The news just gets better and better with each and every hour of this fight!
Via Huffington:
In fact, these aides and advisers are wrong and the "left of the left" is right. A new poll from Rasmussen shows that Americans want a public option, and support for reform collapses without it.
Just 34% of voters nationwide support the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats if the so-called "public option" is removed. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 57% oppose the plan if it doesn't include a government-run health insurance plan to compete with private insurers.
And that's Rasmussen, which always leans to the right. Imagine what a real polling outfit would find at this stage in the game. I wrote about it yesterday and I meant it: the tide is turning. We're starting to win this fight and we can't give up or let up or give them 1 inch! A public option is too damn important!
More from the poll:
Without the public option, just 50% of Democrats support the legislation. That’s down from 69% support measured a week ago. But here the enthusiasm gap is especially strong. A week ago, polling found that 44% of Democrats Strongly favored the reform plan. Without the public option, just 12% of Democrats Strongly support it.
Minus the government insurance option, 68% of Republicans remain opposed to the plan, down from 79%.
As for those not affiliated with either major party, 70% are opposed if the public option is dropped. That’s up from 62% in the previous survey.
This is a huge decline for co-op advocates and a BIG SHIFT for public option supporters. That's why we need to keep up the fight and battling. I'm heading off to pester Ben Nelson about reform today and then tomorrow I'll be on the President's call/town hall forum. I might also sign some petitions! ;P
I asked yesterday, and I'll ask it again, what are you doing for real reform?
[Update #1: Thanks again for putting me on the 'rec list everyone. Two days in a row!]
[Update #2: BA is so close to raising $150K for supporters of the public option. Can you chip in?]