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The President speech received initial approval. AP Photo Ron Edmonds
The ultimate goal of tonight's health care speech to a joinst session of Congress was to influence public opinion. The speech can be praised endlessly by poltical analyst and even be well received by Congressional members but all that will not matter if public opinion on reform does not change.
The initial polling on the President speech give encouraging signs as to how the speech was received by "Joe Six Pack." According to CNN the percentage of American supporting reform proposals went from 53% before the speech to 67% after the speech. In addition, 56% of viewers had a "very positive" reaction to the speech.
While the Obama administration can take heart in the results of this poll the initial reaction to the speech is not enough to carry reform to passage. Republicans will surely launch their own counter-assault in the coming days and if reform continues to be bogged down in the halls of Congress public support will surely start to go back down. The Obama administration must seize the momentum from the speech and keep the legislative process moving quickly if they are to maintain this support over the long term.
Comments
Obama said nothing new in his speech, the American people still reject Obamacare, and that quick poll is meaningless. Even CNN is forced to admit, and I quote directly from them:
"The audience for the speech appears to be more Democratic than the U.S. population as a whole. Because of this, the results may favor Obama simply because more Democrats than Republicans tuned into the speech. The poll surveyed the opinions of people who watched Wednesday night's speech, and does not reflect the views of all Americans."
Robert Moon is spamming The Activity Pit again: twi.cc/lAlq
Health care reform will pass because America can not wait any longer!!
Do you really thing that giving it your idea of a "clever" name and claiming that we as a country "reject" it means anything? Clearly, many americans are so biased that they won't even tune in to the speech before rejecting it. Your implication in that case is sad but true. However, jumping to sweeping conclusions based on that is clearly just more flawed Republican logic. I for one was glad to hear in this speech something that isn't more nonsensical lies, red herrings and straw men spewed out of the right wing propaganda machine and its either deluded or purchased lackeys. Let the numbers speak for themselves, and let rational scientific inquiry carry the day, for once. I just hope enough Americans are ready to listen...
It didn't change my opinion at all. I like my current healthcare although I would prefer to expand my HSA, but under this plan, my employer can switch me to the public option if he wants to. Count me out.
1: As was made so absolutely clear yesterday, the public option would only be available for those who can get no other insurance plan. Was Suzanne paying any attention?
2: As every single poll has shown for the last 4 years, Americans self identify as Democrats far more than they do as Republicans. For every 2 Republican congressman and senator there are nearly 3 Democrats in their caucus, so they have to appeal more to Democrats than Republicans. They can craft and pass a plan without a single Republican vote if they unify. That's what happens when you fail to lead and govern, you get your head handed to you at the ballot box.
Key will be how the stakeholders with $$$ react!
www.examiner.com/x-19977-Allentown-Fiscal-Responsibility-Examiner~y2009m9d9-What-do-the-stakeholders-want-to-hear-on-health-care
Pay for a new govrnmt run program with savings from an existing governmt run program - IS OBAMA KIDDING ME! Show me just one governmt run program EVER that didn't go broke and stay broke!! Give us one successful program (JUST ONE) before you start another loser! I'm not a "harvard lawyer", but I can do simple math- HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYONE - NO RATIONING - AND IT'S FREE! How stupid does he think we are! NO PUBLIC OPTION OF ANY KIND!
Obama's speech was a yawn. Count me as another who opposes Obama's big government health care scheme.
And I'm glad Congressman Wilson told Obama he's lying. As the Congressional Research Service stated: there is nothing in HR 3200 that would stop illegal aliens from getting health coverage. And the Deomcrats have defeated, by a party line vote, measures that would have closed this HUGE lopphole.
So Obama IS in fact lying when he says illegals won't be covered under the Demorats "reform." In addition, Obama keeps on inflating the number of Americans who are uninsured, and underestimating the costs of his scheme.
I don't know if Obama even knows what the word "truth" means.
The CNN poll you cite had almost double the number of Democrats. From CNN itself:
"The sample of speech-watchers in this poll was 45 percent Democratic and 18 percent Republican. Our best estimate of the number of Democrats in the voting age population as a whole indicates that the sample is about 8-10 points more Democratic than the population as a whole."
I totally understand the notion that you don't want to pay for somebody else's healthcare. That is way you should actually SUPPORT reform. The uninsured go to emergency rooms for care. They never end up paying for anything. But you (the insured) DO. The hospital has to charge the insurance companies more for services to cover the cost of the uninsured, which translates into higher premiums... and, in turn, lower salaries for you. Why not provide an option for AFFORDABLE insurance. At least then, many of these uninsured can afford insurance, and will actually pay SOMETHING into the system they are using now for free. We can prevent some problems before they become out of control and more costly. Not all people supporting reform are bleeding-heart europe-loving socialists... they just realize the current system is irrational and unfair to the INSURED. I am Republican... but in this case I have to go with the Dems. Although I hate Pelosi's stupid face.
Robert Moon is spamming The Activity Pit again: twi.cc/lAlq
We should be enforcing our immigration laws (not gutting these laws like Obama) to reduce the number of illegal immigrants here and eliminating the incentives for them to come here illegally in the first place. Look at all the hospitals that have gone bankrupt in Southern Californis because of the illegal influx and sanctuary cities. Sadly with schemes like theirs, Democrats are encouraging more illegals to sneak in here, steal our jobs, and get free health care!
PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID. THIS IS WHY AMERICA'S POWER IS SO QUICKLY SLIPPING. YOU ARE ALREADY PAYING, ITS CALLED MEDICAID. HOSPITALS ARE CLOSING. I'M A NURSE, ILLEGALS ARE IN HAVING BABIES 5 AND 6 AND YOU ARE ALL PAYING. WAKE UP. GET ON BOARD OR MOVE.
Building on a year's work from the House and the Senate, the final health reform legislation that the President signed into law included the best ideas from both sides of the aisle offered in the course of the debate.
As Obama's Administration constantly argues that it will bring positive impacts on the whole and in the health reform it is said that care will be taken to implement the law to help make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans and give Americans more control over.
But the fact is that the debate around health care will persist even after this bill is passed.
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