August 15, 2009
Again: We aren’t against reform; we’re just against the reform you’re proposing.

Posted at 4:48 pm, in: Health Care
Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, Independents, Republicans

The latest poll suggests that Americans prefer NO health care reform rather than the health care reform currently being offered:

Thirty-five percent (35%) of American voters say passage of the bill currently working its way through Congress would be better than not passing any health care reform legislation this year. However, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that most voters (54%) say no health care reform passed by Congress this year would be the better option.

This does not mean that most voters are opposed to health care reform. But it does highlight the level of concern about the specific proposals that Congressional Democrats have approved in a series of Committees. To this point, there has been no Republican support for the legislative effort although the Senate Finance Committee is still attempting to seek a bi-partisan solution.

Not surprisingly, there is a huge partisan divide on this issue. Sixty percent (60%) of Democrats say passing the legislation in Congress would be the best course of action. However, 80% of Republicans take the opposite view. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 23% would like the Congressional reform to pass while 66% would rather the legislators take no action.

Now, we can naturally assume that more Republicans would be against this reform than for it, and that more Democrats would be for this reform than against it. The amazing part is the numbers of independents, or those not affiliating with either party, who are against this particular reform: 66% would rather see no reform than what is being offered.

Only 60% of Republicans would prefer no reform. In my book, that’s pretty amazing. Independents are who handed the presidency to Barack Obama. I hope he’s paying attention, here. His rhetorical repetition doesn’t seem to be working. Independents are more against his reform than Republicans. That can’t be good.

To add insult to injury, middle-income voters are the most strongly in favor of taking no action. That has to be a blow to the ego. Mr. President, in case you don’t know what that means for you, let me fill you in: there’s a crack in your image, your true colors are shining through, and the people who are against you are the ones who voted for you.

Obama better be careful with his name-calling, at this point. It’s time that he take the hit that it’s not some fringe or special interest groups that are against this. And, it’s not people against change. It’s not people opposing reform just to oppose him and defeat his policies. People have legitimate concerns about everything they have seen, so far. Attempts to assuage these fears has failed, miserably. We all recognize that there is a problem with the system. We all want reform. We just don’t want the reform we have been offered, so far.

(H/T: Memeorandum)