Chopped Liver?
by digby
I know that public opinion polls are only relevant when they validate conventional wisdom, but just for giggles you might find this interesting:
President Obama’s holding the line at an even division in public views on health care reform, boosted by support for two key elements — a personal mandate and a public option — and aided by continued weakness in the opposition party.
Americans divide about evenly on the reform plan and Obama’s handling of health care alike neither better nor worse for him since summer. But 57 percent support one of the plan’s most contentious elements, a government-sponsored insurance option, and that soars to 76 percent if it’s limited to those who can’t get affordable private insurance.
Indeed, Americans by 51-37 percent in this latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’d rather see a plan pass Congress without Republican support, if it includes a public option based on affordability, than with Republican backing but no such element.
Again, completely irrelevant swince the Villagers have decreed that health care reform must no contain a public option lest the DFH contingent be seen to have prevailed. Simply isn’t done.
But, this should make somebody at least swallow hard:
Only 20 percent of Americans now identify themselves as Republicans, the fewest in 26 years. Just 19 percent, similarly, trust the Republicans in Congress to make the right decisions for the country’s future; even among Republicans themselves just four in 10 are confident in their own party. For comparison, 49 percent overall express this confidence in Obama, steady since August albeit well below its peak.
The Republican Party’s difficulties are shown in another result as well; in an early assessment of preference for congressional candidates in 2010, the Democrats lead by 51-39 percent.
Not that it matters because as we all know, this is ultimately good for Republicans as all things are. Real American teabaggers are angry at town halls so that means that the Republicans are going to sweep to victory in the next election. Still, it’s kind of interesting.
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