White House

Top WH Aides Sitting Down With Women's Groups, Faith Leaders On Stupak

Christina Bellantoni | November 11, 2009, 6:55PM

Women's rights groups enraged over the Stupak amendment included in the House health care bill passed Saturday got some time with Obama administration officials today, but the president's aides also will be huddling with faith groups as the negotiations continue.

As we reported earlier, the head of the National Organization for Women went to the White House to voice her dismay over the last-minute deal to vote on the amendment.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was among the expected attendees, but Obama did not attend.

"As part of our ongoing outreach surrounding health insurance reform, staff met with today with representatives of the women's rights community. Staff will also be meeting in coming days with leaders from communities of faith and other groups involved in the effort," said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin.

Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney: White House Fight With Fox News Is 'Censorship' And 'Abuse of Power'

Eric Kleefeld | October 21, 2009, 4:43PM

Liz Cheney appeared on Sean Hannity's TV show last night, and had some very tough things to say about the Obama administration's public feuding with Fox News.

Cheney said that David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel were sending a "clear warning" against other networks: "It's clear censorship, and it's, in my view, abuse of power from the White House."

As for why the Obama administration has it in for Fox, Cheney said: "They became accustomed to an environment where they just got a lot of adoration, and they don't like to be challenged. And Fox News has sure been, you know, at the top of the list of those asking the hard questions."

She may have a point about a White House being accustomed to an environment of adoration and not being challenged. This would explain why the Bush-Cheney White House liked Fox News so much.

Roundup

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | October 18, 2009, 1:02PM

Jarrett: Obama 'Not Demanding' Public Option
Appearing on Meet The Press, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett made it clear that President Obama is not demanding that a public option must be included in the health care bill: "He's not demanding that it's in there. He thinks it's the best possible choice. But I think, David [Gregory], let's not underestimate how much progress we've made. The fact that there's agreement on so much means that we are right on the brink of delivering for the American people, and that's a positive sign for our country."

Specter: GOP 'A Party Of Obstructionism' With No Plan
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) blasted his former party: "On the Republican side, it is no, no, no -- a party of obstructionism. You have responsible Republicans who had been in the Senate -- like Howard Baker, Bob Dole, or Bill Frist -- who say Republicans ought to cooperate. Well, they're not cooperating ... Take a look at the absence of any Republican plan."

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Barack Obama

White House Suggests Bipartisan Health Care Bill Dead, Republicans Not Serious About Reform

Brian Beutler | August 19, 2009, 4:10PM

First it was Rahm, then it was Gibbs, now it's Obama himself.

The implication--that President Obama believes the Republican party isn't serious about bipartisan health care reform--is significant for obvious reasons. When Congress returns to session at the end of August recess, four of five House and Senate committees will have passed party line health care bills. One--the Senate Finance Committee--will still be mired in rocky bipartisan health care negotiations over legislation that, according to Republican party leaders, won't win over many Republicans at all.

That implies rather strongly that Democratic party leaders are preparing to abandon bipartisanship and pass health care reform either along party lines, or through the budget reconciliation process, or some combination of the two. Which means Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus better prepare to change course or pull off some kind of miracle or else be rolled.

In a Wednesday New York Times report, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is quoted as saying the GOP "has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama's health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day." And earlier today, Gibbs said "only a handful" of Republicans are interested in anything resembling true health care reform

Chuck Grassley

Grassley: After I Trashed Health Care Reform In Multiple Venues, It's Time To Work Together

Brian Beutler | August 19, 2009, 1:20PM

After saying that Democratic health care reform could allow the government to "pull the plug on grandma," calling the public option a "predator," and saying he'd vote against his own compromise legislation if it didn't have overwhelming GOP support, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says its time for Democrats and Republicans to work together on health care reform.

"I've said all year that something as big and important as health care legislation should have broad-based support," Grassley told The Hill.

"So far, no one has developed that kind of support, either in Congress or at the White House. That doesn't mean we should quit. It means we should keep working until we can put something together that gets that widespread support."

Grassley's entreaty may come a bit too late. Senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs publicly admitted today that most Republicans aren't interested in health care reform. Taking Grassley at his word, that suggests there's no reason for him to continue participating in negotiations. And taking the administration at its word, it may just be the case that bipartisan health care talks are dead.

Health Care

Anonymous White House Official Slams Liberals Over Public Option

Brian Beutler | August 19, 2009, 9:33AM

In case progressives were beginning to feel as if the Obama administration doesn't really care what they think, they can rest assured: the White House hears them loud and clear. It just doesn't like the message.

