David Sirota: Good riddance, Senator Baucus [View all]

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Good riddance, Senator Baucus
Retirement for one of the Democrats most responsible for the party's destructive shift to the economic right

By David Sirota


(Salon) The easiest way to interpret the news this morning of the retirement of six-term Montana Sen. Max Baucus (D) is through the prism of the 2014 battle for control of the U.S. Senate and how it supposedly hurts Democrats’ prospects for holding the chamber. But for those of us who have lived in Montana and worked in Montana politics, that cheap horse-race analysis is short-sighted for two reasons.

First and foremost, if my old boss and friend, the wildly popular former Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D), mounts a Democratic candidacy it means the seat would likely remain in the party’s hands. Additionally, and more important for the long-term topography of American politics, Baucus is not just a single Democrat holding a Senate seat in a Republican-leaning state. He is one of the politicians most responsible for the Democratic Party’s destructive long-term shift to the right on economic issues. That means his retirement isn’t just a 2014 story or a Montana story; it is significant to the whole country.

Remember, Baucus is not any old senator holding an office and casting terrible votes on social issues like guns. He is, more important, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. As the panel that oversees every major economic issue from healthcare to Social Security to taxes to trade, the committee is the most powerful body in the United States Congress. That means despite being relatively unknown outside of the Beltway and Montana, Baucus is one of the most powerful politicians in the world. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2013/04/23/good_riddance_senator_baucus/