Legal Commentary

Rahm's Leverage Is With Blue Dogs, Not The CPC

By Big Tent Democrat

Via Bowers, this:

Many centrists credit Rahm Emanuel, now White House chief of staff, then a congressman from Illinois and a member of leadership, for pushing Pelosi to protect vulnerable members. “Rahm could say, ‘Nance, I’m the guy who delivered the House.’ He had a special ability to talk to her,” said a senior Democratic aide.

Leaving aside the lie behind the Rahmbo propaganda (Rahmbo got it all wrong in 2006, not wanting to run against the Iraq Debacle. Dems won despite him, not because of him), what this tells me is that Rahm has leverage with Blue Dogs, not the Progressive Caucus. He means nothing to them. Rahm seems to recognize this:

"I think Senate's been clear about the prospect there is," Emanuel told PBS's Charlie Rose when asked if healthcare can pass with the public option. "That doesn't mean in the House they're not going to come to the table and demand it." [. . .] "Health care will be passed before the members go home for Thanksgiving," he said, rejecting a question about whether the bill would largely resemble the proposal to emerge from the Senate Finance Committe. "It will not just be on the Senate Finance Committee because the legislative process a place where both bodies get to contribute," he said.

(Emphasis supplied.) Some are expressing outrage over Rahm's prediction about the Senate. And I agree that it was stupid of Rahm to make predictions about the Senate process. But I found the rest of his comment the more interesting part. Perhaps Rahm is understanding the limits of his (and Obama's) influence with the Progressive Caucus.

This may signal an Obama step back on pushing the policy one way or the other and letting the House-Senate conference hash it out on its own. If the House holds firm, this would a a good thing.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 24, 2009 (boomark / email).