Baucus in 2014?
by Pete Talbot
I know, I know, there are a few minor primary and general elections on tap for 2012.
Still, the other day Sen. Max Baucus’ name came up in conversation. A couple of the folks present were shocked to hear he might re-up in 2014.
Since I received a fundraising letter from him a few weeks ago and then an invitation to his 70th birthday party just a couple of days ago (with a campaign remittance envelope attached) I guess he’s a-runnin’.
He could be just amassing funds to distribute to various Democratic campaigns across Montana and the nation but hey, I’d just as soon donate directly to those campaigns as have Max decide who should get my money.
Here are some recent Montana posts on Baucus — one favorable and one not so favorable.
I’m thinking that Max is about as vulnerable as he’s been in what will be close to 40 years in Congress. What think you, oh gentle reader?
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November 28, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I think that Max has enough people who owe him, one way or another in this state, and in Washington, that he will be re-elected until he decides to retire.
I can’t think of a single prominent Dem in this State who would dare to challenge him in a primary. The whole Dem party, from The Great Leader, all the way down to the State Central Committee would crucify him/her.
November 28, 2011 at 3:42 pm
You can’t think of a single one huh? Not one ‘prominent Dem’ in the whole state who dislikes Baucus and would ‘dare’ to challenge him. Come on Goobs, quit trying to be a troll.
November 29, 2011 at 3:22 pm
A troll maybe – but a CORRECT troll certainly.
If you’re willing to bet on a particular Dem challenging Max in the 2014 primary I’ll cover some of your money -
November 29, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Hold on to that thought, Eric, and keep your billfold open. There will be a challenger if indeed he decides to run.
November 28, 2011 at 6:36 pm
yeah. what jack said. come on.
Anything’s possible, that’s for sure…and my money is on the anything part. .I expect 2014 to be interesting if Max is running.
I have to say I am truly surprised that Max would run. I’ve said all along he would be done. Of course – like Pete said – he could be raising money for his very generous Pac donations he’s doled out throughout the years.
Who knows, but I’da thought he’d enjoy a good decade or two doing something else.
November 28, 2011 at 4:28 pm
He’s running; no doubt of that. But I think he’s vulnerable because he’s getting long in the tooth. He’s vigorous now, and could well be vigorous at 73 beginning another term — but would he stay vigorous at almost 80? And how open minded and sharp would he be then?
Old men become set in their ways, especially when they begin losing their vigor. There are more than a few voters, I suspect, who vote not for the man they see today but for the man they imagine at the end of his term. That was one reason Conrad Burns lost to Tester.
And if the GOP captures the Senate next year, and well it could, Baucus might conclude that no fun derives from being in the minority, say “to hell with it,” and retire.
November 28, 2011 at 4:37 pm
While Baucus may have some crazy idea of running again, I’m certainly hoping he won’t. His time is up. After the Super Committee and his back peddling on health care, there aren’t a lot of people in Montana who even think he’s still a democrat because he’s been so middle of the road.
November 28, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Max Baucus looked away from the eyes of his constituency (if the man even knows what that really means anymore) during the healthcare proceedings. He looked away from a rural state whose ranchers and farmers have gone without healthcare their entire lives~~teeth rotting; hip joints rubbing bone on bone; children with ear drums ruptured with infection; early signs of cancer ignored because of money. Because of money, Baucus sold the soul of Montana (and his own, if he in fact ever had one) to pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Like a Dickensian character, this sly sycophant has fed and gotten fat on his early reputation as a “man of the people”. He is neither. As I watch Dave Strohmaier post photos of himself on Facebook out hunting, I am reminded of the early Maximillion when he rode in the Helmville Rodeo. There are early signs of pretenders in the making. First they create the image of the man next door. Next they get their aspiring asses out of Dodge and never look back until retirement. Hoping Mr. Talbot returns Mr. Baucus’s solicitation in person to the Missoula Baucus office and, in the birthday card, says he has made a sizable donation to the Poverello in Max’s name (such that it is.) The Talbot name gets the attention of Democrats in this area; one hopes Peter makes good, responsible use of that power.
November 28, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I’m thinking if I’m on Max’s birthday invitation list, d.g., the campaign has some real problems with list management.
November 28, 2011 at 4:54 pm
He’s got my vote. But I think the Bloviator will take him on in the primary unless he gets elected VP in the meantime.
November 28, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Maybe Tester can knock him out in the primary.
November 28, 2011 at 9:04 pm
You know as well as I do, Pete, that Max will die with his boots on. And, ultimately, that’s a good thing for Montana Democrats.