Bad Day for Our Senior Senator
by jhwygirl
I read or skim across a whole lot of bad stuff about Senator Baucus, daily. Today, though, was filled with an inordinate bombardment of media concerning our Senator, and I have to say, with regards to bad Baucus news, it really was unavoidable. From the front page of the Missoula Independent
…to the front page of the Missoulian with Baucus’ deal appears to shed Obama initiatives for health reform…and also the Helena Independent Record and The Montana Standard and the Billings Gazette.
Ouch!
Then, today too, there is the same newspapers reporting the planned protest for his Big Sky party this weekend. Hell – you can even read about the planned protest and how cheated democrats feel when it comes to our senior Senator down in Wyoming.
In fact, here’s another piece, published in the Billings Gazette, Health care debate ignoring the needs of farmers, ranchers. The author? A farmer from Wisconsin.
Today. Too.
I hope our senior senator reads that piece.
There’s mounting criticism from his colleagues. That, today, too.
Yesterday he was warned “with the gavel,” meaning that procedural steps could be implemented to rid him of his Chair at the Senate Finance Committee.
Liberal Dems are rounding up votes against the Blue Dog plan, and Sen. Grassley (Baucus’ Republican counterpart on Senate Finance) is promising his colleagues that he “won’t sell them out.”
Boy, nothing is easy, is it Senator Baucus?
Thing is, our Senator is on a quest for “bipartisanship” (enter rainbow ponies and tangerine trees and marmalade skies). It has become increasingly crystal – I mean CRYSTAL – clear there is no true intent towards “bipartisanship” on health care reform.
Republicans have spoken openly about the intent to “slow down” the Obama administration by administering a crippling blow to heath care. They believe it more politically advantageous to have Obama lose health care reform – because, you know, it’s all about Obama losing, not the American people dying and going broke – than it is to participate, meaningfully, in the health industry reform negotiations.
I must say, I find this vexing to say the least. This state’s newspapers are blanketed, damned near daily, with criticism rolling out to Sen. Baucus for his failure to fully consider all options – but now he is gutting the basic core of reform that 76% of all Americans were expecting, and I am having trouble imagining how a publicly elected official can run so far a muck of what his colleagues; of his party of his President – of his constituents here in Montana – want with regards to some of the basic tenants of health reform.
He’s one man. I’ve mentioned that before. This all doesn’t come down to what he votes for – there are a whole bunch of other people (mostly white men) that get a hack at that vote. BUT. But Montana’s senior senator has headed up and clearly is still heading up – or stalling, which is the general consensus at this time – health insurance reform.
And here in Montana, we’ve got barely any choice here in terms of coverage. Everyone knows lack of competition drives costs up. Hell – some might say that Montana’s got NO COMPETITION, because what do you call it when one company has 75% of the market share here in Montana? Can there even be competition with a remaining share of 25%?
Does Sen. Baucus know we have no competition here in Montana? Does Sen. Tester? Do they know that 90 people die each year here in Montana because they lack health care? The list of statistics, specific to Montana aren’t lost on these guys – A recent letter from Sen. Tester acknowledged that 154,000 Montanans are without health care.
Instead of seeking that which isn’t possible..that so-called rainbow pony “bipartisanship” perhaps all those Blue Dogs – our own Senator Baucus included – should start doing the work of the people. That includes our senior Senator’s friends, Sens. Olympia Snow and Susan Collins and Arlen Specter
They should DO THE RIGHT THING FIRST INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON BIPARTISANSHIP.
In the end, does anyone want to sit back and say “We got the best we could under bipartisanship,” or do people want to sit back and say “We got the best we could for the American people.”
Senator Baucus, What Say You?
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July 30, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Sighhhh, yes it’s so true about the bad press and the non receptive nature of Max’s party affiliates, but the criticism is a well aimed bulls-eye. It’s a sad state of affairs when my wing nut, tea party, and birthers friends start to proclaim how good a senator Max has turned out to be. I have had to put my tail between and apologize to so many of my other friends. I apologized for once supporting him, and I had to eat crow when I hear all the “I told you so’s.”
