Baucus: “I Want a Public Option”

[kpete]

Source: Firedoglake

Baucus: “I Want a Public Option”
By: montanamaven Sunday August 23, 2009 4:25 pm


The press release today:
FOLLOWING RANCOR AMONG THE RANKS,
BAUCUS ASSURES MONTANA CONSTITUENTS:
"I WANT A PUBLIC OPTION TOO"

U.S. Senator Max Baucus has finally broken his silence regarding his personal position on including a public option in health care reform legislation. Last Monday night (8/17), in an unprecedented conference call to Montana Democratic central committee chairs, the powerful leader of the Senate Finance Committee told his strongest supporters that he supported a public option.

While discussing the obstacles to getting a public option through the Senate, he assured his forty listeners, "I want a public option too!"

The conference call was groundbreaking in that none of the recipients could ever remember this kind of call ever happening before. The teleconference was set up seemingly in reaction to rising discontent among the local Democratic leaders with the Senator's failure to take a clear position on the issue.

The discussion, which became contentious and rancorous at times, also touched upon the wisdom of creating insurance cooperatives as an alternative to a public option. When several of the county chairs objected, commenting that they did not trust the health insurance companies to police themselves and limit their outrageous corporate profits, Baucus commented, "Neither do I."

Read more: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7485

[Captain Hilts]

1. WTF???

[harun]

41. Is this from The Onion?

[felinetta]

43. This has to be a joke!

[OHdem10]

2. This may be unfair to comment, but I cannot help but think that

DKos Poll may just put the fear of God in him.

If he is sincere, I am sorry preemptively.

[Cassandra]

3. Even I called his office...

and I haven't even called my own senator (Schumer) yet. I told the aide that Baucus hates small business because he is happy to allow insurance companies to gouge us and skim off profits that could go to new equipment and expansion. I said the same to Conrad's aide.

[bc3000]

29. This point should be made more often

Public health care would help small businesses.

[calimary]

22. I hope SOMETHING put the fear of God in him.

The REAL fear. Not just a ginned-up fear at the town hall meetings from small but very vocal mobs of wholly-owned subsidiaries of the RNC. Not one of them would vote for him anyway because he's got a "D" (however alleged) after his name. They wouldn't vote for him ANYWAY!!!! Doesn't he get that? Don't the Senate Dems get that? Don't the House Dems get that? Doesn't Obama realize that, at long last? WHY are we placating them - or perhaps I should say why are we STILL placating them NOW? We never did have their support to begin with. Why are we bothering with them - especially NOW? Okay, I concede that at the very beginning of the Obama administration when there was a lot more talk about getting along from both sides. But there's been MORE than enough proof in more than enough time that our opponents never ever intended to try to meet us halfway. All their talk about how - well, okay, he is our president too - has faded and/or more likely was just an act from the get-go.

I HOPE Baucus has gotten that message. He's thumbing his nose on the one constituency he could still count on - and the one what brought him to the dance in the first place.

[John Q. Citizen]

23. Baucus has been getting the shit kicked out of him all across the state.

Not only that but he totally set himself up because he put the public option in his white paper released last Nov. that he took all around the state and had people comment on.

Now we have to se what he means by the phrase "Public Option?"

If he's talking about the micro public options found in the Senate HELP bill or in the House HR3200, then we need to keep kicking his ass because those are jokes. They do nothing.

We need a big strong mega public option that can under sell the insurance companies and anyone can join.

[myrna minx]

4. I had to read this twice to make sure I read this correctly.

Perhaps some internal polling numbers have put some fire underneath those loafers that were paid for by the insurance companies.

[Ishoutandscream2]

18. Gotta be. Baucus was my pubic, er, public enemy number 1

and now to all of a sudden shift so dramatically - this doesn't smack of altruism.

[MasonJar]

5. I'll believe it when he stops trying to stop it in the Senate and votes for it.

Glad that the Democratic leaders are putting the pressure on though. Maybe it will help. He has all that money from the health insurance companies and probably a big paying job in the offing. How do these people rise to the top enough to get elected?

