Is it just me, or does this Politico lede just miss the point entirely of the whole Baucus gambit?
President-elect Barack Obama’s first fight over health care may not be with the Republicans, but with his fellow Democrats in the Senate.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Wednesday unveiled a health care plan that appears to deviate in some ways from Obama's. Even so, Baucus said he's not worried about Democrats uniting behind a single bill so early.
I rely on Ezra for insight on this debate, and he makes it seem like Baucus' move has basically preempted any turf battles over a bill:
The first and most obvious impact is on Baucus's stature. He just moved from Possible Player to Player. He's first out of the gate with a health reform plan. His position as chair of the Senate Finance Committee means his priorities are more than mere preference or moral exhortation: They are actionable. He controls the relevant committee, and if he decides it's doing health care, then it's doing health care. That's not to say he won't come to some sort of accommodation with Obama's preferences on sequencing, but it will be an accommodation that recognizes Baucus's agenda, too. The dude's got power.
Moreover, Baucus just signaled to his colleagues, his committee members, his party's president-elect, and everyone else that he means to take the lead on heath reform. This is inextricably tied up in Ted Kennedy's condition. If Kennedy were at full strength, there's no doubt that Uncle Ted would have a central role in any health reform fight. If he comes back even at half strength, he'll have a central role. But the honest and sad truth is that no one in Washington is hearing very good things about Kennedy's condition, and expectations among most reformers I speak to is that his role is, at best, uncertain. He may be the guiding sage and the moral force behind the next health reform fight, but few expect him to be able to take point on the legislative work.
Basically, after Iraq, health care is where there is perhaps the largest consensus on the left in terms of urgency, pragmatism, and the basic building blocks of policy. Obama has already made clear he is committed to learning the lessons of 1993 and working closely with Congress on this bill. Nothing in Baucus' long-running campaign to handle health care reform is push back against the president-elect.
-- Tim Fernholz
