Muzzle Rahm (Or Just Fire Him)

Posted on 01/30/2010 at 10:31 am by Bob Cesca

Jon Chait on yesterday’s infuriating Rahm Emanuel healthcare story:

I see two potential explanations. Either Obama doesn’t know what he wants to do, and his deputies are spreading conflicting stories in order to see what takes, in which case he needs to make up his mind pronto. Or else he wants to do what he says he wants to do, but his chief of staff is out there subverting his agenda and making Congress doubt his seriousness, in which case Obama needs to shut up Emanuel or fire him.

I can’t imagine that the president would go on national television for the State of the Union and urge Congress not to “run for the hills” — a major line in the address — and then sanction Rahm Emanuel to basically suggest that the White House is running for the hills. This leads me to believe that Rahm either misspoke or he was merely relating one possible option. But it doesn’t matter. The chief of staff is a weak link, and this is a perfect example. Unacceptable.

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  • roxsteady

    I’m with you Bob! Either it’s intentional or Rahm is just completely incompetent. It’s becoming clear that Rahm’s reputation was bullshit. He appears to be arogant and clueless.

  • jhw22

    Is the Rahm interview on video? Or are we all just reading an interpretation re-interpreted and regurgitated and going with that?I am not a Rahm loyalist, because frankly I have no clue what he does from day to day. I see his name in articles and posts, but he is pretty withdrawn from the public eye. But frankly, I am extremely leery of reporters telling me what he said without direct quotes and without video to back it up.As many times as I have heard reporters saying the PO is dead when we don’t even have a final bill yet, I have heard reports of Rahm killing it.Until I hear directly from the administration ON TAPE or until I see action that backs up this newest claim, I am not passing any judgment on Rahm.I trust the administration MORE than I trust the NY Times and I get tired of journalists who cite the NY Times as their source instead of picking up the phone and calling the White House. When paper after paper cites the NY Times non-quote as fact, it reminds me of those emails that say “gangs are using car seats in the road to lure women out of their cars”. They get forwarded thousands of times without anyone going to Snopes to see it was debunked years ago.Jennifer

  • kansasdem

    Bob,I’ve been thinking! Yeah, yeah that’s always dangerous, but lets all stop and think.Obama is now pushing the importance of the deficit. Now stop and think! Which health care reform bill reduces the deficit the most? (And provides the most?)So maybe …….. just maybe, Rahm is doing the dirty work – Obama nailed this shit both with his SOTU address and even more so with this public “in your fucking face” shit!So now we hit the House and Senate with a “jobs bill”. Who can argue with that?Well, we know who don’t we? But that defines everything going forward. Who can oppose jobs?You either side with American job recovery or the Republican agenda of obstructing everything Obama tries to do :^)Once the Repubs are accurately exposed as pure obstructionists a few just might decide to do what’s best for America before their carriers sink like a dried out turd!I like comparing Republicans to dried out turds!!!!!!!!!!!

  • kansasdem

    Correction: my son just pointed out that dried out turds do float for a little while :)

  • Stijn

    Welp, turns out Obama was just bullshitting about ending DADT for the nth time:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/30/pentagon-starts-clock-on-_n_442988.html

  • jhw22

    @Kansasdem — dried out turds don’t smell as bad as fresh turds. (BTW, yea for Kansas in the Roeder verdict!!)@stijin — my first rule about HuffPo is don’t read HuffPo (unless it’s a Bob post). My second rule about HuffPo is that if you do read HuffPo get several grains of salt and read an opposing article in the morning.Jennifer

  • kansasdem

    “yea for Kansas in the Roeder verdict!!”Ditto that! I was worried.RE: the whole turd thing. I like comparing Republicans to turds.And they have the brain power of turds!

  • kansasdem

    Adding; one more reason a Republican is like a turd:It stands up and tells you it doesn’t stink!

  • JackDanieL

    you might want to change your diet KDem!