I haven't written anything around here for a long time, but I need to vent.  I've been following all the twists and turns of the healthcare legislation push for many a week now, cheering on the good guys, signing petitions left and right, Emailing and faxing Congresspeople and Senators, feeling generally optimistic that some kind of real reform will happen.  However, there is a black hole that threatens my optimism and perhaps the whole reform enterprise.  And that is Senator Max Baucus and his Finance Committee.

Baucus appears to be basically bought and paid for by insurance interests, and he is also fixated on a so-called "bipartisan" bill.  These twin complications seem to be leading to never-ending delays in the Finance Committee cranking out a bill, any bill.  Jeezis, it doesn't have to be perfect, Max - it will need to be merged with the HELP Committee bill anyway, then hopefully reconciled with a House bill in conference committee!  I read what I can find, but I don't feel like I have any perspective on what Baucus is up to, other than driving me insane!  I am starting to feel that he is holding the entire process hostage.

Do any of you have some insight into this?  Does this man have any real interest in healthcare reform, or is he in league with his Republican crony Grassley and others to kill the process via delay?  Are you aware of any details regarding how far along the Finance Committe bill actually is, beyond the occasional mutterings about "making progress"?  Please help me out here before I call Max's office, to wit: "I'm not a constituent of the Senator, but I felt compelled to call and say MAKE IT STOP (sob) OH PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"