Senator Max Baucus/Special interest groups (Helena, Conrad: 2010, live, move)

[tejano2828]

I like Montanta...never been there but my brother lived there for 8 years nothing but good stuff to say good people great places. Now I hear this Douch@@@ Max Baucus received over 3 million from special interest groups and is putting them in front of his constituents how does that make you people from Montana feel????

intrigued.

[grizzfan]

Unfortunately Senator Baucus is swept up in the moment of being Finance Committee Chairman and being the darling of Healthcare legislation. It has nothing to do with either 'health' or 'care' only power.

Other than that, I have never sent one thin dime nor voted for him.

[rickers]

It's just business as usual. Until we find a way to get the money out of politics it will always be the same and that would take amending the first amendment.

[yyz1]

Originally Posted by grizzfan

Unfortunately Senator Baucus is swept up in the moment of being Finance Committee Chairman and being the darling of Healthcare legislation. It has nothing to do with either 'health' or 'care' only power.

Other than that, I have never sent one thin dime nor voted for him.

I've only been to Montana once but Baucus just isn't what I would expect from that state, given what I experienced interacting with the (great) people there and their small gov't attitudes. Then again, my visit was to SE Montana so maybe I was dealing with a sample a few standard deviations from the mean? Or, as you mention, he's in a position of power and power has that effect on otherwise rational people.

Given what I've been hearing from him lately, it's almost like he's making a run for Boxer's seat!

[grizzfan]

yyz1 states:

I've only been to Montana once but Baucus just isn't what I would expect from that state, given what I experienced interacting with the (great) people there and their small gov't attitudes. Then again, my visit was to SE Montana so maybe I was dealing with a sample a few standard deviations from the mean? Or, as you mention, he's in a position of power and power has that effect on otherwise rational people.

He was born and raised here and the family has property; but since his introduction to Washington, DC 30 years ago, he doesn't maintain a permanent residence here. He visits the state and used to walk the highways waiving to people. I once spotted him on the two-lane road between Townsend and Helena!

Baucus is one weird duck but for some reason we keep re-electing him.

Given what I've been hearing from him lately, it's almost like he's making a run for Boxer's seat!

Since Harry Reid is in serious trouble for re-election in 2010, I'd guess he's got his eye on the Senate Majority Leader's seat.

[Reziac]

Well, even as a Republican I'd say it's better to have our relatively moderate Baucus as an influence on the Dems, than to not have him there, and have yet another Boxer or Feinstein in that position of power and leadership. You don't know how good you've got it til you've had Feinstein as your senator!

But sometimes I still want to whack him upside the head.

[yyz1]

Originally Posted by Reziac

You don't know how good you've got it til you've had Feinstein as your senator!

Yeah, Feinstein. She's our "moderate" senator.

[Redraven]

I haven't voted "for" anybody in years. Sadly, there haven't been all that many candidates worth voting "FOR", so I find myself voting AGAINST the incumbents.
The problem is, there are too many people who believe we need the SENIORITY, so they repeatedly vote for Max. It reminds me of the great Mike Mansfield. Montanans were ready to lynch him when he voted FOR the 1968 gun control bill, claiming he had to "vote his conscience, even though he knew his constituents were against it", yet when the election came around, he was returned to office with no problems! Why? "His seniority is GOOD for Montana!"
Bah, humbug! Let's remove ALL the incumbents from office, and start over! It is time for voter enforced term limits!

[grizzfan]

Redraven states:

Let's remove ALL the incumbents from office, and start over! It is time for voter enforced term limits!

Once I thought term limits were the ticket. But you must remember that, regardless who occupies the office, the heavy staffers stay on. They are Civil Service protected. They are the problem and they set the agenda.

As for seniority being important, then why did we elect this lump, Tester, and cast out Conrad Burns? The Democrats smeared that gentleman and played "politics of personal destruction" to a tee.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Redraven

It reminds me of the great Mike Mansfield. Montanans were ready to lynch him when he voted FOR the 1968 gun control bill, claiming he had to "vote his conscience, even though he knew his constituents were against it"

And there you have the root of the problem. We don't elect them to vote THEIR conscience. We elect them to REPRESENT US, with what WE want and need from our government.

Anything less is either personal or special interest, and is a betrayal of the people who elected that official to represent their interests.

In NO other profession do we tolerate going against the employer's interests. Only politicians get away with it. Remember -- WE ARE THEIR EMPLOYERS. They are supposed to represent US, not themselves.