Rahm "begged" Obama for days not to pursue ambitious health reform

[kpete]

Book: Rahm "begged" Obama for days not to pursue ambitious health reform

Rahm Emanuel spent nearly a week in the summer of 2009 aggressively trying to talk Obama out of moving foward with an ambitious version of health care reform, and by his own admission "begged" him not to do it, a book out next week reports.

The book, Jonathan Alter's The Promise, goes much further than previous accounts in documenting just how opposed Rahm was to proceeding with ambitious reform -- something that was widely suspected at the time but never proven in detail. I obtained excerpts of the book in advance of its release next Tuesday.

"I begged him not to do this," Rahm admits to Alter. But according to the book, Obama overrode Rahm's advice, privately taking a bit of shot at Clinton by telling advisers that he hadn't been sent to the White House to do "school uniforms."

After Obama had made his decision, Rahm threw himself into getting the President's plan passed and worked almost nonstop on it, the book reports. It also goes into more detail than previously known about the dramatically scaled down health reform plan Rahm urged Obama to pursue instead -- something advisers derisively called "the Titanic plan" because it insured women and children first.

more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/05/book_rahm_spent_week_aggressiv.html

[madmax]

1. Guess Rahm can't dictate

everything to the Prez. OTOH, bush would have deferred to Cheney or Rove.

[niceypoo]

2. Obama must have listened

Hense the toothless legislation that ended up passing

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Yep

[Mari333]

7. Rahm is Obama's brain it seems. Like Rove.

[avaistheone1]

13. +1

[tavalon]

19. Rahm is like Rove in more ways than I care to imagine

[cali]

21. do you realize how absurd that sounds?

first of all, this article certainly doesn't endorse that view. Secondly, bush truly wasn't an intelligent or thoughtful person. I think it's pretty clear that Obama is the one in charge. Certainly doesn't mean he's always right, but no, the evidence is that Rahm is NOT Obama's brain.

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. He isn't, but he sure wants to be.

fucking republican reptile lizard brain.

[dflprincess]

40. He's not the brain, but he's chief of staff

because they are kindred spirits.

[leveymg]

24. Good thing he's not the conscience.

In the years to come, I think we'll come to learn that what the private, restricted benefits HCR we got is actually pretty close to the one that Obama and Rahm (and his brother) actually wanted.

[dflprincess]

39. I really wish people would stop referring to this insurance scam as HCR

All it does is perpetuate the for profit companies by either forcing us to buy their shoddy products or by handing them tax dollars for "premium subsidies". Nothing in this bill does anything to guarantee us the kind of access to health care that people in civilized countries have.

[leveymg]

49. Insurance scam it is.

America isn't a particularly civilized or advanced country. We're not even very rich anymore - just lots of debt that needs bundling. No argument on that. Shrug.

[cascadiance]

17. Obama swallowed the Rahm-per Room's tea party koolaid!

[lib2DaBone]

30. LOL.. good pics....

[dflprincess]

38. That was my first thought

[joeybee12]

46. Agreed. n/t

[Moochy]

3. Raaaaaaaaaahm

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. LOL

[EFerrari]

42. LOL

:rofl:

[Jennicut]

6. Rahm is risk aversive. If you are not even going to try, why bother?

[QC]

8. Looks like Rahm got what he wanted. n/t

[Schema Thing]

23. No.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

9. Well, at least Rahm managed to neuter the ambitious parts of HCR.

I admit that I really wanted them to start at a Single Payer plan and compromise from there if they had to. I thought that we'd get a Public Option at the very least.



Maybe next term..........?

[RaleighNCDUer]

Fraid not - not for another generation. What we see is what we got. nt

[Altoid_Cyclist]

44. You and Lib2DaBone are probably both right.

I'd like to be able to say that you're both wrong, but the circumstances are what they are.

On the bright side,............errrrrr I'll get back to you if I think of anything.

Me scratching my head...........


I know, the "reform" has a few worthwhile items in it. I'll just always wonder what could have been had Pres. Obama and the rest of the (D) leaders taken a firm stand from day one. Instead, it was capitulation from day one.

[lib2DaBone]

31. After turning my all-knowing Magic 8-ball in many directions.. it says....

Obama is a one term President

[Pirate Smile]

33. I think your Magic 8-ball is broken.

[kestrel91316]

10. I'm sure he did. He's Rahm. Never met a truly liberal policy he liked.

[Pirate Smile]

11. That's why I don't get the negative focus on Rahm. Pres Obama makes the decisions.

[avaistheone1]

12. Rahm won.

What else is new? :shrug:

[Schema Thing]

25. No.

[avaistheone1]

32. Victory for Rahm.

It's pretty simple. Corporations got everything they wanted, and we will still have tens of thousands who will die as a result of not having affordable health insurance.

[golddigger]

14. Rahm can go "Blank" himself!

[progressoid]

26. Fuck.

I think that's the word you're looking for.

[Bluebear]

52. lol

[Nite Owl]

15. What we got has Rahm's

fingerprints all over it. A corporate giveaway is Rahm's MO.

[area51]

29. +1

Each day, 273 people die due to lack of health care in the U.S.

We need single-payer health care, not welfare for serial-killer insurance companies.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. So this is saying that Obama's Ambitious "Health Reform" passed?

What a load of bullshit.

[tom_paine]

18. You mean to say the Corporate Giveaway and Massive Increase of Corporate Power was the LIBERAL

"no Rahm" version of the bill?

:rofl:

[Jefferson23]

20. The individual that made the decisions, good or bad, was/is Obama.

I understand if people do not appreciate Emanuel, but the idea that he is Obama's brain is nonsense.

[Pirate Smile]

27. As usual, Rahm (just mentioning his name) seems to make people irrational except for the President

[Greyhound]

36. Funny how becoming a multi-millionaire by stealing from the working poor

and making your political bones by selling your constituents out to the highest bidder, tend to make people a little critical of your motivations.

Just like all his Investment buddies, if he died today, the world would be a better place tomorrow.

[bvar22]

28. I don't give Rahm that much power.

The decision to appease Republicans and Corporations with phony HCR came from the top.
Rahm is only a loyal lieutenant.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans."---Paul Wellstone

[Echo In Light]

34. All ears

[Fumesucker]

35. Clearly, Rahm got his way..

Ambitious health care reform certainly didn't get very close to the tabletop.

[grahamhgreen]

37. Where's all the people who promised we'd FIX the flawed bill?

[ej510]

41. What's the difference between new democrats and the dlc?

[EFerrari]

43. The New Democrats haven't lost as many elections?

To cross the road?

They all did?

I give up. :)

[Bluebear]

45. What a crock of bullshit. Rahm & Obama got exactly the bill they wanted.

[BzaDem]

50. It's funny when facts completely disprove and contradict the reality you wish we lived in.

That's the sound of cognitive dissonance.

[Bluebear]

51. 'cognitive dissonance' - fancy schmancy for an assholish post. /ignore

Be sure to toss in "intellectually dishonest" for your next victim.

[Ignis]

47. It's a pity Rahm didn't read the 2008 Democratic Party platform:

...or perhaps he did, and thought it was "f*cking retarded." :eyes:

Covering All Americans and Providing Real Choices of Affordable Health Insurance Options.

Families and individuals should have the option of keeping the coverage they have or choosing from a wide array of health insurance plans, including many private health insurance options and a public plan. Coverage should be made affordable for all Americans with subsidies provided through tax credits and other means.

-- http://www.democrats.org/a/party/platform.html

[WeDidIt]

48. That CANNOT BE! Everybody knows Rahm controls Barack's every move!

:sarcasm: