[credit: Jeff Danziger]
If you can tell
US Person what the Democratic leadership of the United States Senate accomplished by allowing its Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT), to engage in the
kabuki theatre of bipartisanship for several months you are a better political pundit than I. By failing to get even one Repugnant to sign on to his bill, he made it perfectly clear that Repugnants are going to vote against
any health care reform legislation worthy of the name. Democrats will have to pass reform legislation with their own majorities. Baucus did dither and dally with Senator Grassely (R-IA) long enough to say goodbye to
Senator Kennedy, author of the previously pending HELP Committee bill. The HELP bill includes a public option; as expected, the private insurance friendly Baucus bill does not. (Insurance stocks
gained 3-6% on Wednesday when the bill was publicly released). That was exactly the opposition's game plan--delay passage long enough to rob the reform effort of any effective momentum. If I were a Montana Democratic voter, I would be a little upset and embarrassed with my senior Senator right now.
