According to this Politico article, that's what Mike Enzi said today. He declared a "train wreck" the slow, methodical work he and the five other senators on the bipartisan coalition of the Senate Finance committee have undertaken.
Do those sound like the words of someone negotiating in good faith? That is, to anyone but Max Baucus?
"We're trying to do some really crazy stuff on a really short time frame," Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), a member of the Finance committee, said Thursday. "This is a train wreck."
This, after the Democratic members of that coalition have agreed to major concessions that significantly weaken the bill: regional co-ops, no employer mandate, etc.
The real "train wreck" here is that Baucus has given so much power to Enzi and Chuck Grassley, two senators who have little if any incentive to produce a good bill, or any bill at all.
I fear that our activism today is exclusively focused on the House, when at least incremental progress is being made there.
We've got to put pressure on members of Senate Finance. Now.
Apparently, Harry Reid is softening his commitment to getting committee work in Senate Finance completed by the end of next week, when the Senate adjourns for August recess.
From the same Politico article:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is no longer promising that the Finance Committee will finish work on the health care reform bill before the start of the August recess, as the bipartisan committee negotiations have stalled.
On Thursday afternoon, Reid would only say he was "cautiously optimistic" that the committee would complete its work before the end of next week, when the summer break begins.
"Significant progress has been made," he said. "I still feel that we can move forward."
I don't mean to encourage Reid bashing here, partly because I think the rules of the Senate give inordinate power to committee chairs. But that's another diary.
Chairman Baucus needs to present his proposal to the full Finance committee ASAP, so that there's enough time for markup and a vote by recess. There is absolutely no reason that shouldn't be done, except to delay committee work for the purpose of weakening the legislation. That's what the Republicans want. We can't let them succeed.
So let's ramp up the pressure by calling all members of Senate Finance and insisting on a committee vote, without delay.
Here's contact information for all Democratic members of the committee (plus Olympia Snowe, a legitimate swing vote). The super-duper important members of the bipartisan coalition are shown in bold.
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
Max Baucus (MT) at (202) 224-2651
Olympia Snowe (ME) at (202) 224-5344
Charles Schumer (NY) at (202) 224-6542
John Rockefeller (WV) at (202) 224-6472
Ron Wyden (OR) at (202) 224-5244
Kent Conrad (ND) at (202) 224-2043
John Kerry (MA) at (202) 224-2742
Blanche Lincoln (AR) at (202) 224-4843
Debbie Stabenow (MI) at (202) 224-4822
Maria Cantwell (WA) at (202) 224-3441
Bill Nelson (FL) at (202) 224-5274
Robert Menendez (NJ) at (202) 224-4744
Thomas Carper (DE) at (202) 224-2441
Jeff Bingaman (NM) at (202) 224-5521
When calling, I wouldn't get too focused on policy issues, other than a brief description of the type of reform you support (e.g. public option). Our main message needs to be focused on timing. What we need most right now is for these folks to advance the bill out of committee, when it will then be merged with the more liberal proposal from the Senate HELP committee and ultimately the House's legislation.
TALKING POINTS
"I support significant health care reform this year along the lines proposed by President Obama, including a strong public option. I recently heard that some Republicans in the bipartisan coalition on the Senate Finance committee were insisting on delaying a committee vote until after the August recess. It is clear they are not operating in good faith, and are just looking to weaken or kill the bill through delay.
I urge the Senator to insist that markup of the bill begin as soon as possible, with a full committee vote taking place before the August recess begins. This bill should not be held hostage to Republican demands."