Et Tu, Olympia? Sen. Snowe Actually Crticizes Democrats for Attempting to "Railroad" ObamaCare Through Congress

The Democrats are in trouble when even their Maine Hallelujah Chorus are balking.

Democrats tried to "railroad" healthcare through Congress, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said today.

Snowe, a key centrist Republican on the Finance Committee, said the committee was hard at work poring over every detail of the possible legislation, and compared that process to what Democrats tried to do earlier this session.

"[We're] doing what should have been done at the outset of this year, rather than trying to railroad a procses in an unrealistic timeframe," Snowe told MSNBC's Morning Joe.

This doesn't mean she's actually off the Obama Team, of course. But it does seem to mean that Obama's tactic of attempting to pass bills before they're written, let alone read, might be at its expiration date.

It also seems to confirm that Obama's vaunted popularity, which hitherto caused Snowe to back him on just about everything, is now gone.

In polling news, Quinnipiac's headline is Scrap Health Care Reform If It Adds To Deficit, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; Voters Disapprove Of Obama's Handling Of Health Care.

Well, of course it will add to the deficit. There is no "if" involved. And, per the poll, the public understands this.

American voters, by a 55 - 35 percent margin, are more worried that Congress will spend too much money and add to the deficit than it will not act to overhaul the health care system, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. By a similar 57 - 37 percent margin, voters say health care reform should be dropped if it adds "significantly" to the deficit.

By a 72 - 21 percent margin, voters do not believe that President Barack Obama will keep his promise to overhaul the health care system without adding to the deficit...

American voters disapprove 52 - 39 percent of the way President Obama is handling health care, down from 46 - 42 percent approval July 1, with 60 - 34 percent disapproval from independent voters. Voters say 59 - 36 percent that Congress should not pass health care reform if only Democratic members support it.

Voters are split 39 - 41 percent on whether the President's health care plan will improve or hurt the quality of health care in the nation, with 14 percent saying it won't make a difference.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

Reason TV Rats on its own Writer for Spreading "Fishy" Information: Commenters already wrote they were submitting Obama's press conference as an example of such fishy information. Now Reason finds that one of its own must be reported.

posted by Ace at 12:58 PM

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