Max Sieben Baucus

Max Baucus

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 10th longest-serving current Senator.

Personal life

Baucus was born Max Sieben Enke in Helena, Montana to Jean Sheriff and Canadian-born Stephen Enke, Ph.D., an economist and demographer. Baucus graduated from Helena High School in 1959. He is an alumnus of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and a law degree from Stanford University. He married Wanda Minge in 1983, and has one son, Zeno, from his previous marriage to journalist Ann Geracimos.

He began law practice in Missoula, Montana, in 1971. He was Executive Director and Committee Coordinator for Montana's 1972 Constitutional Convention.

He 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.

Early political career

In 1973, Baucus was elected to the Montana State Legislature. He was a state representative from Missoula until his election to the United States House of Representatives in 1974. He 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.

United States Senate

Baucus is the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which he last chaired from 2001 to 2003. He is also a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

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 and stood by President George W. Bush's side as he signed the bill. He has usually voted against repealing the portions of that bill and more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers. Baucus voted in favor of the Brady Bill and the first ban on semi-automatic firearms in exchange for the appointment of a Montana lawyer to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but is otherwise opposed to most new gun control laws. 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.

Baucus voted for the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which made it harder to declare personal bankruptcy. 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 is pro-choice and receives 100 percent ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America and other reproductive rights advocacy groups. 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, $319,348 up to 2006.

Overall, Baucus has reatained a populist image that has kept him consistently popular in his home state. He has frequently visited places of employment in his state and has personally participated, performing activities that he calls "Work Days." He has also hosted economic development conferences within his state and can be frequently found hunting and fishing on public lands around Montana

Committee assignments

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

'''Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

Joint Committee on Taxation (Chairman)

Controversies

The 2002 Montana elections got national attention when Baucus' 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.

In 2006, Baucus returned $18,892 in contributions from groups connected to Jack Abramoff. In the December 22, 2005, edition of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Baucus admitted campaign finance violations.

In February 2008, Baucus touted success in preventing a coal bed methane project that was proposed by BP Canada in British Columbia, Canada. He claimed that this project would have had environmental impacts in Montana which is downstream from the project. It was later revealed that this project was not in fact canceled, and British Columbia Energy Minister Richard Neufeld characterized Baucus' claims by saying: "If Max Baucus says the sun is shining, the first thing you do is go out and have a look. This wasn't the first time that Baucus mis-reported accomplishments to the people of Montana. In 2005, he claimed to have secured funding for a runway at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Although he called it a "done deal" when reporting it to Montana press, the language was stripped from the bill and never became law.

Iraq War

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 Levin Amendment (no firm deadline). He voted with a majority of Democrats against the Kerry Amendment (firm deadline for withdrawal).

It was reported on August 1 2006 that Baucus' 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. The funeral was the site of protests by members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

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.

2008 Re-election campaign

Baucus will seek re-election in 2008, in 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. The state was the only one 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 has raised a record amount of money for his 2008 re-election bid, 91 percent of which has come from individuals living outside of Montana. 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.