How a man like Max can justify his legacy to those in his family who will follow him finds me at a loss. I can only surmise that when Max underwent brain surgery to remove a lesion of some sort, the doctors inadvertently cut out major sections of his soul. Then again, it is possible the has been a snake in the grass all along. History will be the final judge.
July 30, 2009 at 8:59 pm
even a barely sentient being such as myself could have seen this coming….grassley and the other republicans play baucus as long as they can on light leader, wear him out and then, just when max thinks they will let him go…they gut him out and prepare a fine dish out of his sorry carcass.
how can anyone in max’s position be this stupid? i am beginning to think the entire democratic congress is collectively as dumb as a worm farm.
maybe it’s the environment. couldn’t we just give them all blackberry’s and send them home to vote and do business in their home states where we can watch them better. rent out the capitol for conventions and flea markets. i’m serious.
at least the lobbyists would have a harder time button-holing them into voting against all of our best interests.
even jay rockefeller gets in on the max baucus bash-fest today…..
http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002004/
July 30, 2009 at 9:32 pm
I’m wondering how many of them will actually show this weekend, considering the greeting a’waitin’.
Some mighty fine fishin’ along the Gallatin, I hear. Something about a fisheries rebounding? Fab floating, too. Fine fine area of Montana. Great for a weekend trip.
July 30, 2009 at 10:25 pm
lobbyists are relentless j-girl…just like we will need to be to end their reign.
July 30, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Baucus on Thursday twice told The Hill he is undecided on next week’s floor vote on Sotomayor.
“I have no idea,” Baucus said. “I haven’t paid any attention and I haven’t announced … I’ve been so busy with healthcare. It’s under consideration. I’ll certainly know when I vote, but right now I can’t tell you.”
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has come out against Sotomayor, stating it will factor the vote into its legislative scorecard because the group feels the nominee would curb gun rights.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/baucus-says-he-has-no-idea-how-hell-vote-on-sotomayor-2009-07-30.html
July 30, 2009 at 10:36 pm
I just had a thought.
Wouldn’t it be great if Max, seeing all the fear and loathing from the fringes of his party, up and switched sides? Ya know, like a reverse Spector?
First It would alienate all you nutballs to running commies, he would protect his wounded rep. with mom and pop MT voter, who really don’t hold party affiliation as dearly as you and me.
I’m not sayin we want him, I just like the sound of heads exploding.
July 30, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Take him Swede… Just don’t be disappointed when you don’t hear heads popping. And despite what the echo chamber tells you, public policy with 75%+ approval in EVERY national survey isn’t coming from the “finges” of a party.
July 31, 2009 at 9:20 am
I’d be celebrating.
July 30, 2009 at 11:23 pm
As a long time Max supporter, I have finally reached the point where I can’t go there any more. My first encounter with Max was decades ago, as a campaign stunt he was walking across Montana. We were on our way to the Smith River, having a mighty fine time tooling down the road when we spotted his support rig and had to stop. We offered to take him floating with us, which seemed much more adventurous than walking to Anaconda. After pictures and handshakes we parted paths. My floating buddies and I yukked about that for years. During Max’s last campaign I planted yard signs all over Missoula County for his campaign. The paint on the wooden signs hadn’t really dried and after two days the back of my suburban was, and still is, spotted with white and blue paint. My floating buddies would ask about the paint and to me, it was an honor, something earned. My wife had other ideas about the paint though, she still does. As a student of Montana history, I am saddened by the loss of one of our best and brightest public servants since Mike. The grand arc of Max’s life in public service didn’t have to end this way. When I look back to that encounter on the highway on a beautiful summer day decades ago, Max and I were much younger, Montana was a different place then, the river was open and inviting, he should have gone rafting with us.
July 31, 2009 at 9:31 am
It’s a good day for Max, he made Hot Air.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/07/31/baucus-may-oppose-sotomayor-confirmation/
July 31, 2009 at 10:12 am
i doubt if the republicans would take him. nobody likes a four-flushing, belly-crawling, snake-bit weasel like max….
hey! wait a minute….he would be the perfect choice as a new ceo for one of the major health insurance conglomerates. max certainly has all the necessary credentials.