* Rahm Emanuel: The president’s first chief of staff and the now-mayor of Chicago was a key cog in Obama’s first term. But the celebratory video that led into the president’s speech barely made mention of Rahm — and, when it did, it cast him as the guy saying that the Affordable Care Act couldn’t pass. Not great.
Among the White House achievements championed in the video was the passage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. However, one of the voices in the video relays that Emanuel, as Chief of Staff during the first two years of Obama’s administration, tried to get him to kill the bill because it would cost him re-election in 2012.
“A lot of people argued the politics were too costly,” former adviser David Axelrod said.
“Rahm Emanuel came to him and said you’re going to have to pull the bill, because if you push this legislation, you will lose in 2012,” another voice said.
However, the video depicts Obama as soldiering on to get it passed, no matter the politics. Obamacare would wind up passing Congress without a single Republican vote before Obama signed it into law.
* Oof…
Dumping on Rahm Emanuel in the authorized Obama video? They must be really convinced Rahm's career is toast.
* Mark Brown: White House not only race on some Chicago delegates’ radar: Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a late arrival Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, but many of those regarded as possible successors have been on the scene all week.
* ADDED: Democratic National Convention video leaves Emanuel ‘under the bus’
I don’t know all the Dems’ inside baseball, but that was throwing him under the bus, stopping, backing up and running him over again, stopping, and going on ahead once again. Feel the Bern, Rahm.
When historians do a forensic review of Obama’s reign, they will find a series of questionable comments, some would call lies which formed public policy.
The POTUS had to get rid of Rahm. If he doesn’t get thrown under he bus he’ll cause his own train wreck. I.e., video cover-up. By the way didn’t he throw the police chief under the bus.
My second thought: The shots fired on Rahm had to be approved by both Obama and Clinton. That means that the very best political minds available to the Democratic party calculated that the loss or injury of a legendary Democratic fund-raiser like Rahm could be offset by the political benefit of publicly sacrificing him on live television.
That appears to say something very important about: a) the decreased strength of Rahm’s fund-raising ability, or
b) the increased political strength of the Left in the Democratic Party, or
c) Both.
The way I always heard that story was that Rahm told Obama that if he passed the ACA using reconciliation, it would burn all of his political capital/poison the well and that he would never pass another significant piece of legislation as long as he was president. The fact that Obama ispetty that Rahm was right is not surprising, but the fact that it was on public display at the DNC certainly was.
This was a well-documented disagreement between a President and his chief of staff. It’s part of the record and it’ll be left to the historians to decide if it was good advice at the time or not.
Sometimes a chief of staff has to be the one to tell the boss no. The boss, because he’s the boss, doesn’t have to listen, but shame on anyone too timid to speak up when it is his job to speak up.
“Yes, sir” are two of the most dangerous words ever uttered.
A man who was notorious for telling staffers to “take their tampons out and get to work” shouldn’t be shocked that the political team for the first female nominee kicked him to the curb.
Rahm sloughs off being thrown under the bus by saying the facts are well known. But that doesn’t explain why Obama, HRC, and DNC felt the need to bring it all up again. I still haven’t heard a satisfactory explanation. Do you Rahm would like us to discuss this question some more?
@47th Ward
Monday morning QB-not. If I’m running toward the Goal!,…I don’t need my teammate telling me to take a “knee” before the goal line. You might not win but it’s worth the fight. With respect, I’m not a freakin politician so maybe I don’t understand pretend alliances.
Pick. A. Name. Otherwise my policy of not responding to anonymous commenters will be enforced. You seem like you have something worthwhile to say. Why do you want to be confused with all of the other knuckleheads that are too lazy to use a regular nickname?
Durbin’s right. The Affordable Care Act wouldn’t have passed without Rahm. The President didn’t follow Rahm’s advice–but then Rahm followed the President’s orders. Through his contacts, Rahm ascertained how much of the proposed act was possible in Congress and persuaded the President to strip the bill down accordingly. He also engineered the end run when T Kennedy’s Senate seat was taken by the GOP.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Jul 27, 16 @ 11:39 pm:
I don’t know all the Dems’ inside baseball, but that was throwing him under the bus, stopping, backing up and running him over again, stopping, and going on ahead once again. Feel the Bern, Rahm.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 12:06 am:
I’ll let you know mood shortly.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 12:25 am:
The answer is that they are pretty ebullient! Nobody bumming.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 5:46 am:
If you want a friend in Washington get a dog: Harry Truman
Also applies to Springfield
- cdog - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 6:31 am:
shocking. /s
- Yiddishcowboy - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 7:15 am:
Legit question: What was the need or purpose to throw Rahm under the bus? What did it accomplish? (Other than Bernie simply wanted to do so).
- Cadillac - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 7:26 am:
That was Ken Dunkinesque.
- cdog - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 7:40 am:
imho the answer to what “need or purpose to throw Rahm under the bus” is that he has earned his place among politicians that put politics over people.
Most of us don’t like that way of operating and the DNC knows it.
- Longsummer - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:07 am:
No worries. Rahm still has Bruce Rauner as a friend and ally
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:08 am:
I guess Clinton and Obama don’t know about Rahm’s ‘gravitas’…
– MrJM
- Tinsel Town - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:27 am:
When historians do a forensic review of Obama’s reign, they will find a series of questionable comments, some would call lies which formed public policy.
