Wait, wait, I thought it was the Republicans’ fault that Obamacare didn’t pass. Didn’t Obama’s comrades get the memo?
The Hill: Democrats in Congress are holding White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel accountable for his part in the collapse of healthcare reform.
The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority.
The share of the blame comes as cracks are beginning to show in Emanuel’s once-impregnable political armor. Last week he had to apologize after a report surfaced that he called liberal groups “retarded” in a private meeting.
[...]
“I think Rahm ran the play his boss called; once Obama called the play, Rahm did everything he could to pass it, scorched-earth and all that,” said a senior lawmaker, who added that Emanuel didn’t seek a broader base of Senate Republicans. “I think he did miscalculate the Senate. He did what he thought he had to do to win.”
Senate Democrats grilled White House advisers last week during a special Senate Democratic retreat, expressing frustration over the lack of a clear plan.
While Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) ripped chief political strategist David Axelrod, Senate Democrats say Emanuel, who was more closely involved in managing negotiations in Congress, also deserves scrutiny. ….
They still don’t get it. All along they’ve been selling a crap sandwich, and the American people don’t want to eat a crap sandwich no matter how much pork is piled on.
A reader emailed “The numbers in the House don’t lie when it comes to power and the power is overwhelmingly with the Democrat Party. If every Republican did not show up for the entire session, the Democrat Party could pass with flying colors any legislation they choose, so the argument you hear some use that the Republicans are obstructionists is entirely false because it is numerically impossible for them to be such.” He’s exactly right. Before Scott Brown was elected the Democrats could have passed anything. Now it will be just a bit more difficult. But again, when you’re selling a crap sandwich it’s a tough sell to those senators representing conservative states.
Via memeorandum
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