Well, this is the Memeorandum thread everybody’s talking about, so…
Or does that headline make it too obvious what I’m doing?
Regardless. This Washington Post story:
Poll Shows Obama Slipping on Key Issues – Approval Rating on Health Care Falls Below 50 Percent
…is on top of Memeorandum right now. I wasn’t going to write about it, because…no, really? Come on, this is what always happens to major reforms – they start out strong, and fizzle as people get nervous. So I’m not surprised.
Okay, I am surprised, but only that everybody else seems to be surprised. Which, I guess, would have been a good enough reason to write about it.
But that’s not why I am. No: I happened to click on Matthew Yglesias’ post on the subject. He says:
For a poll that’s bad news for Barack Obama and his agenda, the latest Washington Post poll contains some pretty good news for Barack Obama and his agenda:
If I’m in White House Legislative Affairs and I’m talking to a nervous member of congress, I’m showing them that chart and arguing that the progressive president is more popular than the somewhat dawdling congressional Democrats and way more popular than the obstructionist Republicans. Under the circumstances, giving in to the obstructionists by dawdling isn’t going to help anyone.
Okay, but the right now numbers aren’t so important. The trend lines are. If President Obama is on the way down, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t even matter if Republicans are on the way up right now. If Obama’s falling, they’ll be rising eventually.
That’s what matters.
Also from Yglesias:
“…do moderate Democrats want universal health care?” Insofar as they do, there’s nothing stopping them from making it happen…If you want a bill to pass, then passing one isn’t brain surgery. But it seems to me throughout this process that a lot of folks have been acting like they actually don’t want a bill to pass, but they don’t want to say that either, so they’re kind of throwing sand in the works.
I’m betting they all want to pass…a bill. But not the bill. Not the “Europeanize health care in America, take over 17% of the economy, raise taxes by umpteen percent” bill. Some of them want that bill. Others want less. And, honestly, I’m more worried about them trying to pass less, and then pass less again, and again, and again, and again…
More:
UPDATE - Oh, sure. No sooner do I post something about whatever’s at the top of Memeorandum than…bam! It’s not even on Memeorandum anymore.
Heh. You people better start linking me more, or I’ll start linking to you. The Trogfather has spoken.
UPDATE II – Another day, another missed opportunity for Matthew Yglesias to comprehend trends.
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