Grassley Blames Democrats for Baucus Bill

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), responding to bipartisan dissatisfaction with the bill unveiled by Max Baucus (D-MT), blamed the Democrats. They could have come up with a better bill that everyone would have liked if they had just had more time, he complained. All they needed was two more weeks and they could have produced a truly bipartisan bill. They weren’t given enough time; the Democrats were rushing them too much; Sen. Baucus settled on the bill in its current form because the political pressure from the White House was so unbearable….

So much for personal responsibility, eh? Ezra Klein thinks Sen. Grassley “would be a really terrible guy to date. … I was totally getting ready to propose, baby, if you’d only waited a couple more weeks …”

I actually find Grassley’s behavior throughout all this a bit shocking. Grassley’s friendship with Baucus is long and deep. And he has made Baucus look like a weak, ineffectual fool. He has absolutely hung him out to dry.

Baucus assumed enormous personal risk to try and secure Grassley’s support. He formed the “Gang of Six,” infuriating the other members of his committee. He blew through the White House’s August deadline, angering Senate Democrats and harming the White House. He compromised on a raft of liberal priorities, infuriating the Democratic base. And he got … nothing.

Less than nothing, in fact. Grassley went on TV to trash the Democratic bills and proclaim that he was closed to an actual compromise. He let Baucus end the process with a compromised bill and not a single vote of confidence from his Republican colleagues. He made Baucus look like a knave. If there was any evidence that Grassley hated Baucus and wished him ill, it would count as one of the truly masterful political defenestrations in recent decades.

Grassley also specifically attacked Pres. Obama and other White House officials for his committee’s failure:

Grassley blasted accusations made by White House aides that his ultimately unsuccessful efforts to work on a bipartisan healthcare bill with committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and others were insincere.

“I kind of resent that, when I’ve been very candid with the president of the United States” about his positions on contentious issues in healthcare reform, Grassley said.

Grassley also took direct aim at President Barack Obama, suggesting that he soured the chances for cooperation.

“I’ll tell you, there’s some things that the president has said since then that I took very personally,” Grassley said. “He gave some speeches during August in which he was associating me with efforts to make this a political document.”

Grassley singled out David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, for criticism. “We’re accused by Axelrod of making political things and maybe not being serious in our negotiations,” Grassley said. “You know, that’s not a very good environment to carry on a conversation with the White House.”

First of all, President Obama went to great lengths — too many, in fact — to praise Grassley publicly as someone who was sincere about negotiating in good faith. Why Grassley would take those comments “personally” is unclear.

Second of all, the reason the White House eventually gave up on Grassley is because administration officials are not insane. Why would anyone seriously believe Grassley was serious about reform after his conduct of the last several weeks?

Grassley has lashed out at the media with nonsensical whining; he said he wanted to undermine ambitious reform proposals because activists yelled at him in town-hall meetings; he vowed to defeat “Obamacare”; he nonsensically argued that the deficit “puts a stake in the heart” of Democratic proposals; he said, “I don’t think it’s going to be possible to work it out with the administration“; he promised not to vote for an “imperfect bill“; he validated “death panel” nonsense; and he said he was prepared to vote against his own compromise.

Grassley think he has grounds to be “resentful”? Everything would have been fine in “another couple weeks”? Please.

Greg Sargent gets the award for the funniest commentary (which is actually via his seven-year-old son):

I’ve enlisted my seven-year-old son, a big Peanuts fan, to act as research assistant on this one. He unearthed this exchange:

Grassley/Lucy: Okay, Charlie Brown…I’ll hold the ball, and you come running up and kick it…

Baucus/Charlie Brown: I can’t believe it! I can’t believe that anyone would think I was so completely stupid!

Grassley/Lucy: I won’t pull it away like I usually do, Charlie Brown…I promise!

Baucus/Charlie Brown: Ha! I know your promises!

Grassley/Lucy: Look…we’ll shake on it, okay? Let’s shake on it…this proves my sincerity…

Baucus/Charlie Brown: What could I do? If someone is willing to shake on something, you have to trust her…[he runs...Lucy yanks away ball...] AAUGH! [he lands flat on back.]

Grassley/Lucy: A woman’s handshake is not legally binding!