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President Baucus Prevails
The man who received 345,937 votes (and $11.6 million of health lobbyist donations), has overruled Barack Obama, the choice of 69,498,215 Americans, who presented his proposals to a joint session of Congress last week.
President Baucus’ plan, which omits a public insurance option and other key elements favored by the occupant of the White House as well as other Congressional committees, is seen as holding together “the fragile coalition of major industry leaders and interest groups central to refashioning the nation’s $2.5 trillion health-care system.”
According to the Washington Post, evidence that Baucus will control the final bill is “the calm emanating from organizations that have criticized House health-care bills and a version approved by the Senate health committee” and that drugmakers and hospitals “had little to say” about the plan he announced yesterday.
Their silence may be traced to the fact that their money has already done the talking with nearly $170 million in contributions to federal lawmakers in the past two years.
Even so, the Wall Street Journ complains that the Baucus plan “remains a public option by other means, imposing vast new national insurance regulation, huge new subsidies to pay for the higher insurance costs this regulation will require and all financed by new taxes and penalties on businesses, individuals and health-care providers.”
11 Responses to “President Baucus Prevails”
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Well Baucus has been more Presidential than Obama on this issue so hardly a surprise.
I don't like his plan much, but he and his group are the only democrats that really made any kind of bipartisan effort at all. That being said I still doubt it will pass, more concessions from democrats will likely be needed. They don't have enough votes on the far left to pass it, just like the Progressives dont have the votes in the middle to pass their plans.
The difference is Baucus and move more to the middle and find more support while there is no one on the left for Progressives to add.
Congratulations? are in order for Senator Max Baucas of Montana. You have put your state in the 2009 Holiday Shopping Protest's Hall Of Shame. Visitors will now be asked to boycott your state until Governor Brian Schweitzer reverses the situation publicly. placeofnopity dot com. Montana: a no-go zone..
“I don't like his plan much, but he and his group are the only democrats that really made any kind of bipartisan effort at all.”
I think it could be said that there are two committees that didn't suck and two committees that created a worse bill by considering ideological fixations of both parties – the current definition of “bipartisanship”.
“That being said I still doubt it will pass, more concessions for democrats will likely be needed”
Fixed that for you. There is not one member of the GOP that deserves to demand anything anymore. They may offer constructive additions but now they can buzz off and pout in the corner. They've had what they deserve.
“The choice is between bipartisanship and a more divided nation.”
Yes, let's obey the whims of a pathetically immature and demanding minority party in order to preserve the good vibes we've had ever since Obama dared to win over Mr. Heartland and Ms. Precious Snowflake.
I'm sorry, but at this point my first thought when I hear a bill is bipartisan is to kill it. With fire. Seriously, it's all about getting a worse bill in order to satisfy the ideological considerations of people who don't want a bill to happen.
Let me fix it for you “That being said I still doubt it will pass, more concessions for Blue Dog and pro-life democrats will likely be needed”
With regards to the democratic propossals thus far the minority party are those in favor, who I agree are “pathetically immature and demanding” the only thing bipartisan is the majority opposed.
Yay! you are up to what, 29 States now?
I hardly think proposing a bi-partisan health care plan that is not exactly completely unlike Obama's necessitates the headline of this article.
http://www.newsy.com/videos/on_an_island_for_he…
Grow up, already. The Baucus bill simply is the big alternative to the House bill (nothing by the GOP will be allowed to count), and the Baucus bill was poorly received by some Dems as well as by the GOP in the Senate. Another bad Democratic bill, in other words. This isn't looking good for the Dems, even if they can eventually pass whatever the House and Senate Dems can possibly derive.
“Admit It: A Robust Public Option Is Dead”
They're too Dim (sp!) to be clever, i.e., to”better” engineer the co-op scheme into the same thing.
[...] President Baucus Prevails (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
The Baucus plan is perfect for the private health industry, add new mandatory clients and give up nothing. As the article states, our esteemed Senator from the great state of Commerce received “$11.6 million of health lobbyist donations.” The drivel spouted by the right of course misses the same point that the Left overlooks. Every one of the plans put forth is written to maintain or increase PI's profits. Price control is off the table, public option is off the table, and single payer never made it to the table.
If you see this as a political issue, you're just not paying attention.