Here are my observations from the free health clinic yesterday in Little Rock, which I recorded for The Huffington Post.
From Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat, on his decision to vote in favor of beginning debate on the health insurance reform bill in the Senate:
“It is only to begin debate and an opportunity to make improvements. If you don’t like a bill, why block your own opportunity to amend it?”
For those of you whipping votes, Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman remain the two holdouts Democrats need to move the bill to the floor. (Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu indicated late yesterday that she would announce her decision to vote in favor of it this morning.)
A new poll indicates that 84% of Arkansans want the Senate to debate health care reform. This comes on the eve of a cloture vote in the Senate where 60 members must vote in favor in order for the bill to proceed to the Senate floor for debate.
Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, up for re-election in 2010, is considered to be one of the last holdouts along with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
You may recall a recent editorial in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette urging Ms. Lincoln to vote against cloture. Talk about out of touch.
The Arkansas blogosphere has been chatty about a new Public Policy Polling poll on the Arkansas Second Congressional District race involving Democratic Party incumbent Vic Snyder. The poll shows Mr. Snyder with an approval rating of forty-two percent. Forty-six percent of second district voters disapprove of his performance.
Not unlike recent polls involving incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln, Mr. Snyder appears to be bearing the brunt of voter frustration with Congress.
But to show you how little this poll actually has to do with Mr. Snyder, forty-two percent of respondents said they would vote for David Meeks, an unknown candidate living in Conway with an affinity for silly looking neck ties. I can assure you of this: if the election were between Mr. Snyder and Mr. Meeks, the margin of victory would be substantially greater than this poll predicts.
All of this is to say that despite this poll, Mr. Snyder remains a strong candidate in the second district. Once voters – particularly the self-described independents – have a chance to evaluate their options, you’ll see these numbers tick back up.
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter held a press conference to discuss the details of a free health clinic in Little Rock on Saturday, November 21st. The clinic is sponsored by the National Association of Free Clinics.
Americans United for Change has released this ad in the Little Rock and Jonesboro media markets.
From Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post:
Democrats representing red or swing states clearly believe the public option is a non-starter politically despite evidence in recent polling — in places like Arkansas and Montana — that voters in these states favor the idea of a government-run program.
Can the White House change their minds?
Today, Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln voted against two public option amendments in committee. In this recent poll Arkansans said they favored a public option 55% – 38%.
A new poll conducted by Research 2000 shows that more Arkansans living in the 4th Congressional District support a public option than oppose it.
QUESTION: Do you favor or oppose creating a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase to compete with private insurance plans?
| FAVOR | OPPOSE | NOT SURE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALL | 47 | 44 | 9 |
| MEN | 44 | 48 | 8 |
| WOMEN | 50 | 40 | 10 |
| DEMOCRATS | 74 | 19 | 7 |
| REPUBLICANS | 13 | 77 | 10 |
| INDEPENDENTS | 47 | 43 | 10 |
| WHITE | 38 | 55 | 7 |
| BLACK | 77 | 8 | 15 |
| 18-29 | 50 | 41 | 9 |
| 30-44 | 48 | 45 | 7 |
| 45-59 | 47 | 44 | 9 |
| 60+ | 44 | 45 | 11 |
On August 19, 2009, In Government, Politics, By Blake
From the latest Rasumussed tracking poll:
Just 34% of voters nationwide support the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats if the so-called “public option” is removed. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 57% oppose the plan if it doesn’t include a government-run health insurance plan to compete with private insurers.
Today, Sen. Blanche Lincoln announced a series of health care town hall meetings to be held in Arkansas in September.
- September 1 – Teletown Hall host by AARP Arkansas. 7:30 p.m. Little Rock.
- September 2 – Russellville Town Hall Meeting. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Doc Bryan Auditorium, Arkansas Tech University.
- September 3 – Pine Bluff Town Hall Meeting. 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. UAPB Fine Arts Building.
- September 4 – Jonesboro Town Hall Meeting. 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Fowler Center, Arkansas State University.
Sen. Lincoln will also appear on First News with Bob Steel on Sept. 2 from 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. and on The Dave Elswick Show on Friday, Sept. 4 from 3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
I’ll be on KARK Channel 4 tomorrow morning at 6:15 a.m. to discuss health insurance reform. I know the Family Council (Jerry Cox, I assume) will be there, too. Should be interesting. Tune in.
The Wall Street Journal covers the health care town hall hosted by Rep. Mike Ross, leader of the Blue Dog coalition, earlier this week.
Mr. Ross seemed lukewarm about a public-option alternative to private health plans, an element that many Democrats consider crucial to any health-care overhaul. He said it was “50-50 at best whether it will be included in the final bill.” But he told the crowd that if a public plan was included, “it won’t be forced on anyone.”
On August 14, 2009, In Corporate, Government, Local News, Newspapers and Media, Politics, Public Affairs, By Blake