From Brian Beutler:
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), a leading House progressive says if the White House can throw its weight behind a controversial tax in the Senate health care bill, it can stand up for some of the House's priorities, too....
Noting that the President stands foursquare behind the Senate's proposal to tax so-called "Cadillac" insurance policies to raise money, Grijalva put it to him to weigh in on some of the House's priorities. "How do you weigh in on a national exchange? How do you weigh in on a public option? How do you weigh in on the anti-trust exemption?"...
"Watching the fight is not enough," Grijalva said. "The pressure shifts to the White House now."
UPDATE:
Grijalva had more to say in another story:
House Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) has a number of issues with President Obama. But chief among them seems to be that, though they've stayed silent on a whole host of health care issues, they've thrown their weight behind a controversial tax in the Senate bill--one that Grijalva says violates Obama's solemn campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class.
I asked Grijalva whether the White House's support for the Senate health care bill's excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" insurance policies is compatible with his promise on the campaign.
"No, it's not," Grijalva said.
This is very dangerous territory for the White House. When you have a Democratic congressman saying that the President is advocating raising taxes on the middle class, that's fodder for campaign commercials against every member of Congress who votes for the health care bill, and against the President himself.
