Saturday, March 13, 2010

Ezra Klein: "The polling memo everyone is reading"

Ezra Klein (WaPo):
Or at least most House and Senate Democrats. The memo itself is from Joel Benenson, Barack Obama's pollster of choice, so as Jonathan Cohn notes, "you can consider this unofficial official word as it were." At the very least, it's what the White House wants congressional Democrats reading. And now you can read it, too (pdf).

The basic argument is that health-care reform is becoming more popular as the president takes control of the process, and Obama and the Democrats are still more popular than the Republicans on this issue. I'd interpret the data a bit differently: Health-care reform is becoming more popular as people are talking more about the bill and what it'll do than about how Democrats made a big mistake attempting health-care reform months before Scott Brown won a special election in Massachusetts.

Howie P.S.: One last ingredient to the sausage: "Democrats Link Student Aid Bill To Health Care Bill For Reconciliation Vote." Political Wire has this quote from The Pollster Himself (Benenson)
"In politics, new information is always the most potent. When it comes to health care and insurance, once reform passes, the tangible benefits Americans will realize will trump the fear-mongering rhetoric opponents are stoking today."

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