Go Rahm!WSJ:
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been telling Democrats a win on the health issue will reverse the slide in public opinion, just as passage of another controversial proposal, the North American Free Trade Agreement, lifted President Bill Clinton in the polls ...
In an interview Friday, Mr. Emanuel expressed little concern for the president's standing with the Democratic base. Mr. Emanuel said the liberal wing of the party is already coming back to the fold.
Selling the health care legislation as a "win" for the working/middle class,
just like NAFTA, is brilliant.
FACTS/TIMELINE:
Prior to sending it to the House of Representatives, Clinton introduced clauses intended to protect American workers and allay the concerns of many House members. It also required U.S. partners to adhere to environmental practices and regulations similar to its own. The ability to enforce these clauses, especially with Mexico, was considered questionable, and with much consternation and emotional discussion the House of Representatives approved NAFTA on November 17, 1993, by a vote of 234 to 200. The agreement's supporters included 132 Republicans and only 102 Democrats. NAFTA passded the Senate 61-38--not the two-thirds votes needed to pass a treaty, but NAFTA was not a treaty. Clinton signed it into law on December 8, 1993; it went into effect on January 1, 1994.
SEE ALSO:
Digby
posted by Quiddity at 12/28/2009 03:10:00 PM
perhaps rahm slipped in being inadvertently truthful in comparing the senate bill to nafta. both enrich corporations at the expense of the middle class.
in addition to this and rahm saying don't worry about the left and obama saying he didn't campaign on the public option --strange comments to make publicly -- are these meant to demoralize the left and to prevent them from pressuring congress to push for a better bill?
