I am, as you know, in favor of the Affordable Care Act…that piece of legislation that some call "Obamacare." I think it doesn't go nearly far enough but I think it's a good first step. I have several correspondents who are opposed to it and they often send me links to articles that, they think, will get me to change my mind. This morn, two separate individuals sent me the results of a new CNN poll (link to PDF) which they thought would convince me that since a majority of the public is against the A.C.A., it must be bad. I don't know why they think this. They all hate Obama and always have. When he won a significant majority vote in this country (a real vote, not a poll), none of them said, "Oh, well then he must be good." But somehow, since a majority of Americans don't (they say) want Obamacare, it must be bad. Anyway, here's the question they cited from this poll…
As you may know, a bill that makes major changes to the country's health care system became law earlier this year. Based on what you have read or heard about that legislation, do you generally favor or generally oppose it?
54% said they were opposed. 43% said they were in favor. So if we're talking about what America wants, it would appear 54% thinks Obamacare should be cut way back or repealed or something of the sort. But as several sites are noting this afternoon, that's not a fair representation of what this poll said. In fact, it's basically lying…because the follow-up question, asked of those who answered "oppose" was as follows…
Do you oppose that legislation because you think its approach toward health care is too liberal, or because you think it is not liberal enough?
Turns out, the 54% who'd said they opposed the legislation breaks down like this: 37% thinks it's too liberal. 13% thinks it's not liberal enough. In other words, 13% thinks like I do that it should go farther.
So to present it the way my correspondents did and as others are doing is just dishonest. A true representation of this poll would be that 37% of respondents think the A.C.A. is too liberal while 56% think it's either just right or needs to be more liberal.
Of course, one could suggest that it's just one poll so maybe it shouldn't be taken that seriously. Right, Hank and Roger?