Gibbs takes shot at Finance Committee

[ProSense]

Gibbs takes shot at Finance Committee

By Sam Youngman

The White House spokesman criticized the Senate Finance Committee 24 hours before President Barack Obama is set to address Congress, questioning why lobbyists have a copy of the committee bill before the administration.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said it is "not surprising" that K Street lobbyists have the proposal, which does not include the controversial public option plan, before the president does.

Gibbs demurred when asked if he was impugning committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), one of Obama's closest allies on healthcare.

Gibbs said he was told that "K Street had a copy of the Baucus plan, meaning, not surprisingly, the special interests have gotten a copy of the plan that I understand was given to committee members today."

[Jennicut]

1. Ouch. Baucus is not loved by anyone but the lobbyists.

[Cha]

2. Good on Gibbs!

This is an important telling aspect of corporatewhoredom.

[polichick]

3. LOL - great answer! nt

[grantcart]

4. Had a copy - they wrote it

[flpoljunkie]

6. His insurance company reforms don't even go into effect until 2013! It's 6 months in House bill

after passage that insurance companies must insure those with pre-existing conditions.

It's definitely one that will fit the health care industry's idea of a 'bipartisan' bill. That speaks to why he sent it to them first. They are the ones he is looking to appease.

It is pretty much disgusting.

[Enrique]

13. the question is has K-street shown it to Baucus yet n/t

[Parker CA]

5. Pelosi and Reid were just answering questions outside the WH, and Reid was asked about his thoughts

on Baucus' newly proposed plan. He shook his head before walking away and said, "I haven't seen it."

Baucus is clearly working all angles he can to win GOP/lobbyist support while completely ignoring the opinions of the WH and Dem leadership. Pretty unreal.

Pelosi did say there will be a public option in the house bill, and that the insurance companies would be better off with this public option as opposed to a trigger. She suggested that the need for a trigger would mean they f-ed up even more than they already have and that the trigger option would be even more tough in terms of expectations and requirements than what is currently being included in a public option.

I hadn't heard that angle before, but it's an interesting one to consider. If that's really the case, perhaps a trigger would be a good way to get an even stronger bill, but the uncertainty of what will occur between now and then leads me to believe that getting it done now is the right thing to do.

[andym]

11. Yes, see my thread in making the trigger create single payer

Glad to see that Pelosi is also thinking along similar lines. That would scare the daylights out of the insurers.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8635433

[chieftain]

7. "Baucus... one of Obama's closest allies on health care"

Do you think that Sam Youngman actually believes what he wrote here or this is just an example of a puckish sense of humor?

[quantass]

8. Yea i was wondering the same nt

[ProSense]

9. Maybe it was his attempt to isolate Gibbs' statement from the WH.

Yeah, you're right, it must have been humor.

[FatDave]

10. With close allies like this, who needs determined adversaries?

Or...um...something.

[Cass]

12. Yeah, that got my attention, too.

I hope Baucus isn't one of Obama's closest allies.

[Frank Booth]

14. Very good. I hope this means the White House is finally waking up to Baucus's

bad faith deliberations.

[saltpoint]

15. It doesn't seem to me that the job Gibbs holds is all that easy, but he's

been very refreshing, IMO.