NBC/WSJ POLL: 46% say pass the health care reform bill. 45% say leave system as is.

[jefferson_dem]

Weighing the health care vote

On health care, 46 percent say it would be better to pass the president’s plan and make changes to the nation’s health care system, versus 45 percent who would prefer not to pass it and keep the system as it is now.

Thirty-six percent believe Obama’s plan is a good idea, versus 48 percent who think it’s a bad idea. That’s a slight (but statistically insignificant) change from January, when 31 percent said it was a good idea and 46 percent said it was a bad one.

The poll also shows that Americans are divided over how their congressman or congresswoman should vote on the health care bill, which is expected to reach the House floor on Friday or Saturday of this week.

If their representative votes with Republicans to defeat the bill, 34 percent say they would be less likely to re-elect that member, 31 percent say they would be more likely to vote for the member, and 34 percent say it makes no difference.

But if their member of Congress votes with Democrats to pass the legislation, 36 percent say they would be less likely to re-elect that member, 28 percent say they would be more likely to vote for the member, and 34 percent say it makes no difference.

Translation: "There is no easy place right now in the health care debate," says McInturff, the GOP pollster.

Democratic respondents are overwhelmingly supportive of Obama’s health care plan -- they think it’s a good idea by a 64-16 percent margin, according to the poll. Hart argues that such strong support from the base will ultimately make a "yes" vote an easier sell for Democrats who are on the fence.

The key concern for these lawmakers isn’t losing some voters in the middle, he says. "It is alienating the base."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35897512/ns/politics/?ocid=twitter

[Fridays Child]

1. Well, then. Try as they might, even Murdoch and GE can't snuff out the truth.

And you just know that it was a push poll in extremis.

[Ron Green]

2. The corporate masters and their useful idiots, the racists

make up a medium-sized chunk.

[polpilot]

3. Obama cleverly crafted a bill that is a giveaway to insurance companies &

the bill for this comes due in November.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[polpilot]

12. He did & we can talk in November about it. 30 mil new INS. COS. policies, mandated,

by Obama & Co. Healthcare...please?

[high density]

6. Yes, that's exactly why the US Chamber of Commerce, et al are spending $1 million a day against it

:crazy:

[impik]

8. Hilarious. Lots of clowns around here.

[polpilot]

14. Do you have a list of insurance companies that won't be SELLING these mandated policies?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Explain why the insurance companies are against it.

And after you do that, please explain why you're siding with the insurance companies.

[harkadog]

10. What insurance companies are against it?

[polpilot]

13. The 'make believe' insurance companies are against it. The ones opposed to profit.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. All of them.

They're spending millions campaigning against it.

[harkadog]

17. I haven't seen any evidence of that.

Where is it? Why would they be against a law which mandates tens of millions of new customers for them?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

Wow.

This from the guy who is convinced that there's historical evidence of Jesus. You haven't seen any evidence of that.

:rofl:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124648101

If you think that health insurance companies support this reform, you've been seriously, seriously duped.

"individual insurance companies are helping fund a U.S. Chamber of Commerce campaign against the bill. Heres a piece of a TV ad that's out this week.

(Soundbite of television ad)

Unidentified Woman: But now Congress is trying to use special rules to ram through their same trillion dollar health care bill, billions in new taxes, more mandates on businesses. Health care costs will go even higher, making a tough economy worse. "

[polpilot]

27. So the NPR health correspondents states: 'some of the individual insurance companies are helping

fund a U.S. Chamber...' These sort of 'facts' makes the 'evidence' of the toothfairy seem overwhelming.

[harkadog]

34. Wow, I'm being stalked from another thread.

I feel special. Again why wasn't even one insurance company named? "individual insurance companies" Sounds like a "reporter" who is making it up. I live in a major metro area and in a swing district which is currently represented by a Democrat who hasn't said how he will vote yet. I see a lot of TV and I have not seen one commercial from anybody on this.

[GinaMaria]

16. They aren't

At least the ones I work with. The messaging is very carefully worded to say they support "bipartisan" reform, but not a public option. They fought a public option all the way. The mandates and some of the other provisions give them access to a much wider customer base and includes groups they've been trying to get their hands on for decades (20 somethings). They are more nervous it won't pass, but also issue assurances that they are at the table continuously engaged with political leaders, even President Obama.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. They are.

