Rahm is back, but who has the President's ear?

[ProSense]

It's all over the blogosphere and media, Senators meeting with Rahm, which is meant to imply that the all-powerful Rahm is trying to sell out a public option.

At 2:30 this afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will host Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the first of several meetings presaging the merger of two major health care bills. The foursome is expected to discuss key issues at the heart of the reform process--affordability, Medicare, the public option, revenues--but no decisions are expected today.

more

Rockefeller talks directly with the President:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) told MSNBC this afternoon that President Obama "wants to come in hard" on health care reform now that the Senate Finance Committee has voted on their version of the bill.

Rockefeller said he spoke with the President today. MSNBC anchor Ed Schultz challenged him, asking why Obama spoke so highly of the Finance Committee's bill, when it doesn't include a public option.

"He's the President, you gotta cut him some slack. He's an inside player," Rockefeller said. "Don't worry about that. He wants the public option. He wants MedPAC. ... Now that the Finance Committee is finally out of the way we can move on."

Rockefeller sits on the committee and proposed a public option, but it was voted down.

link

This just in:

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel won't be alone today when he huddles with senators about health care, as Brian noted earlier.

<...>

Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff

Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office for Health Reform

Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Phil Schiliro, Director of Legislative Affairs

Shawn Maher, White House Senate Liaison

Emanuel is a bit of a tough guy when it comes to his former colleagues on the Hill and his interactions with Reid haven't always been pleasant. But Orszag and Schiliro have a lot of fans among the Democratic senate staffers, and the White House wanted the whole team on hand so both political and policy questions can be addressed at once.

Got that? A meeting alone (which likely never or rarely happens when it comes to discussing official policy) with Rahm would mean he was pushing his own agenda, but now that four other people are involved, maybe, just maybe, this will be about the President's agenda.


On edit, forgot this one: Unions Stand Up to Rahm: Oppose Baucus Bill

Obama's statement: "A Critical Milestone"

The unions are right to oppose Baucus. In fact, numerous members of Congress believes it falls far short of the goals and object to specific aspects of it. Claiming that the unions are opposing Rahm for saying what the President says makes no sense.



Edited for clarity.

[Schema Thing]

1. Rahm works for Obama

I've seen no evidence that he is disloyal to Obama.

[ProSense]

3. Of course there is no evidence. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

2. And he expects the PO to be introduced via the House bill...

... if nowhere else. But you already knew that. ;)

[rvablue]

4. RE meeting alone with anyone doesn't mean he's working his own agenda.

He works the President's and administration's agenda.

These "rogue" Rahm threads are tiresome.

[ProSense]

5. Yes, the "rogue" Rahm threads are tiresome

Obama supports a strong public option, implying that Rahm is working against that goal is ludicrous.

[Better Today]

6. OH.MY. GAWD! "...the White House wanted the whole team on hand so both political and policy

questions can be addressed at once"

You mean there is someone in Washington that understands the concept of efficiency! sensibility!

I'm sorry, but somehow this sentence jumped out at me as the most hopeful statement of the OP.

[Phx_Dem]

7. Let's see . . . do we try to please

Unions (hundreds of thousands of voters) + the Democratic base or 3-5 (if we're lucky) GOP senators? Hmmmm

I don't know. That's a tough one.

:rofl: