"Q Are you saying K Street got it; you guys haven't? MR. GIBBS: Not surprisingly, yes."

[ProSense]

<...>

Q The Finance Committee -- well, actually, Senator Baucus's draft has been now bouncing around for a few days on Capitol Hill. First, has the President seen it, his outline?

MR. GIBBS: I don't believe anybody here has -- we've seen what we've read in the paper, but I do not believe that we've seen paper on the plan, no. I understand it's bouncing around on K Street, not surprisingly, but I have not seen it here.

Q Has there been any direct consultations between anyone at the White House and Senator Baucus, or anyone in the Group of Six since this outline began being floated on Sunday?

MR. GIBBS: I don't know how far back that would go. We continue to talk to all the players involved. Obviously, you know Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid will be here momentarily. So he's going to continue to talk all those involved.

Q What did you just mean by it's "bouncing around K Street"?

MR. GIBBS: I 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. It wasn't cryptic.

Q I mean, but who is that -- are you impugning somebody here? I mean, it sounded like you were impugning, like, "Well, K Street has it."

MR. GIBBS: K Street is normally where associations and lobbyists have their offices. I'm simply making a point to Chuck -- (laughter) -- that those people have gotten a copy of health care reform.

Q And why is that?

Q And you haven't?

Q Is it Max Baucus gave it to them? Is it the other members of the committee gave it to them? What are you saying here?

MR. GIBBS: Call some of your lobbyist friends, Chuck. I don't know how -- we haven't seen what was I think dispersed today, or what I'm told was dispersed today.

Q Are you saying K Street got it; you guys haven't?

MR. GIBBS: Not surprisingly, yes.

link

:wow:

[create.peace]

1. FK and FR...nft

[beac]

18. Anyone who hasn't yet signed Credo's petition, here's the link:

Tell Max Baucus: You're fired.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/chair_rules2/

[create.peace]

22. thanks and done...nt

[sandnsea]

2. ooooooh, this is gonna get good

:popcorn:

[gkhouston]

3. Wake up, Todd: it originated on K street; of course they have it. n/t

[jeanpalmer]

12. +1

[Laelth]

4. k&r for honesty.

This barely resembles a republic any more. It's an oligarchy.

:dem:

-Laelth

[jgraz]

9. Actually, it's spelled "oligarhy"

Just ask Glenn Beck...

[Cha]

5. This fucking looks Bad for

fucking around baucus.

[Jakes Progress]

17. Bad as in" He's gonna be making 10 million

a year when he "officially" goes to work for the HC Lobby?

I'm sure he's real worried about how this make him look or if the president will be mad at him. He's taking care of himself. Notice that the ghoul stalled all summer waiting for Teddy to die and now wants a vote immediately. He waited almost a whole week.

Best part of being religious is that you can believe that Max will roast in hell. Otherwise, he just screwed everyone and gets away with it.

[Ikonoklast]

6. They wrote the fucking thing, Todd, you ass.

Of course they have a 'copy'. They have the original copy, and sent it to their tool Baucus to disseminate as his own.

That's what people that are bought and paid for do; the bidding of their masters.

Like you, Chucklehead.

[jbnow]

11. That was a fine point to push. You are right that it's no shock

lobbyists have their copies....but it is startling that the white house does not.
It's not like they didn't know speech was coming up too. Baucus invited comments by republicans...did he even give it to the other Dems not in the 6 who are on his committee?

It's almost unbelievable he wouldn't share it with white house for their input and questions.

btw...Gibbs and Todd are friends.
I remember someone saying Gibbs had lied about something and Todd declared Gibbs does not lie. That he's known him for 10 years and he might evade but Gibbs does not lie. That was quite a thing to say.

