Rachel Weiner reports a poll on HuffingtonPost:
Conducted by Research 2000 for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and Democracy for America (DFA), the survey finds only 33 percent of likely voters favor a health care bill that does not include a public health insurance option and does not expand Medicare, but does require all Americans to get health insurance. . . .
Meanwhile, if the public option and Medicare buy-in are added, 58 percent of people support the idea. The number of Republican supporters drops to 22 percent, but independent support rises to 57 percent and Democratic support to a whopping 88 percent.
Listen up, Democratic senators ! What happened to the idea that politicians are poll-driven? It's been clear for a long time that the public supports a robust plan that includes some sort of government-sponsored alternative to private health insurance. But has that made a scintilla of difference in the senate?
I guess the checks from the insurance giants and BigPharma count more than the people's desire.
The dilemma now is whether a big grassroots push would make a difference at this stage (Richard would say yes) or whether in the current climate they simply are not going to listen.
How can you get anything passed when Repubs say no because it's too much, and progressive Dems say no because it's not enough? The combination, I fear, is unbeatable in the current dysfunctional system. Certainly without a push from the White House, I don't see how it can happen.
The choice seems to be between a bad bill (with some good features) and no bill at all.
Ralph
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