Wonkette
Senator Max Baucus, the other vampire squid from Hell, runs the Senate finance committee when he isn’t sharing pâté made from the livers of dead cancer victims with all of his good friends in the health insurance industry. Some people simply do not care for this Max Baucus, with his lobbyist-whoring and foot-dragging and complete disregard for fellow Democrats when it comes to drafting acceptable health care reform legislation in his committee. So “these people” ( = his colleagues) have come up with a Plan to drive the ancient demon from his lair forever.
In an apparent warning to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), some liberal Democrats have suggested a secret-ballot vote every two years on whether or not to strip committee chairmen of their gavels.
[...] “Every two years the caucus could have a secret ballot on whether a chairman should continue, yes or no,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “If the ‘no’s win, [the chairman’s] out.
“I’ve heard it talked about before,” he added.
Harkin did not mention Baucus, but his suggestion would likely resonate with the senior Montana Democrat, who has often clashed with his colleagues over important bills.
Yeah eff that guy. Of course, if the Democrats weren’t such terrible pussies they would just throw him out publicly and immediately.
Dems warn Baucus with gavel threat [The Hill]
This bastard and Ben Shitbird Campbell aren’t really Democrats. They should caucus with Lieberman. And take Spector with them.
But how would that look? The insurance gremlins have already paid for this guy, and now they want to let him fly around the room like a pierced balloon? Where is the integrity?
Really? What a bunch of bitchy little tweens. C’mon ladies. Let’s make this process a little less High School Musical and a little more Les Mis.
As a constituent, I urge Max to likk my ballsakk.
I have a big, thunderous “NO” vote for Harry Reid, in the back of my pants.
We can’t top “a little less ‘High School Musical’ and a little more ‘Les Miserables.’”
But this latest piece of crap from Congressmen does show yet again that just about all of them are quickly losing their minds and going completely bat-quano psycho.
Maybe we need to replace all Representatives–at every level–every two years.
For those who think that the seniority system in the Senate is easily done away with, read “Master of the Senate” about Lyndon Johnson’s time there. Good luck to those who try, but you’ll fail. Epicly.
Not to say that the seniority system is in any way a good idea. Its like having an old-folks cruise and having the most antediluvian altheimer’s-ridden fuddy-duddy on the ship steering.
Maybe they should just send Baucus a strongly worded, yet anonymous, letter.
Seriously, Sarah. Reid should tear off that magic underwear in a fit of rage and strangle that bitch Baucus with them on floor of the senate.
Buzz Feedback: I salute you, sir, as a fellow Baucus constituent. In all seriousness, I don’t think the dude is going to be re-elected next time. I don’t think he’ll even win the primary for his “party”.
God bless them founders or whoever decided to give sparsely populated states such enormous power out of all proportion to their population. Works really well with that bizarro world electoral college too, as Tilden & Gore (excelsior!) can attest.
Also, I love how reporters talk about health care industry donations & influence vis-a-vis Baucus. Can we just agree to call it what it is: bribery of a corrupt & criminal senator? Fuck Max Baucus and his square head right in the ear. With a donkey penis.
The only reason Montanans have let Max run as a Democrat is because he votes for the children’s health insurance plan (CHIP), and gives a half-hearted yea vote on abortion rights. Everything else he’s done is pure Rethuglican.
And we can’t find anyone else who can win, also.
jesusbutter: Yeah, he’s done. And why is Tester sending out invites to a Max-hosted fundraiser on the Sieben ranch on 8/8? Does he not realize Mad Max is about as popular as AIDS these days? Or is he really that desperate for $$$? What a wank-a-thon.
I see that you’re riding side-saddle, Sara. Very lady-like.
Buzz Feedback: Tester may be a one-term wonder. I kinda like the guy but he really only won against Burns because of Abramoff. If Rehberg were to run against Tester we’d be sunk. And it’s sad that Tester is as liberal as this state is going to get.
Also, Max Baucus is the worst public speaker EVER.
I thought he did a great job as Mr. McGoo and Thurston Howell, III, on Gilligan’s Island. It just goes to show that these celebrity politicians don’t always work out
Great, remove him now after he mucked up health care reform. That’s like concluding that microwaving a tin can of chili is a bad idea after you blow up your kitchen.
Whoah, secret ballot elections every two years! That will sure show Baucus, kicking him out of his committee chair a full 18 months after he kills health care reform forever.
hobospacejunkie: When Nevada became a state it had like five people (all Republicans btw), but more populated New Mexico, cause it was full of Gonzalezs and Estevans, not to mention seedy pro-Democratic party grifters, was denied statehood.
Maybe Obama can make him the Birther Czar
from the article SKS supplied:
Baucus’s office supplied nearly 20 examples of stances he’s taken in direct opposition to drug, insurance and banking interests that have donated to his campaign funds.