"I don't understand why the left of the left has decided that this is their Waterloo," an anonymous senior White House adviser tells the Washington Post. "We've gotten to this point where health care on the left is determined by the breadth of the public option. I don't understand how that has become the measure of whether what we achieve is health-care reform."

That's probably not a characterization--"left of the left"--liberals would have chosen for more than five dozen members of the Democratic caucus. And it doesn't exactly inspire faith that the White House sees the public option as more than a sliver of reform. But it also doesn't suggest they're expecting House progressives to fold.

And, in a bit of good news for progressives, it comes just as White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel--who could even be the Post's anonymous official--tells the New York Times that the GOP "has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama's health care proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day."

If health care bipartisanship is dead or dying, then the public option suddenly loses much (though certainly not all) of its political volatility.

Health Care

Rahm To Liberals: Your Ads Against Dems Are F@$&ing stupid

Brian Beutler | August 7, 2009, 7:05PM

Greg Sargent reports that, in a meeting with key liberal interest groups, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel went on quite the tirade, letting it be known just how he feels about progressive groups targeting House Blue Dogs and conservative Senate Democrats.

Among other things, he called them "fucking stupid."

In the past, White House objections to infighting have been effective. And though a number of groups have insisted that they're not changing their game plans, it'll be interesting to see if the tone or intensity of these campaigns changes.

Chuck Schumer

Schumer On Emanuel: The Trigger's Not Good Enough

Brian Beutler | July 8, 2009, 1:57PM

One of the more surprising aspects yesterday's controversy over the White House's supposed openness to a so-called "triggered mechanism" is that Democrats have, essentially, a dedicated point man on the public option. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has taken on that roll in the Finance Committee and has come forward publicly a number of times--most recently this past Sunday--to resuscitate the public option when it seemed on the brink of death.

"I had never heard that they were for the trigger. That came as a surprise to me," he told Slate's John Dickerson. "Maybe in year three there might be a public plan? Not good enough."

It's hard not to sympathize with the guy. Schumer, perhaps more than any Democrat, has put himself on the line for the public option--and unless it's part of some grander, more opaque political scheme, it can't be helpful to his efforts to have a prominent White House official come forward to undercut him.

Health Care

Emanuel Backtracks From 'Trigger' Comments; Dem Says CoS Made "Hell Of A Mistake"

Brian Beutler | July 8, 2009, 9:05AM

After sparking progressive outrage, and sending the White House into damage control mode, a chastened Rahm Emanuel appeared before House Democrats yesterday to reassure them that the administration stands foursquare behind a public option.

At the meeting, House liberals warned Emanuel that he couldn't count on them to vote for a bill that contains a triggered public option. "We have compromised enough, and we are not going to compromise on any kind of trigger game," Woolsey apparently told Emanuel. "People clapped all over the place. We mean it, and not just progressives."

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said Emanuel assured him that "he doesn't stand by [the] trigger."

But all may not be forgiven and forgotten. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, said the Chief of Staff ""made a hell of a mistake. He made a hell of a mistake and he knows it."

Meanwhile, across the Capitol, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid laid down the law, urging Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to walk away from his efforts to reach bipartisan consensus on health care reform--specifically, to advance a bill with a public option, and financed without taxing workers' health benefits. It's unclear as of now how closely the two major developments are connected.

Health Care

MoveOn Not Convinced--Rallies Members To Urge White House To Support The Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 5:58PM

President Obama may have acted swiftly to put out the fire Rahm Emanuel set when he suggested the White House might support delaying a public option. But he seems to have missed some embers. The progressive group MoveOn--which has taken an active role in campaigning for the public option--is now urging its members to call the White House and demand they reject the idea of a trigger mechanism altogether.

"President Obama has been speaking out for weeks about the heart of health care reform: a public health insurance option that will lower costs and help cover everyone," the letter reads.

But yesterday, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel signaled support for a "trigger" provision--a proposal that would undermine the public option, and put off real reform for years....

Right now, when key committees are finalizing health care legislation, Emanuel's remarks will only embolden conservative opponents of reform. He should be standing with the majority of Americans for a strong public health insurance option--not disastrous half-measures like the "trigger."

Can you call the White House switchboard and tell them you're disappointed in Chief of Staff Emanuel's comments supporting the "trigger"? Tell them voters want a strong public health insurance option--not half-measures like the "trigger."

Earlier today, I noted that some reformers remained concerned that the White House hadn't gone far enough in responding to Emanuel's comments. You can read the entire letter below the fold.

