THE PLANK OCTOBER 14, 2009
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I've been pretty hard on Max Baucus for a while, especially as he spent months and months negotiating fruitlessly while Democratic political capital rotted away. But it's worth pointing out that his plan, assuming he had one, worked perfectly. Three months ago, the main storyline in the press on health care centered on whether Democrats would craft a bipartisan bill (yay!) or go it alone (boo!) Through his painstaking, and often pathetic, desire to reach an agreement with the GOP, Baucus proved beyond a doubt that serious GOP support for any remotely comprehensive health care reform was totally impossible. Indeed, the "go it alone" theme was all but disappeared from the press coverage. Meanwhile, the right-wing grassroots anti-reform insanity has largely burned itself out, and the popularity of President Obama and his health care reform has bounced back.
I still think he's more Mr. Magoo than Machiavelli, but fair is fair. Credit to Baucus.
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No, the main "storyline" in the press was about sideshows like "Democratic political capital" dwindling away on healthcare reform while the gun-toting, rowdy truthers at the townhalls revealed just how vulgarian BeckWorld conservatives and the insurance corportions could be. Max Baucus? He IS the system in Washington: Lawyers/Law Firms $1,603,523 Securities & Investment $1,478,035 Insurance $1,196,463 Health Professionals $1,039,276 Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $756,205 Come on Jon, "proving" the Republicans were never serious about "real" healthcare reform. That's your lead here? That's the Baucus angle?!!! Again, here's my angle: The Washington-Wall Street production of Healthcare Reform unfolds on its way to the inevitable denouement. Act I: On The Campaign Trail Obama and Clinton in a slugfest over who can insure the most people while slaying the greedy bastards in the healthcare industry once and for all Act II: Getting Started Obama wins. He insists that, Fox News notwithstanding, healthcare reform will be tackled and pinned to the mat by his administration before the year is out Act III: The Gang's All Here All the players in Washington and New York line up their checkbooks....and their IOUs...as the "haggling" begins Act IV: Stalking "The Great Compromise" Max Baucus is chosen as the point man in creating a bill that is exactly halfway between Main Street and Wall Street Act V: Closing In Inexorably the "fair and balanced" reform proposal wends its way towards Obama's desk as heroes and villians rise and fall Act VI: The Home Stretch Now we all sit back and wait to see just how many "progressive" changes are in the final bill Will this be yet another triumph for liberal socialism?! I love being clever by half. ; o ) george
- iambiguous
October 14, 2009 at 6:13pm