Baucus sends bill to lobbyists, not White House

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of how political corruption works in Washington than something that was revealed at a White House press conference today.

Quick background: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) heads a Senate committee that has been stalling, er, rather, has taken its time while Baucus tried to reach a compromise health care reform bill with Republicans. Mainly, Baucus — who has received more than $360,000 in contributions from health industry lobbyists in the past four years — has done everything he can to kill the possibility of a public option in any reform bill, just as his health care moneybags have directed.

Now he says his bill is pretty much ready to go. So. Guess to whom Baucus first sent a draft copy of the bill? You’d think maybe the Senate Majority Leader, or perhaps the White House since, you know, health care reform was Obama’s idea and he and Baucus are in the same party and all. But no. As White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs admitted earlier today, no one at the White House has seen Baucus’ draft. So, again, who did get a copy? Health industry lobbyists in D.C., that’s who. That’s right — Baucus made sure the big businesses that filled his wallet saw the bill, and are OK with it, before anyone in the White House can get a look at it. And this guy’s a Democrat; get an idea now of what the President is up against?