The Shame and Partial Redemption of Max Baucus

News reaches me tonight of an arm-twisting phone call last Thursday of Pres. Obama, seeking to railroad through a health care reform bill this month. While the desire to reform health care is, in itself, admirable, the plan of this administration is woefully insufficient and even unworkable.

Meantime, I have found a good transcript of that infamous May hearing in which Senator Max Baucus caused several health care professionals to be arrested for "interrupting" a hearing of panelists representing the health care industry. (If others were on the panel, I am not aware who they were.)

The dramatic opening of the hearing is below. Listen to the reasonableness and the care of the health professionals. Then listen to the repetitive calls for the police. Who is reasonable and who is unreasonable?

At a later date, Mr. Baucus agreed not to press charges against the complainers. But it is clear if these brave persons had not done what they had done there would have been no voice of the people present at the Baucus hearings at all.

Thanks to Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! for this excerpt.



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AMY GOODMAN: Baucus’s raucous caucus. Five people were arrested yesterday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on health care reform and charged with “disruption of Congress.” They were protesting Committee chair Senator Max Baucus’s refusal to include any advocates of a single-payer health care system in a series of hearings on health care. Last week, eight doctors, lawyers and activists were arrested as they sought to put a single-payer advocate at a table of fifteen witnesses. At yesterday’s hearing, none of the thirteen witnesses testifying was an advocate of single payer.

Senator Baucus, a Montana Democrat, opened the hearing on a cautionary note, warning against any disruptions.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: I respect the views of everyone here, including everyone in the audience. And that respect, in turn, means listening and not interrupting when others are speaking. I sincerely hope that everyone here today, including our guests, especially guests in the audience, will afford these proceedings with that level of respect.


AMY GOODMAN: As Senator Baucus spoke, a group of about thirty nurses stood up and turned their backs on him. They wore red scrubs with signs on their backs that said, “Nurses Say: Stop AHIP, Pass Single Payer.” AHIP stands for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a lobby group for the health insurance industry. After standing for a few minutes in silent protest, the nurses walked out of the hearing to applause.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: But the current tax exclusion is not perfect. It is regressive. It often leaves people to buy more health coverage than they need. [applause] We should look at ways to modify—[applause] we should look at ways to modify the current tax exclusion so that it provides the right incentives.


AMY GOODMAN: After the nurses walked out, a group of five doctors, nurses and single-payer advocates stood up one by one and spoke directly to Senator Baucus before being led out by police.

DEANN McEWEN: I am a registered nurse. Registered nurses have a legal duty to advocate to change circumstances that are against the interests and wishes of our patients. Today is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Florence Nightingale said—

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Committee will be in order. Comments from the audience are inappropriate and out of order. Any further disruption will cause the committee to recess until the police can restore order.

DEANN McEWEN: Florence Nightingale said—sir—

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Committee will be in order. Committee will stand in recess until the police can restore order.

DEANN McEWEN: Florence Nightingale said, “Were there none that ever hoped for better, there would never be any better.” Until there’s a single-payer healthcare system in this country, there will never be safety for patients that need access to [inaudible]—

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY: Mr. Chairman—

SUE CANNON: The people at this table have failed Americans for thirty years.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Committee in order. We will stand in recess until the police can restore order.

SUE CANNON: We want single payer at this table. Health care is a human right. We want guaranteed health care. No more Blue Cross’s double crosses. We want guaranteed health care. No more Aetna or—thank you. No more Aetna or CIGNA bosses. We want guaranteed health care. We want to see our doctors when we need and get our pills that are guaranteed. We’re tired of private insurance greed. We want guaranteed health care. In California, SB 810 means guaranteed health care. And HR 676 guarantees health care.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Let me just speak a few minutes.

JERRY CALL: Senator Baucus, my name is Jerry Call. I’m with PNHP.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Sorry.

JERRY CALL: Sixty percent of Americans—

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: Come to order. Committee will recess until order can be restored.

JERRY CALL: —and 60 percent of the physicians want a single-payer system. Why do you insist on spending more money, when the single payer would give it to us at the price we’re spending now? Sixty percent! Why not 60 percent of the people in front of you representing single payer? Sixty percent of the people want single payer. This is a sham! All you’ve got is special interest groups up there.

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: This committee will recess until the police can restore order. I’ll ask for the police, please come more expeditiously.

DR. JUDY DASOVICH: Why aren’t single-payer advocates at the table? Healthcare should be for patients, not for profit.

DR. STEVEN FENICHEL: My name is Dr. Steven Fenichel. And it is a sense of outrage that brings me to your Senate chambers. You have been entrusted in doing the people’s work, and yet [inaudible]—

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: We will stay in recess until the police can restore order.

DR. STEVEN FENICHEL: —special interest groups, the insurance companies, the hospitals for profit—

SEN. MAX BAUCUS: And I’ll say to everybody else out in the audience who may be similarly inclined: believe me, we hear you. We deeply respect the views of everyone here. We have an extremely open process, and I just urge everyone to respect the views of others by not interrupting those who are speaking. There will be plenty of time to meet with everybody. This is a long, involved process. And so, those of you in the audience who are not panelists and wish to be heard, I urge you just to contact my office, and we’ll figure out a way to talk to you. I’ll figure out a way to listen to you. I’ll be there, personally, to listen to you. So I urge you to take that option, rather than interrupt and be rude to our panelists here, who have come a long distance and spent a long time trying to make very thoughtful presentations to the committee. But I will meet with anybody who wants to meet with me.


AMY GOODMAN: All five protesters were arrested outside the hearing room and taken away for booking.


The full transcript can be viewed here:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/13/baucus_raucus_caucus_doctors_nurses_and