Rahm is not unlike his breatheren who have mastered doublespeak. On Nov 20, 11:07 am, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > Hispanics blame Rahm for immigrant ban > > Tags: > > * White House <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/WhiteHouse>, > * Health Care Reform > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/HealthCareReform>, > * Rahm Emanuel <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/RahmEmanuel>, > * Illegal Immigration > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/IllegalImmigration>, > * Xavier Becerra > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/XavierBecerra>, > * Luis Gutierrez > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/LuisGutierrez>, > * Congressional Hispanic Caucus > > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/CongressionalHispanicCaucus>, > * Nydia Velazquez > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/NydiaVelazquez> > > * Listen to this article. Powered by Odiogo.com Listen > <javascript:showOdiogoReadNowFrame > ('101651,101652,101653,101654,101655', 'rahm blamed for immigrant > ban', '0', 530, 80);> > * Print > > <http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=0F59F002-18FE-70B2-A804C2...> > * Comment > <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29748.html#commentsform> > * Email > > <http://dyn.politico.com/emailfriend.cfm?uuid=0F59F002-18FE-70B2-A804C...> > * <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php> > * Subscribe <http://www.politico.com/rss/congress.xml> > > By JONATHAN ALLEN <http://www.politico.com/reporters/JonathanAllen.html> > | 11/19/09 11:40 PM EST > > Text Size > > * - > * + > * reset > > Rahm Emanuel and Nydia Velazquez are pictured in a photo composite. > Members of the Hispanic Caucus, chaired by Nydia Velazquez, say > Emanuel's mark is all over the push to block insurance for illegal > immigrants. Photo: Composite image by POLITICO > > Digg/Buzz It Up > > * > > * Digg this Story! > > <http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2...> > * Buzz it up! > > <http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=politicocom345&guid=http%3A%2...> > * Add to LinkedIn > > <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2...> > > POLITICO 44 > > Hispanic lawmakers say an old adversary, White House chief of staff Rahm > Emanuel <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29387.html>, has his > fingerprints all over a push to prohibit illegal immigrants from buying > health insurance plans in a new market for people who don't get > insurance through their employers. > > "A forensic study would show it all leads back to Rahm Emanuel and the > White House," said Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a member of > the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who worked with Emanuel when the > president's top aide was in the House. > > "This analysis is inaccurate," said a White House aide who had been > shown the comments made by Hispanic lawmakers. > > The health care <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29746.html> > bill passed by the House earlier this month would prevent illegal > immigrants from getting subsidies to buy insurance, but they would be > permitted to buy plans from the exchange with their own money. The > Senate bill would cut off that option. > > Whether or not the CHC members are pointing their frustration in the > right direction, the perception that Emanuel is pushing policies that > they see as harmful to their communities for the political advantage of > the president or moderate Democrats in Congress could cause the White > House problems with the CHC in future negotiations. > > Members of the CHC trace what they say is a harder White House line on > immigrants to the night of South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/joewilson>'s outburst during > President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress in > September. > > "There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure > illegal immigrants," Obama said. "This, too, is false --- the reforms > I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." > > That prompted Wilson's now-famous interjection. CHC members say that's > when the White House toughened its stance against illegal immigrants > having any access to the system. > > "They made it up at the White House," Gutierrez said. > > Rep. Chris Van Hollen > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/chrisvanhollen> (D-Md.) had > hoped to get the House, White House and Senate on the same page on the > issue before the House moved forward with its legislation, to spare > moderate House Democrats from having to vote on two versions of the > provision. At the time, House leaders were debating whether to include a > provision like the Senate's in the House bill to help moderates avoid a > tough vote on it or to side with Hispanic members by keeping the looser > restriction. Van Hollen met with the CHC before the House vote --- to > clarify his position --- and encouraged members to see if they could get > the White House to agree to back their position. > > CHC Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez of New York and California Democratic > Reps. Xavier Becerra and Lucille Roybal-Allard were rebuffed when they > met with Obama at the White House, according to Velazquez. Emanuel was > not present. > > But Hispanic lawmakers say there is little doubt in their mind where the > president's increasingly tough stance on undocumented workers and their > families originates. > > "He still thinks immigration will defeat Democrats," said a CHC member > who spoke on the condition of anonymity. > > Emanuel has long had a strained relationship with the CHC because, as > chairman of the House Democrats' political committee and later of their > caucus, he sided with vulnerable Democrats who voted for Republican > measures cracking down on immigrants --- some of which were seen by > Hispanic members as driven by bigotry. > > He also came under fire from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John > Conyers <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/johnconyers> > (D-Mich.) on Thursday for an approach to the health care bill that > Conyers said amounts to "give us anything, and we will declare victory." > > Gutierrez said CHC opposition to the approach favored by the Senate and > the president is "even deeper-rooted and deeper-cemented" than it was on > the night the House passed its bill. > > House Speaker Nancy Pelosi > <http://topics.politico.com/index.cfm/topic/nancypelosi> (D-Calif.) said > Thursday she will "stand by" the provision in the House bill during > House-Senate negotiations. Van Hollen has also expressed his support for > the House version to the White House. > > Democratic leaders were surprised that Republican House members did not > offer a procedural motion to amend the House bill with language similar > to the Senate's. Several lawmakers and aides familiar with vote counts > say such a motion would most likely have been adopted by the House and > put the final passage of the bill in jeopardy. > > Members of the CHC continue to hint that they may vote against a final > health care bill if the Senate's provision comes back to them in a > health care bill. > > "We'll cross that bridge when we do," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas). > > Gonzalez said he didn't know whether Emanuel is involved, but he said > the policy is misdirected because it would result in taxpayers funding > more expensive emergency health care for illegal immigrants who are > unable to purchase health insurance. > > "The only reason you ever pursue bad policy is when you think there's > some sort of political advantage," Gonzalez said. > > /Be a part of the daily political debate with PROJECT POLITICO powered > by YouTube. Click here <http://www.politico.com/arena/video/index.html> > to submit your video now and be featured on POLITICO.com./ > > odiogo_speaker.gif > 1KViewDownload > > button0-bm.gif > < 1KViewDownload > > 091119_rahm_nydia_comp_223.jpg > 85KViewDownload
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