The Wal-Mart twins, Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, are as usual running scared on a key Democratic initiative. Perpetually afraid of their constituents, they have remained mushy on the public option, and present one of the key roadblocks to effective health care reform that puts people first, not the insurance companies.
Problem is, they are out of sync with their constituents.
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 9/8-10. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines)
Do you favor or oppose creating a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase to compete with private insurance plans?
Favor Oppose Not Sure
All 55 38 7
Dem 81 14 5
Rep 22 71 7
Ind 56 34 10
Over one in five Republicans support the public option, which is more "bipartisanship" than you'll ever see in Congress. Meanwhile, the public option enjoys solid support among Democrats (obviously), and Independents. In addition, the public option is supported among all age groups (including 50-42 among those older than 60), and both among blacks (81-5) and whites (51-43).
Not all our polling has shown strong support for the public option. Kentucky had bare plurality support for the public option, and Nebraska was ugly for our side. So it's not a rigged question, from a rigged pollster. These are honest snapshots, and we publish them all, the good, the bad, the ugly.
In Arkansas, the numbers are excellent for the public option. There is no excuse for the Wal-Mart twins to oppose the public option.
On another note:
Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?
Yes No Not Sure
All 63 17 20
Dem 84 8 8
Rep 33 29 38
Ind 68 16 16
Two-thirds of Arkansas Republicans are deluded conspiracy theorists.
Update: Oops, forgot to post the link to the crosstabs: here.
