The Capitol Hill daily reports today that top staffers to Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) warned a group of Democratic lobbyists not to attend a meeting with senate Republicans. What I find intriguing about this story is that it is exactly the kind of thing that Tom DeLay used to do in his heyday. From the story: Russell Sullivan, the top staffer on Finance, and Jon Selib, Baucus’ chief of staff, met with a bloc of more than 20 contract lobbyists, including several former Baucus aides. “They said, ‘Republicans are having this meeting and you need to let all of your clients know if they have someone there, that will be viewed as a hostile act,’” said a Democratic lobbyist who attended the meeting. “Going to the Republican meeting will say, ‘I’m interested in working with Republicans to stop health care reform,’” the lobbyist added. We’re way behind the times in Texas. We’re still at the stage where lobbyists threaten members.