New Poll Warns Daschle, Obama: Mandatory Health Insurance Big Loser With Public; Voters Want Return on Stem Cell Research

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Less than 15% of U.S. voters support, and 53% oppose, a proposal pushed by health insurers requiring every American to provide proof of private health insurance or face tax penalties or other fines, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by Consumer Watchdog, also found that by just under a two-to-one margin voters favor requiring a return on taxpayer-funded research that leads to new medical treatments or prescription drugs.

Download the poll here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/healthcarepollmemo.pdf. The poll is based on 840 interviews among registered voters in the United States conducted on December 4 thru December 7, 2008. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.

President-elect Obama opposed policies requiring all Americans to buy private health insurance coverage, the so-called "individual mandate," as a candidate. Senator Tom Daschle left open the possibility of his support for the approach in his book, "Critical," under the pretense that he is "not willing to sacrifice worthy improvements on the altar of perfection." Unlike plans pushed by health insurers, Daschle's proposal importantly would give Americans access to a public insurance program "modeled after Medicare."

Overall, 40% of voters say they are "strongly" opposed to mandating that "every American show proof that they have health insurance coverage or face tax penalties." Less than 15% say they would support it. Another 31% are undecided. Opposition is also strongest in the West (61% oppose; 16% favor), North Central states (54% oppose; 16% favor), the South (51% oppose; 13% favor) and in the Northeast (45% oppose; 18% favor). Download a detailed breakdown of the poll returns here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/healthcarepolltabs.pdf

"With the cost of health insurance coverage for a family topping $12,500 a year its no wonder Americans overwhelmingly oppose a plan that requires them to buy coverage or face penalties. When voters are told they will have to reach into their own pocket to pay for health insurance they quickly turn against proposals requiring them to buy from insurance companies that are unrestrained in how much they can charge," said Jerry Flanagan, Health Care Policy Director for Consumer Watchdog.

Read a recent letter Consumer Watchdog sent to President-elect Obama detailing the policy concerns with the individual mandate: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=24046

California's debate over health care reform collapsed based on popular opposition to mandatory insurance. A January 2008 poll by Consumer Watchdog's campaign affiliate, the Campaign for Consumer Rights, found that only 16% of California voters support such a plan. Download the January 2008 California poll here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/hcpoll.pdf. The California legislature refused to pass a measure supported by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders which would have required middle-class Californians to buy insurance regardless of its cost without regulating what insurers can charge for coverage, and with no guarantee that essential services would be covered. According to a recent poll by the Harvard School of Public Health, only 37% of those impacted by the individual mandate in Massachusetts -- the only state with such a requirement in place -- support it.

Voters Favor Providing a Return on Taxpayers' Investment for Any New Treatments or Prescription Drugs Developed By Taxpayer-Funded Research

By just under a two-to-one margin Americans favor requiring a return on taxpayer-funded research that leads to new medical treatments or prescription drugs. The issue is particularly important as President-elect Obama is proposing doubling research funding from the National Institutes of Health. He is also expected to end the Bush Administration's ban on federal fund of most embryonic stem cell research.

"California's $6 billion stem cell research program which provides for a payback to taxpayers should serve as a model for federally funded research," said John M. Simpson, Stem Cell Project Director. "When taxpayers fund research they deserve affordable access to what they've paid for. California's stem cell program demonstrates this works."

37% of voters approve of this proposal, while only 21% are opposed. In addition, those who "strongly" favor the proposal outpace "strong" opposition by 12 points (28% strong favor; 16% strong oppose). 42% remain undecided. Support passes the 40% mark among a number of critical subgroups including voters who earn over $75K a year (48%), voters ages 55 to 64 (45%), voters in the West (44%), Northeasterners (42%) and college graduates (42%).

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Leading State Officials Urge Reforms to Voting System

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Leading state election officials, policymakers and experts meeting here this week called on state and federal governments to improve voter registration, expand early voting and better serve military and overseas voters. Their recommendations came at a major national conference, "Voting in America," sponsored by the Pew Center on the States' Make Voting Work initiative, in partnership with the JEHT Foundation.

