Max Baucus // Current TV

Max Baucus retiring from U.S. Senate -- one of handful of Democrats to vote against background checks

Brian Schweitzer for U.S. Senate! Baucus isn't even a Blue Dog Democrat. Just... more

HarukoHaruhara
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27 days ago
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20 comments

Goodbye public option? - Senate panel shoots down one amendment

One of the biggest flash-points of the health care debate has been the so-called... more

afitzgerald
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3 years ago
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Healthcare Reform is About to Fly

Democrats are beginning to work overtime to secure final congressional passage of the... more

jimhager
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3 years ago
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Senator Max Baucus Appears Drunk on the Senate Floor…VIDEO>>>

Democrats and Republicans can both enjoy a laugh here. It would appear that Senator... more

ctpatriot1970
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3 years ago
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Congrats! You're paying Baucus's Girlfriend's Salary!

As if it wasn’t enough for the taxpayers (and the economy) to get reamed by Max Baucus on Medicare Part D and his Senate Finance Committee health care bill, the LA Times is reporting that Max Baucus nominated his girlfriend for the US Attorney job:

The Montana Democrat and his former state office director Melodee Hanes began their relationship in the summer of 2008 after Baucus separated from his wife, Ty Matsdorf told The Associated Press late Friday.

Baucus nominated Hanes for the U.S. attorney post in March. But she later withdrew, saying she had been presented with other opportunities she couldn’t pass up.

If Baucus and Hanes began their relationship “in the summer of 2008,” she was still picking up a check from you through March of 2009:
Employing Office Start date End date Position Amount Notes
Senate Finance Committee 12/10/08 12/19/08 Senior Adviser $ 3,111.09
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) 10/01/08 03/31/09 † State Director/Senior Counsel $ 54,722.14 † to Dec 9 and from Dec. 20
FY 2009 subtotal: $57,833.23
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) 04/01/08 09/30/08 State Director/Senior Counsel $ 69,666.60
Senate Finance Committee 11/27/07 11/29/07 Senior Counsel $ 895.83
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) 10/01/07 03/31/08 † State Director/Senior Counsel $ 55,979.07 † to Nov. 26 and from Nov. 30
FY 2008 subtotal: $126,541.50

Baucus played a key part in negotiating Medicare Part D and opposed price negotiation. He and the White House are responsible for the PhRMA and other medical stakeholder deals, that preclude the country from being able to control soaring medical costs for the next decade. Jon Walker says that insurance costs alone for a family of 4 will increase $1,000 a year as a result of the “deals” Baucus has cut. In addition to destroying the middle class, as Jon notes:

Business in this country will not be able to compete internationally in 8 years if they are paying the equivalent of an extra $10,000 health care tax on each employee.

But Max Baucus himself has made out astonishingly well. He has received $3,882,881 in contributions from the health care sector alone since 1989. That’s quite a tidy sum.

But alas, it wasn’t enough. He needed you to pick up the tab for his girlfriend, too, who didn’t divorce her former husband until December 2008.

As Marcy notes, having a Wellpoint VP write his health care bill was certainly worse in terms of its impact on the country. But the Hanes “affair” illuminates Baucus’s sense of personal entitlement when it comes to dealing with taxpayer money, something that should be an issue for the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.As if it wasn’t enough for the taxpayers (and the economy) to get reamed by Max... more

asherp
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3 years ago
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1 comment

Baucus affair: Political corruption?

Does the Baucus affair constitute Political corruption? Senate Finance Committee... more

locutus [removed]
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3 years ago
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1 comment

Food lobby mobilizes as soda tax bubbles up

Washington lobbyists have been enjoying a multi-million-dollar sugar rush from the food industry.

Soft drink makers, supermarket companies, agriculture and the fast-food business have poured millions into campaigning against what they fear could be a burgeoning national movement to raise money for health care reform by taxing sweetened beverages.