[wroberts189]

6. Forgive me Lord I do not trust this man. nt

[1776Forever]

10. I'm right behind you - After all "they" gave me how many millions? Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072003363.html

Industry Cash Flowed To Drafters of Reform -
Key Senator Baucus Is a Leading Recipient
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is a leading recipient of campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers and other medical interest groups hoping to shape health-care legislation.
.............Friends of Max Baucus, and his political-action committee, Glacier PAC. Baucus collected $3 million from the health and insurance sectors from 2003 to 2008, about 20 percent of the total, data show. Less than 10 percent of the money came from Montana.

............

How in the H are we supposed to trust someone that took donations like this?

[wroberts189]

16. You cannot, Jesus said so at the money changing booths..

Forgive my religious references please. I am really non-religious but the language fits.

But even Jesus ..friend of Roman guard and Prostitute and just about all.. completely lost it over the money changers at the temple.

It cost him his life ..if you believe such things.

Baucus has shown himself ..exposed himself as a money changer. imho.

Pay to play.

[unblock]

7. let's see what he DOES not what he SAYS.

after all, shrub SAID he had compassion for all sorts of people he screwed over.

[tavalon]

8. Yay Montana!

That's some awesome ball twisting!

[NBachers]

9. Baucus tells Irish he loves Leprechauns

[DKRC]

11. Maybe he's seen the numbers on the Act Blue pledge page

http://www.actblue.com/page/theytookthepledge


When I donated to this a few days ago the total was just over $108K. The money is being distributed among the Progressive Democrats who signed the pledge to stand up for the Public Option for all of us.

[DJ13]

12. Grassley just wet himself

Not that I believe Baucus will actually push for a public option.

[Eric J in MN]

13. We probably have the 50 votes needed to get a public option through reconciliation,

...with his vote.

50 Senate votes + VP Joe Biden = reconciliation victory

The question becomes when-and-if Harry Reid will schedule a reconciliation vote.

[Libertas1776]

14. I'll believe it when he

votes on it.

[Union Yes]

15. I'm in tears right now, this better be real.

Not barking at you the OP but at the story in general.

knr

[rhett o rick]

20. Bubkis is corrupt. Why would it be real. nm

[jmondine]

17. Number 46

[rhett o rick]

19. Beware of gift carrying Bupkis. When a publlic option isnt a public option.

In the following post I mentioned how Bubkis favored a public option that didnt include a government plan. He stated it in his White Paper and I mistakenly said it was in his bill. But it shows his intent in either case.

The point is, according to Bubkis's White Paper, he supports a public option that isnt a real public option. Beware.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6365022

[rpannier]

21. I think Baucus is lying

He's trying to provide himself with cover.

[bc3000]

27. I concur. His health industry keepers crafted that statement.

[grantcart]

24. When the heat really starts to be applied they will all fold

They can't stand up to the will of the party, the House of Representatives, the Whitehouse and sabotage the most important bill the Democratic Party has put forth in 30 years.

[Demeter]

46. I Wouldn't Bet Money on That

The ability of a man to delude himself is inexhaustible.

[Odin2005]

25. I'll believe it when I see it.

[jannyk]

26. Maybe he got a peek at his latest Poll #'s. See here:

Source: DailyKos/Flathead Beacon

A poll conducted by the liberal blog Daily Kos is making rounds on the Web and being used to persuade Montana’s Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, to support a public option when crafting health care reform legislation. Kos hired Research 2000 to poll Montanans about their view of Baucus’ actions on health care reform thus far. I doubt our senior senator likes its findings:

Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Max Baucus’ actions on health care?

All: 42% Approve; 44% Disapprove; 14% Not Sure
Dem: 34% Approve; 55% Disapprove; 11% Not Sure
Rep: 49% Approve; 38% Disapprove; 13% Not Sure
Ind : 41% Approve; 42% Disapprove; 17% Not Sure

Do you favor or oppose creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase?

All: 47% Favor; 43% Oppose; 10% Not Sure
Dem: 78% Favor; 15% Oppose; 7% Not Sure
Rep: 23% Favor; 66% Oppose; 11% Not Sure
Ind : 48% Favor; 41% Oppose; 11% Not Sure

Entire poll results: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/21/770592/-Bau...