Held at the Newseum, the conference, which concludes today, highlighted the growing momentum by state and local officials to:

-- Improve voter registration procedures. Participants agreed on the need
for changes in the current system and discussed reforms such as
automatic voter registration, integrating state registration systems,
and making registration more convenient.


"We need a new approach to voter registration that matches the reality of voters' lives in the 21st Century," said Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. "Instead of relying on the piecemeal system we have today, government has an opportunity to innovate and act affirmatively to ensure voter rolls are integrated and accurate."

-- Provide more opportunities for voting prior to Election Day.
Participants agreed that states and localities should expand
opportunities for early voting and improve absentee voting or other
alternative voting systems. In Florida, for example, voters had 15
days prior to Election Day to cast their votes.


"In Florida we operated from the assumption that the whole idea of having to vote within one 12-hour period on one particular day is antiquated," said Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning. "Now we need to take the next step and work with the legislature to create more flexibility in the selection of sites, and in the hours available for election supervisors during early voting."

-- Improve the voting system for military and overseas voters.
Participants discussed the difficulty of registering military and
overseas voters, and the complications of ensuring ballots are sent
and returned so that they can be counted. There was a consensus that
the system for military and overseas voters is broken and that
long-term and sustained improvements are needed.


"Our history of trying to fix military and overseas voting is one of the classic examples of band-aid upon band-aid upon band-aid," said Oregon State Election Director John Lindback. "We need to change the system so these voters have a fighting chance of getting their ballots back on time."

Representatives from both the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns agreed on the need to improve elections. Robert F. Bauer, who served as general counsel to the Obama campaign, recommended steps to measure the success of the election system by ranking the performance of states and localities and encouraging competition as a means for improvement. Bauer cited a forthcoming book, The Democracy Index; Why Our Election System is Failing, and How to Fix It (Heather K. Gerken; Princeton University Press) as a primer on how to improve the election process. Building on a model supported by PCS and the Pew Government Performance Project, the book highlights measures for ranking the performance of election systems with hard data and verified outcomes. Attendees also cited practices called for in Being Online, Data for Democracy, a Pew report issued through the Make Voting Work project that compares state performance.

Trevor Potter, who was counsel to the McCain campaign, spoke to the importance of reforming the system of voter registration. "It is clear that the current system of voter registration which relies on actions of individuals and private groups to put names on the registration rolls is flawed," said Mr. Potter. "Why isn't it a fundamental obligation of government to ensure comprehensive and accurate voter registration? Why don't we publish the voter registration rolls in advance of the election as many countries do so that voters can ensure the accuracy and integrity of the list?"

Make Voting Work, a project of the Pew Center on the States, seeks to foster an election system that achieves the highest standards of accuracy, accessibility, efficiency and security. The initiative examines the most pressing election problems, and undertakes and evaluates pilot projects and experiments designed to address them. This research will inform our efforts to identify effective solutions through changes in policies, practices and technology. Further information is available at pewcenteronthestates.org

The JEHT Foundation was established in April 2000. Its name stands for the core values that underlie the Foundation's mission: Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance. The Foundation focuses on criminal and juvenile justice, international justice, and fair and participatory elections. Working directly with states, in some cases in-depth, is a key part of the Foundation strategy to implement practical change related to its mission.

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John McCain 2008 to Host Virtual Town Hall with Democratic and Independent Voters

U.S. Senator John McCain's campaign today announced that John McCain, along with RNC Victory Chair Carly Fiorina, will participate in a virtual town hall with Democrats and Independents this Saturday to discuss McCain's record of putting country before political party. Many town hall participants are expected to be former supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign.

The town hall is part of the campaign's effort to build on growing support from voters who are rapidly joining "Citizens for McCain," a new grassroots organization headed by Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to rally Americans of all political parties to support John McCain's candidacy.

"The American people know I have a long record of bipartisan problem solving," said John McCain. "They've seen me put our country before any president, before any party, before any special interest -- and before my own interest. They might think me an imperfect servant of our country, which I surely am, but I am her servant first, last and always. I look forward to talking to voters across the country of all parties to present them with my vision for the future of our great nation."

