There’s no improvement in public opinion for health care reform:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% favor the plan while 53% are opposed. These figures include just 20% who Strongly Favor the plan and 41% who are Strongly Opposed.
Last week, support for the health care plan inched up to 44% following the president’s televised health care summit. However, that mild bounce has faded, and support is back to where it was for months. With the exception of last week’s results, overall support for the president’s health care plan has stayed in a very narrow range from 38% to 42% since Thanksgiving.
As has been the case for months, Democrats overwhelmingly favor the plan, and Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 32% favor the plan, and 64% are opposed.
Hardly anyone believes that the plan will achieve its goals:
Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters believe passage of the proposed health care legislation will lead to higher health care costs. Just 17% believe it will achieve the stated goal of reducing the cost of care.
Forty-nine percent (49%) also think passage of the plan will reduce the quality of care, while only 23% believe it will improve the quality of care. . .
When it comes to health care decisions, 51% fear the federal government more than they fear private insurance companies.
Given those numbers, it’s hard to understand why even 42% favor the plan. I think this explains it though:
One reason for the huge partisan gap is that a solid plurality of Democrats believe it would be a good for workers if they were forced off a private insurance plan and on to a government program. Republicans and unaffiliated voters strongly disagree.
The Democrats have tried to persuade the public that no one would lose their current health care under their plan. Not only is that false, it seems as though even Democrats see through it. Democrats actually seem to support the plan because they don’t believe it. The way these numbers make sense is if many Democrats are willing to accept more-expensive, lower-quality health care in exchange for forcing the public into government-run health care.
The plan has a good chance of passing despite public opposition. This is doing real damage to public confidence in our political system:
The disconnect between sustained public opposition to the plan and the belief it may pass may be one reason that just 21% of voters believe the federal government has the consent of the governed.
That one figure puts the entire debate in a nutshell. Democrats don’t care what the public wants. The public unwisely gave them the power to do whatever they want, and the public can’t take that power away until November. Democrats are going to do what they’ve always wanted, while they still can, and damn the consequences.
(Via Instapundit.)
UPDATE: A new AP poll finds over two-thirds opposition to Democrats going it alone:
More than four in five Americans say it’s important that any health care plan have support from both parties. And 68 percent say the president and congressional Democrats should keep trying to cut a deal with Republicans rather than pass a bill with no GOP support.
(Via the Corner.)
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