Behind closed doors: Baucus wooing Grassley and Enzi

By Michelle Malkin  •  September 14, 2009 04:37 PM

Now is the time to melt the phones and keep public pressure on Washington as Obamacare negotiations are conducted behind closed doors.

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus has set his sights on GOP Sens. Charles Grassley and Mike Enzi:

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus announced Monday that he may unveil his long-awaited health-care bill as soon as Tuesday — and he predicted that Republicans will find plenty to like about it.

The Montana Democrat and his fellow “Gang of Six” Finance Committee negotiators haggled Monday over top Republican concerns, including provisions that would limit medical malpractice cases, bar benefits from reaching illegal immigrants, and block federal funds from subsidizing abortions. The goal from the talks is to win over Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa) and Mike Enzi (Wyo.), two conservatives who have remained at the table all summer despite strong opposition from most of their GOP colleagues.

“Senators on and off the committee, their comfort level is starting to come up a bit,” Baucus told reporters during an afternoon break in talks. “I do believe that strongly, and I believe in the end we’ll have some significant bipartisan support.”

What are your Senators up to this week?

Demand transparency: 202-224-3121.

And hey, speaking of transparency, how about putting a C-SPAN camera in the Gang of Six meeting room (thanks to Twitterer Don Bechtold for the suggestion).

Here’s Sen. Baucus’s number: 202-224-2651.

Posted in: Health care

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Comments


  1. #1
    On September 14th, 2009 at 4:47 pm, Flyoverman said:

    Grassley got absolutely pounded back home in August. I hope he realizes, if he “compromises” on this issue, he will not even survive a Republican primary.

    However, has he been that stupid before? OH YA!

  2. #2
    On September 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm, TigerLady said:

    Incredible that they still aren’t listening.

  3. #3
    On September 14th, 2009 at 4:57 pm, cicerokid said:

    Can you hear me now?!

  4. #5
    On September 14th, 2009 at 6:07 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Can you hear me now?!

    What they hear: “The citizens I “represent” only pay my salary – it’s the lobbyists who will make me rich.”

  5. #6
    On September 14th, 2009 at 6:27 pm, robhic said:

    The truly sad thing, to me, is that no matter HOW egregious these clowns are, the folks who voted them in will vote them in again!

    You know, the old “Money talks and BS walks” as to these enablers will talk a good game but vote the thieves back in … again!

    Look no further than Dollar Bill Jefferson, Murtha and others…

  6. #7
    On September 14th, 2009 at 6:42 pm, T-Bone said:

    From Wiki

    Ted Stevens is the longest-serving Republican Senator in history (Strom Thurmond, who might otherwise have held this title, was a Democrat until 1964) and 7th longest-serving Senator in history. Stevens also held a Senior Senator position for nearly all of his tenure except 10 days. He lost his seat in a close election in 2008 after being convicted of seven felony corruption charges. However, that conviction was effectively vacated after the newly-sworn in administration of Barack Obama found evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.

    Or maybe they will do what happened to Ted Stevens.

  7. #8
    On September 14th, 2009 at 7:03 pm, rplatt said:

    Baucus is bound and determined to plant that pile of goat crap right in the middle of the room even if he has to distribute gas masks to filter the smell. We’d better keep a close eye on those two wobbly Republicans lest they cave.

  8. #9
    On September 14th, 2009 at 7:13 pm, TigerLady said:

    The truly sad thing, to me, is that no matter HOW egregious these clowns are, the folks who voted them in will vote them in again!

    Sadly, I couldn’t agree with you more. People seem to believe that it’s everyone else’s politician who needs to be voted out. I was amazed when Murtha was re-elected.

  9. #10
    On September 14th, 2009 at 7:24 pm, LifeTrek said:

    We tried central governmental planning of health care before!

    How well did that work out?

    Here is the story of the PHS!

    It’s been called a really bad idea or something like that.

    David

  10. #11
    On September 14th, 2009 at 8:05 pm, TiminPhx said:

    Fools.

    For him to think what is taken out now, won’t be added back piecemeal after the larger bill passes shows how stupid he is.

    He want’s headlines, to be a player, and doesn’t care what the voters want.

    Sickening.

  11. #12
    On September 14th, 2009 at 8:18 pm, love2rumba said:

    As for Baucus, he has been (in the past) a darling of gunrights like Rep. Dingell of Michigan. I think that not only should pressure be applied directly to Baucus, Enzi and Grassley, but also to conservative organizations that provide funds to them like the NRA….and yup I am a life member of the NRA.

  12. #13
    On September 14th, 2009 at 9:27 pm, rightisright said:

    On September 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm, TigerLady said:

    Incredible that they still aren’t listening.

    God willing and the creek don’t rise, they will all hear us loud and clear next November.

  13. #15
    On September 15th, 2009 at 7:20 am, MarcoPolo said:

    On September 14th, 2009 at 9:27 pm, rightisright said:

    God willing and the creek don’t rise, they will all hear us loud and clear next November.

    Recent indicates that voting Republican won’t be enough.Bush had all 3 houses and he didn’t abolish a single program. He caved on Social Security reform so fast I couldn’t believe it.

    One thing this movement isn’t producing is fresh new leaders.

  14. #16
    On September 15th, 2009 at 8:39 am, NJ-Aviator said:

    ANY bill drawn up by Democrats is trash. They want to get their foot in the Socialist Health Care door. The short comings of our health care/insurance system have nothing to do with ANYTHING they are proposing.

    They must be stopped and if a proposal is put forward, it has to be crafted by conservatives and no one else because as soon as Liberals touch it, it become garbage.

    Melt the phones.

  15. #17
    On September 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am, TigerLady said:

    One thing this movement isn’t producing is fresh new leaders.

    It’s going to take someone with a lot of chutzpah to run in 2010. Would you want to go into that snake pit?

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