7/31/09

Throw Baucus Under Healthcare Reform Bus



From itskevin over at dailykos:

Dem Party Leadership May Abandon Baucus Talks

According to The Note over at ABC News, there might be some real meat to the rumors that rank-and-file Senate Democrats and party leadership may throw in the towel on Max Baucus' super-secret, interminable bipartisan talks.

With the health care bill languishing in the Senate and under fire in the House, Democratic leaders are quietly preparing for Plan B.

Under the scenario now being discussed, bi-partisan talks would be aborted and parliamentary maneuvers used to force the bill through with a party-line vote.

And from an inside source:

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., still has time to try to work out a deal with his Republican counterpart Chuck Grassley, but fellow Democrats are growing restless.

"There’s rising disgruntlement with how Baucus has handled this," a senior Democratic aide tells ABC News. "We have to look at other options."

Let's hope this is true. For our part, we might be able to exert real pressure in forcing our leaders to take a stand - and sooner rather than later.

Read the rest of the diary for some action items...

4 comments:

Distributorcap said...

having 535 people with the best health care on the planet (and lifetime) write a bill for the other 300,000,000 of which 47 million have NO insurance and 50+ million are underinsured is just plain insanity

go read jonathan alter today (8/1)

SadButTrue said...

Just an observation:
Montana is one of the lowest population states, but a senator from there has every bit as much power as one from California or New York. Baucus is a bargain basement item for right-wing money powers who might want to say, run a D repug against an R repug. They're guaranteed to get a repug in every time. The bonus is that it doesn't cost that much more to back two candidates, because the candidates aren't in a campaign-funding race with one another.

I think this happens a lot anyway, just look at Connecticut's D (now I) repug, Joe LIE-berman. But it seems to me it happens more in smaller states, where it costs less to buy a candidate outright.

Connecticut Man1 said...

Holy crap! Two comments that are way better than the actual post? Thanks... You're putting me to shame. lol

And DCap: I read an Alter article today that was great snark.

Anonymous said...

The bonus is that it doesn't cost that much more to back two candidates, because the candidates aren't in a campaign-funding race with one another.
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