Here’s an example of how fluid the current state of public opinion is on Health Care Reform and, even more so, how you really need to dig into the weeds with some of these polls rather than just focus on the toplines. In the new NBC/WSJ poll 48% say the current reform bill is a “bad idea” and only 36% say it’s a “good idea”. 15% are undecided. That actually shows reform being considerably less popular than most recent polls. The current TPM Poll Average has the question at 48.9% against and 42.5% for it.
But look at the next question on the poll. “Do you think it would be better to pass Barack Obama’s health care plan and make its changes to the health care system or to not pass this plan and keep the current health care system?”
46% say better to pass it; 45% say do nothing.
And the one after that asks if your Representative voted with the Republicans to kill reform, would make you more or less likely to vote for them. 31% say more likely, 34% say less likely and 34% say it wouldn’t make a difference. In other words, a wash, with perhaps the slightest advantage to the pro-Reform forces.