As in Benghazi was a result of a video.
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:32 am:
“questionable comments”??!?
Heaven forfend! To the fainting couch!!!
– MrJM
- illinoised - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:41 am:
Benghazi? A word conservatives scream when they don’t have a constructive argument nor plausible talking point.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:51 am:
The POTUS had to get rid of Rahm. If he doesn’t get thrown under he bus he’ll cause his own train wreck. I.e., video cover-up. By the way didn’t he throw the police chief under the bus.
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 8:53 am:
My second thought: The shots fired on Rahm had to be approved by both Obama and Clinton. That means that the very best political minds available to the Democratic party calculated that the loss or injury of a legendary Democratic fund-raiser like Rahm could be offset by the political benefit of publicly sacrificing him on live television.
That appears to say something very important about: a) the decreased strength of Rahm’s fund-raising ability, or
b) the increased political strength of the Left in the Democratic Party, or
c) Both.
– MrJM
- Wensicia - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:03 am:
Emanuel’s political future is toast. He was expendable.
- Daniel Plainview - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:07 am:
He’s not just expendable, he’s apparently worth slamming in a national election where Illinois isn’t in question.
Pretty savage burn, and Rahm has earned it.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:08 am:
Well, Chicago is an embarrassment to the President and to the party. It’s proof positive that the Neoliberalism of the Democratic party doesn’t work.
- Former hillrod - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:16 am:
@ tinsel town
And who can forget this classic “if you like your insurance you can keep it”.
- Sue - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:21 am:
And this follows the Big Dog sitting with Toni the night before. Rahm is toast in an HRC white house
- RNUG - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:27 am:
The Chicago Way …
- Biker - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:32 am:
garry mccarthy
anita alvarez
debbie wasserman schultz
rahm emanuel
- Augie - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 9:51 am:
If Hillary wins he is going back to D.C. He did not care. I don’t believe for one second he did not know about the video.
- A non mouse - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 10:16 am:
The way I always heard that story was that Rahm told Obama that if he passed the ACA using reconciliation, it would burn all of his political capital/poison the well and that he would never pass another significant piece of legislation as long as he was president. The fact that Obama ispetty that Rahm was right is not surprising, but the fact that it was on public display at the DNC certainly was.
- Terry Salad - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 10:21 am:
Tell Mike it was only business.
- Sue - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 10:55 am:
Unfortunately Obama didn’t listen. the ACA is flaming. Today BC said it might need to pull out absent HUGE premium increases.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 11:01 am:
This was a well-documented disagreement between a President and his chief of staff. It’s part of the record and it’ll be left to the historians to decide if it was good advice at the time or not.
Sometimes a chief of staff has to be the one to tell the boss no. The boss, because he’s the boss, doesn’t have to listen, but shame on anyone too timid to speak up when it is his job to speak up.
“Yes, sir” are two of the most dangerous words ever uttered.
- Harry - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 11:16 am:
Valerie Jarrett won her war with Rahm, this is just a gentle reminder.
More interesting than the inside-Obama angle is that the Clinton camp let it go through.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 11:31 am:
@47th Ward
Ask those who are benefiting from ACA now.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 12:05 pm:
Anon, first, pick a frickin’ screen name so I can decide if you’re worth responding to or not. You might consider “Monday Morning QB.”
Second, I think Rahm said it best, “thank God he didn’t listen to my advice.”
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 1:19 pm:
A man who was notorious for telling staffers to “take their tampons out and get to work” shouldn’t be shocked that the political team for the first female nominee kicked him to the curb.
- RT - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 1:39 pm:
Rahm sloughs off being thrown under the bus by saying the facts are well known. But that doesn’t explain why Obama, HRC, and DNC felt the need to bring it all up again. I still haven’t heard a satisfactory explanation. Do you Rahm would like us to discuss this question some more?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 2:48 pm:
@47th Ward
Monday morning QB-not. If I’m running toward the Goal!,…I don’t need my teammate telling me to take a “knee” before the goal line. You might not win but it’s worth the fight. With respect, I’m not a freakin politician so maybe I don’t understand pretend alliances.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 3:07 pm:
Pick. A. Name. Otherwise my policy of not responding to anonymous commenters will be enforced. You seem like you have something worthwhile to say. Why do you want to be confused with all of the other knuckleheads that are too lazy to use a regular nickname?
- Rabid - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 3:23 pm:
The mayor is no yes man, his warning of rise of the radical right,who knew that they would self destruct
- Valerie F. Leonard - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 3:34 pm:
Was this a matter of throwing someone under the bus, or just showing how much of an independent thinker POTUS is?
- James - Thursday, Jul 28, 16 @ 3:40 pm:
Durbin’s right. The Affordable Care Act wouldn’t have passed without Rahm. The President didn’t follow Rahm’s advice–but then Rahm followed the President’s orders. Through his contacts, Rahm ascertained how much of the proposed act was possible in Congress and persuaded the President to strip the bill down accordingly. He also engineered the end run when T Kennedy’s Senate seat was taken by the GOP.