Max Baucus Is Political Poison

Speaking of TIME magazine (yeah, I know, we weren’t, but downthread there was that post about TIME giving Beck a free ride): I can remember back when the whole health care bill-writing process was ramping up; TIME had an article about the senate finance committee’s efforts, and I can remember reading a sentence a few paragraphs into it that said “Max Baucus is perhaps the best choice to be spearheading the current drive to reform the health care system…”Seriously. That’s another good reason right there to cancel your subscription to TIME. Plus, they’ve had Karen Tumulty, for months, in the magazine and on NPR sniffing at the public option: it’s all a pipe-dream from the far left, dontcha know?That was a good speech from Obama yesterday. Pretty much the standard template these days, but that’s fine. We need to hear it again and again. The ovation received by mention of the public option was notable.I saw a post over at TPC about a heckler, a ‘Joe Wilson wannabe’, at the speech. He eventually got the bum’s rush; Obama just kept talking.That post is here.

Hmmm – my link didn’t work. Try this:

Crap.http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/09/raw-video-obama-heckled-at-maryland.htmlBob – I really miss the preview button.

I bet he won’t be mentioning the awesome bill from Baucus anytime soon on TV or at rallies.Do we think he got the message YET???Paging Mr. Obama- WE Hate tax max’s bill. HATE IT AND WILL NOT LIVE UNDER IT.’nuff said.

I must REALLY be chasing rainbows. I noticed that Baucus was standing alone too, and I took it to mean that he has NO support on his committee which should bode well for those of us pushing for a public option. Then, I look at bullshit like Morning Joe, and they make it seem like Baucus has tons of support especially among the conservadems. Does anybody really think Obama would sign anything like this particular bill just for the support of Olympia Snowe and maybe Susan Collins?

The Atlantic has an article describing the merits of the Baucus bill. From what I’m reading there – Baucus may have done some good, despite the crappy bill he produced. His bill may be something hocked together just to ensure that some specific ideas of his make it to reconciliation. It’s an interesting read: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/what_baucus_got_right.phpQT

@QueenTiye – that was an good article; I learned something new. Thanks.

And this one from Marc Ambinder: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/the_baucus_plan_the_conniptions_obscure_the_point.php

Next week, the (Baucus)bill will be revised during a mark-up. The free-rider provision will almost certainly be killed and replaced a version of the employer mandate that is closer to the HELP committee’s and the House TRICOM’s version. Almost certainly, the subsidy level will be raised — Sen. Ron Wyden will insist on it. On a sliding scale of subsidies, the target level is somewhere in between what the House envisions and what Baucus proposes — although nowhere near the level of subsidies that Massachusetts currently provides — which, to extend a long sentence, means that the basic level of services that the exchange plans offer won’t be as generous as Massachusetts’s. By the way: there’s a somewhat hidden feature of the Baucus plan that might form the basis for a compromise over the public option: in 2017, Baucus would allow virtually any business to buy insurance from the exchange. For complicated reasons, this could have virtually the same effect on bargaining power and competition as a phased-in public option, although Democrats might want to amend the bill to open the exchange a little bit earlier.

QT

Exactly! I noticed that Scarborough and the Grand Wizard Pat Buchanan were cheering the Baucus bill and saying how it scored well with the CBO. I immediately thought, WTF? I’d just read Bob’s post about the fact that the HELP Committe bill was scored better than’s the Baucus bill and covers more people. Those idiots were in rare form this moring. When I first heard that Scarborough was going to be in San Francisco I thought, those folks are going to eat him alive for his constant demonization of Nancy Pelosi. When I saw that they were actually in a studio, I had to laugh. What a coward Jethro is. He talks all this smack about Pelosi, which is what all of the Republican men do repeatedly. They don’t like strong and intelligent women which explains Sarah Palin and the lack women in Senate seats on their side. You can count them on 1 hand! I was hoping this bill would be riddiculed and killed. So far, so good!

QT, very interesting, thanks for posting that.

I agree that the crappiness in Baucus’ bill is helping the fight for reform. Plus, since Pres Obama has been making the rounds (which he really wasn’t doing in August b/c man needs to lie down every once in a while) all the numbers are back up. AND I believe due to his upcoming “overexposure” (God, the media loves its totally made up controversies. The man’s #s go up everytime people see him. No, he’s not overexposed) we’re finally hearing information about how imoprtant reform is. How people are suffering, how insurance companies are screwed up, how even “good” plans are not enough.

Baucus is our hero. This craptastic shit sandwich with extra pickles was carefully contrived by Max to crash land and drive public opinion our way.(“our” meaning humans) Health care history should look kindly on him.

(look closely…those aren’t pickles…)

So, Lee, do you think this is actually a reverse psychology move on Baucus’ part to trick the repubs? Hell, looks like he got Bill O. Unless my ears were deceiving me, I thought I heard Billy mention that there is a need for a public option. Who knows, I could have just been delusional.When I first read about Baucus’ plan though, that was my first thought — shit, Baucus really is on our side. Now, in hindsight, I think it’s his plan to put out the biggest piece of crap he could generate in the hopes of really killing any movement on healthcare during this administration.

I think the president set that up for Baucus to hear some boos.He seemed to go out of his way to name drop Max Baucus and the finance committee.It’s difficult to say for sure, though. Obama has a track record of praising the work of congess even when they don’t deserve it.(Ha. The preview button’s back!)