Ezra Klein has a great post up on the finally-ready bill out of Max Baucus’ Senate Finance Committee. Punchline?Good framework with some bad elements.

The key thing to learn about the Baucus bill, though, is that it’s an example of what happens when you try to negotiate with Mike Enzi and Chuck Grassley.

Ezra:

At this time, Baucus has no Republican votes for his legislation. Olympia Snowe is a maybe, and Enzi and Grassley are pretty certain to vote against it. Conceding so much in return for so little isn’t just bad politics — it’s bad precedent. Why should Republicans sign onto Baucus’s proposals in the future if they can simply adjust the bill to their liking and then withhold their support at the end?

If Baucus’s Republican colleagues want to support this bill and give him some cover, their presence should be welcomed. But if not, Baucus should loudly and publicly allow the Democrats on his committee to strengthen the bill, as it will be a Democratic majority that passes the bill. A bipartisan group should shape a bipartisan bill. But a bipartisan group should not get to shape a partisan bill, particularly if that bill becomes partisan because they have abandoned it.

In 2001, Baucus helped shape the president’s tax cuts, and he voted for them. In 2003, he helped shape the Medicare Modernization Act, and he voted for it. He has upheld his end of the bargain of bipartisanship. Now is his moment to demand the same of his Republican colleagues.

Republicans have no interest in voting for any serious healthcare reform bill. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise, and pass the bill that Democrats can pass themselves.