Saturday, June 14, 2008

WHAT: Virtual Town Hall Meeting

WHO: John McCain & RNC Victory Chair Carly Fiornia

WHEN: Saturday, June 14, 2008
3:30p.m. ET

PARTICIPATE: To participate, the general public should please visit cityhall.johnmccain.com. Members of the media should email press@mccain08hq.com to receive call-in information.

Clinton Supporters Voting For John McCain

"I think both of us would support Senator McCain. ... And Cynthia and I and two other members of our group are going to definitely support Senator McCain in the upcoming election because we feel he's the best candidate. And we need a strong leader to govern in the coming years." -- Marilu Sochor

Fox News' "Fox & Friends"
June 9, 2008

FOX NEWS' BRIAN KILMEADE: "Hillary Clinton is urging her supporters to unify and get behind Barack Obama this November. So why are some of them telling her no way and pledging to vote for John McCain? Let's ask Cynthia Ruccia and Marilu Sochor, co-founders of Women for Fair Politics. First off you Cynthia, you heard Hillary Clinton ask you to support her rival, Senator Barack Obama. Why won't you?"

CYNTHIA RUCCIA: "We love Hillary Clinton. We are so proud of the job that she has done. We feel very upset with our party. We feel that they have absolutely betrayed us. The amount of sexism that came out during the course of this campaign was completely unacceptable, and we feel that we want to make a statement we're going to support John McCain. Our organization, we have had in one week just under 600,000 people visit our web site -- 80% of them feel the way that we do."

KILMEADE: "Marilu, I understand that Howard Dean has contacted your organization and said basically what do you want? What did you tell him?"

MARILU SOCHOR: "Well he's contacted Cynthia and myself twice over the last week and basically, he wanted to know what we felt and how we could get on board the Obama train. And we told him that we didn't feel that it was an option. That we felt that the DNC did not stand or defend Senator Clinton during the whole primary campaign and that we did not feel that we could, for more than one reason, throw our support toward Senator Obama, no matter what Senator Clinton suggested that we do."

KILMEADE: "Cynthia, where did you hear the sexism? Tell us what really ticked you off."

RUCCIA: "It was a lot of big things, you heard them all before. It was a lot of little things. It was a day to day to day thing. Even last week when it was very apparent that Barack Obama was going to be the presumed nominee and Hillary had lost and they consider her the person who lost, Governor Richardson went on the air and started bashing her. It was just completely unacceptable. I couldn't imagine --"

KILMEADE: "You don't think he would have bashed her if she was a man?"

RUCCIA: "No. Because I think in the traditions of our Democratic party when someone has been declared the winner and someone has been declared the loser that the winner doesn't bash the loser. It's just unacceptable."

KILMEADE: "What have you done in terms of contacting the McCain camp? Would you vote for John McCain or sit it out?"

SOCHOR: "No. I think both of us would support Senator McCain. But, our group, which started with five members all have different opinions on this matter. That's why Women for Fair Politics, that's what it's all about. We have some people who are going to write in Hillary's name. We have some people who are going to sit it out. And Cynthia and I and two other members of our group are going to definitely support Senator McCain in the upcoming election because we feel he's the best candidate. And we need a strong leader to govern in the coming years."

KILMEADE: "The fact that he reached out to you right away on Tuesday night I'm sure didn't hurt either."

SOCHOR: "No."

KILMEADE: "All right. Cynthia Ruccia and Marilu Sochor thanks for joining us this morning."

Watch The Fox News Segment.

Video Voter Guide Sets Record Straight on Amnesty

South Carolina Distribution Expected to Reach 50,000 Voters with TV Ad Campaign Extending to Florida, Other Primary States

CHESAPEAKE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grassfire.org Alliance today is launching its “Amnesty Voter Guide” -- a 30-second TV spot produced by Rapid Response Media with supporting resources that clarifies the positions of the Presidential candidates on the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens. The spot will reach an estimated 50,000 South Carolina voters prior to Saturday’s Primary as the first phase in a planned campaign rollout in Florida and other primary states.

“There has been much distortion on the issue of amnesty by the presidential candidates,” says Steve Elliott, President of Grassfire.org Alliance. “Voters need to know where each candidate stands on amnesty. Our voter guide and support resources clearly and succinctly set the record straight.”

