Maybe these results will help get the Blue Dogs to see reason (I've given up on bipartisanship, and so should Obama and the Dems).
Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.The poll found that most Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have health insurance and that they said the government could do a better job of holding down health-care costs than the private sector.
[snip]
The national telephone survey, which was conducted from June 12 to 16, found that 72 percent of those questioned supported a government-administered insurance plan — something like Medicare for those under 65 — that would compete for customers with private insurers. Twenty percent said they were opposed.
Republicans in Congress have fiercely criticized the proposal as an unneeded expansion of government that might evolve into a system of nationalized health coverage and lead to the rationing of care.
But in the poll, the proposal received broad bipartisan backing, with half of those who call themselves Republicans saying they would support a public plan, along with nearly three-fourths of independents and almost nine in 10 Democrats.
Look. This is not going to be easy to pay for. But, Democrats, when a majority of your constituents (and the opposition's!) even say they'd be willing to pay higher taxes to get it, it should be done.
Another thing: we keep getting these poll results that say Americans are worried about deficits. What most Americans don't understand (I think) is that if the economy is perking along at a 3% growth rate, deficits are more than manageable. See the Clinton years as a prime example.
Posted by Linkmeister at June 20, 2009 02:50 PM | TrackBack