Cross-posted at The Next Hurrah
Yesterday, I heard Jennifer Duffy from Charlie Cook's shop opining that it was hard to tell how the Schiavo case was playing out politically. Sure, the Dems might have the polls on their side, she said, but they're just so uncomfortable with "values" issues. Of course. Yet this morning, the WaPo boldly indicated that it might just be possible to divine the public sentiment, with a story entitled Analysts: GOP May Be Out of Step With Public. With all this equivocating about the ramifications on the sorry Schiavo saga, you'd think that the nation was closely divided on the issue of whether a husband should have the right to guide his incompetent spouse's medical treatment. Yet right in the middle of the Post article, it clearly states that:
An ABC News poll released yesterday concluded that "Americans broadly and strongly disapprove of federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, with sizable majorities saying Congress is overstepping its bounds for political gain." By 63 to 28 percent, Americans support the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, which her husband says would be her wish. Seventy percent of the respondents said it was inappropriate for Congress to get involved as it has. And 67 percent said they believe that elected officials trying to keep Schiavo alive are doing so mainly for political reasons.
Gee, it'd seem to me that the GOP is
wildly "out of step with the public" on the Schiavo case, and that the Dems are completely sympatico with that public. But I suppose that when you've suckered the media into believing that the Republican party is
always on the side of middle America on "values" issues, the media just can't accept the idea that the GOP could conceivably completely overstep the grounds of decency. Kudos, Karl. That's some good work.