Liberals are all excited, again, about another poll showing some support for the Occupy Wall Street protests. Quinnipiac University released a poll, yesterday, finding that, by a 67 – 23 percent margin, New York City voters “agree with the views of the Wall Street protesters.” But do New Yorkers even know what those views are?
Doug Schoen, one of former President Bill Clinton’s pollsters, talked to nearly 200 OWS protesters and found that not only did virtually all of them, 98 percent, say they support civil disobedience, but nearly one-third, 31 percent, said they would support violence to advance their agenda. And contrary to an earlier Time Magazine poll that described the OWS movement as against “the government’s bank bailout,” Schoen found that 49 percent of OWS protesters thought the bailouts were “necessary. ”
The reality is that Americans really do not know what the Occupy Wall Street movement is about … if they even know it exists. Gallup found that 63 percent of Americans were unwilling to say whether or not they approved of the movement’s goals since they did not know what they are. In all, barely a quarter of Americans, 26 percent, said they support the protesters. For an average news story, 61 percent of Americans tell Gallup they are following the story closely. The OWS movement, at 56%, falls below that threshold.
The OWS movement simply is not as big, or as widespread, as the Tea Party movement was. Why Democrats are rushing to embrace them is a mystery.
Around the Bigs
The Hill, New healthcare fight is joined as White House’s 2010 law implodes: Congressional Republicans on Monday called for the immediate repeal of the CLASS Act portion of Obamacare in light of Friday’s announcement that the Obama administration would not be implementing the law. “Hopefully we can kill this thing once and for all so it doesn’t become a drain on our children and grandchildren,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said.
The Washington Examiner, Obama defends program he admits won’t work: A White House spokesman said that even though HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius has admitted Obamacare’s long-term care program, the CLASS Act, is not financially sound, President Obama will fight any effort to repeal it. “This gives Republicans an opportunity to argue that the whole Affordable Care Act was ill-conceived from the start. Now the president, by admitting there were problems, is in part jettisoning his signature legislation,.” Catholic University politics professor Wallace Theis told The Examiner.
The Los Angeles Times, Republicans lay groundwork for healthcare repeal: Conservative activists are pressuring Republican candidates to promise that they will use any means necessary to repeal Obamacare in 2013. “This needs to be a threshold question for both presidential and Senate candidates,” Heritage Action for America president Michael Needham told The Times.
The New York Times, Massachusetts Tries to Rein in Its Health Cost: After Mitt Romney’s health care plan failed to slow the growth of health care costs, Gov. Deval Patrick is about to implement a “global payment” plan that will pay providers a flat fee for every patient enrolled.
The Wall Street Journal, Democrats Seek Funds for States: Senate Democrats will introduce a $35 billion bailout for states paid for by higher taxes on the rich. Their bill will be the first effort to pass Obama’s larger second stimulus package in smaller pieces.
The Wall Street Journal, Demonstration Tests Police Playbook: Policing the Occupy Wall Street protest has cost the city at least $3.4 million in overtime. More than 800 people have been arrested so far.
Campaign 2012
GOP Field: Two-thirds of Republicans tell CNN that they have not made up their minds about who they will vote for in the 2012 presidential primary.
GOP Debate: The Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, and CNN have announced they will all co-host a GOP debate on November 15th at a location to be determined.
Paul: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, released an economic plan yesterday, that would cut $1 trillion in spending and eliminate five cabinet-level departments, including Education, Energy, Commerce, Interior and Housing and Urban Development. The plan also cuts corporate and individual taxes.
Righty Playbook
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Chris Horner has learned that the Obama administration is conspiring with foreign governments to set up a communications network for global warming related planning, that is exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests.
Hit and Run‘s Lucy Steigerwald notes that a new Gallup poll shows that for the first time ever, 50 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana.
At Investor’s Business Daily, John Merline expose the austerity myth: federal spending is up 5% this year.
Lefty Playbook
The Washington Monthly‘s Steve Benen whines about a Pew Research Center study showing that President Obama has received more negative press coverage than any other candidate this cycle.
Talking Points Memo reports that Herman Cain’s presidential campaign transferred over $100,000 to Herman Cain T.H.E. New Voice, the firm that handles Cain’s for profit writing and speaking ventures.
The American Prospect‘s Harold Meyerson hopes that Occupy Wall Street will help bridge the cultural differences between unions and “the long-haired kids on Wall Street.”
