Healthcare opinions poll and H. Reid's reply
Two interesting articles -- the first from
David S. Broder at the Washington Post:
A budget-buster in the making
It's simply not true that America is ambivalent about everything when it comes to the Obama health plan.
The day after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gave its qualified blessing to the version of health reform produced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Quinnipiac University poll of a national cross section of voters reported its latest results.
This poll may not be as famous as some others, but I know the care and professionalism of the people who run it, and one question was particularly interesting to me.
It read: "President Obama has pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our federal budget deficit over the next decade. Do you think that President Obama will be able to keep his promise or do you think that any health care plan that Congress passes and President Obama signs will add to the federal budget deficit?"
The answer: Less than one-fifth of the voters -- 19 percent of the sample -- think he will keep his word. Nine of 10 Republicans and eight of 10 independents said that whatever passes will add to the torrent of red ink. By a margin of four to three, even Democrats agreed this is likely.
That fear contributed directly to the fact that, by a 16-point margin, the majority in this poll said they oppose the legislation moving through Congress.
And Senator Reid's reaction - from
Talking Points Memo:
Reid Slams Broder As A Retiree Who 'Writes A Column Once In A While'
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may have just endeared himself to liberal bloggers across the land. This morning, he took some heat from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who cited a Washington Post column to attack health care reform:
"In tomorrow's Washington Post, David Broder, their distinguished senior columnist, certainly not a political conservative, expresses his reservation as a citizen about the steps that we could be about to take," McConnell said.
Reid couldn't have been less impressed. "To focus on a man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in a while is not where we should be."
No doubt the most hilarious moment of the day. But...sour grapes?
Broders words must have stung a bit to provoke that kind of a reply.
Posted by DaveH at November 21, 2009 2:56 PM