Emanuel Shrugs Off Perceived Slight In DNC Video
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared unfazed at what many saw as a criticism of his advice to President Barack Obama in a video played at the Democratic National Convention before the president's speech Wednesday night.
Emanuel spoke to Illinois delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, after skipping the first three days of the convention. Although Emanuel himself was absent Wednesday night, he was featured in a video introduction to Obama's primetime speech, detailing his work on the Affordable Care Act.
Many saw Emanuel's inclusion in the video as a dig against the former White House chief of staff, as it focused on Emanuel's opposition to the president's plan to push through his signature health care plan in his first term.
"Rahm Emanuel came to him and said you're going to have to pull the bill, because if you push this legislation, you will lose in 2012," an unidentified voice said in the video.
Asked to respond to what some saw as an unflattering portrayal of his advice to Obama, the mayor said he warned the president about the potential pitfalls of his universal health care plan, because of past failures by Obama's predecessors.
"Having worked for President [Bill] Clinton, there's like 10 presidents that all tried to do universal health care, and I said to the president 'There's a lot of history here. The first thing that needs to be done right on the heels of the recession was financial stability and changing the regulation of the banks,'" he said.
Of course, Obama ignored that advice, and won passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2012, and the president went on to win a second term, despite Emanuel's fears.
"When the Supreme Court made a ruling, I said then 'Thank God he didn't listen to my advice,'" Emanuel said.
The mayor said, as a senior adviser for Clinton and chief of staff for Obama, he learned presidents want honest answers and genuine opinions, even if they ultimately go against that advice.