Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel is the man everyone loves to hate recently – or once again. He’s being blamed for either being too pushy (and naked), or not pushy enough.
With a health care reform to pass, Emanuel has received growing attention for various reasons; mostly unsympathetic.
Immigrant and minority groups, who played a role in getting Obama into the White House, feel that their interests have been pushed back. Emanuel, possibly the closest man to the President, could have acted as the catalyst or the roadblock. It all depends on what his most pressing issue is.
And all other issues, inevitably, have to wait.
This week, Nydia Velázquez, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, expressed her concerns regarding “The Limits of Rahmism”.
“There are strong feelings about Rahm Emanuel among members of the Hispanic caucus,” Velázquez told The New York Times Magazine.
“People feel Rahm Emanuel has not been helpful in moving forward. He’s always about the numbers. He’s always about being the pragmatist. He’s always about winning,” Velázquez stated in the 8,000-word Emanuel profile. (A profile Emanuel himself didn’t take a part in.)
No legalization, no reconciliation
Velázquez and Hispanic lawmakers blame Emanuel for barring illegal immigrants from buying policies on new insurance exchanges in the Senate health care bill.
His caution on easing rules for immigrants, The Wall Street Journal wrote, derive from fearing such a position will hurt Democrats at the polls.
Immigrant rights groups slammed Obama for slow action with the bill legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants, and health care for illegal immigrant, but is the former Illinois Senator the (only) one to blame?
Frienemies
But Velázquez and Emanuel couldn’t have been in greater harmony over the years – at least throughout their shared time in Congress, between 2003-2007. They voted together 95.65 percent of the time, (23 out of 22 votes).
In 1114 floor votes, they disagreed only 97 times. And only one of those 97 instances was an immigration related bill (Border Security — Diversity Visa Program, HR4437).
Even with her BFF Nancy Pelosi, Velázquez voted the same way only 87.5 percent of all floor votes. On immigration issues, however, they voted together.
But even since he’s been in office, Emanuel hasn’t always been an immigration antagonist. Last year, he got credit for clearing the path for increased benefits for immigrant children and pregnant women in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. It was Obama’s first major legislative victory.
As a religious pragmatist, Emanuel’s stance on immigration, may be, like Velázquez unintentionally suggested this week, the winning one. Focused on the health care bill, some say winning passage of an amnesty bill for the undocumented immigrants is unlikely.
Velázquez could be rightfully mad with Emanuel, and so may other minority interest groups, but right now, they all need to take a number. He’s set on finding a majority.