The American Spectator

The Spectacle Blog

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.