The spot first defines amnesty and then places each presidential candidate in either the “opposes” or “supports” amnesty column. “We played this fair,” says Elliott. “We’ve carefully examined each candidate’s voting record, campaign positions and what they’ve said about amnesty. Frankly, we just put everything together in an easy to understand format—free of media spin. That’s what voter’s need heading to the primaries.”

Transcript, and broadcast-quality audio and video versions of the spots available at: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CJjFlqhs/

Note: The above link is for broadcast media only. The public may view the spot as http://www.AmnestyVoterGuide.com
Grassfire media backgrounder: http://www.grassfire.org/media.asp

Romney: FACT CHECK: ARKANSAS VOTERS DID NOT APPROVE OF GOV. HUCKABEE'S GAS TAX HIKE

Despite His Claims, Arkansans Did Not Vote Themselves A Tax Hike
"Huckabee claimed a gasoline tax was only passed after 80 percent of voters approved it. Not true. The tax was enacted before a referendum vote on highway repairs." – Factcheck.org ("Huckabee's Fiscal Record," Factcheck.org, 11/21/07)

Gov. Huckabee Has Repeatedly Claimed That 80% Of Arkansas Voters Approved A Gas Tax:
On NBC's Meet The Press Yesterday, Gov. Huckabee Claimed That Arkansas Voters Supported A Tax For Highway Improvement. GOV. HUCKABEE: "He made claims about things like tax increases, but he failed to mention that some of those were either court-ordered or they were voted on by the people and approved by the people for things as roads." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 12/30/07)

On Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Gov. Huckabee Said That 80% Of Arkansas Taxpayers Voted For A Gas Tax Hike. FOX NEWS' SEAN HANNITY: "You did support some tax increases, but some tax cuts. Can you explain that?" HUCKABEE: "Yes, I did. Certainly, there was an issue that involved road building and infrastructure on roads and bridges, and I did support that. … When we put that out there for the people to decide whether they wanted to affirm it, they did by an 80 percent vote, I would call that leadership." (Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes," 11/15/07)
On ABC's This Week, Gov. Huckabee Also Claimed That Voters Approved The Gas Tax Hike. ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "But you did raise those other taxes." HUCKABEE: "Well, here's what we did. On the gas tax, yeah, you know what we did? We put it on the ballot and 80 percent of the people of Arkansas voted for those fuel taxes because they wanted better roads." (ABC's "This Week," 2/11/07)

Gov. Huckabee's Campaign Chair Repeated The Claim This Morning On C-SPAN. ED ROLLINS: "And he – now he's being attacked for things like fixing the roads. The voters of Arkansas had the worst roads in the country according to 'Trucking' magazine. Truckers didn't want to go into the state. He went to the voters and he said, we have got these terrible roads. I'm going to give you an opportunity to vote a three-cent-a-gallon tax to fix the roads…" (C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," 12/31/07)

In Fact, Gov. Huckabee's Own Gubernatorial Website Contradicts The Story He's Telling Now:
In 2005, Gov. Huckabee's Website Said That The People Did Not Vote For The 1999 Fuel Tax. "The people did not vote on any of the taxes dedicated to repay these bonds. Federal gas and diesel taxes are passed and implemented by Congress, and the state funds to repay these bonds are coming from the diesel tax increase passed and implemented by the state legislature in 1999." (Gov. Mike Huckabee, "Setting The Record Straight," Press Release, 11/30/05, http://web.archive.org/web/20060926201257/www.arkansas.gov/governor/media/gems/11302005-1.html, Accessed 11/13/07)

Gov. Huckabee Has Been Misleading On The Issue:

Factcheck.org: "Not True." "Huckabee claimed a gasoline tax was only passed after 80 percent of voters approved it. Not true. The tax was enacted before a referendum vote on highway repairs." ("Huckabee's Fiscal Record," Factcheck.org, 11/21/07)

The Club For Growth Called Out Gov. Huckabee For His Misleading Statements On The Gas Tax. "While Huckabee repeatedly claims that 80% of Arkansas voters approved the gas and diesel fuel tax increases that he backed, the frequency of his repetition of this claim does not make it true. In fact, the claim is false. The Arkansas Legislature passed two bills in March of 1999 to pay for transportation projects, a gas and fuel tax hike, not subject to voter approval, and a bond issue that was contingent on voter approval. Huckabee signed the gas and diesel fuel tax increases into law on April 1, 1999; the tax hikes began taking effect that day." (Club For Growth, "Updated Huckabee White Paper," 11/13/07)

