Emanuel, who some might remember from 2009 as a chief salesman for President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, is back in the spotlight again with tuned-up public health priorities and a new Democratic politician to serve. In this round of public service, he’s a member of Joe Biden’s public health advisory committee. With the pandemic ongoing, and health policy and virus restrictions front and center in this election, Emanuel’s position within Biden’s team matters.
"Until case numbers recede to a level at which we have the capacity to effectively test and trace … nonessential businesses and interstate travel should be closed; restaurant service should be limited to takeout. People should stay home, going out only to get food and medicine or to exercise and get fresh air. … Then, and only then, we can try a little more opening,” Emanuel said in a recent interview.
Emanuel’s priorities clearly lie with the Democratic Party, wherever it may roam ideologically, and with himself. Another reason the doctor seems so committed to the lockdown is that he’s now in the business via a newly formed company called COVID-19 Recovery Consulting, which helps “business reopen safely, responsibly, efficiently, and in compliance with the law.” In other words, it makes money helping people emerge from lockdowns — the same lockdowns Emanuel pushes.
Given the bombastic warnings of the “coming second wave,” warnings he helps generate, Emanuel will have plenty of work for a long time to come.
