-----Original Message-----
From: David Wilsford [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 26 March 2009 14:54
To: Oliver,AJ
Subject: Democrats Take Knife To Obama's Budget - washingtonpost.com
Hi Adam
Link here to yesterday's WP report on Conrad and Baucus (he of his
own
health reform plan) taking knife to the entire 10b$ of "downpayment" on
health reform in the president's proposed budget.
Kent Conrad (D-SD) is chair of the Senate Budget Committee and Max
Baucus (D-MT) is chair of Senate Finance Committee. Conrad's move is
interesting because he was one of the first senators to come out
endorsing
Obama in the Democratic primaries. Baucus' move here is interesting
because
his committee staff published a 100-page reform plan last November (one
that
ought to be taken seriously, by the way) and it is widely known as the
"Baucus plan".
One obvious political projection, therefore, is that the financial
drain
of dealing with the current crisis is so dire that, in spite of Obama's
structural arguments to the contrary, THERE WILL BE NO MONEY AT ALL
ANYWHERE
to accomplish any reform whatever, in any policy area, that requires any
new
funds at all.
It is clear that Obama does not yet believe in triage. Will others
force him into it anyway?
Yours
David
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR200903
2403
493.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
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