The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier. The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers.
On the other hand, such a change could alter the dynamic of talks surrounding health care legislation, and even change the substance of a final bill. With no need to negotiate with Republicans, Democrats might be better able to move more quickly, relying on their large majorities in both houses.
Democratic senators might feel more empowered, for example, to define the authority of the nonprofit insurance cooperatives that are emerging as an alternative to a public insurance plan.
Obama's administration is headed for doing the same thing it did it did only eight days after Obama's inauguration, when Mr. Obama won House passage of the terrible and special-projects laden stimulus bill that did little to timely stimulate the economy. He won a rousing victory for a new president, but won without a single Republican vote.
As with such and other legislation he has passed, he has done so with the feeling that there is need to negotiate with Republicans. This is politics as usual. But Obama ran on change, and much of the 2008 vote was against politics as usual.
From The New York Times:
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said the heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have opposed.
“The Republican leadership,” Mr. Emanuel said, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day.”
The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier. The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance option to compete with private insurers.
On the other hand, such a change could alter the dynamic of talks surrounding health care legislation, and even change the substance of a final bill. With no need to negotiate with Republicans, Democrats might be better able to move more quickly, relying on their large majorities in both houses.
Democratic senators might feel more empowered, for example, to define the authority of the nonprofit insurance cooperatives that are emerging as an alternative to a public insurance plan.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 5:09 AM
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