It never ceases to amaze me how the busiest woman in Washington remains so accessible. Just this week alone, I am aware of 8-10 hours of direct Washington senior staff time devoted to Maine doctors, patients and health care professionals in reviewing the impact of the Baucus bill on Maine families and businesses. Impressive.
Unfortunately, it would appear that there are a number of folks in Washington who are unwilling to make the same time commitment, as they rework one sixth of our economy.
Senator Snowe laid out her understanding of the need for "full consideration" during the health care debate in a statement she released on her website on September 22:
Given the gravity of this landmark endeavor... there should be no question this undertaking commands a painstaking process and the requisite time for full consideration of the spectrum of alternatives and improvements...and to ensure the numbers "add up" within the final product - as we are the only committee of jurisdiction with respect to financing a package. The implications of this legislation are simply too broad and monumental to do otherwise.
Senator Snowe's statement is pretty straight forward. She believes that members of the Senate Finance Committee should be able to read the bill and know how much it costs -- a sentiment she shares with her constituents back home.
On the following day, September 23, Senate democrats voted down an amendment proposed by Republican Senators Bunning and Cornyn, which would have required that the actual legislative language and a final Congressional Budget Office price tag be posted for 72 hours on the Committee website for public review. This would occur before the Senate Finance Committee could vote on final passage.
One way to easily get a sense of how irritated Senator Snowe is on a particular issue, is to time the release of one of her "statements" to the actual event to which it is referring. Think of it like a thunderstorm - where you time how far apart the lightning and thunder are to judge just how close the storm is. I would say the storm is directly over head at this point as Snowe's statement flashed on her website shortly after the vote. She did not mince words saying,