Today was the last day Max Baucus held any power in the Healthcare Reform debate

[Aramchek]

and he blew it on a bill that will never be passed.

He has had his time in the spotlight.
He had his time to attempt to steer the discussion.
He wasted it.

Now it is not up to him any more.

Good riddance, Senator Baucus.
You surely didn't help us,
but you will not stand in our way any longer.

[Uzybone]

1. exactly.

[roguevalley]

10. I swear, Montana, get him out. You cannot do it too fast. If I lived

near him, I would egg his fucking house. And *I* live in Alaska!

[WCGreen]

12. Have to wait until 2014...

[roguevalley]

14. rats. maybe he will do a Palin. :-D

[babylonsister]

2. And he's heaving a sigh of relief. He 'did his job' for the industry. nt

[Aramchek]

3. He may have done his job, but he did not accomplish their goal

There will be a Public Option, yet

[vaberella]

4. Oh so they voted on his bill and it didn't pass? n/t

[babylonsister]

5. He voted against the public option in the bills the finance committee

tried to get passed, so that's imo even worse.

[WCGreen]

6. Baucus is probably the second or third most powerful person in

the Senate...

The Chairman of the Finance Committee has his fingers, as we have seen from the health care process, in on almost every bill that requires a budget going through the Senate.

And he is not up for Re-Election until 2014.

I don't think he is in any position to be threatened.

Does anyone really think tht Harry Reid would replace him as chair of the Finance Committee?

[Ikonoklast]

7. But he no longer controls the agenda.

He will tell his health insurance benefactors how hard he tried, and cash their checks with a sigh of relief.

[ProSense]

8. Baucus is a tool. n/t

[Critters2]

11. ...of the health insurance industry. nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. Unless he gets appointed to the conference committee

[dionysus]

13. how do you feel that your blue dog buddies are trying to destroy reform?