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Health Care

Rahm To Meet With House Democrats On Health Care Tonight

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 2:57PM

Whether White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is freelancing on the question public option for political reasons, or simply by mistake, he may just hear about it from all sides tonight.

Emanuel is set to attend a meeting on the Hill this evening during which the chairmen of the three House committees with jurisdiction over health care reform--Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. George Miller (D-CA) of the Education and Labor Committee; and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) of the Ways and Means Committee--will present their bill to the Democratic caucus.

Their bill, it should be noted, contains a robust public option.

Health Care

Reformers Want To Believe Obama On Public Option--But, Privately, Some Have Doubts

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 2:43PM

After it became clear this morning that reformers were up in arms--or would soon be up in arms--about White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's suggestion that the President might be willing to support a triggered public option, Obama, still traveling in Russia issued a re-statement of his support for the public option to put out the fire. And by mid-day, reformers had largely cooled off. Privately, though, some acknowledge that the President's statement isn't actually a contradiction of Emanuel's.

"It's not a direct contradiction, no," said one reformer. "But the President's saying what he's said all along, which is that he supports the public option, and in the end that's what matters."

Let's go to the record, shall we?

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Health Care

Obama Tries To Reassure Reformers In Wake Of Rahm Flap

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 11:40AM

In the wake of this morning's flap over the public option, President Obama has released a statement reaffirming his support for the policy. "I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest," Obama said. "I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals. "

An earlier Wall Street Journal reported that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had suggested that the administration might be willing to accept a number of alternatives. Between the two, the campaign Health Care for American Now is lining up behind Obama.

"Today, President Obama unequivocally reaffirmed his commitment to a public health insurance option as part of comprehensive health care reform this year," noted HCAN's National Campaign Manager Richard Kirsch.

We believe too that a national robust public health insurance plan that is ready on day one is central to lowering costs, injecting competition into the health insurance market, ensuring access to care in every corner of the country, and keeping the insurance companies honest. We look forward to working with the President and Congressional leadership to accomplish these goals.

Reformers acknowledge that Obama's statement doesn't necessarily contradict Emanuel's, but they note that, whatever the explanation for Emanuel's statement, the President has taken the same position on the public option all along.

Health Care

Emanuel Suggests White House May Support Public Option Alternatives

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2009, 9:49AM

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel suggested Monday that President Obama wants competition injected into the private insurance market--even if that's accomplished without a public option.

Republicans and conservative Democrats have proposed a small handful of alternatives to the public option--all of which have been rejected by reformers. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Obama isn't standing so firm. "Mr. Emanuel said one of several ways to meet President Barack Obama's goals is a mechanism under which a public plan is introduced only if the marketplace fails to provide sufficient competition on its own." Emphasis mine.

This is the so-called trigger mechanism, and it's been roundly rejected by reformers who view it as an escape hatch for insurers who seek to at least delay the creation of a public option. Obama's openness to this idea puts him at odds with key Democrats in both the House and Senate. On Sunday, in words reminiscent of a pledge put forth by the campaign Health Care for America Now, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--a key point man on the public option--said that a public "has to be available, on the first day, to everybody...so there shouldn`t be a trigger."

Health Care

Emanuel: Obama 'Open To Alternatives' To Public Option

Brian Beutler | June 24, 2009, 9:16AM

After being pressed twice yesterday (once by USA Today's David Jackson, then again by ABC's Jake Tapper) at yesterday's press conference, President Obama declined to insist upon a public option. "[W]e are still early in this process," Obama said, "so we have not drawn lines in the sand other than that reform has to control costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don't have health insurance or are underinsured."

There are a whole host of other issues where ultimately I may have a strong opinion, and I will express those to members of Congress as this is shaping up. It's too early to say that. Right now I will say that our position is that a public plan makes sense.

Well, some key senators are saying that Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has already reached out to them--and not to express a "strong opinion" about the public option.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met last night at the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democrats and told them Obama is "open to alternatives" to a new government insurance program in order to get legislation overhauling the health-care system to his desk, said Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota.

"His message was, it's critical that you do this," Conrad said.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana said Emanuel urged the senators to seek Republican support and didn't discourage them from pursuing the use of non-profit cooperatives, an idea Conrad has proposed.

Conrad says that, unlike the public option, his co-op proposal can attract Republican support, but at this point the evidence suggests that it's been a good tool for attracting conservative Democrat support and that Republicans remain broadly opposed to several aspects of the reform proposals on the table.