Max Baucus

Public Figure

55 Opinions

1 Followers

Max Sieben Baucus (born December 11, 1941) is the senior United States Senator from Montana and is a member of the Democratic Party. Baucus is currently chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance and the 7th-longest-serving current Senator.Baucus was born in Helena, Montana Baucus graduated from Helena High School in 1959. He attended Carleton College in Minnesota for a year before transferring to Stanford University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics 1964, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After graduating, he attended Stanford University's law school, receiving his degree in 1967. After finishing law school, Baucus spent three years as a lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. He moved back to Montana in 1971 to serve as the executive director of the state's Constitutional Convention, also opening a law office in Missoula, Montana.In November 1973, Baucus was elected to the Montana State Legislature as a state representative from Missoula. In November 1974 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1976.Baucus was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 7, 1978 for the term beginning January 3, 1979, but was subsequently appointed to the seat by Montana's Democratic Governor Thomas Lee Judge on December 15, 1978 to fill the brief vacancy created by Senator Paul G. Hatfield's resignation. He has served consecutively ever since.The 2002 Montana elections got national attention when Baucus's opponent, state senator Mike Taylor, accused Baucus of having implied that Taylor was gay in a campaign ad. However, the ad was paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, not by the Baucus campaign. The ad, which alleged that Taylor had embezzled funds from the cosmetology school he once owned, showed footage from the early 1980s of Taylor massaging another man's face while wearing a tight suit with an open shirt. Taylor dropped out of the race and Baucus won with 63 percent of the vote. (R-IA), left, entertain the media after a meeting at the White House with President Bill Clinton. Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R-FL) in background.]]Baucus is a moderate member of the Democratic Party, frequently breaking with them on the issues of taxes, the environment, and gun control. Baucus voted for the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. He has usually voted against repealing portions of that bill and more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers. In 1999, he was the only Democrat to vote against an amendment by Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that sought to "regulate the sale of firearms at gunshows." His environmental record is mixed. Baucus supports Democratic leadership in voting against oil and gas subsidies and ANWR drilling, as well as by voting in favor national standards to reduce oil consumption and spur the use of hydrogren automobiles. However, he has voted against the CAFE emission standards and on increasing federal funds for solar and wind power. In 2006, he voted for a constitutional amendment prohibiting the physical desecration of the American flag. He supports the death penalty. On other issues, Baucus is more in the mainstream of his party. He opposes the United States embargo against Cuba and the restrictions on travel there. He was one of 26 senators to vote against the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. Despite opposing gay marriage, he voted against a proposed constitutional ban on it and has supported measures to curb job discrimination and hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Baucus also favored a bill that will require online pornography sites to have a .XXX domain, together with Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) Baucus is a strong supporter of Israel. In the Senate, he is one of the largest career recipients of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, receiving $319,348 as of 2006.Overall, Baucus has retained a populist image that has kept him consistently popular in his home state of Montana. He has frequently visited places of employment within the state and has personally participated in activities that he calls "Work Days." He has also hosted economic development conferences and can be frequently found hunting and fishing on public lands around Montana [http://baucus.senate.gov/about/values.cfm].Baucus had voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, but has joined the Democrats in the Senate in demanding the phased withdrawal of the [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/182/ Levin Amendment] (no firm deadline). He voted with a majority of Democrats against the [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/senate/2/votes/181/ Kerry Amendment] (firm deadline for withdrawal).It was reported on August 1 2006[http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/15173991.htm Sun Herald news report][http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14140498/ Montana senator’s nephew dies in Iraq] that Baucus's nephew Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus (September 24, 1977–July 29, 2006) was killed in combat in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on July 29. Phillip Baucus, a 28-year-old resident of Wolf Creek, Montana, had been a member of the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force[http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=9799 DefenseLink: "DoD Identifies Marine Casualty"]. The funeral was the site of protests by members of the Westboro Baptist Church.[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/07/ap/politics/mainD8JBAJS81.shtml Senator's Nephew Mourned by Hundreds]On January 10, 2007, the day of Bush's presidential address on his plan to increase troop levels in Iraq, Baucus spoke against the increases and called for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops.Baucus sought re-election in 2008 in Montana, a state that has been undergoing political change since 2004 when it elected Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, and then Democratic Senator Jon Tester in 2006 by a slim margin. Montana was the only state in the U.S. to switch a chamber of its legislature to Republican control in 2006. The legislative chamber had a one-seat Democratic majority that switched to a one-seat Republican majority.Baucus raised a record amount of money for his 2008 re-election bid, 91 percent of which has come from individuals living outside of Montana.[http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/12/03/news/local/news03.txt Missoulian: Baucus's campaign fills coffers with out-of-state funds] As a result of his significant fund raising advantage, in the week that he announced his intentions to run for re-election, he opened eight state offices – one more than he has official offices in the state. He also announced that he had hired 35 full-time campaign staff members.He successfully won re-election in 2008.Baucus visited the United Arab Emirates and Viet Nam from 13 to 20 December 2008 on a mission to reassure the world about the US economy. The trip took him to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. Baucus said he would be looking for opportunities to expand US commerce with both countries in meetings with government officials and civil society leaders.[http://www.nguoi-viet.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=88140&z=4 Nghị sĩ Max Baucus đi Việt Nam và Các Tiểu vương quốc Ả Rập Thống nhất] "America needs to rebuild its economy and engage the world smartly on trade, in a way that creates good-paying jobs here at home," said Baucus, who was slated to give speeches at Zayed University in Dubai and at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.Baucus said the United States must strive to understand "boom economies" like the UAE, that relations with Viet Nam must remain "strong," and that he hoped to ensure that Asian markets "are as open as they should be to American products like beef," a key export of his home state of Montana.Baucus was the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance from June 2001 to January 2003.*Committee on Finance (Chairman)**As Chairman of the full committee, Sen. Baucus is an ''ex officio'' member of all subcommittees.**Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-term Growth**Subcommittee on International Trade and Global Competitiveness*Committee on Environment and Public Works**Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection**Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Chairman)**Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health*Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry**Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal Health (Chairman)**Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection and Price Support**Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry, and Credit*Joint Committee on Taxation (Chairman)Baucus has one son, Zeno. Baucus has completed a 50-mile ultramarathon and has crewed for female winner and fellow Montana native Nikki Kimball at the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, which he hopes to run in 2009.[http://chroniclenews.com/articles/2007/06/24/sports/000western.txt Bozeman Montana Local News] *Max Baucus (D) 54.7%*Dick Shoup (R) 45.3%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 66.4%*Bill Diehl (R) 33.6%*Max Baucus (D) 55.6%*Larry Williams (R) 44.4%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 56.9%*Chuck Cozzens (R) 40.7%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 69.8%*Allen C. Kolstad (R) 30.2%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 49.5%*Dennis Rehberg (R) 44.7%*Becky Shaw (Reform) 4.7%*Stephen Heaton (Natural Law) 1%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 63%*Mike Taylor (R) 32%*Bob Kelleher (Green) 3%*Max Baucus (D) (inc.) 73%*Bob Kelleher (R) 27%*[http://baucus.senate.gov/ United States Senator Max Baucus], U.S. Senate site*[http://www.maxbaucus2008.com/ 2008 Campaign Website]*[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/max_baucus/index.html Collected news and commentary] from ''The New York Times''*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Max_Baucus Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia

March 27

March 24

February 4

January 20

January 12

January 7

November 1, 2008

October 6, 2008

September 20, 2008

September 8, 2008

August 26, 2008

July 31, 2008

Followers

Following

Related

Tags