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Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill

By MANU RAJU and ANDY BARR, Last update: February 5, 2010 - 8:43 AM

Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats.

Five sources who were in the room tell POLITICO that Franken criticized Axelrod for the administration’s failure to provide clarity or direction on health care and the other big bills it wants Congress to enact.

The sources said Franken was the most outspoken senator in the meeting, which followed President Barack Obama’s question-and-answer session with Senate Democrats at the Newseum on Wednesday. But they also said the Minnesotan wasn’t the only angry Democrat in the room.

“There was a lot of frustration in there,” said a Democratic senator who declined to be identified.

“People were hot,” another Democratic senator said.

Democratic senators are frustrated that the White House hasn’t done more to win over the public on health care reform and other aspects of its ambitious agenda — and angry that, in the wake of Scott Brown’s win in the Massachusetts Senate race, the White House hasn’t done more to chart a course for getting a health care bill to the president’s desk. (Emphasis added)

In his public session with the senators Wednesday, Obama urged them to “finish the job” on health care but did not lay out a path for doing so. That uncertainty appeared to trigger Franken’s anger, and the sources in the room said he laid out his concerns much more directly than any senator did in the earlier public session. (Emphasis added)

The private session was set up in a panel format, with Axelrod joined at the front of the room by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine and Democratic strategist Paul Begala.

A Democratic source said that Franken directed his criticism solely at Axelrod.

“It was all about leadership and health care and what the plan was going to be,” the source said. (Emphasis added)

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Sure sounds like a melt down.  They needed a punching bag.  Aha!  Axelrod, the shock absorber, to the rescue of Pres.Obama!

Yes, it is all about leadership.  From the sound of things, the President is still demanding "finish the job" without giving leadership direction.   Sen. Franken should target his criticism to the correct target that failed to lead this thing.

Sen.Franken has made lots of statements in favor of health care reform. I am sure he is concerned about this passing so he can crow about it during the next campaign cycle.


-- Edited by Sanders on Friday 5th of February 2010 05:17:48 PM