Read more: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/poll_mon... /

:evilgrin:

[Wetzelbill]

28. he's for it and he'll vote for it

but the real question is would he just negotiate it away for the sake of "bipartisanship" and I think he would, he was pretty much doing it. Baucus did a report last year where he was all for a public option, then he spent the last 9 months negotiating it away with Grassley.

[bjobotts]

33. after he gets it out of committee he;s done negotiaitng it away..Then the real negotiations take pl

[AllyCat]

30. And this is a MINIMUM standard!

• National Coverage
• Availability to all Americans
• Portability, which includes maintaining coverage even if one loses his or her job
• No exclusions for preexisting conditions, denial of coverage if one gets ill, or develops catastrophic costs
• Publicly run and administered with full transparency and accountability to congress
• No triggers

[defendandprotect]

31. BOUNCE BAUCUS . . .Baucus should be tossed out of the health care discussions . . .

he is pre-bribed and pre-owned . . .

and should not be heading up health care reform --

[bkkyosemite]

32. Baucus had Single Payer Experts Jailed and I told his office off more than once Single Payer now!

HR 676

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. Thank you, Jim Dean.

[Raster]

35. And I believe in the Tooth Fairy. Baucus is OWNED by for-profit healthcare.

OWNED! His tune is changing because he's seeing his constituents pissed as hell. And if they don't return him to office, he'd lose all that lovely lobbyist money.

[irislake]

36. You betcha!

That smug smiling jerk who joked "we need more police" as he threw the single-payer doctors out of the meeting really really badly badly wants the public option. He has been one of my favourite people ever since. God Bless America for electing politicians like him.

[TomClash]

37. Man's on the Road to Damascus!

Nothing like a little pressure from his own state party to make him see the Light.

[PHIMG]

38. He's the new Lieberman

His primary challenger WILL BE a darling of the netroots and get a lot of early money to make the primary a real contest. Baucus knows this. This is how we take our party back. We use the Internet to shine the spotlight on their whoredom** and make their next Primary HARD. It doesn't take a knock-out in the primary to win, as long as they have to WORK FOR IT, we win. These whored-out Democrats have not ever been held to account for thier whoredom. Most of them are very lazy and would rather move to the left than fight two hard campaigns (primary then the general back to back.") Esp senators who are only used to running 1 race every 6 years.

Baucaus's opponent can run on 1 issue, on one theme. Baucaus had 13 single payer advocates arrested and removed from the capital becuase they properly pointed out that he was doing the bidding of the private insurers. That footage will kill Baucus. "One of them said: Is this the Blajovich Senate?" I hope MT has a closed primary!


** NO offense to sex workers, most of whom are about 5x more honorable than Conservadems.

[Arugula Latte]

39. Tom Hartmann had a woman from the Democratic party in Montana on.

I just caught a bit of it, but she was describing how the party chairs in different parts of the state had started organizing to oppose Baucus' position and then he changed his tune.

That being said, I don't trust the guy.

[bluesmail]

40. He may be going to Plan B. I don't trust him either.

Then there's Plan C. You know they have planned out a dozen chessboards with umpteen different moves to play.

[DebbieCDC]

42. I don't trust Baucus as far as I can throw a wet noodle

When I see his vote on a public option I'll believe. Until then, fuck him and his insurance company owners.

[drm604]

44. What's his definition of "public option"? n/t

[undeterred]

47. He probably meant "pubic option"

and thinks he might be missing out.

[Demeter]

45. That's Fine; I've Always Thought Public Executions Had More Deterrent Power Anyway

Wanker

[David Zephyr]

48. Yeah...a public option called a "co-op". Pullleaze.

I don't believe him.

Nope.

[harun]

49. A public option called a co-op where we open up Fort Knox to the Health Insurers

because they have been such good corporate citizens for so long.

[Mz Pip]

50. Then put up or shut up.

I'm sick of all this Senate drama queen bullshit.

Shit or get off the pot.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

51. Then put your money where your mouth is. nt

[Joe Bacon]

52. Max makes Xaviera Hollander look like Mary Poppins.

Max is the ultimate whore.