Sell-Outs To The Max.

The "Baucus Caucus" is comprised of six U.S. senators who may well fuck up health care reform.

Joining fellow Democrat and Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus of Montana are Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico. Republicans Olympia Snowe of Maine, Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming and senior GOPer Charles Grassley of Iowa round out the committee.

Word from Washington yesterday was that if the committee gets its way, a public option is dead and employers will not be required to offer coverage to employees.

Why?

Bipartisanship.

Republicans claim a public option is a deal-breaker, and a counter-proposal to an employer mandate may center around payment of government subsidies for which their employees qualify.

The committee is pushing a series of private, non-profit cooperatives in lieu of a public option, which critics claim will do little to curb costs. In fact, the nation's largest such co-op--Group Health--will increase premiums by an average of 13% this year.

As has been expressed previously in this space, screw bipartisanship! Why cut a watered-down deal with a Republican Party who has no interest in working with Democrats on anything? Why seek support from a party whose chairman openly mocks President Obama's vision of health care reform as "socialism?" Why are Democrats negotiating against themselves?

Hey, Democrats, how about taking Independent Senator Bernie Sanders's advice?

He's the one guy in the Democratic caucus who seems to be making any sense.