For example, he has supported importing lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, allowing the government to negotiate for lower drug prices for Medicare recipients, funding research that would show when generic drugs are a better deal than brand-name drugs and reducing Medicare payments to private insurers by $13 billion over five years.
I really wish he’d go back to these things. They are fantastic ideas. Probably the best ideas running right now. No snark.
Is it the wide open spaces of the intermountain West that makes these guys (Reid, Baucus, Criag, Cheney, etc) so crazy? Is it a minor flaw in the constitution that makes a Wyoming vote worth three times an Illinois vote?
Let’s have a constitutional convention and fix all this! Pleeez?
“Baucus Might Lose Finance Committee Chair, Due To Sucking”
Well, you have to admit that it IS kind of refreshing that in this case all he’s sucking is at his job.
V572625694: No lie, these states also have the highest suicide rate per capita, except for Florida and Alaska.
Why can’t Dems grow a pair & just do what the eff needs to be done? You gotta hand it to the Republicans, when W was in office the Republicans were united & unanimous–want to start a war of choice, we’re in; want to triple the deficit–we’re in; want to deregulate everything–we’re in; want to pollute & gut the environment–we’re in!
That’s called teamwork, people. What the hell is wrong with the Dems? (aside from being major pussies!)
nappyduggs: Fun fact. The Guillotine was developed by a doctor of medicine/anatomy professor named Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin at the behest of the King’s Secretary to the Academy of Surgery.
Just sayin’….
Lets get Obama to put the beer sumit off until Aug 12.
“WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including political ally Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday.
The medals are the first to be awarded by Obama and they represent the country’s highest honor for a civilian. Obama will present the awards at a ceremony on Aug. 12. Other names on the list are: Race for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, physicist Stephen Hawking, and civil rights activist Rev. Joseph Lowery. Former Rep. Jack Kemp, who died in May, will receive a posthumous award.”
After all, he’ll need someone to say grage and someone to give a little blessing to the hops.
Texan Bulldoggette: What’s really irritating is the implicit assumption that, because the health insurance and drug companies have been cherry-picking and gouging Ailing-Americans for the past 30 years, they have an implicit right to continue doing so. The media totally buy into this. When Bill Maher’s the only one asking why, you know were in trouble.
secret-ballot vote
I think each member should be given a black marble and a white marble. Then they pass an urn around. If there is so much as one black marble, Baucus is out. (sinister laugh)
NO! What about the big tent, DNC? I’m glad the party has dead bags of butthole like Baucus and Nelson in their fold, otherwise maybe something could get done.
Whenever I hear the term Blue Dog, I think of my friend’s cat, Lou Dog. And given that all he does is bite people, fall from great heights and have seizures they seem to have quite a bit in common. Oh, and they are both known for “shitting outside the box.”
Billie Jean King will arrive at the ceremony in a Subaru Outback.
Secret ballot? BORING. If it’s not a roll call vote that ends in human sacrifice, don’t bother putting it on C-Span 3.
jesusbutter: Worse even than Sara Palin? Wow!
I can’t be arsed to think about people like Max Baccus.
I propose we engineer a system along the lines of what was described in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. This way only those individuals truly committed to making a difference would run for office. Also, it would make C-Span infinitely more watchable.
I can’t be arsed to even spell Max Baucus’ name correctly, apparently. Oh well.
GreatOldOnesParty:
So this legitimizes any suggestion to lobotomize (behead?) wingturds and the vast majority of Republican sympathizers? Righteous.
ONE DAY MORE!!!!11! Also.
For those still on the fence about it, another Committee Head who could find themselves in trouble would be ole Droopy Dog himself, Joe Lieberman and frankly, anything that makes Vinegar Joe unhappy is fine by me.
DINO? +saur
Reid would do well to heed Cicero’s prophetic axiom: “Lax caucus ergo Max Baucus.”
My Greek’s a little rusty, but I believe that translates to: “A week asshole is more easily dicked over.”
So, so true.
I move that we make a Wonkette Vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Baucus. (Then out come the bricks and baseball bats.)
Texan Bulldoggette: Oh, I think Rahm is probably measuring out a special place in his trophy case for Baucus. He’s fighting a no win battle, and Rahm is a bad-ass political ninja.
But yeah, fuck the Dem leadership in the senate. A pile of sacless wonders, the lot of them.
for another view, Tim F, at Balloon Juice thinks Baucus is being rolled by the Republicans because he has gone after this with such foolishness. He concludes saying:
…
Baucus takes the chump position here because his Republican ‘partners’ are just using his desperate need for a GOP fig leaf to humiliate him and kill the bill.
I share the opinion that only a strong public option will be capable of getting the premium inflation under control.