Attn. Senate: Most Americans Want a Public Option
There may not be enough support in the Senate for a public option, as Finance Committee chair and health industry plaything Max Baucus contends, but according to a new poll, a growing majority of Americans wants one President Obama says .
There may not be enough support in the Senate for a public option, as Finance Committee chair and health industry plaything Max Baucus contends, but according to a new poll, a growing majority of Americans wants one. President Obama says he won’t fight for the option, which may be why Democrats are losing faith in his handling of reform (according to the same poll).
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll says 57 percent of Americans want a public option, up five points from August. The figure was even higher — 62 percent — in June. That means that at the absolute nadir of support, when the public option was pronounced dead, most Americans still wanted it. How’s that for democracy?
Other polls show falling support for the Democratic health reform agenda, with a slight majority of Americans opposing it. The Baucus bill, which nixes the public option, has been front and center during this time.
Let’s do the math: Support for a public option is going up while support for the Democrats’ plan is going down. Here’s hoping Harry Reid, who is charged with merging the Senate bills (and possibly deciding the fate of the option), takes notice. Here’s hoping he cares. Reid is the No. 1 Senate recipient of health industry donations this cycle. — PZS
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Politics
Obama's only takeaway from the Syria episode was to never again seek Congressional approval for military action.
Politics
Cautionary politics lost them the majority a decade ago. It’s taken that long to reboot.
With his nonstop barrage of lies, the president has degraded our electoral system to the point that any result will feel illegitimate.
The class war that gave rise to his campaign is the fault of a long line of corporate Democrats like Joe Biden, and voters know it.
A revealing new study finds the Justice Department charged just 359 such criminals in January—a decline of 25% from five years ago.
A closer look at the Trump administration's agreement with the Taliban reveals all the president's concerned with is bragging rights.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.