Benemax

It is not uncommon to hear America described as “two nations”. Michael Harrington did it in 1960 and John Edwards campaigned on it in 2004 and again in 2008. But the two nations we’re talking about are quite different. On our map, one nation is inside the Washington Beltway and headquartered on Pennsylvania Avenue; and the other nation? Well, that’s everyplace else.

On Saturday, 60 Senators voted to move along a Health Care Reform bill that many of them believe Amercians want. But once you get 1,000 yards away from the Capitol Mall, everyone knows different.

Consider the latest Rasmussen poll, arguably the most reliable and respected of all the national polls. According to the latest results 38% of Americans support the bills being debated in Congress while 56% oppose them. Compare this to the last time Americans supported the Health Care Reform initiatives: 51% to 46% right after the President’s speach in September. But since September 15th, Americans have consistently opposed the reform legislation; average result:  44% in favor, 50%  opposed.

The most recent poll, taken while the Senate was debating its Saturday vote, shows a significant shift, 6% to be exact, to “nay” side. Clearly, the more Americans find out about these bills and the closer they come to passage, the less they like what they see.

If there is a further shift of 6% in the same direction, the nation will be 2:1 against these bills! But wait…that’s already happened. The latest poll also shows that right now 43% of Americans are strongly opposed to the bills while only 21% are strongly in favor of them. In other words, among folks with strong opinions on the subject, the nays already lead the nays by 2:1.

Imagine if Congress actually represented the American people! Instead of advancing the bill by a vote of 60 to 39, the Senate would have killed the bill by a vote of 33 to 66. 

By the time of the final vote, Reid and Pellosi will likely be asking Congress to vote for legislation that is strongly opposed by the majority of Americans and strongly supported by less than 20%.  We are indeed two nations: a nation of people and a nation of politicians.