You are not wrong to be scared. (0.00 / 0)

If there's one proverb that politicians live by, it is "don't bite the hand that's feeding you."

Private insurance is spending millions a day on defeating public health care.  They'll win.

---

by: prodigal @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 17:49:44 PM UTC

I don't know if BigPharma will win .. (0.00 / 0)

but I wouldn't trust Max Baucus as far as I could throw him .. but in the end .. I think it will pass .. because I think Obama knows that if he doesn't pass health care ... the TradMed will beat on what a failure he is till the cows come home .. and he doesn't want or need that

---

by: Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 17:56:55 PM UTC

yes (4.00 / 2)

some kind of bill will probably pass. But true reform?

---

by: tremayne @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 18:08:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Well (4.00 / 2)

something will pass. To pass nothing would be politically suicidal and pols, if they can't help, just don't do politically suicidal things.

But chances are, it won't include a PO, much less a strong PO. That's much of what's behind Baucus's zeal for bipartisanship and the Blue Dogs's "concern" about spending: they want to kill the PO, as insurance companies want them to.

They'll pass a bad bill that does a few decent things and Obama will sign it and the media will call it a "big victory" and progressives will fume.

My guess is, Obama will probably regret saying the bill "must" include a PO.

---

by: david mizner @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 18:09:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

To say it's just Baucus is a misnomer... (0.00 / 0)

in my view.  It's the whole lot, including Obama.  The large stakeholders agree to reform because in the end the reform will protect them.  New reform after this reform (single payer) will be ages away.  Reform will institutionalize the system and the average citizen will get a few crumbs.  Even if single payer has no chance, why not introduce it and let it be voted down?  The so-called "public option" is a ruse.

---

by: EricD @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 18:04:03 PM UTC

Title of post should be... (0.00 / 0)

"Who does Max Baucus work for?"

---

by: jcasey23 @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 18:38:23 PM UTC

who gives money to max baucus (0.00 / 0)

it's not just the money that Baucus and the others get, it's the whole mindset common throughout DC, including most of Obama's staff and cabinet members. Not only are they bought and sold, but most these weasels have another, more important message to send: " voters are just there to put me in office and get a better committee assignment, do not believe for a moment that we ever intended to fix all the crap we broke."

That's the real message they're sending, and the healthcare scam is just one example.

---

by: thelonius @ Thu Jul 23, 2009 at 19:21:00 PM UTC

Sacrificial Baucus? (0.00 / 0)

Maybe we should throw Baucus under the bus. A demonstration of power, to set the limits of what a real Democrat is. You're either with us or against us.

I'm sick of Democratic Politicians who sell us out to big Energy, big Healthcare and big Wallstreet. With the 2000 census and redistricting, we pretty much have to support any and all Democratic Governors, no matter how bad. But, the real roadblock to critical reforms: Healthcare, Labor, Environment, has been the Conservative Democrats, and maybe Progressives have some electoral opportunities for influence here.

We have a window of possibility: The Republican Party is sucked down by their extremist base, and recent elections have moved the Democratic Party into ascendency. This means that (1) the extremist 1/3 is out of the electoral picture; (2) the middle 1/3, the swing voters aren't going along with the extremist right wing, so they are inclined to support whatever Democratic wins the primary, and (3) the independents aren't registered to vote in Democratic Party primaries anyway.

These three electoral facts mean that approximately 1/3 of the electorate is in contention, of which Liberals and Progressives are a large faction. This means that Progressives have an unusual opportunity to contest or play a role in eliminating Republicans pretending to be Democrats.

---

by: MetaData @ Fri Jul 24, 2009 at 02:09:48 AM UTC