You didn't have to read too deeply between the lines to figure out what agreement was reached several days ago during the Obama-Reid-Baucus healthcare meeting: Reid would not bring a bill to the floor until September, but Baucus would report a bill out of the Finance Committee before the August recess. This assurance from Baucus was important for a couple of reasons. The Senate leadership wants to be able to consolidate the Finance bill with the HELP committee bill during August, so something is ready to go in September. And Democratic senators and the President want something concrete that they can sell to constituents over the break.
But now it's clear that Baucus will fail to deliver on his end of the bargain...
Assurances from Baucus led Reid to promise yesterday that the Finance Committee would finish their bill by the end of next week. But Republican Senators Grassley and Enzi, who are negotiating the Finance bill with Baucus, said late Wednesday that there's just not enough time to get it done before the August recess. Grassley reiterated this on CNN Thursday morning. And Enzi is now saying that in order to cut a deal:
"I also need commitments from Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, as well as the Administration, that the bipartisan agreements reached in the Finance Committee will survive in a final bill that goes to the president."
The truth is there will be no bipartisan deal on healthcare -- not now or ever. Republicans have nothing to gain from bipartisan reform, even if a final bill is exactly what they want. The GOP goal has always been the same: deny Obama a win. That's why Baucus was given an ultimatum: produce something before recess or get out of the way. If Obama and Reid don't follow through this time, then they are fools.
But it sounds like Reid (and Obama) may get it:
One Senate source said [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid told Baucus earlier this week that if the Finance group could not produce an agreement by the end of next week that the Majority Leader's office would likely end up taking over the negotiations.
Today on The Ed Show, Senator Jay Rockefeller also suggested that it was entirely possible now that Reid would bypass Baucus and put together a final bill based on the HELP Committee's work -- a bill with a strong public option. VIDEO (Rockefeller begins at 9:00)
This is really where push comes to shove. The Republican Senate strategy is to delay the process as long as possible while maintaining that they are working towards a compromise. But it's a compromise that will never come. Thanks to a strong stand today from House progressives, it's very unlikely that a healthcare bill that doesn't include a strong public option will ever pass the House. Enzi will never get the guarantees he needs.
Democrats simply want something, anything to come out of Finance so that it can be merged with HELP and the process can move forward. Republicans know this and they know how important it is to Obama that this happen before the recess. And so, predictably, they'll make sure it doesn't happen.
The time has come for Obama and Reid to shut down the Baucus-Grassley healthcare scam. If not now, when?
UPDATES:
#1: Baucus confirms what Grassley and Enzi already announced -- there will be no Finance Committee vote before recess. Still no reaction to this development from Reid or Obama.
#2: Here's the video of Rockefeller's appearance today on The Ed Show discussing the possibility of bypassing Baucus (begins at 9:00).
#3: The Washington Post is reporting that Reid seems to be backing down again:
Reid spokesman Jim Manley said his boss wanted the Finance coalition to continue its efforts. "He's taking this day by day, but he's still hopeful we can work out a bipartisan deal," Manley said.
"Everybody thinks if Max Baucus can get everybody to agree, even if some of us wouldn't agree with each detail, it's a good thing," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), a Democratic leader in the Senate. "We want to get it done well as soon as possible, but well comes first. It's moving. It's progressing."
This is ridiculous. Baucus is making fools of Reid, Obama, and the entire Democratic leadership. He's giving Grassley and Enzi complete control over reform...which means, of course, it will never happen.
Please go to slinkerwink's healthcare diary for today and make some phone calls!!