Democrats Fault Rahm Emanuel on Health Care

Many believe his inexperience in Senate maneuvering stalled bill
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2010 12:09 PM CST
Democrats Fault Rahm Emanuel on Health Care
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.   (AP Photo)

Democrats in Congress think Rahm Emanuel’s lack of Senate experience slowed health care reform legislation to a death crawl. Liberals and centrists have different complaints, but agree that the White House chief of staff’s time in the House did not prepare him for Senate maneuvering. “They're a bunch of barons over there,” a representative tells the Hill.

“The House is like an Australian-rules rugby match,” the Democratic legislator continues. “The Senate is like a march at a men’s club in imperial Britain.” A centrist Dem senator thinks Emanuel did too little to build a coalition in the Senate. It “doesn’t work that way. You need a radius of 10 to 12 from the other side.” A liberal advocate disagrees, and says trying to please centrist Democrats “wasted a huge amount of time.” (More Rahm Emanuel stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X