Baucus, Under Fire From Fellow Dems and Unions, Signals Minor Compromises

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/4928/baucus_under_fire_from_fellow_dems_and_unions_signals_minor_compromises/

Friday September 18 2:24 pm

After failing to placate any Republicans with his "Gang of Six"-crafted bipartisan legislation that omits a public option and offers relatively meager subsidies to low-income workers, Sen. Max Baucus struggled to avoid a "D.O.A" fate for his legislation.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Baucus signalled today some minor compromises that likely won't placate his critics on the left, including unions. Some of that rage was unleashed on the floor of the AFL-CIO convention this week (hat tip to Firedoglake):


Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), left, confers with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Both are ranking members of the Senate Finance Committee, which released its healthcare bill proposal Wednesday. (Photo courtesy Senate Finance Committee)


Union leaders denounced a proposed overhaul of the U.S. health system introduced today by Senator Max Baucus, saying it fails to pressure insurance companies for savings and would tax health plans.

Delegates at the AFL-CIO’s convention in Pittsburgh chanted “bullshit” in response to the plan from the Senate Finance Committee’s chairman. They were led in the chant by Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He said the labor federation’s members should lobby against the proposal because it doesn’t mandate that employers provide health insurance and “taxes our health plans.”

Indeed, union leaders and organizations were eagerly coming forward to denounce the plan, even as the AFL-CIO went on record earlier this week as the first major union organization to favor a single-payer health system, while it's still backing a public option.

Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake has helped pull together an array of union statements condemning the plan, while highlighting the opposition the Baucus plan has generated from other segments of the Democratic base -- including students at College Park, Maryland yesterday.

FULL story at link.

[47of74]

1. I've got a damn good idea of where Baucus can take and stick his plan

And the Democrats should stop this horseshit negotiation with Republicans.

[roguevalley]

2. here, here!