When More Than Half Dislike Your Ideas, It's More Than 'The Right-Wing Base'
I think the DNC — and Democrats, and the Obama administration — are on the verge of making a serious error by dismissing folks who show up at constituent meetings as "the mob." Sure, some folks who show up make easy targets, like the lady howling about the birth certificate.
American voters, by a 55 – 35 percent margin, are more worried that Congress will spend too much money and add to the deficit than it will not act to overhaul the health care system, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. By a similar 57 – 37 percent margin, voters say health care reform should be dropped if it adds “significantly” to the deficit.
By a 72 – 21 percent margin, voters do not believe that President Barack Obama will keep his promise to overhaul the health care system without adding to the deficit, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University national poll finds.
American voters disapprove 52 – 39 percent of the way President Obama is handling health care, down from 46 – 42 percent approval July 1, with 60 – 34 percent disapproval from independent voters. Voters say 59 – 36 percent that Congress should not pass health care reform if only Democratic members support it.
Voters are split 39 – 41 percent on whether the President’s health care plan will improve or hurt the quality of health care in the nation, with 14 percent saying it won’t make a difference.
Skepticism about this health-care plan goes way, way beyond "the right-wing Republican base." Alternatively, the right-wing Republican base now amounts to a bit more than half of the voting public.
In the face of numbers like these, what do Democrats gain from a message like this:
Notice the easy conflation of the "Birthers" with people who just think voting for a bill without reading it is dereliction of duty . . .