During the first nine months of 2009, the industry groups stepped up their lobbying in Congress. They have spent more than $24 million on the issue of a national excise tax on sweetened beverages and on other legislative and regulatory issues, according to an examination of lobbying reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records. The review shows that 21 companies and organizations reported that they lobbied specifically on the proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages - which among other things would include sodas, juice drinks and chocolate milk.

About $5 million of the money was spent on a national advertising campaign aimed at Capitol Hill lawmakers and promoting a newly formed coalition called Americans Against Food Taxes . The group bills itself on its website as a coalition of "responsible individuals, financially-strapped families, [and] small and large businesses" but its 400-plus membership list is dominated by industry heavyweights such as Burger King Corporation, Coca Cola, Pepsico and Domino's Pizza.

Many health officials and advocacy groups have argued for years that sugary drinks, particularly those with high-fructose corn syrup, have been key contributors to a rise in obesity rates in the United States, especially among children. Some argue that the time is right for a soda tax, which they say could not only cut consumption but also generate revenue to close state budget gaps and pay for new health care programs.

A proposal for a national excise tax on soft drinks surfaced in a May funding policy options paper during the Senate Finance Committee's deliberations on health care reform. Food lobbyists attacked then and continued their efforts in July when President Obama raised the possibility of a soda tax in an interview with Men's Health magazine. The proposal has not emerged in any of the health care reform bills still in play on Capitol Hill.

But the issue may be gaining traction in some key states. This week, California lawmakers are holding a high-profile hearing in Los Angeles to examine the link between childhood obesity and sugary drinks. In New York, Gov. David Paterson has revived the idea of a sugared beverage tax after a previous proposal was shot down by the legislature earlier this year in the face of industry opposition.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/soda-tax-mobilizes-food-l_n_345840.htmlWashington lobbyists have been enjoying a multi-million-dollar sugar rush from the... more

atomiclegion
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3 years ago
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42 comments

Now Max Baucus Wants to Mess With the Climate Bill

If you liked what Montana Senator health care reform, you'll love his plans for... more

atomiclegion
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3 years ago
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Wake Up America: We Need Real Health Care Reform

Marches toward socialism, death panels and health care rationing, oh my! If... more

uspublius
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3 years ago
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3 comments

Conservatives Protest Snowe's Finance Committee Vote By Sending Her... Rock Salt?

But Snowe's temporary support allows proponents of the bill to claim they won a... more

atomiclegion
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3 years ago
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It Was A Snowe Job

Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, cast her vote with Democrats.

jimhager
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3 years ago
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Health Care Proposal To Cost $829 Billion Over 20 Years

The CBO concluded that the health care proposal seen as having the best chance to win... more

jimhager
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3 years ago
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Democracy at Work... For the Most Part

A major health care reform bill has moved through committee and we can expect debate... more

lucasives
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3 years ago
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Baucus is Votes for Campaign Funding

Baucus is voting the way he is so can stay the number funded senator by the health... more

mcjk
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3 years ago
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1 comment

Stephen Colbert: Fax your health bills to Max Bachus

Stephen Colbert had a brilliant idea last night on his show. Max Baucus says that he... more

ocanada
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3 years ago
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3 comments

Public Option Out

The Senate Finance Committee withstood two attempts today to add a government-run... more

jimhager
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3 years ago
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7 comments

Health Care For Illegal Immigrants Proposed

Rep. Honda and his allies want to allow illegal immigrants to pay for insurance, even... more

jimhager
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3 years ago
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Baucus and Buttmunch

Health sucks.

funkadelic83
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3 years ago
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Sen. Bernie Sanders: Is the Healthcare Bill Worth the Hype?

It has been a long, hard summer for the healthcare reform bill and Americans who have... more

GRITtv
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3 years ago
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Maher Rips Baucus Bill: "I'm Going To Start Going To Town Halls and Screaming Now"

[video at link]

asherp
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3 years ago
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1 comment

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