Looks Like The House Is At Least Getting It In

By now most people know that the AP has reported that chairman of the Senate Finance committee, Max Baucus, has pretty much sold us all down the river by putting together a health care reform bill with no public option and no employer mandate. I have a sneaky suspicion that the CBO is going to bust him upside his dome anyway when they send it up for analysis but the truth of the matter is if he really does go that route, every liberal and progressive person in this country should commit on the spot to giving money to defeat him the next time he is up for reelection, even if it means contributing to a Republican challenger. And no I am not kidding.

On the other hand it looks like the Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives are actually, you know, leading.

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman said he hopes to restart work on healthcare legislation Wednesday after cobbling together the beginnings of a possible agreement with centrist Blue Dog Democrats.

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Reps. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.) emerged from more than three hours of negotiations late Monday to say that the Blue Dogs were weighing an offer from Waxman. Blue Dogs have asked Waxman to get a cost estimate for the bill.

"The chairman has made an offer," said Ross, who is the lead Blue Dog on healthcare reform. "We have asked that he get a [Congressional Budget Office] score, that is, find out how much it would cost. We're going to review it and see if it's something we can accept."

Ross and Waxman would not discuss any specifics of the proposal. But Ross said it addresses all 10 of the concerns Blue Dogs have raised with the bill.

Waxman emerged from the negotiations saying, "I feel very good right now. I don't think failure is a reasonable option."

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Talks nearly collapsed in acrimony Friday as each side hurled accusations at the other. But late Friday, they agreed to keep negotiating. The House is scheduled to leave at the end of the week for its summer recess.

"This is the week for markup," Waxman said. "If we're going to do the bill out of committee, this is the week."

Earlier, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) had emerged from the talks, saying there is no way for the lower chamber to meet its Friday deadline for a vote on healthcare.

"That clearly will not be possible at this time," Hoyer told reporters. He said the deadline can't be met because of procedural hurdles and promises leaders made to give lawmakers time to read the bill.

But he added, "We have other days available to us." He has previously said that the House could meet Saturday, Monday or Tuesday.

In contrast to our bought and paid for Senator Max Baucus, we have both Congressman Henry Waxman and Congressman Steny Hoyer both trying to make it happen before the August break in the House of Representatives.

Maybe its time for Rahm Emanuel to send Max Baucus a dead fish.