Does anybody else get the feeling that there is a new political model for the United States? I saw the initial guidelines coming from the Max Baucus Committee on health care and I couldn't help but notice something strange. If I was the negotiator for the insurance lobby. This would be EXACTLY my starting negotiating position! Then, my suspicions were absolutely confirmed.
It is almost like the Senate develops a Committee to draft legislation exclusively and independently. That independently being if you mean by, for and even negotiated between various. . .LOBBYISTS.
The Baucus plan is now basically, in this model, the negotiating position of the corporate lobby on K street. That is what it looked like to me at first, I mean, A $3,800 penalty if you don't buy private insurance??? that $3,800 is not a random figure. It is the TARGET gross revenue per person that insurance companies want to make.
Not providing a public option ensures that the $3,800 will go to the insurance companies. And if you don't have income to pay but don't qaulify for medicaid? Your K-Street suggested government subsidy to the insurance industry will take care of that. To the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
While the specifics coming out of the committee are important, what I really wanted to write about is the idea that the Senate is actually the negotiating body for the K-street lobbyists in our 3-tier "checks and balances" system of government.
The Baucus Committee Plan is the K-street, Corporate Lobbyist negotiating position. The position that Corporate America (really the wealthiest stockholders in America's) wants as communicated through their mouthpiece, the Baucus Committee of the U.S. Senate. They went big, knowing that they can probably get a good compromise from the actual people's representatives (when they show up).
So this was my initial thought but it wasn't confirmed until I read this
QUESTION: The Finance Committee — well, actually, Senator Baucus’s draft has been, now, bouncing around for a few days on Capitol Hill.
First, has the president seen it (inaudible) his outline?
GIBBS: I don’t — I don’t believe — I don’t believe anybody here has — I’m — we’ve seen what we’ve read in the paper, but I do not believe that we’ve seen paper on the plan.
QUESTION: I understand it’s bouncing around K Street.
GIBBS: Not surprisingly, but I have not seen it here.
QUESTION: And has there been any direct consultations between anyone at the White House and Senator Baucus or anyone in the group of six, since this outline began being floated on Sunday?
GIBBS: I don’t — I don’t know how far back that would go. We’re — we continue to talk to all the players involved. Obviously, you know Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid will be here momentarily. So he’s going to continue to talk to all of those involved.
QUESTION: What did you just mean...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: I’m sorry. What did you just mean by it’s bouncing around K Street ?
GIBBS: I was told that — that K Street had a copy of the Baucus plan, meaning, not surprisingly, the special interests have gotten a copy of the plan that I understand was given to committee members today.
THATS RIGHT! K Street had it "Bouncing Around" because THEY WROTE IT!!! This is why Obama and the House democrats have to take the most agressive political stance imaginable.
The new working model for democracy in America is that the Senate is the exclusive supporter of the (Choose one) Landed Gentry, Entrenched Elite, Wealthiest 4% of the U.S. Population, The Lobbyists who work for their Corporate Slave Masters.
Everybody else has a weaker say but is still subject to the directives given by their shareholders (lobbyists and financial supporters)
I always suspected it but never really saw it in action before until today.