Max Baucus Returns, Part 3

Yggy calls out Max Baucus for his interminable (and entirely predictable) delaying tactics.

Jon Cohn says he’s “been obsessing over the lack of passion and organization on the left,” though now feeling slightly better. I agree, but it is worth saying that this is almost 100 percent the fault of Max Baucus.

There’s a reason, after all, why the President wanted the process to be much further along at this point. And I think a big part of that reason is that it’d be much easier to get people engaged and mobilized if there was a thing “the health care bill” that people were supposed to be getting engaged and mobilized about. By contrast, those most full of passionate intensity on the other side are basically prepared to oppose reform sight unseen. But without knowing much about what the content of “reform” is or who it is who’s backing “reform” it’s hard to know what to say about it. At the moment, progressives are simultaneously trying to impact the shape of “reform” (reasonable public option, reasonably generous subsidies and minimum benefits packages) while also trying to push for “reform” to win out against the opponents of “reform.” If the various congressional leaders ever work out what “reform” is, then no matter how disappointed folks may be with some aspects of it, I’m pretty sure just about everyone will find themselves pushing for it.

I would have to partially disagree about placing the blame solely at the feet of ol' Mad Max there. If the issue here is lack of specific reform proposals, well, we have plenty of those floating around, too many. But at any point in this grand kabuki festival President Obama could have laid down some specifics. He could have said "I will not sign a bill that does not include X, Y, or Z." He could have said "This plan will have a public option that will cover 97% of America by 2012" or "This plan will include subsidies for families making up to 500% of the poverty line."

Americans want to know what the specifics are so they can figure out how it's going to affect them. Obama has left that 100% up to guys like Max Baucus, and Max Baucus doesn't want specifics, he wants this damn thing to die. If Baucus will not do it, then Obama has to. Period. At some point, Obama has to act like he's in charge of the damn country. Treating Max Baucus as a hostile witness is certainly a start, but the buck still stops in the Big O's office.