Just thought I'd throw in another data point (sorry, PDF), for what it's worth. I'd also like to point out that among those who dislike the bill, there are some who dislike it because they don't think it goes far enough - however, some political commentators try to paint all dissatisfied people as being against any health care reform at all. It's just not that simple, even though we might wish it to be.
voter feeling on a single issue (such as health care) is hard to tease out from other issues. Voters may vote based on their feelings on gun control, immigration, abortion, jobs, current military actions in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, "defense of marriage", and a lot of other things that they could put ahead of health care (especially if they feel that health care is "settled".)
I don't mean to refute your basic premise, but the story linked in the parent was to the vote on Prop. C, specifically on the health care issue. Now, I would submit that you are probably correct, the voters who came out for a ballot initiative during a primary were probably still only the more polarized (because that's just what turns up at most primaries), but it wouldn't hurt to read the linked article, would it?
Rasmussen has been criticized for bias on issues polls. Their poll question probably read something like "Do you, like a large number of patriotic, red-blooded Americans, feel that the socialist health care reform bill that will allow a government panel to decide if your mother will be put to death and will turn the US into a third world country should be repealed?"
The Washington Post recently found different results (sorry, probably have to register). I'm sure you'll say they're biased, too, but the point remains that Rasmussen's results aren't the only ones we have available.
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Just thought I'd throw in another data point (sorry, PDF), for what it's worth. I'd also like to point out that among those who dislike the bill, there are some who dislike it because they don't think it goes far enough - however, some political commentators try to paint all dissatisfied people as being against any health care reform at all. It's just not that simple, even though we might wish it to be.
voter feeling on a single issue (such as health care) is hard to tease out from other issues. Voters may vote based on their feelings on gun control, immigration, abortion, jobs, current military actions in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, "defense of marriage", and a lot of other things that they could put ahead of health care (especially if they feel that health care is "settled".)
I don't mean to refute your basic premise, but the story linked in the parent was to the vote on Prop. C, specifically on the health care issue. Now, I would submit that you are probably correct, the voters who came out for a ballot initiative during a primary were probably still only the more polarized (because that's just what turns up at most primaries), but it wouldn't hurt to read the linked article, would it?
The Washington Post recently found different results (sorry, probably have to register). I'm sure you'll say they're biased, too, but the point remains that Rasmussen's results aren't the only ones we have available.