MAX BAUCUS ALERT! He wants the jobs bill to go through his committee

[Joanne98]

Democrats from the president on down say jobs are their No. 1 priority, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expects to announce details of a bill this week. But a squabble among Senate Democrats is complicating early efforts to bring a bill to the floor.


Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Dick Durbin of Illinois have been working intensely on a jobs bill for more than a month, talking with relevant committee leaders and other members and dispatching aides to dozens of other meetings in the hopes of crafting a bill that could get through the Senate quickly.


And when they walked into a meeting in the office of Reid (D-Nev.) on Jan. 22, they thought they were about to cross the finish line — the Dorgan-Durbin plan would be blessed by the small group of senators in the room, presented to the full Democratic Caucus on Jan. 28 and then taken straight to the floor for a vote.


But Montana Sen. Max Baucus had other ideas.


The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where the health care bill was debated for months last year, surprised the senators gathered in Reid’s office by suggesting he wanted a chance to mark up portions of the bill under his committee’s jurisdiction before it went to the floor, according to several people who attended the meeting.


“Everybody was caught off guard,” said a Democrat in the room, granted anonymity to speak candidly about a private meeting.


One Senate Democratic source said even though Baucus had endorsed the Dorgan-Durbin proposal, he was pinpointing ideas in their plan and advocating moving specific items first — including some that aren’t in the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee. He later indicated that he would be willing to move the bill directly to the floor if top Democrats agreed to that approach.


In the meeting, two attendees later said, Durbin seemed skeptical about going Baucus’s route, questioning why money for states, firefighters and police should be left out of the first package.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32291.html#ixzz0eIUqBnNm

[rucky]

1. It worked so well with HCR.

Somebody needs to find out who's putting Baucus on the payroll.

[Vincardog]

2. FCK all obstructionists

[Jennicut]

3. Baucus's ego is disgusting. You would think he would learn from his disaster on health care

to just stay out of the way. I wonder which one of his donor friends demanded changes in this bill...

[Dr.Phool]

6. Not he. WE should learn from his health care disaster.

Don't let him near anything more important than cleaning up dog shit.

He can assign that job to Kent Conrad. :evilgrin:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. Actually he learned alright. he learned he can fuck up anything he wants with

no consequences.

[Bitwit1234]

4. I think this guy got such a swell head from scuttling the Health Care Bill

and having people bow down to him, he wants to do it all over again. Kick these type of people out of chairmanships. We have enough trouble with republicans we do not need obstructionist in our own party.

[leveymg]

5. Strip Max and Joe down to their baggy underware - no Committee Chairs, no causus privileges for

traitors.

Just go away.

[LiberalFighter]

7. Agreed. Baucus and Lieberman are not good for the party or the country.

[nykym]

8. Max Bacus =

Republican plant.

[Mythbuster]

10. He certainly operates like one! n/t

[Mythbuster]

9. I've seen about enough of Baucus to last me until he's gone. n/t

[DisgustedInMN]

11. Fuck Max Baucus.

Remove him from all committees, stuff a gawddamn sock in his mouth, strip him naked, wrap him with duct tape and lock his worthless ass in a closet.

[asjr]

12. Our government has become a comedy act and

not a very good one!

[jsamuel]

13. So, Baucus: "money for states, firefighters and police should be left out"

[harun]

15. How did someone this bad ever get to be a public servant?

[inna]

16. What an a$$hole. Who needs Republicans with "Dems" like these.

[Faryn Balyncd]

17. Nothing should EVER go through Baucus's committee until it is chaired by a democrat.

(sic)


(small "d" intended.)




:hi:



:kick:



(K&R)

[CreekDog]

18. I made another bill for you to mess up

The health care bill. :eyes:

[BlueIdaho]

19. With friends like Max, who needs enemies...

[Jack Rabbit]

20. Senator Boughtkus lost the benefit of the doubt over health care

As far as I'm concerned, he's just Lieberman lite. Anything important should be kept out of his committee.

[annabanana]

21. Can Harry just say no?

Can the Democratic Caucas bypass this blue dog obstructionist?

[mochajava666]

22. Let me guess. Another gang of 6, except this time

with 4 repukes and 2 blue dog dems.

Baucus wants everything to go through his committee. Any bill emerging from that corporate oligarchy of a committee will only serve to widen the gap between the rich and poor.

[TheBigotBasher]

23. It continues to amaze me

that so many Democratic politicians see their own feet, get scared and reach for a gun.

There is an election to win.

[JVS]

24. Fuck that

[Ildem09]

25. where is the word labor in Finance? If anything it would go to the HELP Committee

Teddy the Greats Health Education LABOR Pensions committee. which is chaired by Iowa's Tom Harkin