The Baucus Excuse - The Imaginary Rule of 60

[ensho]

http://counterpunch.com/lindorff09302009.html


-a long snip about a fart-

If the stench of corruption from the legal bribes of the insurance industry lobby were not so vile and pervasive, we would all be rolling in the aisles at the tiny fart produced by all that straining and pushing on the part of Sen. Baucus (D-Montana) and his Finance Committee colleagues.

Of course, it’s not over yet. Once both houses of Congress have voted to approve the bills that have emerged from committee in House and Senate, there will be another session on the pot—this time in a secret conference committee, where members of the leadership of both houses will negotiate to come up with a single bill to send back to their respective houses for an up-or-down vote.

-snip-

Indeed, Democrats seem to like the imaginary Rule of 60, as it gives them a ready excuse to never have to actually do anything progressive, as demanded by their electoral base.

And so, whether it’s health care reform, financial industry regulation and reform, climate change legislation, civil liberties, investigations into torture and war crimes, or ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress has come to resemble a French railway station lavatory, with committees grunting away in the stalls behind closed doors, while a little old lady in the corner collects change from the visitors who regularly come in to take a piss and monitor the proceedings.
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[Botany]

1. Max "They Bought My Office"

"My job is to put together a bill that gets to 60 votes" .... Max Baucus

No Max your job was given to you by your bosses in the Health Care Insurance Industry ...... kill the public option.
It didn't have a damn thing to do w/ 60 votes.

[lwcon]

2. Baucus's imagination vs.

The imaginarily "robust" and "strong" public option plan. This whole debate belongs on "Fantasy Island."

[damntexdem]

3. It's a real rule behind which he is illogically hiding.

If cloture can be invoked, that is an advantage, nothing more. Worry that it cannot be invoked is no reason to oppose good measures. And, of course, the true irony (and revelation about how disingenuous Baucus objection is) would be if he were to vote against invoking cloture.

[lsewpershad]

4. Baucus

should lose his chair. A majority of Senate Dems should vote for a "recall". We don't need repugdems like Mr bal.s.