Emanuel throws long and deep

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_11/015725.php


EMANUEL VOWS TO 'THROW LONG AND DEEP'.... My biggest concern about Rahm Emanuel becoming the next White House chief of staff is his record of incrementalism.

With that in mind, it was hard not to find his comments yesterday very encouraging. Talking to a group of CEOs and business leaders, Emanuel said incremental changes wouldn't be enough, and urged his audience to work with the Obama administration's push for universal health care.

"When it gets rough out there, a lot of business leaders get out of the car and say, 'We're OK with minor reform.' I'm challenging you today, we're going to have to do big, serious things," Rahm Emanuel said, speaking to The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council, a conference convened to elicit corporate opinion on the challenges facing the new president. <...>

Mr. Emanuel promised that a major economic stimulus would be "the first order of business" for Mr. Obama when he takes office Jan. 20. The focus of spending will be on infrastructure, specifically "green infrastructure," which he said would include mass transit, upgraded electricity transmission lines, "smart" electrical meters that allow consumers to save money by using electricity at off-peak hours, and universal broadband Internet access, which he said would encourage telecommuting.

He stressed that the new administration would "throw long and deep," taking advantage of the economic crisis to push wholesale changes in health care, taxes, financial re-regulation and energy. "The American people in two successive elections have voted for change, and change cannot be allowed to die on the doorsteps of Washington," Mr. Emanuel said.

The Wall Street Journal posted the video of Emanuel's remarks.

Greg Sargent noted, "While the devil will of course be in the details, the fact that Rahm himself is setting the bar very high for the incoming administration's expected health care reform efforts is welcome."

Quite right. This didn't sound like an incrementalist, promising to go slow and work around the edges; it sounded like someone ready to help the president make real changes real soon.

The reports didn't indicate how Emanuel's remarks were received by the business audience, but they have every reason to get onboard with the Obama agenda, especially on health care.

-Steve Benen

[Fovea]

1. I think that Rahm may prove to have been a brilliant choice

and I say this as someone who was not much impressed with him in Congress.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. My problem with Rahm has to do with the causes he picks,

not how he fights for them.

With Barack picking the causes, Rahm is left to do what he does best: Get things done.

[DesertFlower]

3. i think emanuel is the right guy for the job.

[AnneD]

4. I have been telling my DEM friend......

watch what he is doing NOW. I don't know if Obama plays chess-but he is a stratigest lining his pieces now. The most stunning thing about his win in the election was that he actually managed to change the electorate in some of these states. He played the game he wanted to play. He is rigging the Congress up now. He'll be at checkmate before the Congressional GOP knows what hit them and the DEM leaders will be sittting there with their mouths hanging open. I could be proven wrong-but I think the guy may be the most brilliant stratigest I'll see in my lifetime. I think he'll make Rove look like a ham handed idiot. He has already dodged several attempts to short circut his career.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Time will tell, as time has told already.

I was watching a tape of a 60 minutes interview that Obama had done in February, and listening to what he said then is quite striking.....for its consistency, his confidence, and his vision.

Sometimes watching those types of interview in hindsight provide the best information on how one gets there......

He is quite remarkable.

[Cha]

8. Thanks for that..I would

think that would be what's happening but it's good to have your input on this.

[AnneD]

11. Think on this...

we have had an idiot in the WH and a spineless rubber stamp Congress for 8 years. The Press corp has forgotten what an intelligent president can do (OK Clinton was smart and a good tactician-but Obama is intelligent and a strategist). They don't understand it and but the aw shucks, we're just plain folks routine Obama is putting out is no what goes on in that guys mind-it's window dressing. Word leaked out that he is reading a book about Roosevelt's first 100 day. Watch out.

I was talking about the importance of getting HC as a Sec of State with a friend. He was not so hot about it but when I told him the strategy (with what we know as 2 observers with low ranking friends inside) he had his OMG moment too.

I'm saying watch out for the storm and don't stand under any tall trees. But in the mean time....rest well little chickies. One day Obama's face will be on a bill and coin. Schools will be named after him and his library will be a great place of learning.

And W......he'll be resigned to the dust bin of history. I want to put this in my journal to make it an official prediction. I have had a gut feeling every since I made my young daughter get up and watch his speech over 8 years ago. I told her to come out and listen to out next president. She reminded me of that on election night. She thought I had been insane-that skinny black man-our next president-have you been smoking? Well-here we are.

[jaysunb]

10. You are soooo right

well said. :thumbsup:

[CrispyQ]

5. Terminology question:

Is the term universal health care interchangeable with single payer health care? I googled it & it appears to be the case, but is that how most people on DU view it?

http://cthealth.server101.com/the_case_for_universal_health_care_in_the_united_states.htm

[Spazito]

9. I believe they are different in application...

Universal health care ie Canada does not go through health insurance agencies, it is part of the federal/provincial government responsibilities whereas single payer health care as I have been reading still uses private insurance companies.

I stand to be corrected if I have misunderstood the single payer aspect.

[MissMarple]

7. How much money could the corporations save if they got out of the role of health care middleman?

We spend more and get less on health care, overall, than any other industrialized country. Oh, wait, do we still have industry... like do we actually make things? :eyes: