Democrats Fault Rahm Emanuel on Health Care

Momentum, urgency, fear of embarrassment, etc.

(NEWSER) - Lamar Alexander has called the Democrats' push to quickly pass health care reform "a political kamikaze mission toward a historic mistake," but Senate Dems have reasons other than self-immolation for scheduling a 7pm vote on Christmas Eve. Politico looks at five:

• To maintain momentum: If the latest compromise takes a vacation, it could fall apart.

Say legislation isn't aggressive enough on fee-for-service model

(NEWSER) - Some Democrats in the Senate are worried that reform legislation under consideration doesn't do enough to rein in out-of-control health care spending. President Obama has promised $2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, but critics say the proposed changes aren't nearly aggressive enough on the current pay-per-visit system favored by doctors and hospital groups. More»

Do voters want them to ditch presidential agenda, or complete it?

(NEWSER) - Democrats in Congress reading the tea leaves of Tuesday’s elections find themselves split: were the Republican wins in Virginia and New Jersey a vote of no confidence in the administration’s agenda, or frustration that it isn’t moving fast enough? Most agree on the first step going forward: pass health care reform. After that, it gets fractious. More»

House majority leader, whip confident about health reform passage

(NEWSER) - Health care reform legislation will sail through the House of Representatives in Sunday's vote, Steny Hoyer says. “We'll have the votes when the roll is called,” the majority leader tells Politico . Democrats haven’t lined up enough yeas for President Obama’s key domestic agenda, but the majority whip seems as confident as Hoyer. “The bill will pass,” says James Clyburn. More»

He pulls back as Steny Hoyer and Robert Gibbs blast ex-congressman

(NEWSER) - Rush Limbaugh says the mainstream media has it all wrong about his opinion of former Democratic congressman Eric Massa. “They think I'm a big supporter,” the talk show host said today, perhaps because yesterday he promised to make Massa’s ordeal “a national story,” reports Politico . Unflattering stories about the Democratic party are great, but "I’m not a champion of his," said Limbaugh. "Anybody who embraces this guy is in big trouble." More»