Posted on 04/28/2010 3:33:30 AM PDT by Scanian
This bit of news is fascinating, if only because it hews to what one side predicted, and the other did not: “A new Democracy Corps survey finds the passage of health care reform ‘did not produce even a point rise in the president’s approval rating or affection for the Democratic Congress… Virtually every key tracking measure in April’s poll has remained unchanged, including the Democrats’ continued weakness on handling of the economy. Both parties are equally reviled, reflected in their lowest ratings in history, while voters want to punish those in power — for the partisan bickering, bailing out the undeserving, government spending, the deficit, and the endless gridlock over health care while people struggled to survive the jobs crisis.’”
So why were Democrats so convinced that passing the health care would help themselves and Obama? Bill Clinton, who would presumably know a thing or two about health care, the presidency, polls and popularity, boldly declared “the minute health care reform passed, President Obama’s approval ratings would go up 10 points.”
It’s time to return to the concept of the Howell Raines Populist Fallacy, first popularized by once and future blogger, and Senate candidate Mickey Kaus:
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
In other news, scientists have discovered that water is wet.
I’m not sure why the official outlets on our side are moving so glacially, but to me the reason the Dems passed health care so blindly seems obvious: even if they lose their positions as Congresscritters or Senators, they are basically guaranteed high pay and influence as either lobbyists for the newly empowered providers (not necessarily the existing health care corporations, mind you) or as executives in the new health care bureaucracies.
Who needs the aggravation of having to please constituencies when you can get better pay by running an agency to dictate to them what when and where they can go and how frequently they have to tug the forelock to you as they go?
This analysis DOES assume that no person acts entirely out of altruism or fixed belief in a goal regardless of how faintly that goal resembles anything real.
Bill Clinton, who would presumably know a thing or two about health care, the presidency, polls and popularity, boldly declared “the minute health care reform passed, President Obama’s approval ratings would go up 10 points.”
Thus demonstrating the level of insight which characterized his entire tenure.
Oh I am so surprised that Bill Clinton’s prediction that Obama’s popularity would rise “10 to 20 points” is wrong__That ol Bill, he’s sly like a fox!!
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