WASHINGTON – Americans would be fined up to $3,800 for failing to buy health insurance under a plan that circulated in Congress on Tuesday as divisions among Democrats undercut President Barack Obama’s effort to regain traction on his health care overhaul.

As Obama talked strategy with Democratic leaders at the White House, the one idea that most appeals to his party’s liberal base lost ground in Congress. Prospects for a government-run plan to compete with private insurers sank as a leading moderate Democrat said he could no longer support the idea.

Jesus.  Could these idiots implode any more?

The day before the President is going to lay out his plan, what’s the news peg?  Some bonehead from a tiny mountain state wants to fine you if you don’t get health insurance.  Not “health insurance for as many people as possible,” but “we’ll hit you with a fine if you don’t have it.”

I get it.  Baucus wants health insurance to be like car insurance.

You know what?  I want ponies to be like unicorns.

But you would think that the day before the President of the United States is going to lay out his vision for health care – which, quite frankly, has been blurry and all over the map – this small-state, small d, dip**** could keep it in his pants long enough to not be a talking point.  And let Obama’s health care idea live or die based on it’s own merits.

There is no good discussion out of this.  It allows the Sarah Palins and the Glenn Becks of the world to grab on to something simple and turn it into something horrible.  This isn’t an issue steeped in logic, or an era where calm discourse wins, so care needs to be taken to not blow an opportunity for a clear, lean message that defends against demagoguery.  This is the OPPOSITE of that.

So why would he do this?  Why?

Lobbying disclosure filings for the first quarter of 2009 reveal that five of Baucus’ former staffers currently work for a total of twenty-seven different organizations that are either in the health care or insurance sector or have a noted interest in the outcome. The organizations represented include some of the top lobbying organizations in the health sector: Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Researchers of America (PhRMA), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Amgen, and GE Health Care.

The overall health and insurance sectors haven’t just been kind to Baucus’ staffers, but they’ve also aided his campaigns handsomely over the years, especially in his barely contested 2008 reelection campaign. In 2008, Baucus received $1,148,775 from the health sector and $285,850 from the insurance sector. For his career he has received $2,797,381 from the health sector and $1,170,313 from the insurance sector.

Oh.  Right.  That.

So well done, Max Baucus, you smug putz.   You can slip quietly into your end days knowing that C-blocked your president, sold out the public, lined your own pocket and did not help.

It’s a good thing you’ve got Senatorial health care.

Otherwise, you’d catch your death of dumbass.

Steve –

On Wednesday night, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, President Obama is delivering a major address on health insurance reform to a special joint session of Congress. It’ll be a historic event — and a turning point in our push for real reform. So we’ve organized special watch parties that night for all Organizing for America supporters, their friends, neighbors, and families — and a local volunteer has decided to host one in your area. We’ll gather together to hear directly from the President.

And after the speech, everyone at these parties will be able to take part in an important conference call with former Obama for America campaign manager David Plouffe about the work we’ll still need to do to help pass real reform this year. Will you come to a watch party during the President’s address on Wednesday evening?

No, actually, I will not.

I will watch it in the privacy of my own home, in my own head, and make a decision. Either the President will show some nads and stand up for what he believes in, or he will fold under pressure for the sake of a single Republican vote.

And the next day, I will form my own opinion on that speech, based on what I saw and what I read – rather than some group think that’s supposed to make me feel better.

This is an important moment.

I tire of weak Democrats folding to fringe Republicans.

I long for a calm center and a President strong enough to make it happen.

It will either happen tomorrow, or it won’t.

But I’m not going to have a party while it all goes down.

So, to summarize, most of it will be this:

“Blah blah blah, health care health care health care, plan plan plan, compromise yadda yadda… it’s time to get things done.”

Chances are, at that point, Obama will say something nice about bi-partisanship, and hint that no matter what happens, some form of reform will pass.  But here’s what I’m sort of hoping he says before he shuts his notes, turns of the ‘prompter and goes back to the job of serving the majority of Americans who put him in office:

“…Oh!  Hey.  One more thing.I know many of you don’t agree with my policies.  I mean, I ran on them, I was pretty clear on them, but I guess you thought I’d wait around to work on the things the American people asked me to work on or quit, like Sarah Palin, when things got tough.  Surprise:  I listened to the people who voted for me and I take my job seriously.

I think reasonable people can disagree, and I’ve tried to reach across the aisle to hear your concerns and your ideas.  In return, you’ve slapped my hand over and over again.  And I took it.  Because I’ve been as gracious as you have been callous and lets be honest, if I show anger, you’ll do to me what you did to Van Jones this week.  Hoo, Golly, you folks don’t like African Americans that have strong opinions, do you?

So… as of today, I’d like to say, I’m am still willing to sit down, talk about our differences and work together on the challenges we have as a nation.  I’m still willing to find a common ground with you… with one caveat:

As of tomorrow, if you call me a socialist, or you spread lies like “Death Panels,” or say that I want to coddle terrorists, or call me a fascist, or question my nationality or my patriotism – we’re done talking.  If you actually believe me to be an enemy of America, or you’re just saying it for political gain – I have nothing more to say to you.  If you actually think I wanted to indoctrinate children, rather than encourage them to stay in school – I will no longer stretch my definitions and treat you as an intellectual equal, and we will be calling it a day.

We’ll never find common ground, so I’ll lose your phone number and you can lose mine.  You can sit in a room and talk to other people who hate everything about me, while I work with human beings that are trying to solve problems bigger than themselves.

I will have honest conversations with anybody, but I am done wasting energy on people who are either manipulative, or stupid.   And if you truly believe I’m an enemy of this country – or are just saying it for political gain  - you are one or the other.  Or both.

And Yes, Chuck Grassley, you disingenuous wrinkled sack of horse crap, you can tweet about this right now.  I didn’t even know the Jitterbug ALLOWED for tweeting.  Do the big buttons make it easier, because half the time you sound like somebody shook Grandpa Simpson out of a horrible dream.  Could somebody tap him on his shoulder and let him know I am speaking to him?   Yes.  You.   Turn up your hearing aid – WE. ARE. DONE.  Nothing?   Nothing getting through?  Can somebody sign that for him? Or write it in gigantic letters like it’s one of those crossword puzzles in big print that he probably works while he’s watching his stories?”

(NOTE:  That last paragraph would run in Obama’s head, but probably not come out of his mouth.  He would then return with:)

Sorry.  My mind wandered for a moment. (Giggles, aside to Michelle) I’ll tell you later.  (Back to the joint session)  But for the rest of you, let me end with this:

When you leave, go knowing – I would very much like to find a compromise on this bill that is so important to me.  But if you can’t do that with respect or intelligence, take a hike.   I’ll count you in the “no” column for anything I do from now until 2012 or 2016, because words and facts and reality mean nothing to you.

So, lets save both of us some time.  You do your job of trying to stop me from doing my job, and I’ll do the best job I can regardless.

God bless most of you, God help the rest, and God bless America.”

Feel free to use that, Mr. President.

It’s probably what you’re thinking anyway.