The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Talking Franken on MSNBC

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I was on MSNBC earlier debating Open Left's Adam Green about the impact of Al Franken giving Democrats 60 votes in Senate. Things got a bit testy when I challenged Green for promoting polls suggesting widespread support for the inclusion of a government-run plan in health care legislation. Not sure how well I made my point amid all the crosstalk, but the thing is that when the Washington Post asked people if they would still want a government plan if it meant driving private insurers out of business, support dropped to 37 percent. The response I got was that these things depend on how you ask the question -- but that was precisely my point. Outside of Washington, people aren't yet following all of the nuances of the health care policy debate, so it isn't surprising to me that, when asked in a benign-sounding way, they're fine with a government plan. However, as more people follow the debate and they begin to hear the counterarguments, support will drop. The Post poll just demonstrates how malleable public opinion is when it comes to health care.

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hmm_contrib| 7.1.09 @ 6:53PM

if they would still want a government plan if it meant driving private insurers out of business
But this isn't an argument. It's just fear-mongering, and a completely unprovable premise. You know you're in trouble if the only way you can win a poll is to mislead participants with fear/crystal-ball gazing.

Alan Brooks| 7.1.09 @ 7:09PM

you might want to correct the date the war ended.

* Overlords of World War II (coming soon)

A review of Andrew Roberts's Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-2945.

James Piereson

Pete| 7.1.09 @ 7:19PM

Pretty tame if you ask me. The direct way of asking it..."would you want a government plan if everything it promised was a load of crap?"

Old Texican| 7.1.09 @ 8:01PM

They are Traitors! Hang 'em!

Joe Hamilton| 7.1.09 @ 8:37PM

Even people as stupid as Obama's Kool Aid drinkers will understand what socialized medicine means when their family members suffere from the inevitable greatly increased death and morbidity rates as Britain and Canada have demonstrated. When they have to wait 2 or 3 years for surgery they can receive now after a few weeks, even people as stupid as Obama voters will understand what a plague Obama is.

hmm_contrib| 7.1.09 @ 10:19PM

when their family members suffere from the inevitable greatly increased death and morbidity rates as Britain and Canada have demonstrated.
Because if there is one thing America knows to be true, it's that if Britain can't do something, there is no way America can. That *was* your point, right Joe?
And the fact that Obama isn't proposing a plan like Britain's or Canada's *in no way* affects that judgment call. The only lesson to take away is that Canada's drawbacks are inevitably American. That's the American can-do spirit!

MLG| 7.2.09 @ 8:28AM

Nothing is Free --> Everyone is going to have to pay by way of higher taxes and less medical care.

Currenlty our government doesn't do a good job with Medicare, Medicaid or VA clinics and Hospitals. They can't get Social Security to work; so why should anyone think they can handle a National Health Plan?

Canada and the Brits are failing not because they 'can't do it right' but because Socialized Medicine in general is a bad business model from the start. It is a classic 'set you up for failure' business model; because NOTHING is FREE, everyone is Going To Have To Pay, with Higher Taxes AND Less Medical Care.

Pete| 7.2.09 @ 9:14AM

And the corrupt bastards in the ruling class know that, this is just another power/control grab. The fact they are chosing now as a good time to further cripple the economy with this and the energy tax shows how little they really care about their subjects.