Rahm Emanuel: Don’t Worry About the Left

(8:00PM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

I do remember the Obama who implicitly promised to “turn the page” and fight for Main Street.   Well…

Rahm thumbing his nose

Year of the Rahm: Get ‘Em, Then Gut ‘Em

In a blunt remark to the Wall Street Journal, the White House Chief of Staff tipped his hand on how he planned to get 60 votes in the Senate: bring left-wing Democrats on board early to generate enthusiasm, then turn on them in the end game to woo conservatives.

more…

Turn off MSNBC. Tune out Howard Dean and Keith Olbermann. The White House has its liberal wing in handon health care, says White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

“There are no liberals left to get” in the Senate, Emanuel said in an interview, shrugging off some noise from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) that a few liberals might bolt over the compromises made with conservative Democrats. –snip

“I don’t think the White House recognizes how much trouble they’re in,” said one former Democratic official this morning. “I think they’re miscalaculating what’s happening with progressives and the left. They feel like they’re being taken for granted.”

But Emanuel pointed to a New York Times columnby economist Paul Krugman and another coming from National Journal writer Ronald Brownstein pressing for passage of the Senate health bill. “What you’re seeing is the progressive backlash against the progressive backlash,” he said.

The emphasis in the above paragraph is mine because I don’t believe a word of it.  The progressives have been silenced through threats and intimidation, and I don’t know why Krugman would be an exception.  What Krugman got, I don’t know; but at least Bernie Sanders got a pound of flesh in return for his silence.  

Are you feeling a little like the evangelical right that has been “gotten and gutted” by the Republican party for the last 30 years?  Do you think Republican 911 and terror, terror fear tactics have their Democratic equivalent in “Supreme Court” and “at least it ain’t (insert name here)”.    Rahm’s dirty “get and gut em” paw prints spare no one and go back to the Clinton years.

1993: Rahm is the architect of NAFTA

1994: Unions stay home after NAFTA. Democratic turnout poor, Democrats give up 54 seats in House

2005: Rahm as head of DCCC recruits pro-war Dems, threatens to cut funds for any Dem who runs opposing the war

2006: Ned Lamont beats Joe Lieberman by opposing the war, opens the floodgates for candidates to buck Rahm & fuel Democratic takeover of House. Rahm’s pro-war candidates lose.

2007: Rahm blames failure of his pet pro-war candidates on immigration. Makes Freshmen co-sponsor anti-immigrant SAVE act

2007: SAVE Act triggers Hispanic Caucus revolt on the floor of the House

More at Progressive Alaska  

59 comments

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    • Diane G on December 20, 2009 at 17:13

    and fuck the meme that he was “Obama’s Pitbull,” he is the Right’s pitbull.

    Fuck them all.

    • dkmich on December 20, 2009 at 19:44
      Author

    If you don’t believe me, go read the comments in the Franken diary, A Historic Step Forward: Why I’m Supporting The Senate Health Reform Bill.  His first diary at dk ever, and they are dancing around the maypole, telling Franken how much they trust him so life and the health care bill must be good if he says so.   Now, they’re happy.  Same shitty bill, but now its OK.  Too bad that blackwaterdog didn’t take his groupies with him when he left.  

    • banger on December 20, 2009 at 21:42

    he travels in. Mind you, I’ve always been the far-away observer — I’ve just had certain social connections to both Democrat and Republican Party operators mainly in the 80’s and 90’s. I can assure you that the Dem operators are often richer than their Republican counterparts which came as quite a shock to me. The Republicans often seemed closer to the working class too. Dems were usually from well-off and highly educated families.

    Anyway, they thing we are funny and lightweights. And so we have proven year-in, year-out. If you want to earn the respect of Washington operators (and don’t imagine for a moment they are stupid) you have to hurt your enemies (real bad) and help your friends. All the talk, appeals to reason, writing Congress is not very important (it has some minor importance though). Power is important. If the operators can see and feel and touch that power then they will make deals with you. Otherwise, forget it — you are the subject of derision and jokes. That’s it. Very simple.  

    • Inky99 on December 21, 2009 at 02:19

    that the Democrats are willingly swallowing.

    Talk about self-destructive behavior.

    The mandate will piss of everybody, it will NOT be a partisan issue in any way, except the Dems will be blamed for it.

    It’s a nuclear bomb waiting to happen.

    Weird.

  1. between Cheney’s Fuck You and Obama’s handler Rahm and his Fuck You.  NAFTA started the deliberate destruction of America.  Bush continued with the North American Union and the Amero.  All of Obama’s staff are globalists with allegances to global organizations in violation of the Logan Act.  Impeach!

  2. picked Rahm?

    I mean it was the very first thing he did.

    • dkmich on December 21, 2009 at 12:32
      Author

    I saw you in the big brawls at dkos.  Thanks for this bump and watching my back.  

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