Just so everyone knows, Max Baucus is in the first year of a six year term...

[WCGreen]

He is not up for re-election until 2014. At that time he will be 73 years old.

I do not think he is angling for a cushy job in Health Insurance.

His motivation, whatever it is that produced his piece of crap legislation, is elsewhere.

Maybe he has a kid he is grooming to take his place, that could be, but he is just making a fool out of himself for none of the reason a lot of people believe.

Snowe is up in 2012. At that time she will be 63 years old.

Collins is, like Baucus, not up until 2014. She would be 62 at that time.


My point is this, these three "moderates" will suffer little to no political damage oif they vote or a Public Option.

[donheld]

1. Kent Conrad another Dino not up till 2012 he's 61

[WCGreen]

2. What is the motivation of these people...

Can't they for once to the right thing?

[gravity]

3. He is just trying to make a compromise bill

Something that some moderate republicans and democrats can support too. His idea ended up turning off the Democrats and failed to get any additional Republican support since the Republicans were never going to support any bill with the exception of Snowe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Yesterday I sugested a possiblity

One that most people will not consider, since it would mean some REAL strategy on the part of the party, the kind not seen since Johnson...

Back in the day, Johnson used to do silly shit like get a committee to produce such a toxic product that it was something nobody could vote on. It was a far more congenial environment, but he still did shit like that proving the Republicans would not negotiate in good faith and get the excuse for the democratic bill.

Even as President, his hand was all over the Medicare bill. quick, how many republicans voted for it? If you said Zero you got the right answer.

Of course if this is what is at play (and I doubt it), then Harry Reed is far sneakier than we think.

As I said yesterday, I think this is by accident, but if this is what's going on, a graduate student will dig that information out in twenty years or so.

Regardless he may have done us a favor, since this poss has strengthened the hand of the progressives.

[Ken Burch]

5. According to Wikipedia, Baucus has one son from his first marriage

But why would he think killing President Obama's healthcare package would help his kid get his big break in show business?

[jgraz]

6. We really need to be able to recall these fools