It’s not only The White House personnel, but Democrats in Congress. They’re all in the enact-health-care-legislation-at-all-cost bubble. By contrast, other Americans are outside that bubble more concerned with the state of the economy, which is broke now and for generations to come.

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.

Failure to provide clarity? For whom? Clarity is what spelled the end of Hillary-care. When the folks learned what was in it, they found that it wasn’t the kind of ‘reform’ they wanted. Or is Franken upset at the realization that neither clarity nor direction comes from an empty suit? Maybe the clarity Franken is talking about is how can we fool the folks this time to get it passed? Or at this point, maybe it’s all of the above?

Democrats seem content to ignore everything rational about fixing the economy first, then chipping away at health care reform in some sort or any sort of bi-partisan way. Gaining the intimate control of the lives of Americans has been their brass ring for decades, and they plainly see this as their moment to grab it.

Updated: 1/6/2010

Link: Al Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill – Manu Raju and Andy Barr – POLITICO.com.