Gov. Huckabee Compromised With Democrats And De-Linked The Gas Tax From A Bond Issue:

Gov. Huckabee Agreed To A Diesel And Gasoline Tax Increase Even If His Bond Proposal Was Voted Down By The People. "But Huckabee on Thursday endorsed legislation that would impose a 3-cent tax increase on both diesel and gasoline - regardless of how the Governor's bond program fares." (David A. Lieb, "Dozen Republicans Split From Huckabee, Propose Alternative Highway Plan," The Associated Press, 2/26/99)

Gov. Huckabee's Compromise Plan Included "A Gasoline Tax Increase That Would Not Be Referred To Voters." "Gov. Mike Huckabee gave his blessing Thursday to an overhaul of his proposals for interstate repairs by including a gasoline tax increase that would not be referred to voters." (Noel E. Oman, "Huckabee Fits," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/26/99)

In April 1999, Gov. Huckabee Signed Legislation Increasing Gas Taxes WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL:

"The Fuel Taxes Were Signed Into Law By Huckabee And Do Not Have To Go A Statewide Vote." "The bond issue is part of a highway package backed by Gov. Mike Huckabee that also includes a 4-cent diesel tax, to be phased in over two years, tax and 3-cent gas tax, to be phased in over three years. The fuel taxes were signed into law by Huckabee and do not have to go a statewide vote." ("Capitol Briefs," The Associated Press, 4/6/99)

The Vote On The Bond Proposal Was Not Tied To The Diesel And Fuel Taxes. "Although a tax increase is in the bond plan, voter approval of the bonds did not raise or lower any tax. Huckabee and the Legislature had already done that during the 1999 legislative session. They raised the diesel fuel tax 4 cents per gallon, earmarking part of that revenue to finance the bonds." (Ray Pierce And Elizabeth Caldwell, "Road Bond Issue Scores Big Win With Arkansans," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/16/99)

Gov. Huckabee Signed Legislation Increasing Diesel And Fuel Taxes, While Separately Issuing $575 Million Worth Of Bonds Depending Upon Voters Approval. "Gov. Mike Huckabee signed into law Thursday legislation to raise fuel taxes by $60 million a year and issue bonds worth $575 million to pay for Arkansas' first major road program since 1991. Diesel taxes go up immediately and the gasoline tax increase takes effect July 1, two weeks after voters decide whether to approve the bond issue intended to speed up repairs on the poorest stretches of interstates across the state." (James Jefferson, "Governor Signs Bills Raising Taxes, Bonds For Highway Program," The Associated Press, 4/1/99)

The People Would Have The Chance To Vote On JUST The Bond Proposal In June Of 1999. "Huckabee also set a June 15 special election for voters to decide whether to approve the bond issue, which is intended to speed up repairs on the poorest stretches of interstates across the state." (James Jefferson, "Governor Signs Bills Raising Taxes, Bonds For Highway Program," The Associated Press, 4/2/99)

In June 1999, Arkansans Voted 80% For The Highway Bond Proposal, NOT A Gas Tax:
The Vote On The Bond Proposal Would Not Impact The Tax Increases. "Voting on the bond issue would not change state tax rates. The legislature raised fuel taxes this year - 4 cents a gallon on diesel over two years, 3 cents a gallon on gasoline over three years - to hasten repairs on secondary highways and local roads." (James Jefferson, "Voters Back Huckabee's Road Plan," The Commercial Appeal, 6/16/99)

The Bond Proposal (WITH NO GAS TAX) Was Passed 80% To 20%.
"Gov. Mike Huckabee's $575 million bond program to reconstruct the worst stretches of Arkansas interstates over a five-year period appeared headed for an easy victory, 80 percent to 20 percent, becoming the first road bond issue approved since 1949." (James Jefferson, "Voters Back Huckabee's Road Plan," The Commercial Appeal, 6/16/99)