It had just crystallized for me and then up popped this post from Pro Sense
Max Baucus: I Want a Public Option Too (which references a Daily Kos diary)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8607309&mesg_id=8607309and without further ado here is my revolutionary new postulation:
I had lately been finding Max Baucus a strange and mysterious man, due largely to the recent unearthing on various websites of his VERY OWN plan for Healthcare Reform - here
http://finance.senate.gov/healthreform2009/finalwhitepaper.pdfIf you read that plan, with a date of November 12 2008 attached to it, you will find it very similar to Obama's own healthcare plan and yes, it does include a Public Option on page 27, which while quite vague, is still described as "similar to Medicare".
So this man wrote and presented a healthcare plan with his name on it just a scant 9 months ago that is a completely respectable and seemingly quite sincere plan THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION.
Here's my new theory - WHAT IF HE MEANT IT?
But, he's the head of the Senate Finance Committee. All of a sudden, he becomes the conduit for most of the business the White House wants done behind closed doors, although still under their supervision. See this thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph... Also see this thread where Robert Reich says that the distillation of the Finance Committee into the Gang of Six was done under the direction of the White House
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph... In summary - What if Max Baucus is Sydney Carton and he is being pilloried for the sins of Rahm Emmanuel as Charles Darnay
and what if he is just deciding that it is NOT a "far far better thing" to be hung for the sins of another?
What if he is the one leaking all the unsavory deals with Pharma because he doesn't agree with them? One of those stories I previously posted by the NYT says that he abruptly withdrew from some announcement that was supposed to announce a deal with hospitals. Why did he abruptly withdraw? The NYT asked : "Was he backing away from his end of the deal?" Of course, his end is also the White House end.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/health/policy/13health.html?_r=1Max Baucus may be tired of carrying the Administrations water and taking almost all the heat for it.
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Disclaimer - the above is strictly the product of my own fanciful thinking and the result of reading way too many Nancy Drew books as a child.