Snowe's Constituents Want A Public Option: Poll

A new poll from Democracy Corps reveals that Sen. Olympia Snowe's (R-Maine) constituents support President Obama's sweeping health care plan.

Democracy Corps' survey comes one day after Snowe voted against two separate public option amendments to proposed health care legislation, introduced by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), respectively. While Snowe currently maintains broad support in her home state, Democracy Corps found:

A Snowe vote against health insurance reform results in Mainers evenly divided on whether she should be re-elected, while support for Obama's plan produces 53 percent who want to re-elect Snowe compared to 38 percent who want someone new as U.S. Senator.

Also significant is Democracy Corps' finding that an overwhelming majority of Mainers support a government-sponsored non-profit health insurance option, by a conspicuous 63 to 27 percent.

Snowe has been a key figure in the country's ongoing health care debate, considered by many as the "make-or-break" vote in the larger effort to achieve health reform. Democracy Corps' poll suggests that the Snowe's role in health care proceedings may not only determine the outcome of health care reform efforts, but perhaps also her own political fate.

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Comments

[JanetStorms]

BUSTED! Government Healthcare Advocate Admits Public Option is Trojan Horse!
http://02e56fa.netsolhost.com/blog1/index.php/2009/09/21/first-post-of-the-new-era-pickle-1-advoc

[Jay04]

GOP garbage!

[munki]

She may have just lost supports..­. as long as we do not have a short and convenient memory...

[grf67]

Snowe has enough character to do the right thing. She can win in Maine without the GOP.

[Awake-and-Sing]

Senator Snow will probably not become a Democrat. However, I could see her becoming an Independent.

Maine has a tradition of electing Independents to the State Legislature and to Governor, most recently Governor Angus King.

[CydMiller]

I moved to Maine last year and was horrified that Collins was re-elected. I just received a newsletter from her touting the Czar letter that the Republicans sent to Obama. How embarassing that an elected official would embrace such insanity. While Snowe appears to be the more moderate of the two, its unlikely either will be re-elected. She is owned by the healthcare industry which is big in Maine. So basically they have to destroy the benefits of the stimulus, healthcare, education, and environment before democrats are elected. Not that I am suggesting the democrats are doing any better. They appear spineless and ineffective at the moment. Will the democrats find the courage to pass the agenda we voted for....it remains to be seen.

[ResidualSelfImage]

Im sure Snow and Collins will switch partys and we will still have the same pentagon and private military contractor funders in office.

[Purcy]

Going against a Public Option should hurt every person in the House and the Senate. The majority of Americans favor a strong public option. Get it done!

[zest]

There are a lot of poor, uninsured, sick people in Maine who will vote Democrate; they've had plenty of snowe in Maine.

[sposton]

She has nothing to worry about. All she has to do is to switch to democratic party and the White House will block any effective primary challengers from emerging. Rahm Emanuel will make sure of that.

[zest]

Party switchers can't be trusted.

[Wong23]

Republicans can't be trusted!

[sposton]

And can those other non-party switchers be trusted? People like Dodd, Baucus, Schumer,..­.? ;-)

[Awake-and-Sing]

Ronald Reagan was a party switcher

[hapiday]

It's amazing to me that the media and the Obama Administration is giving Snowe as much power has she is getting. That's a weakness on the Democrats side. Snowe is voting against the interest of her constituents if she votes against health care reform with a public option. Maine needs to vote her out, she shouldn't be rewarded for bad judgment.

[HerbTee]

Agreed. Senator Snowe should either vote with and for her constituents, or they should vote her @zz out if she does not! The Senate Democrats should not practically beg for her one vote. If she votes against her people, then let her fall on her own sword if she blindly wishes to toe the ReTHUG line.

[hollyhund]

I've said it once but I'll say it again....S­nowe is stuck on a trigger which would be pulled if the insurance industries does not comply!!! What is the history of this industry? They will find a loophole around this swiss cheese bill and continue there same practice!!
I suggest the following :
A reverse trigger!!! A strong,robust Consumer Choice Medicare for All Option in the Exchange now! If after five years, this option is not able to fund itself and the insurance companies have shown intent to provide affordable coverage it would sunset..en­d...no more..!!
Why are we going to "give the thieves another talking to"! Give us a Choice now!! This bill gives the industry a half trillion dollars in subsidized funds and HOPE they behave!!! BS

[Wong23]

Reverse trigger? Great idea

[ljkcan]

Indulge me I am Canadian. I thought I read the trigger option gives the insurance companies about 4 years before they tell them enough. 4 Years do they realize how many uninsured or those with pre-existing conditions will endure.

Yesterday B. Corker R said Canadians are parasitic when it comes to health care. Well at least every Canadian is covered.

[frappe]

Democrats who oppose a strong public option are signing their own political de@th warrants, so to speak. People are just totally fed up with how politics is being practiced. Functionally, it's "taxation without representation". Far too many of them bow to the special interests and only pretend to represent their true constituents.

And at this time, with all of the pain and suffering that we've had to endure as a consequence of these past eight, long, miserable years under Bush and the Reptilian party, we just can't take it anymore. And we're not going to take it anymore!

We are angry and frustrated and heads will roll if real health care reform doesn't pass. After all, what good is a "super majority" if they can't give us what we voted them into office for? Our expectations were raised to the heavens -- especially with respect to real health care reform. There had better be a payoff at the end of the process.

In many eyes, our representatives, particularly in the Senate, are deserters and cowards to the cause of social justice and freedom, opting instead to side with their corporate masters, feeding off of the corporate welfare which they themselves happily extended to their corporate contributors -- completing the circuit of corruption: political contributions for corporate welfare.

Meanwhile, the rest of us suffer miserably on the sidelines without so much as an afterthought. An effective unemployment rate of 20%, and one in six without any health insurance whatsoever.

It's all

[frappe]

edit -- last sentence: "It's all so outrageous!"

[dsgeorge]

Mainers: get on the phone EVERY DAY to your 2 senators and make sure they know that you will not forget or forgive if a public option does not go thru.

All others: get on the phone EVERY DAY to your 2 senators and make sure they know that you will not forget or forgive if a public option does not go thru.

[Taro1]

IT will hurt Snowe? It will also hurt the Democrats who vote against it - and the Republicans who don't want anything.

[dayala]

good, get rid of her and Collins.

time for the Maine constituents to get themselves young, 21st Century forward-thinking Progressives
to represent them...get rid of all the old, fogey dinosaurs in the republican party.