Beginning Wednesday, two liberal groups – Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee – will begin airing commercials in Montana targeting Democratic Sen. Max Baucus for not doing enough to include a public option in health care reform legislation.
The groups apparently conducted an online poll and its member voted Baucus, chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, as the politician who needs the most persuading in supporting a public option.<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25181.html" title=" From POLITICO:“> From POLITICO:
And so on Wednesday, an ad will begin airing in Montana charging Baucus with choosing monied interests over average voters who want the public insurance option.
Recent criticism of Baucus made the front page of the left-leaning Huffington Post Tuesday and the influential blog linked to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072003363.html?hpid=topnews" title="a Washington Post story”>a Washington Post story that scrutinized the senator’s recent fundraisers with top health executives and lobbyists. One notable item from the piece reports that Baucus quietly stopped taking contributions from heath-care PACs until after reform passes, although individual lobbyists and others could continue to donations, and did so through June. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072003363.html?hpid=topnews" title="From the Post“>From the Post:
As his committee has taken center stage in the battle over health-care reform, Chairman Baucus (D-Mont.) has emerged as a leading recipient of Senate campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers and other medical interest groups hoping to shape the legislation to their advantage. Health-related companies and their employees gave Baucus’s political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008, when he began holding hearings and making preparations for this year’s reform debate.
Here’s the ad, which will reportedly air in Billings, Butte, Bozeman and Helena.