Between that and him talking after a McCain/Palin interview he'd been with Brian Williams on I can't completely dislike him even though he's gone from ace numbers man to clumsy reporter...he was just so blunt about something being wrong between them. He said you could feel the "negative vibes" as soon as you entered the room, there was incredible tension. Now I don't think Chuck is the "vibe" type so that really made clear how tense it was. Williams was much more diplomatic, Todd much more illuminating

[Zodiak]

7. This is sick....Baucus needs to be shown the door

1. First, he is a DLC tool, which means he is politically hostile towards the mainstream platform of the party.

2. Next, he gets this committee that has 23 members (13 Democrats, 10 Republicans), and for healthcare, he decides to put the whole issue in a subcommittee of 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans, effectively eliminating the numerical majority the Democrats would normally have on the committee. This is his BIGGEST SIN, and is the main reason nothing gets done.

3. And now, it is clear that the lobbyists are in bed with the committee and not the White House. WTF?

Does anyone on this site feel proud that this man is a Democrat after he neutralizes our majority, shuts out the White House, and sucks the teat of K street shamelessly? How the fuck is this asshole useful? Because from where I stand, he willingly wants more Americans to die so he can collect the crumbs that fall on him from the healthcare lobby. He is a disgusting pig, just like his Republican friends.

[jgraz]

10. The first DLC tool who needs to be shown the door is Rahmsfeld.

The guy is poison. This healthcare debacle has his greasy fingerprints all over it.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. Bought and paid for, just like 98% of the bills out of congress

Yes, I pulled that number right outta my ass. Sue me.:P

[jeanpalmer]

13. He couldn't admit to having seen it

because Baucus' plan according to reports is a mandatory insurance plan. And so the next question to Gibbs would have been, "Then you know under his plan that people will be mandated to buy insurance, don't you? What does President Obama think about that?" And it would get real sticky after that.

This way, Obama in his speech can completely avoid the topic of mandatory insurance, even though it looks like that will be the centerpiece of the ultimate legislation, along with an insurance exchange. Instead, he can tell us how he strongly supports a robust public option, and competition.

[Teaser]

14. good

I'm glad it mandates insurance. Otherwise the risk pool would be too small for it to handle things like the ban on pre-existing condition denial.

[Laelth]

23. The individual mandate to buy insurance is insane.

It will be deeply resented, and it will drive people away from the Democratic Party. Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the solution to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[AspenRose]

15. Oh, boy.

Baucus needs to GO

[polichick]

16. On Morning Joe, Gibbs said he didn't mean that Baucus gave it to K Street. nt

[Cass]

19. Corporate interests are king and they run the show.

Screw the little people - we exist to them only as a source of funding.

[Honeycombe8]

20. This is shocking. Sounds like the W.H. is pissed, too. And it should be.

If K Street DID get a copy of the plan before the W.H., the Obama and his team have some serious butt-kicking to do. They need to grab hold of this issue, this situation, and reign these people in. Congress is getting away from the W.H.

The W.H. will get respect and information only insofar as it demands it. It's time to demand it and get tough.

It's no wonder this health reform has gone to hell in a hand basket.

(It's possible that Republicans on the committee that got the Baucus plan gave it to their friends, the lobbyists for the health care industry. Even so...if the committee gets a copy, the White House should get a copy, shouldn't it?)

[Laelth]

24. In all likelihood, K Street WROTE the plan. Of course they had it first.

They then HANDED it to the committee so that the committee could then forward it to the White House at their leisure.

Of course, K Street had it first (if they wrote it, and they probably did).

:dem:

-Laelth

[Hippo_Tron]

21. I wish Baucus' term were up sooner, I like the sound of Senator Schweitzer

[progressoid]

25. Is Chucky really that dense?

:banghead:

[gkhouston]

26. A fanboy of politics, paid to be stupid, and just plain stupid. In that order, I'm guessing.

The idea that policies affect actual breathing people hasn't impinged on his awareness.

[Faryn Balyncd]

27. K&R - The Baucus/K-Street bill would the MOTHER OF ALL Corporate Welfare, Bait & Switch scams :

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6498666&mesg_id=6501422

[depakid]

28. Seeing as how they're writing the legislation that's not surprising

What's surprising is that the administration didn't realize this was how it was destined to play out under their "strategy."

[slipslidingaway]

29. +1 n/t

[Orwellian_Ghost]

30. K&R