So are all the republicans.

Explain that.

[polpilot]

23. Do say! 'nervous it WON'T pass.' Let's see if the 'challenged' on this post can figure this out.

THINK harder. Clue#1 Insurance companies that SELL policies may get a MANDATED 30 mil. more.

[Cha]

22. That post is so full of ignorance.

[polpilot]

26. FULL. SO FULL. And so self-assured of the outcome of all this.

[Cha]

28. Pathetic.

[polpilot]

29. Worse.

[HughMoran]

33. Ignoranus

[Imajika]

4. This poll has some wierd results..

By 1% people favor passing HCR (46% to 45%), yet only 36% believe Obama's plan is a good idea versus 48% who think it's a bad idea?

What am I missing here?

[DrToast]

7. Yeah, I noticed that too

Maybe some people don't understand the plan enough to say it's good, but they Trust Obama? I dunno. Weird.

[FrenchieCat]

11. What was the percentage of McCain voters again?

[Faygo Kid]

18. Leaving it "as is" is not an option.

Wherever you come down on this (lively here, isn't it?), the one thing that can't be done is to do nothing.

[Cha]

25. I caught that..

wording like that is from those who are of the teabag persuasion.

"It's Not Dead".

"No offense to some of my colleagues in the blogotubes, but I wish people would stop writing about how the public option is dead. I kind of know what they mean -- the public option as it pertains to the current bill(s). But the public option is not dead.

The passage of reform will absolutely make it easier to pass the public option later, and that's probably what will happen. I have no idea when, but I do know that if we begin to condition ourselves to the "public option is dead" language, we'll be less inclined to bust ass for it later.

Speaking of which, I trust that following passage of reform the kill-billers will be immediately launching their campaign to pass a public option bill, along with additional legislation to improve the legislation. No?"

http://www.bobcesca.com/

[subterranean]

19. In a different poll the other day, only 4% wanted to leave the system as is.

Which one should I believe?

[Fridays Child]

21. The one not sponsored by ultra right wingers and corporatists.

[NorthCarolina]

24. 60-70% of Americans favor Single Payer....where's that? eom

[polpilot]

30. The topic was misleading. This has nothing to do with 'healthcare'. This is

about Obama's Insurance Program. Single payer is about actual healthcare. A modern healthcare program, modeled on the successful healthcare for the citizens, was not a part of the Obama program. It was/is about maintaining the current access plan via 'insurance companies.'

[bvar22]

31. Less than 35% of ALL Americans ...

....support Mandates without a Public Option.

Where was that one?

Was there a choice for Killing this nightmare of a bill, breaking out the good crumbs, and passing them one at a time in Stand Alone bills like the House did last week removing the Anti-Trust Exemption?

You know, we don't really have to eat the Whole Shit Pie just to get the good crumbs.

[polpilot]

32. BUT..100% of the insurance policy sellers SUPPORT it. And MANY here.

[Imajika]

35. This poll looks worse the longer you look at it...

At first I saw 46% for and 45% against and thought it was nice that at least HCR was up 1% in the poll. Most polls had shown HCR down and at first glance this was a decent result.

Then you realize the wording is:

"46 percent say it would be better to pass the president’s plan and make changes to the nation’s health care system, versus 45 percent who would prefer not to pass it and keep the system as it is now"

Who would prefer not to pass it and keep the system as it is now? That is kind of a loaded question considering most polls show the overwhelming majority of American's want SOME kind of health care reform.

That question explains how the result show a plurality support passing this bill (46%), yet only 36% believe Obama's plan is a good idea versus 48% who think it is a bad idea. Basically, the good result (if you consider 46% to 45% a good result) is only achieved by comparing the President's health care reform package to doing absolutely nothing. And even then, it is statistically no more popular than putting our head in the sand and doing zilch. The opposition will always say they support "something". The reality is, almost 1/2 of Americans think the HCR bill President Obama is pushing is a bad idea, and only about 1/3 think it is a good idea.

Not only is this not a well designed poll, the results are not very comforting.

I would hate to see how this poll would have looked it it were narrowed down to likely voters.