Baucus: All Senate Dems will support health bill

[David Zephyr]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – When it comes time to vote, every Democrat in the Senate — and perhaps more than one Republican — will support legislation overhauling the nation's health care system, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee predicted Thursday.

That assertion by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., was a notable show of confidence coming in the midst of negotiations with Majority Leader Harry Reid and White House officials to finalize legislation that can satisfy liberal Democrats without alienating moderates — and get the 60 votes needed to advance in the 100-seat Senate.

Baucus told reporters that lawmakers have a moral obligation to repair the health care system to rein in costs and extend coverage to millions of the uninsured.
"And that is why we are going to pass health care reform legislation this year, and it is why every Democrat will vote for it, and it is why there will be at least one Republican and maybe a couple more who also will vote for it," Baucus said.

"Every Democrat will vote for national health care reform," Baucus emphasized.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

[OregonBlue]

1. Who cares, if they pass something that is worthless.

[Blasphemer]

2. I'd rather have 50 (+ Biden) votes for a good bill than 60 (+1 GOP'er) for a crappy one... nt

[David Zephyr]

5. Yep.

That's been my position from the very beginning. It's the only way we will get real healthcare for our citizens.

50+1. Good enough for me.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Coming from Max, it sounds like a vote for status quo.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Well geezus, Max... if you're so sure that every Democrat would vote for a reform bill

..then why didn't you WRITE one, you fucking coward? :grr:

[never cry wolf]

6. +1

Max, those dreams you have, where you wake up in the middle of the night, and you are standing naked on the floor of the Senate, and everyone is laughing at your transparency and your hypocracy...

[SandWalker1984]

7. Any Dem that votes for the Baucus bill should turn in their blue sash

....and move over to the Repub side, as they would be voting to give big business a huge windfall.

The Baucus bill is NOT health care reform, it's not insurance reform, it is simply what happens when the people in charge of writing a bill ARE OWNED BY THE INDUSTRY THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE REFORMING.

Hey, Max, do us all a favor and RETIRE.

[Psephos]

8. Word is Lieberman won't sign on.

Which offsets Snowe.

OTOH, the hypotheticals are simply ridiculous at this point.

Here's something interesting - the Intrade Contract for passage of a US govt. health care bill. The contract expires Dec. 31, 2009. The short contract description is, "A federal government run health insurance plan to be approved before midnight ET 31 Dec 2009."

From what I see, the bill must contain a public option to meet the contract specifications.

Three months ago the contract was 47% positive. Right now it's trading at 17% positive. Note that the entire idea of an Intrade contract is to assign a probability by using a market to mine analysis and judgment from a large group of people with skin in the game. Personal desires or politics do not affect the probability assignment. One can be fervently in favor of bill passage but still choose to purchase the no-pass contract based on current assessments of the chances.

http://data.intrade.com/graphing/jsp/closingPricesForm.jsp?tradeURL=https://www.intrade.com&contractId=683800

[earcandle]

9. Well then. Let us all go and buy one dollar's worth! $300 million!

[dmosh42]

10. A windfall for the insurance racketeers! Mandatory insurance with...

no Public Option. The sky is the limit! Nice going whores!

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Who suddenly made Baucus = to the "I'm in charge here" Al Hague?

:shrug:

Why the hell is he speaking for the Senate all of a sudden? I guess this is what happens when there's a vacuum thanks to Rotton Reid. :eyes: