A finding from a new Research 2000 poll suggests Democrats and Independents are deeply disappointed with President Obama’s unwillingness to truly engage in the fight for a public option.
Commissioned by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Democracy for America, the question, to 800 likely voters was: “President Obama has said he favors a public health insurance option. Senator Joe Lieberman is widely credited with forcing Senate Democrats to take the public option off the table in order to win his vote. Do you think President Obama should have done more to pressure Lieberman to allow the public option to move forward?”
Overall, 63 percent said yes, 29 percent said no, and 8 percent had no opinion.
But among Democrats, and Independents, the numbers are far more striking.
A full 87 percent of Democrats say Obama should have upped the pressure on Lieberman to play nice (10 percent answered no). And 72 percent of Independents agree, Obama didn’t do enough to rein in Lieberman’s bid to kill the public option. Eighteen percent of Independents disagreed with that.
The grassroots are divided over whether the Senate health care bill deserves a “next step.” But they are certainly in agreement about the president’s leadership on the health reform issue they cared most about.
