Sen. Baucus: "I want a public option too."

[ProSense]

Sen. Baucus: "I want a public option too."

by TomP

This is big! As reported by Montana Maven on firedoglake: Montana Maven: Rancor Among the Ranks in Montana Democratic Central Committees, under pressure from Montana Democrats, Sen. Baucus told them in a call last week that he supports the public option.

From the Coalition of the United Montana Democratic Central Committees:

FOLLOWING RANCOR AMONG THE RANKS, BAUCUS ASSURES MONTANA CONSTITUENTS:

"I WANT A PUBLIC OPTION TOO"

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.

more

[Recursion]

1. Keep the pressure on NT

[Becky72]

The Research 2000 poll changed his mind

Politicians often do what polls tell them to do. This is good news though.

[andym]

2. Does he still want to extend Medicare to those 55-64 too?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Marsala]

3. Baucus has never been against the public option...

...but he's been one of the leading advocates of letting it slide if "necessary".

[PM Martin]

4. Is he not the one who was tearing apart any reform

that included a public/regulated option?

[Hawkeye-X]

5. I say BULL FUCKING SHIT.

And you heard it from me.

Let's see what his Committee comes out with the bill. If it includes public option, I'll eat my hat, and take a picture for all to see.

Hawkeye-X

[Becky72]

6. I'm also wondering why, if Baucus said this on August 17th, it came out now

I don't know what to think.

[quiller4]

25. If he supports a bill with public option it really matters little

what comes out of his committee. It is becoming more likely that nothing will come out of his committee and that the other Senate bill will become the basis for action.

[Larkspur]

7. Don't you love the smell of democracy at work?

Yes we do!!!

[donco6]

8. I'm thinking he's lying to get them off his back. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Strange - and I had just finished formulating my Alternate Theory of Max Baucus

I had lately been finding Max Baucus a strange and mysterious, due largely to the recent unearthing on various websites of his VERY OWN plan for Healthcare Reform - here http://finance.senate.gov/healthreform2009/finalwhitepa...

If you read that plan, with a date of November 12 2008 attached to it, you will find it very similar to Obama's own healthcare plan andd yes, it does include a Public Option on page 27, which while quite vague, is still described as "similar to Medicare".

So this man wrote and presented a healthcare plan with his name on it just a scant 9 months ago that is a completely respectable and seemingly quite sincere plan THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION.

Here's my new theory - WHAT IF HE MEANT IT?

But, he's the head of the Senate Finance Committee. All of a sudden, he becomes the conduit for most of the business the White House wants done behind closed doors, although still under their supervision. See this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Also see this thread where Robert Reich says that the distillation of the Finance Committee into the Gang of Six was done under the directionof the White House
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

So this is my theory - What if Max Baucus is Sydney Carton and he is being pilloried for the sins of Rahm Emmanuel as Charles Darnay
and what if he is just deciding that it is NOT a "far far better thing" to be hung for the sins of another?

[andym]

13. My theory of Max Baucus is even simpler

I think he is one of those practical fellows, who would like to get something done, anything done, no matter how small and he is willing to compromise to the point of creating legislation that is actually counterproductive. So holding Max's feet to the fire may be work to open his eyes and keep his attention focused on solutions that in theory might work, as opposed to compromises guaranteed to fail.

[demwing]

16. A Tale Of Two Committees?

I'm a little confused by your analogy, but I think I get the just of it. What if Baucus is a good guy all along, taking the fall for someone else, because he believes (or has been sold the idea) that it is for the greater good in some way, yes?

Who sold him the idea? Rahm? Obama?

What was the greater good being served by sitting on the public option in the Senate?

I'm not clear on your details at all, maybe you could clear me up?

[Jennicut]

22. Um, sorry but Baucus takes more money from the health insurance industry

then any other Dem. And as Ezra Klein points out in this article in July, he continues to hold fundraisers where he rakes this money in, even though he is not up for reelection until 2014 and has little in the way of future competition. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/max... The guy is sleazy. I know Rahm is not much better but Baucus is bought and paid for. There is no "good guy" lurking underneath. I don't buy it for a second. More likely is the the man has a huge ego being the chairman of the finance committee and wanted his own bill to be considered the be all and end all and there were many different voices on health care reform. Essentially, Baucus wanted his ass kissed. He truly sickens me.

[masuki bance]

10. That's equivelant to- "I prefer the public option..", or "..the public option should

be in any legislation."

Weasel words.

[ProSense]

12. Yeah, not as strong and forceful as the blue dog leader from

whereever the hell. When you're posting negative BS, you're always amazed yet confident it's absolutely relevant. When any narrative surfaces that might threaten your ability to continue posting BS, you're all progressive. How progressive was this?

[masuki bance]

18. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[ProSense]

19. .

FAIL

[Honeycombe8]

11. I'm guessing that Max said, "I want one, too, but....." (fill in the blank)

I'm thinkin' that's not a big story. That he was just explaining why there isn't a PO on the table. He said, "Look, guys, I support a public option, too. But the votes just aren't there!"

Actually, I think I heard that quote on TV last week. I think.

[BzaDem]

14. Even if he said that, that would be better than Kent Conrad.

Kent Conrad, to my knowledge, does not even support a public option if he could decide the question. If Max Baucus actually does support such an option, that might be news (especially if bipartisan "negotiations" are ended).

[Honeycombe8]

17. Oh, very true. I didn't mean to imply that it's not good news that he said that. nt

[saltpoint]

15. Baucus may have totally misread the upper chamber's "certain" chances of

kicking the public option back down the hillside.

This time, the valley folk are charging hard and in increasing numbers. The public option is a marginal annoyance to someone like Baucus but it is a real big deal to American families who desperately need and cannot remotely afford health care.

Very possibly some private polling done by Baucus' crew has prompted this reconsideration. A sincere shift of position by Baucus would be quite a code breaker for reform.

[grantcart]

20. I think it is very important to isolate Conrad - he seems to be the anti public option point man

[saltpoint]

23. Agree. He's playing the recalcitrant prairie Calvinist, afraid of

reform, afraid of History.

A little heat could be turned up on the boy, IMO.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

24. OMG! "Recalcitrant prairie Calvinist"

[Frank Booth]

21. This would be big!!

Except Baucus is full of shit.

[quantass]

26. Remember: He can Lie about wanting it -- since the Financee Committee as a whole dont want it

and his saying he wants it saves face with his constituents but in the end he still gets what he wants...not allowing a PO...

I am more fearful of a watered down PO though